Stephen Panikoff, Principal

Stephen Panikoff was appointed Principal of Kingston Hill Academy in July 2008. Stephen is a veteran school administrator. He was an elementary principal in Ledyard, Connecticut for thirty three years in which he served at four different elementary schools. Stephen has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Masters degree in Reading and a Sixth Year degree in Administration from the University of Bridgeport.

Stephen loves to catch students being good and enjoys supporting our young learners to gain a solid educational foundation for their future.

Please feel free to e-mail him at spanikoff@grodencenter.org

Kathy Sheldon, Office Manager

Kathy Sheldon joined the KHA family as Office Manager in July 2007, after spending a year as Executive Assistant to Helen Morcos, COO of The Groden Center. Prior to her employment with the Groden Network, Kathy worked at Bank of America and its predecessor, Fleet National Bank. During her employment at the banks, she served in many capacities, including teller, operations supervisor, branch manager and Operations Manager for the Northeast Business Banking segment. Kathy attended Providence College and lives in Richmond with her husband, children and faithful companions, Buddy (Beagle) and Pepper (Dashound).

Please feel free to e-mail her at ksheldon@grodencenter.org

Donna DeMarco, Office Administrative Assistant

Donna was born and raised in Rhode Island and currently resides in South Kingstown. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor’ s degree in Business Management. This upcoming year will be her fourth enjoyable year at KHA. She really feels fortunate to have had the opportunity of getting to know all the families at KHA. Her interests and hobbies include taking walks on our beautiful beaches, swimming, traveling and the theater.

Please feel free to e-mail me at ddemarco@kingstonhill.org

Johnna Bicknell, Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher

Mrs. B and her family reside on the beautiful historic scenic Ministerial Road in West Kingston and serves as an original board member/ founder of Ministerial Road Preservation Association (MRPA). Throughout the year, she shares this love of natural science with her students as they create their cumulative science record book and share simple science activities daily. An avid believer in continuing education, Mrs. B recently graduated from Johnson and Wales University earning her Masters in Teaching and Learning degree. Currently, she is working towards strengthening her computer skills, a much more difficult task!

Please feel free to e-mail her at jbicknell@kingstonhill.org and visit my homeroom page

Rachel Craven, Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher

Rachel Craven is a native of South Kingstown.  She graduated from URI as a Communications Major and worked in advertising in Atlanta, GA for several years.  Rachel went back to school and got her teaching degree at Oglethorpe University after which she taught first and second grade in a suburb of Atlanta.  Rachel returned to RI in 2004 and joined KHA as a kindergarten teacher this summer.  She enjoys running, gardening and pottery and lives in Wakefield with her husband and two sons.

Please feel free to e-mail her at rcraven@kingstonhill.org.

Laurie St. Clair, 3rd Grade Homeroom Teacher

Ms. St. Clair is originally from Maine and loves to travel. While taking some time off from college (she thought she wanted to be an accountant), she traveled to Mexico to take some language and art classes. While there, she was able to volunteer at a local library and work with children to help them learn English. After returning, she decided to go back to college to gain her bachelor's in teaching at the University of Maine in Orono. Upon graduation in 2002, she moved to Rhode Island to try something new. Ms. St. Clair came to KHA in the spring of 2003 and began teaching first grade in the fall of that year. When not at school, she enjoys outdoor activities, running, kayaking, scrap booking, cooking, playing games and spending time with her boys (pugs, not children).

Please feel free to e-mail her at lstclair@kingstonhill.org and visit her homeroom page

Matt Fraza, 1st Grade Homeroom Teacher

Matt Fraza is a first grade teacher, inhabiting Room Seven of KHA, along with his class of students and a variety of insects, amphibians, reptiles, fungi, and microorganisms. Mr. Fraza hopes that his students will develop their love of learning by making deep explorations into the worlds of literature, social studies, science, mathematics, and creative work. We work hard in our homeroom, both at academics and at developing personal relationships. We also have quite a lot of fun as well! Mr. Fraza’s interests include talking and spending time with friends and family, surfing, acting, nature, playing with dogs, eating, reading, travel, filmmaking, and music. He was born and educated in Rhode Island and lives in Wakefield with his wife and three children.

