GUIDES BY THE SIDE

Meet the Paraclete Guides & Founder

“That's what education should be," I said, "the art of orientation. Educators should devise the simplest and most effective methods of turning minds around. It shouldn't be the art of implanting sight in the organ, but should proceed on the understanding that the organ already has the capacity, but is improperly aligned and isn't facing the right way.” –Plato

"You may dazzle the mind with a thousand brilliant discoveries of natural science; you may open new worlds of knowledge which were never dreamed of before; yet, if you have not developed in the soul of the pupil strong habits of virtue which will sustain her in the struggle of life, you have not educated her, but only put in her hand a powerful instrument of self-destruction." -St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

  • Jessica McGibbon, the second of six children of two NYU professors, was born and raised in New York City. She attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in the West Village and then Loyola School on 84th and Park Ave. She matriculated to Georgetown University College of Arts and Sciences, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a concentration in foreign languages. Dr. McGibbon then went on to Princeton University where she earned her Ph.D. in medieval comparative literature. After sending her two oldest children to a private Catholic school for K-2, she decided to homeschool all eight of her children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Through this experience, she became an expert in grade-school curricula, online offerings, and how to offer a tailored education based on the temperaments and talents of each of her children.

    She also co-managed a homeschool co-op for which she began the Catechism (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd), drama, and middle-school programs. During this period, she co-directed and produced seven Shakespeare plays for 4th to 8th grade students.

    Her oldest daughter, Julia, had an interest in classical art which led Dr. McGibbon to develop a customized online high school education that Julia could pursue at night for her junior and senior years while attending art school during the day. Julia is now a junior in Notre Dame’s architecture program.

    From July 2020 through June 2023, Dr. McGibbon was the head of the lower school at Sacred Heart Greenwich. During her tenure there, she transformed the lower school by improving the curriculum (e.g. Fundations for reading and spelling and history capstone projects), introducing new programs (e.g. violin, Mustard Seeds/Outdooor Exploration, and chess), bringing in and training new faculty, and renovating the Lower School.

    All of her educational experiences collectively led her to the conclusion that there is a need for more schools that take advantage of the opportunities to customize each student’s learning while maintaining a fully Catholic educational experience. Hence, the founding of Paraclete Academy.

  • (Math & Science; in person)

    is a research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory currently pursuing his PhD in Computer Science at Fordham University working to develop AI/ML methods for accelerating scientific discovery in physics and chemistry. He comes to the Paraclete Academy with two Masters degrees in biology and computer science, along with 4 years of teaching experience at the collegiate level. Eric’s approach to teaching is motivated by a belief that our modern education system overemphasizes specialization at the expense of critical thinking and aims to deliver a holistic curriculum without the need to sacrifice technical competency. As a Catholic scientist, he is deeply concerned with questions pertaining to the perceived divide between faith and reason as well as its real cultural divide in our country. He looks to the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas for guidance, particularly in his work Super Boethium de Trinitate, and receives his inspiration from St. Dominic, Vn. Fulton J. Sheen, and the Jesuit priest Georges Lemaˆıtre. He is also a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, an active supporter of NASA, and a former competitive tennis player.

  • (writing; online and in person)

    has taught literature, history, and writing to middle and high school students for 20 years. Her classroom experience ranges from a diocesan school in the South Bronx to a private school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to an independent Catholic school in Fairfield County, Conn. She has taught online at Outschool.com and VIPKids. She holds a BA in English from Davidson College and pursued a master's in general education at Bank Street College of Education before leaving to raise and homeschool her five children. She currently tutors students privately in Westchester and Fairfield Counties. Before becoming an educator, she worked for a decade as a sports journalist at the New York Post and the Associated Press covering MLB, the NHL, NBA, and NFL, as well as professional tennis, boxing, and running.

  • (ancient history and literature; online)

    is the mother of three and wife of John Rao, recently-retired professor of history at St. John's University on Staten Island. Anne received her BA from Colgate University and her MA in literature from Columbia University. John and Anne raised and homeschooled their children in Greenwich Village, NY. Their homeschool curriculum was classical, with an emphasis on music and language. All three children are classically-trained violinists and fluent in French. Their eldest, a son, is writing his dissertation for a PhD in philosophy at St. Louis University. Their daughter graduated from Franciscan University in OH. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and 4-month-old daughter. Their youngest, a boy, is a senior at Thomas More College in New Hampshire.

    In 2017, Anne started to offer courses in history and literature for the Catholic homeschool community on Long Island. In her classes, she combines study of a given historical period with the literature from that period. With students on Long Island she has cycled twice through Ancient, Medieval, Modern European, and American history and literature. Since 2020, she has mastered teaching on Zoom. She taught for two years (until the pandemic) at the Smith School, a private school in Manhattan that caters to bright students who experience various challenges thriving in a mainstream school environment. During the pandemic, she worked for Mont Lawn, a project of the Bowery Mission, offering academic tutoring, via Zoom and in person, to first and second graders living in the South Bronx whose parents needed help navigating the move to remote learning. Besides teaching, Anne has been involved since high school with the pro-life movement, working in crisis pregnancy centers and sidewalk counselling.

