Alumnae Class Notes

1952

Carol Lombardi Noble is the current president of the Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut.

Carol taught for 37 years in New Haven and Hamden. Upon retirement, Carol was on the legislative council of Hamden where she served for 24 years, two of those years, as President of the Council. Her 86 years have been filled with many wonderful memories. Many cherished memories include her years at SHA. Her activities with the Association of Retired Teachers have kept her active and focused on the positives of life.

1955

Carmel Sullo Viscio recently moved to Blue Bell, Pennsylvania to be closer to family.

Mary Elizabeth Donadio Dickinson lives in Texas. She has many grandchildren who are all thriving. She is blessed to have excellent health and hopes to visit CT and SHA Greene Street Girls!

1959

Sr. Margaret Ann Calcutta, ASCJ celebrated 60 years this year serving her communities as an Apostle of the Sacred Heart. She is currently teaching children with special needs in Morning Star School in Pensacola, FL.

1960

Betsy McKeon Afragola was both a teacher and a nurse. She taught kindergarten and volunteered for Staying Put in New Canaan. She has traveled throughout the United States, she has three daughters and nine grandchildren.

Lorraine Paszkeicz D’Ambruoso is a retired French teacher who worked in professional development for Stanford University and the French Consulate. Lorraine has three sons and six grandchildren, two of whom are bilingual in Spanish, two of whom are bilingual in French.

1961

Sharon Sullivan Norby has been living in New Hampshire for the last 21 years with her husband, Carl. Sharon completed a 42-year teaching career and currently works with adults seeking their high school equivalency. Her parish, St. Katharine Drexel, offers many opportunities to serve, something Sharon credits to learning firsthand at SHA!

Dorothy Mislick Savastano is a retired marketing executive volunteer with SCORE, an arm of the Small Business Administration. She is also the President of the Totoket Historical Society, in North Branford.

Carolyn Peterson Mayers and her husband are snowbirds living in Ft. Myers, FL and Fairfield, NJ. They have three grandchildren in Minnesota.

1963

Betty Barletta Salerno and her Class of ’63 held a classwide 76th Birthday party at Ludal’s in North Haven this year after postponing their 75th last year.

Moira Linehan Ounjian is a poet and recently had two collections published: Toward and & Company. Earlier collections include: If No Moon (2007) and Incarnate Grace (2015).

Maryann Mckeon has three children: Ellen, JP, and Danny and four grandchildren. She worked for 52 years as an RN and is now retired.

1964

Joan Socha Rockwell has hiked 1,260 miles (about half the width of the United States) in the past several months, despite having three knee replacements!

Stephanie Inzero Stanley and her family, were chosen to participate in a commercial that will be aired nationally next year! It was a unique and fun experience, and they would all do it again in a heartbeat! That is what she calls fun in retirement!

Alberta Falcioni Davis and New Haven area classmates met, for the first time since the pandemic, for a 3-hour lunch in June. More recently in October, a small group met for an early supper with classmates from Florida! Strongbonds!

1965

Sr. Linda Pettinella, ASCJ moved to Trapani, Sicily four years ago and works with unaccompanied minor immigrants. This is a joint venture between the Apostles of the Sacred Heart and the Diocese of Trapani.

Fran Philabaum Prestach retired after 36 years teaching. She is now enjoying her volunteer work with the homeless in South Carolina where she resides.

JoAnne Milano is currently living in Chicago, IL where she tutors and volunteers.

1966

Sr. Nancy Strillacci, ASCJ is a chaplain at St. Vincent Medical Center in Bridgeport. She previously worked in the Office of Clergy and Religious in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Sr. Marialice Ackermann, ASCJ is now ministering at Clelian Center which provides services and daily activities for its members. It is a wonderful place and a much-needed ministry!

Mary Ann Reilly Porto passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness, on October 1, 2021. She had a long and successful career as a pediatric nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital and in the North Haven school system. She leaves her husband of 44 years, Frank Porto, a son, and daughter and two grandchildren.

Barbara Koshis Sherman works for the Department of Veteran Affairs. She continues to work and “continues to do God’s work.” Barbara went to Fordham University and then went on to law school. She has experience with education as an elected official. Barbara has one daughter who lives on the West Coast.

Carol Winnard Walker is currently living in Seattle, WA. She has been married for 44 years and has four daughters and three grandchildren. Carol graduated from the University of Wisconsin. She worked as a realtor for more than 30 years. Carol is an avid gardener, likes to bake, and is involved with politics.

1967

Elaine Reilly Mahin is a retired high school English teacher. Elaine has also tutored students in all areas, especially for SAT and college application prep, privately and commercially for the past 16 years. She and her husband, Tim, recently moved from Westchester County, NY, to a retirement village in Durham, Connecticut.

