Faculty

Dian Schmiedicke

Founder
Board of Directors President/Advisory Board

Dian Schmiedicke grew up in the coastal community of Santa Cruz, California, the eldest daughter of Bohemian and German immigrant parents. Raised as an evangelical Christian, she discovered and entered the Catholic Church while attending college in Asheville, North Carolina in 1995.

Dian discovered Montessori and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as a new mother searching for truth and beauty in parenting and began to study. She holds a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry from Warren Wilson College, an Association Montessori Internationale Primary Diploma from The Washington Montessori Institute, and a Masters Degree in Education from Loyola University. Dian also holds Levels I, II and III Certifications from The Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

In 2012, Dian founded Divinum Auxilium Academy, a flourishing Montessori to Classical elementary farm school in Front Royal. In 2018, she established an all girls junior high and high school, St. Edith Stein School for Girls, of which she is Headmistress, and in 2022, founded its brother school, St. Joseph the Just School for Boys.

Dian lives with her husband and their four children in Linden, VA with their horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, cats, and bees. She enjoys raising and growing food and tinkering in her laboratory kitchen. Dian is passionate about pairing her love of nature with athletics. She has competed in a variety of equestrian sports as well as swimming, mountain biking, triathlon, CrossFit and adventure racing. For fun she enjoys reading, hiking, fox hunting, running, scuba diving, skiing, rock climbing and backpacking with her family.

Christine Nussio

Headmistress
History Teacher

Christine has taught, coached, and mentored high school and middle school girls for over a decade. She is a passionate believer in the importance of single sex education for the personal and intellectual formation of young women. Christine started teaching at St. Edith Stein School in 2023, and became Headmistress in the fall of 2025. Prior to joining St. Edith Stein School, Christine was Upper School Director at Oakcrest School in Vienna, Virginia, where she worked for twelve years. She teaches History, Philosophy, Latin, and Debate, and has coached soccer, Lincoln-Douglas debate, and track and field.

Christine has a B.A. summa cum laude in History from Christendom College and a M.A. in European History from the Catholic University of America. She has completed professional development with Independent School Management (ISM), the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE), the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC), and also teaches as an adjunct professor of History at Christendom College. A resident of Virginia since 2007, Christine spends her time visiting her nieces and nephews, and enjoying the beautiful scenery around Front Royal.

Jaime Gorman

Advisory Board
Literature Teacher

A founding faculty member at St. Edith Stein School, Jaime has guided the development of the School’s humanities curriculum and is a member of the Advisory Board. Jaime has over a decade of experience in classroom and online teaching, as well as curriculum development. She graduated with honors in Literature from Christendom College and went on to earn her MA from the University of Dallas. She focused heavily on the Romantic and Victorian eras, both their literature and philosophy, especially in how these can help us understand and combat the crises present in modern aesthetics. A sporadic free-lance writer, Jaime has been published several times, including by the American Life League and the grassroots Soul Gardening Journal.

While Jaime originally hails from Detroit, Michigan, she is now happy to call the Shenandoah Valley home. She lives with her husband and four boisterous children, who are slowly adjusting to town life after nearly a decade on a farm. In her elusive freetime, Jaime enjoys ballet dancing, playing guitar, training and riding Arabian horses, breeding milk goats, and reading, especially British murder mysteries.

Anna Hatke

Advisory Board
Science Teacher

Anna Maria Hatke has taught for TASIS, The American School in Switzerland, for Shenandoah Skylark Homeschool Cooperative, and has been homeschooling her five daughters for more than ten years. Anna was a founding faculty member of St. Edith Stein School and helped to design the Natural History course, which she still teaches. Anna has furthered her own education in the arts and sciences through multiple conferences, classes, and immersions with the Charlotte Mason Institute of Washington DC, The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Paris Apothecary in Paris, VA.

Anna grew up in the Napa Valley in California and holds a history degree from Christendom College. She has spent the past ten years dabbling in homesteading and traveling between her two homes in rural Virginia and Northern Italy. Between the Shenandoah Valley and the Lunigiana region of Tuscany, she has developed a passion for the natural world and for art. She has furthered this passion through her studies of nature journaling, watercoloring, natural history, art history, local plant life, permaculture and conservation work.

Rosie Hill

Advisory Board
Choir Director

A native Virginian, Rosie taught choir, guitar, and piano at public schools in Williamsburg and Fairfax County before teaching at St. Edith Stein School. Rosie has a B.A. in Music Education from Northwestern University and has also worked as a professional church musician. She teaches choir at St. Edith Stein School and directs the Latin Mass Children’s Choir at St. John the Baptist. Rosie is a current member of the Advisory Board for St. Edith Stein School, and lends her extensive gardening expertise to the School’s Practical Arts program and beautification projects.

Rosie, her husband, and children moved to Front Royal in 2015 where they continue to expand their garden every year. She spends her free time growing food for her family and friends, and growing cut flowers on their farm, Peregrine Hills Farm.

