Preparing Boys for Life

Meet the Faculty

Kara Cleffi

Kara Cleffi Upper School Science

B.S. Bucknell University, M.S. Molecular and Cell Biology, Brandeis University


Why I Teach

I want students to find biology as fascinating as I do. It is very important to me to help students become scientifically literate citizens.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

What is a scientist after all? It is a curious man looking through a keyhole, the keyhole of nature, trying to know what's going on. -Jacques Yves Cousteau

Daniel J. Goduti

Daniel Goduti Upper School Science

B.S., B.A. University of Virginia: Ph.D. Dartmouth College


Why I Teach

The moment when all of the details come together for a student and they realize the broad explanatory power of science.

Fun Fact

Before becoming a high school teacher, I studied a unicellular algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) to better understand the molecular processes involved in the regulation of the eukaryotic flagella movement.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

An honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second. -Thomas Jefferson

Jamison Maley

Jamison Maley Upper School Science

M.S. Wesleyan University, M.S. University of Pennsylvania

Favorite Equation

Due to its controversy and implications: The Drake Equation.

Favorite Album

Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse by Eugene McDaniels.

Favorite Mind-Blowing Science Fact

Less than 4% of the universe is made up of regular matter like stars, galaxies, you, and me. The remaining 96% is made up of dark matter and dark energy, the nature of which cannot be seen and has yet to be fully understood.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell. And so it is with science. -Richard Feynman

Carol O'Brien

Carol O'Brien Upper School Science

B.S. Boston College, M.S. St. Joseph's University


Favorite Course

My favorite course was Pathogenesis of Disease.

Favorite Place

Silly question, EPCOT in Walt Disney World.

Fun Fact

There are three things I could talk about for hours on end: music, animals, and food.

Favorite Latin Phrase

Cui bono?

Favorite Inspirational Quote

The brick walls are there for a reason. They're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. -Randy Pausch

Chris DiBello '12

B.S. Chemistry, Penn State University; Master's Secondary Education, Saint Joseph’s University (Spring 2019)

Why I Teach

I always wanted to make a difference. The people who made the biggest difference in my life were my teachers. I hope to be able to provide the same opportunities to my students that my teachers provided for me.

Favorite Place

Yosemite National Park

Favorite Science Fact

Chlorine is a deadly chemical gas used in World War I. Sodium is a corrosive metal which reacts violently with water. Together they make a placid and poisonous material: table salt.

Tashia Lewis

Tashia Conrad Upper School Science

Eastern University, Clemson University


Why I Teach

I love explaining science ideas to kids in ways that they’ll understand.

Fun Facts

I love to bake and decorate cakes, and I have a healthy obsession with my cat.

Favorite Books

Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Galileo’s Daughter, Stiff.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

Giving up is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Adam Myers

Adam Myers Upper School Science

B.S. Penn State University


Why I Teach

I teach because I feel that I am able to have a positive impact on the lives of the students and the community. The job is empowering, enlightening, and humbling. I learn about how to be a better person as much as I instruct others about math or science.

Favorite Place

South Korea. I was able to spend three years there teaching English as a Second Language. It helped me figure out that teaching was the right career choice for me.

Favorite Mind-Blowing Science Fact

The sum of all natural numbers from 1 to infinity is negative one-twelfth.

Favorite Inspirational Quote

If you woke up this morning and had a job to go to and someone who loves you to come home to ... the game is over and you've already won. – Larry Miller