Mr. Frank Van Atta
Middle and Upper School Choral DirectorMr. Frank Van Atta joins Germantown Academy as the new Middle and Upper School Choral Director. With degrees in Music Education and Organ Performance from the Jacobs School of Music and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the Boyer College of Music and Dance, Van Atta has been an educator in Boston and Philadelphia for several years. Outside of teaching, Van Atta furthers his passion for music by serving as the Artistic Director of the Keystone State Boychoir and New Jersey Boychoir. Having most recently served as both a Dean and the Director of Upper School Choirs at Germantown Friends School, Van Atta values his school community. He is excited to experience the House system as a Galloway advisor, as he thinks it is a great way to not only “Bring the class together but also to bring the other grades together.” Ultimately, Van Atta chose GA because of “A combination of both the climate and culture that values student interest and values where the arts fit into the school community.” Welcome to GA, Mr. Van Atta!
Mr. Peter Wisniewski
Math TeacherBeginning his 12th year of teaching, Mr. Peter Wisniewski joins Germantown Academy’s math department from Villa Joseph Marie High School, where he served as the math department chair for seven years. His student-centered teaching style comes from his belief that “Teaching math is about getting students to really understand and make the connections for themselves about the content that we’re learning.” Outside of teaching, Wisniewski is a self-professed trivia buff and recently fulfilled his lifelong dream of appearing on Jeopardy. Although he did not win, being invited was “A dream come true.” Looking forward to the school year, Wisniewski is excited to collaborate with his colleagues on lessons and “Work with a bigger department of seasoned teachers.” He ultimately made the switch to GA because he was ready for a new challenge, saying “I’ve known for some time about GA and their commitment to inspiring faculty to be the best versions of themselves…My hope is to be able to continue to build myself because ultimately, the better I am as a teacher, the more students benefit by having me in the classroom.” Welcome to GA, Mr. Wisniewski!
Dr. Patricia Rossoukh
French TeacherDr. Patricia Rossoukh joins the Modern Language Department as a French teacher. Rossoukh “fell into teaching” as a graduate student at UC Berkeley, where she taught her own class as a Graduate Student Instructor. She states, “I had never taught before then, but it quickly became apparent that this was what I was meant to do.” Although she was born in France, Rossoukh has spent more years in the United States than in France and now thinks that “California, where I spent most of my life up to now, feels more like home than France.” Rossoukh’s teaching philosophy focuses on creating a safe space for students to feel confident in themselves and in their learning. She seeks to create a classroom where students “feel safe and confident about asking questions, about making mistakes and trying again.” Rossoukh also “hope[s] to create a space where students can reflect on themselves as learners and thinkers, and where they feel empowered to be their unique self.” Welcome to GA, Dr. Rossoukh!
Sra. Antonia Angeles
Spanish TeacherSeñora Antonia Angeles, a new addition to GA’s modern language department, has been teaching Spanish for more than fifteen years. Originally from Peru, Angeles graduated as an educator from her home country and received a master’s degree in Hispanic Studies from Villanova University. Angeles was part of a Peruvian folk dance group in college and loves “listening to music and dancing to Latin rhythms.” Some of her hobbies include traveling, doing Zumba, and watching K-dramas. A former Fulbright exchange teacher, Angeles cites “[her] wonderful experience with high school students in Williamsburg, Virginia” as what made her decide to start teaching Spanish. At GA, Angeles is “excited to share not only my love for the language but also the rich culture of Spanish-speaking peoples, including Peru, of course, with my students and the community.” Welcome, Señora Angeles!
Mr. Kevin Mylod
Math TeacherOriginally from Michigan, Mr. Kevin Mylod graduated from Villanova and spent the last twenty-one years teaching math at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He and his partner decided to move to Pennsylvania because “Philadelphia was the right place for us to start our next chapter. It’s great to be back in Philly!” Back in Georgia, Mylod was also an assistant coach to several high school state championship teams in boys tennis, boys swimming, and girls swimming. Mylod will be teaching AP Calc AB and Algebra 2, and he is looking forward to many things at GA including the first day of school, the house system, and GA/PC Day. He is also excited to use the SEPTA rail system because “Atlanta wasn’t that kind of city…You had to drive to get anywhere.” Welcome to GA, Mr. Mylod!
Mr. Daniel Keefe
English TeacherMr. Daniel Keefe joins GA’s English department after eleven years at the Haverford School where he taught English, coached the Varsity soccer team, and served as a Form Dean. Keefe’s unexpected journey to teaching began after he graduated from Wake Forest University and, on a whim, contacted “an amazing woman named Sister John Francis at St. Frances Academy in Baltimore who convinced me to come and work at her school as a volunteer.” There, he fell in love with teaching and stayed at the school for two years before leaving to “see the world.” He took a job at NOVA, a language school in Japan, and lived in Nagoya for a year while backpacking around Southeast Asia. He then returned to the U.S., attended New York University, where he received an MA in English, and resettled in Swarthmore where he now lives with his wife, three kids, and two English labs. Having “long been a fan of the school leadership and community,” Keefe finds GA to be “a great co-ed school where all genders of my family might attend.” He looks forward to “coaching JV women’s soccer, teaching Freshman and Sophomore students, and finding where the poets hang out at GA.” Welcome, Mr. Keefe!
Mr. Wadsworth
Math TeacherMr. Wadsworth joins Germantown Academy as a new Math Teacher. He has degrees in Educational Administration, Math, and Music Production and Engineering. Wadworth’s dad was in the Navy, so he moved around a lot as a kid. Because of this, he attended many schools, including two in Scotland for Kindergarten and First Grade. At these schools he had “a lot of great teachers,” who inspired him to become a teacher, because “he wants to do the same.” He specifically cited his 7th grade math teacher as a “major influence” because he “made math fun but at the same time also treated it as a serious business that required care, precision and dedication.” Mr. Wadsworth’s teaching philosophy focuses on establishing a “genuine relationship between the teacher and student based on trust.” This trust lets “students feel safe enough to make mistakes, ask questions, and learn deeply.” An interesting fact about Mr. Wadsworth: he enjoys analyzing chord progressions in songs he hears on the radio. Welcome to GA, Mr. Wadsworth!