Honoring Faculty Retirees OUR THANKS TO THEIR YEARS OF SERVICE Ani Scuteri
With a career that spanned 34 years at Cape Fear Academy, Ani Scuteri watched decades of students graduate from CFA. During her tenure at CFA, Scuteri taught Lower, Middle and Upper School Spanish, served as the Upper School dean, and the international student coordinator. Of the countless memories experienced at CFA, one of Scuteri’s highlights came when fellow Upper School faculty member Laura Bowen mentioned her when Bowen competed on an episode of Jeopardy. Bowen, her students, and Scuteri met at the now closed Sahara Restaurant to watch the episode of Jeopardy Bowen was on. When it came down to the final Jeopardy question Bowen’s answer was “who is Ani Scuteri.” Known for her professionalism and compassion for all students, these two critical characteristics made Scuteri a beloved member of the CFA Community. As one of her former students said, “She has an appreciation for others who are bold enough to march to their own beat. They bring her joy. I can’t think of a better quality for a teacher to have. The world is a more interesting place because she made so many of us feel loved and appreciated.”
Theresa DiBernardo
Theresa DiBernardo started at Cape Fear Academy in August of 1992 as a coteacher in second grade and taught in the Lower School until 2018 when she moved into a role as the learning skills program coordinator and skills tutor. During her tenure as a Lower School teacher, she was instrumental in bringing the Japanese and African units of study to life. These were integrated units that included reading, writing, social studies, and science, and included a celebration and program at the end of the unit. She also started a second grade musical called, “The Elephant Twins,” which was an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s “Elephant’s Child.” DiBernardo is also credited with starting some of the first CFA summer camps and led other auxiliary programs.
Lynn O’Connell
Lynn O’Connell originally joined Cape Fear Academy in 1999, and again in 2014. During her two tenures O’Connell built and maintained an award-winning and incredibly successful choral program. When O’Connell returned for her second tenure at CFA in 2014 she inherited a depleted choral program with only five Upper School students and by the end of her first year back she had 35 students. One of the biggest achievements for the choral program came in O’Connell’s last year at CFA when the Upper School vocal ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as part of the National Fall Sing 9/11 Memorial Concert in October 2019. O’Connell also served as the vocal director of the North Carolina Theatre Conference winning production of “Disaster! The Musical” in 2018, which also went on to compete at the NCTC state competition. Consistently providing her students with opportunities to perform outside of the CFA campus, O’Connell found an unrivaled sense of joy in music that spread to her students.
29 | CAPE FEAR ACADEMY