Sacred Heart Welcomes New Faculty Member from Orange

Academy President Sr. Sheila O’Neill, ASCJ, Ph.D., ‘71 and Principal Sr. Maureen Flynn, ASCJ, ‘81 announce the following appointments for the 2015-16 academic year:

Tara Cantore of East Haven has joined the Social Studies Department and will teach Western Civilization, AP U.S. History, and Asian Studies. Her undergraduate work was completed in 2004 at Coastal Carolina University where she double majored in history and political science. In 2006, she earned a M.S. in journalism from Quinnipiac University and in 2015, a M.A. in history from Central Connecticut State University.

Ms. Cantore comes to Sacred Heart from Capital Community College in Hartford where she was a history and government adjunct professor and Southern New Hampshire University’s online degree program where she taught journalism and public speaking. Prior to entering the field of education, Tara worked in marketing and publishing as a writer and editor.

Samantha Church of Hartford has joined the Guidance Department as a guidance social worker. She holds a M.S.W. from Silver School of Social Work at New York University with a focus in macro social work and policy, as well as a B.S. in social work from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Church comes to Sacred Heart Academy from New York City where she worked for two years at the YMCA of Greater New York in various roles in the Youth and Family Department while completing her graduate degree. 


Kristin Filipowicz of Milford has joined the Mathematics Department and will teach Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Functions/Statistics /Trigonometry. Kristin earned a B.S. in mathematics and completed a five-year secondary math education master’s program at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Ms. Filipowicz student taught at Springfield High School in Philadelphia focusing in Algebra III/ Trigonometry. 


Rebecca Hyland, Esq. of North Branford, an alumna from the Sacred Heart Class of 2001, is excited to return to the Academy as a member of the Social Studies Department. She will teach Psychology, AP Psychology, and Constitutional Foundations. After graduating with a degree in psychology and political science from Quinnipiac University, Mrs. Hyland studied at Bard College’s Globalization and International Affairs Program in NYC. She then attended The George Washington University Law School in D.C., became a member of the Virginia State Bar in 2009, and practiced as a public defender for six years.


Jessica Kapteyn, Ph.D. of Hamden will teach Latin. She attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, where she earned a B.A. in classics. She recently graduated from the University of Washington with a M.A> and Ph.D. in classics, a focus on Latin prose. While there, Dr. Kapteyn taught courses in the Classics Department, ranging in topic from the Classical Roots of English Vocabulary, Intro to Latin, Greek and Roman Mythology, and Greek and Roman Literature in Translation.


Peter Litwin of Orange will teach Physics, AP Physics, and Astronomy and co-moderate the Science National Honor Society. A Connecticut native, Mr. Litwin graduated magna cum laude from Southern Connecticut State University in 2015 where he was awarded departmental honors in physics. He participated in applied physics research internships at both Yale and SCSU and has served as a mentor for Yale’s Evolutions Program. Mr. Litwin is a volunteer assistant coach for the Amity High School wrestling team and coaches an area youth team.


Margaret O’Rourke, Esq. of Huntington will teach Business Management. She is a 1983 graduate of City University of New York, Brooklyn College with a B.A. in political science and 1987 Quinnipiac University School of Law. Mrs. O’Rourke works with her husband in their Stratford law firm and is hoping to bring real-life experience in running a small business to the classroom. Her daughter, Katie, is a 2015 graduate of the Academy.


Carlos Plaza, of New Britain has joined the Mathematics Department and will teach Pre-Calculus, Statistics, and AP Statistics. His undergraduate work was done at Central Connecticut State University where in double majored in mathematics and Spanish and minored in finance. While working on his master’s degree, also at CCSU, Mr. Plaza taught several math courses there and substitute taught in various public schools. He has lived in five different countries.

Arthur Salhanick, Ph.D. of New Haven has joined the Science Department and will teach Honors Biology, Genetics, Human Gene Discovery, and Microbiology. He completed undergraduate work at Northeastern University and graduate work at Boston University where he earned a Ph.D. in biology. He has held positions in industrial research at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in West Haven and Cytrx Corporation in Worcester, MA.

He began a second career by completing the Alternative Route to Certification Program (ARC) certifying him as a middle school and high school biology and general science teacher. He gained secondary school teaching experience in Bridgeport, Waterbury, and West Hartford. His wife, Adele, teaches in the Science Department at Guilford High School; they are proud parents of seven children.