Anita Moisan

Advisory Board
Religion Teacher

Anita was a founding faculty member of St. Edith Stein School for Girls and served as Dean of Students from 2017-2024. She was born and raised in Arizona where the inspiration of her homeschooling mother instilled in her a life-long love of learning. In addition to traditional academic courses, Anita continued to broaden her knowledge in a wide variety of subjects including lost culinary arts such as cheese making and fermentation. She is also a self-taught knitter and seamstress. She used her many talents to help pioneer the Practical Arts program at St. Edith Stein School, which she taught until 2025.

Anita continues to teach high school religion at St. Edith Stein School and is a member of the Advisory Board. A true renaissance woman, Anita lives in Front Royal, Virginia, where she continues to pursue personal interests in art and interior design, reading, cooking, holistic living, organization, and her latest creative endeavor—writing a children’s book.

Kathryn Blicharz

Art Teacher

A native of Front Royal and lifelong parishioner of St. John the Baptist, Kathryn has always enjoyed the natural landscape of her hometown, from floating on the Shenandoah to hikes in the Blue Ridge. After graduating from Chelsea Academy, she traded green Virginia summers for colorful New England falls and attended Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire where she earned a BA in Liberal Arts. Kathryn then pursued her lifelong passion for drawing and painting to Virginia Commonwealth University and obtained a BFA in Communication Arts. Since graduating, she has taken up freelance book illustration.

When you love something, you want to share it with others. For Kathryn, teaching has always been a natural extension of her love of art. She is excited to share not only her love for art, but also her love for God and His Creation with her students.

Nancy Briggs

Religion Teacher

Nancy has over thirty years of teaching experience, offering classes at Christendom College, Aquinas Academic Center and White Oaks School, as well as various private classes for homeschooled teens, and homeschooling her own nine children. Nancy has a B.A. in Politics from Christendom College, and an M.A. in Political Theory from Catholic University of America. She teaches Moral Theology, Theology of the Body, and Apologetics for St. Edith Stein School.

A native of Arizona, Nancy moved to Front Royal to attend Christendom College. After a few years working on Capitol Hill, she and her husband Doug returned to the Front Royal area in 1986 to put down roots and raise a family. When not teaching, she enjoys helping other families relocate to the Shenandoah Valley as a Realtor, as well as fixing up the family home.

Mary Bergida DeLuca

Literature Teacher

Mary Bergida DeLuca joined St. Edith Stein School as a literature teacher in 2024. Before teaching at St. Edith Stein School she taught middle school language arts and as adjunct professor of Literature and Academic Writing. Mary began — and maintains — freelance developmental editing for writers in over fifteen countries. She completed a collection of short stories, Aftertaste and has presented at four international writers’ conferences. Mary continues to pen essays on cultivating a writing practice and is years deep into developing a coming-of-age story set in Georgian England. She has a B.A. in English Literature and Writing and an MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University.

Mary first moved to Front Royal as a teenager and attended Christendom College. For fifteen years ministry roles, graduate school, and love took Mary to live in many new towns and metropolises within the states of Florida, Louisiana, Colorado, Washington, and South Carolina. In 2023, she returned with her son and husband to Front Royal to spend the next chapter near her family.

Brittney Farris

Latin Teacher

Brittney Farris has taught Latin to middle and high school students for over a decade. Prior to moving to Virginia she taught at Athem Preparatory Academy, a Great Hearts School, and at Valor South Austin, a classical charter school. At Valor South Austin, Brittney created the Latin curriculum, determining course sequence, setting pacing for each course, and recorded instructional video used across the Valor Education network.

Brittney holds a BA in Latin and English Literature from Knox College as well as an MA in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.

Maria Hambric

Math Teacher

Maria joined St. Edith Stein School in 2025 and is looking forward to sharing her knowledge and love of mathematics with her students. She studied Electrical Engineering at Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University. After homeschooling her ten children for twenty-three years, Maria began teaching math to high school students.

A native of Costa Rica, Maria came to the United States in 1988. She enjoys reading, baking sourdough bread, and spending time with her ever expanding family.

Sophia Harne

Math, Latin, Literature, Religion Teacher

Sophia joined St. Edith Stein School in 2025 bringing with her a great love of Latin, Literature, and deep devotion to the wisdom and beauty of the Catholic faith. Sophia attended Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, where she graduated with a degree in philosophy. Throughout college she tutored students of all ages in Latin, Greek, and English, and felt a strong pull towards teaching. After college she spent time studying Thomistic philosophy and now is looking forward to following her call to teach.

A native New Englander, Sophia is swiftly falling in love with the beauty of Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, planning adventures with friends, baking, and singing polyphony.

Elizabeth Pilon

Math Teacher

Elizabeth spent more than twenty years homeschooling her nine children before coming to teach math at St. Edith Stein School. She earned her B.A. in philosophy from Christendom College. Elizabeth teaches Geometry at St. Edith Stein School.