Donna LaVorgna Cramond retired in 2018 after 40 years as a hospital social worker. Since then, she has been concentrating on keeping herself and her husband of 42 years safe and happy. She enjoys keeping up with her running which she has done since her SHA days. Friday the 13th of August 2021 was an incredibly lucky day for her family as they welcomed their first grandchild Nora Juliet Cramond.

Alumnae Class Notes

1968

Ellen D’Agostino McGuire celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, Serena Faith Redente in July 2021. Ellen’s daughter, Kara McGuire Redente ’99, is currently the Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management at SHA.

Patricia Giaimo Gambardella retired from East Haven Public Schools in June 2012. Patricia teaches part-time at Gateway Community College now. She is the proud mother of two sons and proud grandmother of two grandsons.

1970

Karen Gyllenhammer Kennedy

served three years in the United States Army in the 32nd Combat Support Hospital in Ludwigsburg, Germany as a clinical nurse specialist. She is now working at the Wallingford Senior Center.

Diane Schull went to college in Texas after graduating from SHA and she never left. She is a nurse- practitioner and completed a Ph.D. in statistics. She taught nursing, got her pilot’s license, completed two Olympic trilithons, and currently volunteers with Mother’s Milk, a nonprofit organization founded in 2004, to provide premature and critically ill infants with donated milk.

Patricia Thomas Carter retired from a career in nursing in 2014 from the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Rocky Hill, CT. She met her husband, a poet, at Gaylord Hospital. They have two daughters and one grandson.

Debra Di Piazza received her master’s degree in American Literature. She taught at Hunter College in New York and worked as a librarian. After retiring, she received certification as a standard and trauma informed yoga instructor. Debra has been married for 35 years. She and her husband have a daughter and a grandson. She now resides in Vancouver, WA.

1971

Mona Breault Hendrickson wants everyone to know that Reunion 2021 was a blast! Mona misses all her fellow classmates already and encourages them to come to the Virginia Beach area to see her.

Barbara Madigan O’Leary celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary this year. She has one son who is a writer. Barbara just retired after teaching high school math. She is currently teaching part time at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts.

Bonnie Rossiter Ballantyne

retired in 2019 as the CFO in Neighborhood New Horizon’s in New Haven, CT. Bonnie has two children and five grandchildren, and she enjoys playing pickle ball.

Kathy Keily has been a Branford resident for 25 years. She retired after 36 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Kathleen enjoys walking, birdwatching, and volunteering at animal shelters.

Cheryl Madigosky Brischetto attended Trinity College and the University of Notre Dame. She received a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She has two children and retired in 2018. Cheryl currently lives in Portland, OR.

Donna Pantera Heins retired in 2020 from a career in nursing from the Connecticut State Departments of Public Health and Education. She now works part-time for the Connecticut Nurses’ Association as their event coordinator and grant writer. Currently, she volunteers with COVID-19 vaccine clinics. She has two toddler-aged grandchildren.

1972

Patricia Milazzo Parolise moved to Bluffton, SC.

Rev. Cleo Ingram Graham and her husband received a warm welcome in 2019 at Casa Mater Amabilis (Bed and Breakfast/ Mother Clelia) in Rome. In October 2021, they returned to Italy for a retreat and to study St. Francis Assisi.

1973

Katherine Heimann is both beginning and completing a career with the Apostles. She worked at All Saint’s Academy in New Haven and is currently volunteering in support of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Linda Acabbo Carlson retired in June 2021 from a career in teaching, after having taught in both private independent and West Haven Public Schools. She is looking forward to the next chapter of her life!

1974

Mary Ann Kelleher Kiely lives with her husband Tim and rescue pup, Gracie, in the seaside town of Rockport, MA. They have three children and two granddaughters living near them. Mary Ann volunteers as an interfaith chaplain with Gracie in the local nursing homes and hospitals; enjoys community gardening, kayaking, golfing, and babysitting! She is looking forward to her 50th SHA Reunion in 2024!

Lorraine Zaccaro Bukowski is approaching her 10th anniversary with LZB Communications, a business she founded after working for 30 years in journalism and public relations and marketing.

1975

Jeanne Marcarelli McCann started her own company, McCann Communications in 2019, after working in public relations and journalism in Washington, DC. She works with nonprofits and foundations on a variety of progressive issues. Among them: climate change, public transit, substance abuse, and education. She is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees for Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake, an organization dedicated to activating faith communities to care for creation.

Debra Vizziello Federico practices as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her practice offers a Catholic psychoanalytical perspective to counseling.

