Jen Clapper

A new addition to the staff this year is eighth grade teacher Madelyn Ardrey. Ardrey teaches math to eighth grade students. Ardrey earned her degree from Pitt-Johnstown and majored in middle level math education. She planned to become a teacher. “I had several teachers growing up that showed me compassion and what it meant to truly be a teacher and to truly help. I wanted to do that for students,”...

Christopher DeGol is a new learning support teacher. He was a learning support teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary for the last few years. He was compelled to come to this school because it’s something different and he wanted to work with older kids. Being a teacher can be difficult yet rewarding job. “I would say it's a great job to have, you know, good hours. It's very fulfilling and...

This year welcomes not only students, but also new teachers. 14 new teachers joined the staff. Isabella Frucella is a new sixth grade counselor. This is her first year as a school counselor. She was compelled to come to this school because she wanted to stay close to home and help her community out. She also wanted to be able to impact a person’s life. “Definitely, just being close to ...

Dominic Williams is an eighth grade history teacher who was a student teacher last year and enjoyed it a lot, so when he graduated college he applied for a teaching position at this school. He hasn’t had much of a real job because he graduated from college so recently.  Williams grew up in Jersey Shore, Pa. He was inspired to become a teacher when he started getting involved in different cam...

Chris Tromm is a new sixth grade health teacher, who was compelled to come to this school because he wanted a new challenge teaching health.  He was a phys ed teacher at both Ebner and Penn Lincoln Elementary. Moving to this school was more convenient for him because his wife had been working here prior to his shift to the junior high. He is from Altoona and was inspired to become a teacher because ...

Annie Rupp is a reading specialist and am currently working with sixth grade students that came to the junior high because she heard it was fun, well organized and all of her friends working here told her that they loved it! She formerly worked at Ebner Elementary as a reading specialist for seven years. She is originally from Martinsburg, Pa. and moved to Altoona once she got married.  She i...

This year, Skyler Mignogna joined the team of seventh grade science teachers!   Mignogna has a degree from Slippery Rock University in biology and originally went to school for physical therapy. He formerly worked in environmental lab testing.   “I worked in an environmental lab testing drinking water and making sure that the water is safe for people to drink,” said Mignogna. He recently f...

New to the school this year, seventh grade teacher Sarah Moyer joins the staff.   Former fourth grade teacher Sarah Moyer started her first year of teaching seventh grade at the beginning of this school year.   “I worked in a really small school last year, and I really like the big school setting,” said Moyer. She majored in early education (Pre-k through fourth grade) from Mount ...

Seventh grade geography teacher Makayla Clemons grew up in State College, Pa. She recently graduated from Penn State University where she majored in secondary education with a focus in social studies and minored in history and sociology. Clemons was inspired to become a teacher because of the really good teachers that she had in the past. Teaching was also something she just really enjoyed doing...

Sixth grade reading specialist/interventionist Andrea Conrad grew up in Cresson, Pa. She went to college at Mount Aloysius and received her masters degree from St. Francis University. Conrad originally started off as wanting to have a major in psychology because she wanted to be a counselor or a psychologist, but she decided to go into teaching instead. She didn’t always want to be a teacher,...

The junior high welcomed a new face to the school this year when Katie Moyer joined the staff.  After 11 years of teaching first grade, Moyer decided she was in need of some change and, “What better place than sixth grade ELA,” said Moyer.     Though she is now a teacher, this was not always her intention.  “I actually wanted to be a Marine, and then a state policeman,�...

A new hire who is originally from Altoona is a seventh grade science teacher Nicole Scaramozzino. Having three nieces who inspired her to teach and get through college at Penn State, Scaramozzino taught elementary before teaching here. Her reason for coming here, loving to work with older kids and getting to teach more science.   “I really liked working with older kids in the elementary atmosphere, and I...

There are 14 new hires at our school, and sixth grade learning support teacher Nevin Wood is just one of them.  Originally from Bellwood, Wood just graduated from Juniata College two years ago for early studies in special education. The main thing that compelled him to come here is the community and sports and he was always surrounded by teachers as his mom worked at a daycare.  He originally...