Please feel free to email him at mfraza@kingstonhill.org and visit his homeroom page

Kim Charest, 2nd Grade Homeroom Teacher

Miss Kim is a Rhode Island native. She has been teaching grades K-2 since graduating from URI in 1989. She is very interested in children's literature and will be pursuing her Masters Degree in Reading. She has a son and a stepdaughter who keep her very busy. When she has free time, she enjoys fishing with her husband on his bass boat, hiking, traveling, photography and creating scrap books.

Please feel free to e-mail her at kcharest@kingstonhill.org and visit her homeroom page

Roger Mark, 2nd Grade Homeroom Teacher

Roger Mark graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Developmental Child Psychology and Masters in Elementary Education. This is Roger's sixth year at KHA. Prior to being an administrative teacher in his first year at KHA (2002), he taught ESL in Queretaro, Mexico (2001). He has been a director and counselor for a couple of Moses Brown School summer camps since 1993. His experiences teaching at these camps helped him discover the wonderful world of education. He believes that every child deserves a great education, and that the relationship amongst staff, administration and families is an integral part of the high quality of education at KHA. Beyond his love of teaching children, Roger enjoys playing guitar, cards and sports, dining out with old friends, and spending time with his wife, Sheila, and his pug, Roxie.

Please feel free to e-mail him at rmark@kingstonhill.org and visit his homeroom page

Jennifer Geaber, 4th Grade Homeroom Teacher

Miss Geaber graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a major in elementary education and Spanish. After a road trip through Mexico, she grew a love for the language and culture. She decided to spend time studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain. Since traveling to Spain, she has visited Costa Rica, Portugal, and Puerto Rico. After graduating, she was very thankful to come across a position where she could use both her knowledge of Spanish and her love for teaching. "It has been a great experience for me," Miss Geaber said. "It is amazing to see how receptive the students are to learning a new language."

Please feel free to e-mail her at jgeaber@kingstonhill.org and visit her homeroom page

Alison Santerre, 5th Grade Homeroom Teacher

Alison J. Santerre is the fifth grade Spanish homeroom teacher at Kingston Hill Academy. A Rhode Island native, She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Rhode Island College in Elementary Education/ Language Arts and a minor in Spanish. She is working on her Middle School Endorsement in English Language Arts and Spanish. Prior to joining the KHA team, Alison worked for nine years in literacy education and two years as a classroom teacher in a bilingual boarding school. In her free time, she enjoys jogging with her Jack Russell Terrier, Lexi, playing softball, and practicing yoga.

Please feel free to e-mail her at asanterre@kingstonhill.org and visit her homeroom page

Pam Zagadsky, 1st Grade Homeroom Teacher

Pam Cyr is a native Rhode Islander who currently resides in Warwick. She graduated from Salve Regina University with a degree in Elementary Education in 2007. Prior to coming to KHA, she was a substitute teacher for the town of South Kingstown. During the past seven summers, she has worked for the town of South Kingstown as a summer camp counselor, and later, director. In her free time, Pam likes to go hiking, camping, and just enjoying the outdoors.

Please feel free to e-mail her at pcyr@kingstonhill.org

Jeannine Fritsche, Physical Education

A native Rhode Islander, Jeannine graduated from the University of Rhode Island (2004) with a bachelors degree in Exercise Science.  Prior to joining the KHA staff, she taught Physical Education and Health in neighboring Massachusetts.  During her tenure there, she also coached high school freshman basketball and softball teams.  Jeannine currently plays coed softball in an adult softball league in Johnston, RI.  While not working, Jeannine spends her time camping, beach combing, and participating in a broad spectrum of sports-related activities.   Jeannine currently resides in Warwick with her two dalmatian puppies, Shelby and Bailey.

Please feel free to e-mail her at jfritsche@kingstonhill.org.