A native Virginian originally from Northern Virginia, Elizabeth has been a resident of Front Royal for over 30 years. She is happiest when surrounded by her family, and is thrilled to be discovering the joys of being a grandmother. Elizabeth also enjoys watching her children play sports, reading, working on sudokus, crosswords, and other puzzles, and her daily walks while listening to audio classics of literature or faith-based podcasts.

Lizzie Scarchilli

Science Teacher

Lizzie joined St. Edith Stein School in 2025 to teach high school Anatomy and Physiology, and middle school Life Science. Lizzie has always had an interest in nursing and a desire to take care of others. She is currently pursuing a career in the medical field by training as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and will begin hospital work in the fall. She is very excited to share her love of science with the students of St. Edith Stein School.

Originally from the suburbs of Detroit, Lizzie fell in love with Virginia while attending Christendom College, where she earned her B.A. summa cum laude in History. She now lives in Front Royal, where she enjoys hiking, baking, playing softball, watching baseball, and doing ballet.

Lisl Schmiedicke

Drama Teacher
Administrative Assistant

Born and raised in Front Royal, Lisl has an intimate knowledge of the community and deep roots with its people. She was a student in the first graduating class of St. Edith Stein, as well as its first valedictorian. With a love of theatre beginning in middle school, she continued to pursue it throughout high school, in addition to classical ballet. After graduating, she attended Franciscan University of Steubenville where she earned her Associates Degree with a concentration in theatre and performing. During her time at Franciscan, she gained skills as a stage manager, actor, costume designer, prop designer, hair and makeup specialist, stage design and building, lighting, and many other varied pursuits. She has had training in the Stanislavsky method and as a classical Shakespearean actor. When she’s not acting, she enjoys cooking, oil painting, and sewing elaborate historical dress. She is thrilled to be returning to St. Edith Stein in a teaching capacity, and is excited to bring her wide range of skills and deep love of theatre to the girls of St. Edith Stein.

Susan Schwartz

Math Teacher
School Play Director
Classical Barre Instructor

Susan has more than thirty years of teaching experience as a ballet teacher, math teacher, and homeschooling her nine children. After her own professional career in Classical Ballet, Susan began teaching and many of her students have embarked on professional ballet careers of their own. Susan has been instrumental in the development of the St. Edith Stein School theatre program, Math curriculum, and maintaining a robust Classical Barre program for the School.

Originally from Arizona, Susan trained at the Phoenix School of Ballet and earned her BS in Zoology at Arizona State University. She has choreographed and directed many ballets and theatre productions, including performances for St. John the Baptist Drama. She continues to teach ballet at her studio in Front Royal, Etudes Classical Ballet.

Katie Summers

History Teacher

Katie Summers joined St. Edith Stein School in 2025 to teach high school history. Herself an alumna of an all-girls high school, she believes strongly in the value of single sex education and has a passion for teaching. Before coming to St. Edith Stein School, Katie taught at Sacred Heart Academy in Winchester. Katie graduated summa cum laude from Christendom College in 2022 with a B.A. in Philosophy and a minor in History.

In addition to her love of History, Katie enjoys all forms of debate and has taught and coached debate at several schools in the Northern Virginia area. She was born and raised in Virginia and now lives in Middletown with her husband and baby boy.

Kate Nelson

Certified Spiritual Director
Student Mentor

Kate Nelson is excited to join St. Edith Stein School as a spiritual director. Kate grew up in Florida but has spent the majority of her life in the Appalachian Mountains. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Expressive Arts Therapy from Appalachian State University. From there, she went overseas to spend time in India working with women and children victims of human trafficking. Furthering her education, she completed her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and graduated from the Alleluia School of Spiritual Direction in 2023, as a certified Spiritual Director. Kate is a mother of four and has a bustling household with two dogs, ten chickens, and a couple of cats (although she would describe herself as not an animal person). She enjoys doing pottery, making sourdough and pretending she’s a gardener so she can wear overalls and boots in public.

Fr. Daniel Gee

Spiritual Director
Formation

Father Daniel N. Gee, newly appointed pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in Front Royal, VA was born Dec. 19, 1967, in Portsmouth, Va., one of four children of Rear Adm. and Mrs. George Nicholas Gee of Key West, Florida.

Raised in a military family, Father Gee attended W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax before graduating from Coronado High School in Coronado, Calif., in 1986.

Father Gee studied at the University of Oregon, where he majored in Spanish, then entered the collegiate level of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania in 1989. He was ordained in 1995 after spending his diaconate year at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Arlington.

Father Gee served as parochial vicar of All Saints Parish in Manassas, 1995-99, and Our Lady of Angels Parish in Woodbridge, 1999-2003.

In 2003, Father Gee was assigned to serve at the diocesan mission in Bánica, Dominican Republic. After five years as a missionary, he returned to Virginia in 2008 to serve as chaplain of Christendom College in Front Royal until 2010 and his last posting before returning to Front Royal was at St. Rita’s parish in Arlington.