1979

Robin Grammatico Cannon retired in 2020 after 35 years of teaching. She had the privilege of returning to SHA for various events when her two daughters, Haley ’16 and Molly ’18 attended, bringing back many fond memories, especially of the Chapel. Robin is an author of five books: Tilly Fig (2014), Rye Hill (2015), Fireflies at Nightfall (2017), The Vanity of Robbers (2018), and Pignoli and the Chocolate Thief (2020).

1980

Joyce DeAngelo O’Sullivan currently lives in Rocky Hill, CT and is the Director of Music at St. James Church in Rocky Hill. She has three children, two who live on the West Coast, and one who lives in CT.

Nancy Navarretta works in Behavioral Health Care for the state of Connecticut. She has two sisters and two nieces who are also SHA Alumnae.

1981

Rosemary O’Brien published two books during lockdown and began writing another novel. Sometimes Try Is All There Is began as a journal about her and her husband’s journey with cancer. She also gathered more than 40 years of her poetry in Facing Forward. Rosemary credits one of her SHA classmates with encouraging her to find her voice as a poet.

1982

Dr. Beth A. Smith recently retired after 35 years in public education having served as a special education teacher, department chair, principal, Director of Special Education and Interim Superintendent of Schools.

1983

Monica Albert Still was appointed to the Board of Directors of Disability Rights Pennsylvania.

Pamela Lemieux Giordano earned her Master’s in Nursing Education from Sacred Heart University in May 2021.

Alumnae Class Notes

1984

Lisa McCauley Thomas relocated to the Phoenix area in the summer of 2016 after living and working in Hawaii for eight years. She is the principal of a small alternative high school.

1985

Susan Spilecki earned an MA in Theological Studies from Episcopal Divinity School.

Helena Zadroga Thomas moved back to CT after living in Florida for five years.

1987

Loren LoCascio Trotta recently started a new position as a Marketing Leader at White Horse Capital in Stamford, CT.

1988

Simone Minichino is a 4th grade teacher who taught her students during the pandemic, mostly remotely.

Mary Lee Orcutt Novia earned a degree from Salve University in liberal studies and religious and theological studies. Her sons Ricky (2020) and Ryan (2021) both graduated from Providence College. Mary and her husband, Jeff, will be celebrating their 28th wedding anniversary next year.

1989

Dawn Gagliardi retired from corporate America last year. She now works in health and wellness. She and her partner and best friend, Neil, relocated to Gold Canyon, AZ from the greater Atlanta, GA area. Dawn is loving desert life, the new home, and the amazing community at Superstition Mountain! Jennifer Masi Cinque is Associate Vice President for Human Resources at University of New Haven. She received her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University in 2018. She feels she has found her dream job!

Donna Damm Dognin is celebrating the 5th anniversary of her own non-profit, Veterans Strong Community Center. VSCC recently received its designation as a Focal Point partner with the North Central Area Agency on Aging. She and her husband, Adrian, are celebrating 22 years of marriage. They have two children, Luke (19) and Amy (14), and reside in Terryville, CT.

Maria Gulisano Warner and her son, Andrew, cooked live on Facebook for 100 nights in a row from March to July 2020 at the start of Covid-19. They used the recipes to self-publish a cookbook and donated proceeds to the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven Hospital. Maria is a breast cancer survivor.

1991

Jennifer Tonucci Prato and her husband are happy to celebrate the graduation of their daughter, Lia Prato ’21.

1993

Dorothy Warner lives just outside of Boston with her partner and son. She is a clinical psychologist in a private practice. During the pandemic, she adopted a black lab puppy and got a sailboat, which she plans to sail to Portugal next summer.

1995

Maria Federico Madonick recently completed her Doctorate in Nurse Anesthesia Practice. She is a practicing Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Yale New Haven Health. Maria was recently elected to the Woodbridge Board of Education where she serves as Vice-Chair of the Board and she is involved on several board committees. She resides in Woodbridge with her husband, Michael, and their four children. Her oldest, Gina, is a sophomore at SHA.

1996

Members of the Class of 1996 went on a field trip to see our classmate, Diane Phelan, performing in A Grand Night for Singing at the Goodspeed.

Stefanie Gambardella Savo is the new Assistant Director of Special Education for Ansonia Public Schools. Her two sons are attending Northeastern University and her daughter is in 8th grade. Stefanie enjoyed attending her 25th SHA Reunion They are all planning and looking forward to more get togethers.

1997

Tracy-Ann Saddiq Sheppard graduated UMass Lowell in 2021 with a degree in psychology and English. She will be continuing to get her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

1998

Cheryl Civitello Carreiro has been working at the State of Connecticut Forensic Laboratory for fourteen years and is currently the Assistant Director of the laboratory.

Tracy Bello Madden graduated from Villanova University, earning a degree in accounting. She is a licensed CPA. She married in 2006 and has two daughters who are now 10 and 8 years old. Currently living in Florida, Tracy works as a realtor in Martin County. SHA will always hold a special place in her heart!

