In the upcoming 2022-23 school year, The Hill welcomes 16 new faculty and 6 new interns. From chemistry teachers to strength and conditioning coaches these new faces on campus are excited to become a part of the Hill Family. They express great interest to meet fellow students, colleagues, and community members. 

Anna Ribeiro 

Anna Ribeiro joins Hill as the new Donor Relations officer where she will be spending most of her time in the Alumni Office. Ribeiro is originally from Queens NY, but attended Middlesex Boarding School in Concord MA. Ribiero worked with Prep for Prep which led her to connecting with The Hill. “I actually toured Hill when I was 14 and had friends who attended here, so it was an easy decision to work here.” Ribiero expressed how excited she was to be on the other side of residing at a boarding school. She will be working in the Alumni Office where she is thrilled to connect students and alumni. When she is not in the Alumni Office she will be residing on US 4 East. “I am excited to meet the girls on my floor and get to know each of them personally.” Ribeiro shared that she was once a theater kid at her boarding school so she is enthusiastic to attend a Hill School production. 

Dr. Melissa Toomey 

Dr. Melissa Toomey rejoins The Hill community after completing her PHD. “People always spoke highly of Hill and I was beyond excited to return after six years,” Toomey explained. She will be teaching Latin and English which she is thrilled to do. She expresses how excited she is to come back to the community, see different academic opportunities for students, and connect with colleagues. When she is not teaching in the classroom she will also be coaching cross country. 

Samuel Rhinehart 

Samuel Rhinehart is an intern from Columbus, NC, where he was born and raised. “I was originally looking for an engineering job and came across the opportunities Hill had,” Rhinehaart stated. He will be teaching engineering alongside Dr. Ehsan. While this is his first boarding school job, he has worked with students during the summer at a university. He is excited to become a part of the boarding school experience, as he attended a public high school. 

Bart Mestelle 

Bart Mestelle is a new Chemistry and Chemistry Honors teacher from Boise, Idaho. “My wife got a job out East and it seemed to work perfectly to begin working at Hill, as we were planning to move to this side of the country anyways,” Mestelle explained. He described Hill as a great learning environment and extremely welcoming. “As I met with more colleagues on campus I knew I made the right decision.” Before working at Hill, he worked at a few universities and a public high school. While he has never taught at a boarding school before, he is extremely excited to become a part of a boarding community. 

Christopher Schivaone ’16

Chris Schivaone is a Hill class of 2016 alum, who is coming back home to teach. “I wanted to come somewhere that I was already familiar with. My two brothers also attended Hill so I knew the environment pretty well,” Schivaone said.  He will be teaching Physics Honors and helping co-teach some Engineering classes. While this is his first official job out of college, he is prepared, having taught some college courses, worked with a first grade class, and taught a middle school math class. When he is not in the classroom he will be coaching water polo alongside Mr. Jones. 

Dr. Matthew Rinkevich 

Dr. Matthew Rinkevich is the new Instructor of Religious Studies and Philosophy. He is originally from Levittown PA, a small town about an hour away. Before coming to Hill he taught high school and college students. “I was urged to apply by the headmaster as he felt I’d be a good fit for the job. I did and ended up loving the campus and environment,” Rinkevich explained. He is excited to teach on this campus as he finds Hill welcoming and exciting. 

Nevia Selmon 
Nevia Selmon is a new intern from Orange, CT, who will be instructing two classes of World Views. “I just graduated college in May so this will be my first job post-grad,” Selmon said. She will be living in US 4 E and coaching crew in the spring. Ms. Selmon is beyond excited to meet her new students and colleagues and to be on the other side of the education system. 

Claudia LaMarca 

Claudia LaMarca will serve as the new Head Girls Lacrosse coach and Director of Student Activities. Before working at Hill, she worked as a middle school counselor. “I lived in NJ and moved to PA about two years ago, so I am thrilled to make the move to Hill.” she said in an interview.When not in the lacrosse season, she will also be the Director of Student Activities. She is excited to create new experiences and meet students from all different horizons.  

Bobbi Jo Keefer 

Bobbi Jo Keefer is  the new leadership director coming from Lynchburg VA. Before working at Hill, she worked at the University of Lynchburg for the past 16 years. While she will be assisting student leaders, she hopes to work with faculty leadership as well. “I consider leadership a passion, so accepting this job was easy for me.” While she described teaching at a University similar to Hill, she also acknowledges the structure differences. “I am excited to teach somewhere new and help students and faculty alike.” Keefer will also hold as a Rolfe dorm affiliate and assist Hobart’s Run. She is excited for students to come on the campus as she feels it is quiet without them! 

Ellen O’Brian 

Ellen O’Brian is joining the Hill community from Northern VA and is excited to assist students in sports performance. She will be one of the two Head Coaches of Strength and Conditioning, as well as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Sports Performance.  She heard about the job opening through a mutual friend and she really came to love the school and culture. Before Hill, she worked at a boarding school in Virginia and grew up as a faculty kid in Maine so the boarding school aspect is not new to her. O’Brian expresses how excited she is to live in US3 E and help students grow as athletes. 