Judy D'Angelo, Nurse

Nurse Judy happily joined the staff of KHA in the summer of 2005 as the new school nurse teacher. She is originally from the Buffalo, N.Y. area and currently resides in North Kingstown with her husband and four daughters. After graduating from Niagara University with a bachelor's degree in nursing, she worked as a staff nurse at Children's Hospital of Buffalo in the Intensive Care Nursery. Since then, she has enjoyed being a school nurse for students of all ages. She has also spent summers as the Day Camp Health Supervisor for the Girl Scouts of Buffalo and Erie County. She looks forward to getting to know all the families at KHA and to taking good care of the wonderful KHA children. You are welcome to call or stop in the health office anytime with questions or concerns -- or just to swing by to say hello.

Please feel free to e-mail her at jdangelo@kingstonhill.org and visit her Web page

Kerri Dailey, Special Services Teacher

Kerri received her Bachelors Degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Rhode Island College. She joined KHA in 2005 as a Teacher Assistant and has been a Special Services teacher for the past two years. When Kerri is not working at KHA, she enjoys vacationing at her house in Maine and spending time with family.

Please feel free to e-mail her at kdailey@kingstonhill.org and visit the special services page

Amanda Fandetti, Special Services Teacher

Amanda is excited to join the KHA team this year. She graduated from Providence College with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and Special Education. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Education in Literacy Degree at Providence College to become a Reading Specialist. Prior to working at KHA, Amanda worked as a Special Education Teacher at South Shore Mental Health for grades 3-5 and as a Special Education Teacher at Perspectives Corporation for middle school. Amanda is from Exeter, RI and enjoys skiing, hiking, camping, swimming, horseback riding, and spending time with her friends and family.

Please feel free to e-mail her at afandetti@kingstonhill.org and visit the special services page

Aimee McRoberts, Teacher Assistant

Aimee is originally from the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She and her husband have been happily residing in South Kingstown, RI since 1996.  They have two sons and a dog.  They all enjoy playing sports in the backyard and spending summer days at the local beaches. Aimee is a graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.  She enjoys working with children and seeing things through their eyes.  She has been a teacher assistant at Kingston Hill Academy since 2006.

Please feel free to e-mail her at amcroberts@kingstonhill.org and visit the resource page

Becky Perkins, Teacher Assistant

Miss Becky is lifelong resident of South Kingstown. She came to KHA the winter of 2006 after running a business for 13 years. She considers being at KHA one of her most rewarding job yet. Thanks to all the great students and personnel, she has found a home away from home. She enjoys spending time with her three very busy girls, going to the beach, and bike riding. 

Please feel free to e-mail her at bperkins@kingstonhill.org and visit the resource page

Lori Wigsten, Teacher Assistant

Lori Wigsten is a native Rhode Islander who grew up in Woonsocket and moved to Southern Rhode Island after graduating from the Community College of Rhode Island. She presently holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of Rhode Island. While attending the University of Rhode Island, she worked in the field of Human Services. Before coming to KHA, Mrs. Wigsten dedicated time to raise her children and was active as a playgroup coordinator, Girl Scout Leader, and volunteer at her children's schools. Mrs. Wigsten returned to work at KHA in 2002, when she decided to go back to the University of Rhode Island to pursue a degree in Education. Her educational philosophy is all children are capable of learning through an approach geared toward their individual strengths. In her spare time, Mrs. Wigsten enjoys reading, crafts, gardening, and other outdoor activities as well as spending time with her family and friends.

Please feel free to e-mail her at lwigsten@kingstonhill.org and visit the resource page

Lori Corso, Teacher Assistant

Lori Corso is a Rhode Island native who grew up in Coventry and later moved to Exeter to raise her family. She graduated from the University of RI in 1989 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education. Prior to starting her family, Lori worked as the Head Teacher of a preschool for four years and later as a long-term substitute teacher. For the next ten years, Lori was fortunate to be able to dedicate time at home to raise her three children. Prior to joining KHA in August 2008. she was an active volunteer at her childrens' schools, including the School Improvement Teams. In her free time, she is a volunteer for her children's soccer league and enjoys gardening, cooking and spending time with family and friends.

Please feel free to e-mail her at lcorso@kingstonhill.org and visit the resource page.