1999

Tory Egan welcomed a baby boy Enrico, in the spring of 2020 and a baby girl Natalie in the summer of 2021. She has also been working as a regulatory advisor for an international energy company, as well as accepting several honors from local non-profits for her volunteer work in Baltimore.

2001

Barbara Jalowiec and her husband relocated from San Francisco to the Chicago area in August 2019, and welcomed their first baby, Annelise, in July 2020.

2003

Donna Bimonte Sabourin is a CT State Trooper for more than six years and is also an LPN. She currently works in the Office of Administration. Donna and her husband have two toddler girls and four dogs.

2004

Liz Wolleben Yoder works for Planning Across the Spectrum in Farmington, CT as the Director of Financial Planning. There she works with clients across the country with neurodiversity, intellectual disabilities, and other needs to build financial plans that intentionally put more power into the hands of the clients themselves.

Laura Caiafa and her wife, Marissa Caiafa, welcomed a baby boy, Vincent, in November 2020.

2005

Meg Tarrant Paul is a high school biology teacher, certified to teach composite science grades 7-12.

2006

Laura Maselli and Raymond Wilson (ND ‘06) were married this summer in Reggio Emilia, Italy. They met while students at SHA and ND.

Samantha Lombardi Girardin and her husband Daniel welcomed a daughter Fiona Girardin in April 2020, joining her older sister, Stella!

Alumnae Class Notes

2007

Karen Zusi got married in October 2020 to Brian Tran in a small outdoor ceremony, pandemic-style.

2008

Kirstyn Masiello is recently engaged. She and her fiancé just bought their first home.

2009

Shelby Carlo Artaiz married Marcus Artaiz (ND ‘09), whose twin sister, Spenser is SHA Class of ‘09. Shelby is currently a speech-language pathologist and assistant director of rehab at the Arden House in Hamden. They welcomed their first child, a boy, in October.

Kaitlyn Lauer Dupré got married to her husband, Chris, in November 2019 at Assumption Church in Ansonia, CT.

Elizabetta Corraro graduated with her sixth year degree in Educational Leadership from Quinnipiac University in May 2021. She is currently teaching art for a school solely for special needs students with behavioral, developmental, and social/emotional disabilities. She says, “Thank you SHA for preparing me to be the woman I am today!”

Sarah Butler Piscatelli and her husband welcomed twins this year, Maggie Louise and Jenna Judith!

Ashley Donahue Mullen is happily married.

2010

Gwendolyn Lemelin Pizzorusso shares the news that she and her husband had their first child, Connor, in February 2020. They love being his parents. In May 2021, she graduated with her master’s degree in Education. She is thrilled to continue her work in education and make a difference in children’s lives.

Jamie Rose Bukowski embarked on her first Broadway tour in September 2021. She is the health manager for the musical Come from Away, which tells the story of thirty-eight planes that were re-routed to a small town in Canada the morning of 9/11. She graduated from Pace University in Manhattan in 2014 with a degree in theater arts, and now continues to gain experience as a stage manager in New York City and Maine.

2011

Amanda Kelly is a third-year medical student at Quinnipiac University and became engaged this summer.

2012

Natalie Bastian played professional basketball in Scotland, Luxembourg, and Germany for 3 years following her graduation from Franklin Pierce University in 2016. She is the assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Bridgeport and is getting married in July 2022!

2014

Amanda Beecher graduated from Sacred Heart University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and this past year, she graduated with a doctorate in physical therapy. She is now working at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain.

Olivia Kelly started medical school at Quinnipiac University in August 2021.

2015

Katie O’Rourke graduated with a master’s of Education in College Student Personnel Administration from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA in May 2021. She is currently the Off Campus Student Life Coordinator at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

Moira Godman moved to London in August 2021.

2016

2017

Olivia DeFilippo graduated from Molloy College’s CAP21 Conservatory in May 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in Musical Theatre. She just recently completed a contract with RWS Entertainment performing as Cinderella at Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire.

Abigail Kelly graduated from Brown University in May 2021 and has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis to support the development of social and language skills in children with autism.

Victoria Borruso is in her post-grad volunteer year with Assumption Misson Associates, a non-profit, Sisters of the Assumption organization. She is an AMA and will be living within the community of Worcester, volunteering to build a safe space in the community.

2018

Claire Donelan was elected Student Body President at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Danielle Filardi graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor’s in Film, TV and Media Arts from Quinnipiac University. She is currently on track to complete a master’s degree in Sports Journalism in May 2022.

WE HAVE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED OUR NEW WEBSITE!

We are delighted to share with you that we officially have launched our new website. While the web address is the same, we hope you enjoy navigating this beautiful new look and way to tell the SHA story.