Profé Kirby Varnadoe Russ 

Profe Kirby Varnadoe-Russ is originally from the Raleigh-Durham area, but will be joining Hill from their latest home in Paraguay South America. They will be teaching Spanish 1, 3 Honors, and 4 Honors. When not in the classroom they will be a dorm parent in Hillrest, coaching girls tennis, and co-coaching fencing in the Winter. “I received an email from Mr. Lehman encouraging me to apply. I’m always open to new opportunities so I decided to take a shot. I interviewed with Mr. DeLucia and quickly fell in love with the campus and atmosphere of Hill. At Hill it felt as though the whole Kirby was appreciated and welcomed here.”  Varnadoe-Russ is no stranger to the residential/dorming life. “I grew up going to overnight camps and became a RA in college so this all feels familiar to me.” They are excited to live on campus and see different aspects of their colleagues and students’ lives. “Students think adults have it all figured out when it is really a big continual process of learning. I’m excited to live in secreny with young people and learn from them as well.” 

Michael Boyer 

Michael Boyer will be joining Hill from Exeter Township, where he will still currently reside with his wife and four children. He is the Associate Head Football coach, Varsity Assistant Baseball Coach, and a counselor in the College Counselor Office. He heard about the position from a mutual friend of his and our Athletic Director, Mr. Seth Eilberg. “I am truly excited about the people here and the Hill Community as a whole. It is unlike any other place I have ever called home. ” he stated in an email. 

Valerie Berryer 

Valerie Berryer is a Haitian born French teacher who grew up in Miami and New York. She will be teaching French 2, 3, 3H, and 5. When she is not in the classroom, she will also be assisting theater with costumes and tech. She is looking forward to meeting her students and building connections that she will truly miss when they graduate. 

Alec Swartz 

Alec Swartz is a Hill Alum from Birdsboro PA, and grew up right outside of French Creek State Park. Prior to working at Hill, he was working in Philadelphia for the past two in a half years. He will be holding the Humphrey Family Intern position and will teach Multimedia Journalism, Advanced Multimedia Journalism, and English 1. He is the adviser to The Hill News and a Dell dormitory affiliate while supporting the Humphrey Family Writing Center and its writing fellows. He describes Hill as a central place in his life. “As a kid, I can fondly remember watching ice hockey games with my father at the old outside rink. Returning to Hill feels much like returning home.” 

Brett Bearrows 

Brett Bearrows is a recent Kenyon College graduate who grew up in River Forest, Illinois. She will be joining the Hill community as an admissions intern, dorm parent in Upper School East, and girl’s lacrosse coach. She was connected to The Hill School by a friend on her lacrosse team at Kenyon. She is excited to get to know prospective students and families interested in joining Hill’s community and to spend time with students on the fields and dorms. 

Charlie Cunningham 

Charlie Cunningham is an intern from Pequannock, New Jersey who will be assisting in Regular, AP, and Advanced Economics. He will be coaching JV Soccer and Varsity Wrestling. He found Hill through Head of School Zach Lehman and he visited Hill within the next week. “I am excited to meet a bunch of new people from different backgrounds and to continue working and learning in an academic environment.” stated Cunningham in an email.

Jodi Robinson

Jodi Robinson, the new Co-Director of College counseling, will be joining Hill from a bit of all over the country. From growing up in Ohio to living in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massatuches, and West Virginia, she has had a bit of it all. While also holding the title of Co-Director of College Counseling, she will also be a dorm affiliate of Dell, and work with the community service groups during the winter. When asked how she found Hill she responded with, “As an admissions officer for the University of Pennsylvania, I have been visiting Hill in my domestic region for the last 6 years.  I have worked with both Ellen Deitrich and Lauren Hoyt through the PA ACAC (professional organization) and in doing college office programming.” She expresses her excitement in helping students pursue further education and find their dream college. “I am SO enjoying meeting so many dedicated and talented community members, and loving the wellness options. You will see my husband, Graham, and I participating as we love being active and engaged!”

Tiffany Doerr

Tiffany Doerr will serve as the new Learning Coordinator at The Hill. She is originally from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and just recently moved from the Kent School with her husband Hans Doerr. She found Hill as her husband attended Hill when he was in high school, and was excited when the opportunity arose to come back to Hill. Doerr describes Hill as having a strong sense of community and family, a great environment to raise her boys Robert and Patrick. The Doerr’s will live in Foster and cannot wait to meet all the new faces. 

Hans Doerr

Hans Doerr will be joining The Hill community from Loganton, Pennsylvania. He will be a History Teacher, Faculty Liaison, Weight Training Coach, and Rowing Coach. He attended Hill in his teen years, following in his fathers footsteps who also attended the school. He expresses how excited he is to join the community and to have full weekends with his younger sons as we no longer have Saturday classes! 

Tanya Sepela 

Tanya Sepela will be joining Hill from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She will join the Hill community by teaching English 2 and English 4. Sepela will also be assisting with cross country and indoor track. She found out about Hill through her sister’s friend, Shaylene Schieb, who strongly recommended she apply! She is excited to meet new faculty, staff, and students. 

Tessie Salatas 

Tessie Salatas will serve as a new Instructor of Math, Rolfe dorm parent, girls crew head coach, and girls assistant coach. She is joining the Hill community from Monteral, Canada. “I am very excited to be a part of the Family Boarding School! I enjoy teaching in the Quadrivium, hosting family nights, chatting with the soccer team during seated lunch, getting on the water with the crew team, along with so much more!” She shared. 

Riya Ahuja

Riya Ahuja is originally from New Delhi India where she spent fifteen years of her life before moving to Singapore for high school. She will be interning in AP Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy. She will also be assisting as a Boys and Girls golf coach for JV and Varsity. She found Hill through Mr. Lehman who reached out to her on Linkedin. She is excited about meaningful relationships with the students. “It’s my 3rd week here and this has already been one of my most rewarding experiences.”