    Dr. John Rao is the chairman of the Roman Forum, an organization dedicated to the broad defense of Catholic doctrine and Catholic culture. Founded in 1968 by Professor Dietrich von Hildebrand in the wake of Humanae Vitae, the Roman Forum hosts lectures in Manhattan and its annual international conference on Lake Garda, in northern Italy.

  • (literture; theology; history; in person

  • (Spanish; online & in person)

    Catalina Lund is a dedicated professional with a passion for education. Born and raised in Ecuador, Caty studied in both Israel and the States with a focus in biology and statistics. She brings 15 years of Teaching expertise in both STEM and Spanish to the classroom. In particular, she has discovered and applied the art of individualized and psychologically effective learning methodologies. Now embracing a new calling as a High School Spanish teacher, Catalina Lund is excited to share her knowledge, foster critical thinking, and inspire the next generation of learners. She is committed to creating a supportive and robust learning environment where students can thrive.

    Beyond the classroom, Catalina Lund enjoys world travel for cultural immersion, family education, and child development consulting, which adds creativity and meaning to her life and teaching approach.

  • (pilgrimage, field trips, theology)

    I am joining the Paraclete Academy because I love to walk (literally!) with young women in their relationship with Christ.

    I grew up in a wonderful family in Ohio and then went on to attend Ball State University in Indiana with a specialization in Social Studies Education. As my time in college was ending, I experienced a strong desire to give my life to the Lord because He gave His life for mine. I decided to serve for a year at Annunciation Heights Catholic Youth and Family Camp. Afterwards, I moved to New York to live with my best friend and continue to serve the Lord as the Director of Youth Faith Formation for a local New York Parish.

    My love for traveling began as a child watching the young Wendy fly off to magical Neverland; I too wanted to leave the “nursery.” And I have! I have traveled to 14 countries as a missionary, teacher, and tourist; and I have grown in all sorts of mysterious and unanticipated ways. My most burning desire—and the one I most want to share— is to go on an adventure with the Lord. Pilgrimages help me to do just that as I discern my vocation and accompany others as they discern theirs.

    When people travel mindfully—and as “pilgrims”— they experience their travels with their whole being, and it changes them. My hope in this program is to bring pilgrimages and learning together, so each student can truly encounter our Lord with their whole being.

  • (art; in person)

    is a Master Artist and inspirational Instructor. Dmitri's work is built upon the Impressionist Masters in the tradition of his mentors, while rooted in his classical training in the Academy and his experimentations of Expressionism and Abstraction.

    Dmitri’s teaching philosophy: “I believe in each person there is an artist; a voice desiring to speak visually. My teaching method is to build upon one's natural ability, offering the timeless universal concepts used by the Impressionists, and multiple technical processes to choose from, for one to achieve the skills to be free to express the beauty of their visual narrative.”

    Dmitri is a convert to Catholicism and a Knight of Malta.

  • (philosophy and logic; online) is a 3rd year PhD student in philosophy at Saint Louis University. He was born and raised in New York City and received his B.A.’s in philosophy and Italian studies from The Catholic University of America in 2018. He has been teaching on and off in various capacities since 2018-2019, when he worked in France as an English assistant in public elementary schools. From 2019 to 2021, he worked part-time for the French Institute/Alliance française, teaching French courses for preschoolers, gradeschoolers, teens, and adults. Over the fall semester of 2021 he worked part-time for St. John Paul II Preparatory School, where he designed and taught his first high school philosophy course. This semester is his 6th and final as a TA. In the spring he will teach his first undergraduate course at SLU. He has written for The Remnant, The Latin Mass Magazine and OnePeter5 and lectured for The Roman Forum’s summer symposium.

  • is a PhD student in Classics at the University of Chicago. She has instructed students ranging in age from 6-75 for many years. She holds an MSt in Greek and Latin from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Barnard College.

    Elizabeth is no stranger to alternative forms of schooling as she was homeschooled through high school in NYC.

  • (French; online)

    began teaching by accident about thirty years

    ago. A language school where I was studying English at in New York asked me if I could

    substitute for a French class one night … That was it! The Rennert Bilingual hired me and

    I taught there for the three years I spent in the city, to adults in small groups or privately. Back in Paris I naturally kept on teaching, at Langue Plus, classes of fifteen to twenty people, French as a Second Language.

  • (music; in person)

    spent eight years at The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, studying with Margaret Pardee, and earned his B.A. in Music Performance from SUNY Geneseo. He completed his Suzuki teacher training at The School for Strings and Kodály Methodology certification at NYU. He continued studies at the Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Liszt Academy in Kecskemet, Hungary. Mr. Chen is currently on faculty at Kinhaven Jr. Session and St. Luke’s School. He serves as the concertmaster of the New York Repertory Orchestra, and is a board member and musician with Anti-Social Music, a new chamber music ensemble, which recently completed a tour of Ukraine with a grant from the Trust for Mutual Understanding.

    The High School Musicianship class will be a student centered curriculum that guides the development of musical understanding. Experiences include ear training, form and harmony study, solfege, playing instruments, improvising and listening to a wide variety of genres. Students will learn to analyze and discuss music using both academic and emotive vocabulary. Hubert is excited to teach at the Paraclete this year!

  • (Irish dance; in person)

    Laura O’Hanlon began Irish dancing at the age of four. She loves teaching and watching each dancer grow and progress while developing new skills along the way. She is excited to teach Irish Dance this year at Paraclete Academy!