Women’s History Month – St. Joseph's Preparatory School

Women's History Month

The Prep Celebrates the Impact of Women

March is Women’s History Month. This year, the Prep celebrated its history, noting the first women on the faculty while also honoring those women who continue to make teaching young men at 17th & Girard their vocation.

In a letter to the community at the beginning of March, President John Marinacci discussed how important women have been to the Prep and to the Jesuit order.

“The impact of women on the mission is so great, that I dare say the Prep and the Society of Jesus itself may not be here without them,” says Marinacci, while mentioning an influential woman on the faculty at Fordham Prep while he was a student there. “Women such as Inés Pascual, Infanta Juana, and Catherine the Great were exceptional women who kept the Jesuit order afloat in the early days. This has paved the way for a living tradition of great women who animate the mission at the Prep, accompanying generations of students on their journeys to becoming men who make a difference in the world through faith, intellect, love, service, and a commitment to justice.”

On Instagram and Facebook, the Prep honored many women from its history as well as current faculty and staff, from Ms. Josephine DiPaul, the Prep’s assistant librarian who in 1964 became the first Prep’s female member of the faculty, Ms. Barbara Brown, who is the longest tenured woman on the faculty, and new faculty such as Kat Lee and Stephanie Paulowski.

Visit each Women's History Month post by clicking on a name below:

Stephanie PaulowskiModern Language — **Stephanie Paulowski**
Modern Language

Kat Lee Fine Arts — **Kat Lee**
Fine Arts

Ms. Josephine DiPaul Assistant Librarian — **Ms. Josephine DiPaul**
Assistant Librarian

Kamala Brown Lead Building Supervisor — **Kamala Brown**
Lead Building Supervisor

Ms. Barbara Brown Mission and Ministry — **Ms. Barbara Brown**
Mission and Ministry

Mary Ann Breslin English — **Mary Ann Breslin**
English

Anne Smith Spanish — **Anne Smith**
Spanish

Betsy Courtney VP, Office of Institutional Advancement — **Betsy Courtney**
VP, Office of Institutional Advancement

Colleen McManus Director of Academic Data and Analytics — **Colleen McManus**
Director of Academic Data and Analytics

Deirdre Schlegel Modern Language — **Deirdre Schlegel**
Modern Language

Katie Longto Associate Campus Minister — **Katie Longto**
Associate Campus Minister

Kelly McGlynn Director of College Counseling — **Kelly McGlynn**
Director of College Counseling

Leslie Ryan English — **Leslie Ryan**
English

Lisann Castagno Math — **Lisann Castagno**
Math

Megan Russell Director of Marketing — **Megan Russell**
Director of Marketing

Meredith Morgan Classics — **Meredith Morgan**
Classics

Patti Frey Director of Development — **Patti Frey**
Director of Development

Sheri San Chirico Religious Studies — **Sheri San Chirico**
Religious Studies

Susie Cook English — **Susie Cook**
English

Tanika DiGiovanni History — **Tanika DiGiovanni**
History

Tara McFadden Director, Office of the President — **Tara McFadden**
Director, Office of the President

Lorrie McKenna Admission Counselor — **Lorrie McKenna**
Admission Counselor

Gina Gulli Department Chair, Modern Language — **Gina Gulli**
Department Chair, Modern Language

Kairos Leaders (l-r) Sonia Nelson, Gina Gulli, Jenna Robinson, Jeannie Murphy, and Jenny Mars — **Kairos Leaders**
(l-r) Sonia Nelson, Gina Gulli, Jenna Robinson, Jeannie Murphy, and Jenny Mars

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“Each woman who has been part of our community had made a difference in the lives of colleagues and students for generations,” Marinacci continues. “It is important to show an ongoing appreciation for their presence and a recognition that the Prep would not be the same institution without them. It is vital to understand the role of women in the history of our school and the Jesuit order, both out of gratitude and an understanding of how essential their presence is to our existence, our identity, and our ability to accomplish this mission. If not for women, not only would we be a lesser institution, but we would not be here at all.”