Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child opens the 2026-27 school year with 19 new members of the faculty and staff who will support the school’s mission of inspiring students to discover their God-given purpose and “make a significant, positive impact on the world.”

Bringing experience from a range of educational and professional backgrounds, they join the Oak Knoll community in roles across academics, student support, facilities, and security.

Joining Oak Knoll this year are:

Gabrielle Blevins

• At Oak Knoll: Gabrielle is joining Oak Knoll’s Lower School as a kindergarten aide.
• Education: Gabrielle earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Hunter College and holds a teacher certification from the state of New Jersey.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: She has teaching experience, having taught in the Elizabeth Public School District. She has also taught at Holy Trinity School in Westfield and the Garwood Family Center YMCA.

Jaqueleen Christakis

•  At Oak Knoll: Jaqueleen is joining Oak Knoll’s Lower School as Assistant to the Division Head.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix, as well as an associate degree in education from Eastern Gateway Community College.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Jaqueleen has served as office manager and administrative assistant in private schools in Westfield and Montclair. She also previously taught for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District and the Beary Lovable School, both in California, as well as the Goddard School in Montclair.

Lex DeLuccia

• At Oak Knoll: Lex joined Oak Knoll’s security team as a security officer in February 2026. We are excited to welcome him for his first full year at the school.  
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Lex served for 25 years with the Wayne Police Department, with the last five years as a lieutenant.  

Matthew DeMarco

• At Oak Knoll: Matthew is joining our Upper School Creative Arts Department as a music teacher.
• Education: He studied vocal performance at the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Matthew brings to Oak Knoll a wealth of experience as a music educator, vocal and piano instructor, music director, and professional performer, having taught voice and piano, directed vocal ensembles and musical theater productions, and prepared students for auditions, competitions, and professional performance opportunities.

Corrine Jones

• At Oak Knoll: Corrine is joining Oak Knoll’s business office as director of finance.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Montclair State University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Corrine has enjoyed an extensive career in finance, including serving as manager of accounting, tuition, and financial aid at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta.

Jennifer Kearney

• At Oak Knoll: Jennifer first joined Oak Knoll’s Lower School as a pre-kindergarten assistant. We are thrilled to welcome her for her first full year at Oak Knoll.
• Education: Jennifer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Boston College and maintains New Jersey teaching and special education certifications.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Jennifer has taught kindergarten and special education at the Whitehorse Elementary School, Hillsborough Middle School, and the Middlesex County Educational Services Commission.

Norah Mallaney ’04

• At Oak Knoll: Norah is returning to Oak Knoll to serve as the Lower School’s new director of curriculum and instruction.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Richmond. She later received a master’s degree in education from Trinity Washington University and a master’s degree in literacy specialist from Teachers College at Columbia University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Norah previously taught and maintained administrative roles in several school systems, including Summit and New York City.

Alessandra Manago

• At Oak Knoll: Alessandra joins Oak Knoll’s Upper School as a history teacher.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in sociology as well as a master’s in secondary education from Loyola University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Alessandra most recently taught U.S. history, world cultures, government, humanities, civil liberties, and women’s studies at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland.

Cristina Maurizi 

• At Oak Knoll: Cristina first joined Oak Knoll’s Lower School as a kindergarten aide this spring. We are thrilled to welcome her for her first full year at Oak Knoll.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from George Mason University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Cristina previously served as an admissions assistant at Montclair State University. She also has extensive experience coaching lacrosse and serving as a substitute teacher.

Noah Mazzeo

• At Oak Knoll: Noah is joining Oak Knoll’s athletic department as athletic coordinator.
• Education: He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Ramapo College of New Jersey before receiving a master’s in sport business from Temple University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Noah most recently served as executive assistant to Ryan Bernardi, head basketball coach at Prolific Prep. He also worked as the director of academy operations for Impact Basketball, assistant general manager for Million Dollaz Worth of Game, and account manager for Rhino Sports & Entertainment Services.

Aidan Naravane

• At Oak Knoll: Aidan is joining Oak Knoll’s Upper School as a physics teacher.
• Education: He earned a bachelor’s degree in international development and social change from Clark University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Texas Permian Basin.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Aidan most recently served as director of academic support at Paragon Prep in Austin, Texas. He has also taught conceptual physics and AP environmental science at Cristo Rey Boston High School.

Rebecca Voegele 

• At Oak Knoll: Rebecca joins Oak Knoll School as Director of Human Resources/Risk Management.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education, and a master’s degree in management with a specialization in organizational change, both from the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Rebecca has several years of experience in human resource management in the corporate world. Prior to her career in human resources, she worked at her alma mater in the Institutional Advancement Office.

Nicholas Salerno

• At Oak Knoll: Nicholas is joining Oak Knoll’s security team as a security officer this fall.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: He enjoyed an impressive career in law enforcement, retiring as a lieutenant from the South Orange Police Department, where he worked with current Oak Knoll Director of Security Brian McGuire.

Anthony Sierra

• Oak Knoll: Oak Knoll as a maintenance team member and bus driver in December 2025.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Anthony previously worked at the Learning Experience as a bus driver.

Stephanie Slater

• At Oak Knoll: Stephanie is joining our Office of Institutional Advancement as special events coordinator & Parents’ Association moderator.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in art history and photography from Tulane University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Stephanie most recently served as senior creative producer at 1stDibs, overseeing photography and video production for editorial, social media, and marketing. She previously held creative production and photo-editing roles at Interview, W, MORE, ELLE, and BlackBook magazines.

Elijah Smith

• At Oak Knoll: Elijah is joining Oak Knoll’s Upper School World Languages Department as a Spanish teacher.
• Education: He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and Spanish from the College of New Jersey and studied abroad at Universidad de Alcalá in Spain.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Elijah most recently taught multiple levels of Spanish and served as department head at Mount Saint Dominic Academy. He previously taught Spanish and psychology at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and has coached JV tennis.

Emma Spiegel

• At Oak Knoll: Emma joins the Upper School as a French teacher.
• Education: She earned a bachelor’s degree in French studies from Smith College and a master’s degree in educational systems with a concentration in educational innovation from the University of Geneva.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: Emma most recently taught international baccalaureate French at the Academy at Thornwood, and has extensive experience teaching French at independent schools in the United States and Switzerland.

George Watson

• At Oak Knoll: George joins Oak Knoll’s Upper School as a teacher in the mathematics department.
• Education: He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Manhattan College and a master’s degree in mathematics from Purdue University.
• Prior to Oak Knoll: George has taught a variety of math subjects, including algebra, geometry, statistics, precalculus, calculus, and multivariable calculus at the independent and postsecondary level, most recently at Blair Academy.