Kelly Cacella -  MA Education, Ed.S. Educational Management, Leadership, and Policy

“Use your smile to change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.”

Education has always been a significant part of my life.  Growing up in a tight-knit family that constantly contributed to and believed in Catholic Education has strongly influenced and molded my passion and dedication as A Catholic School Leader.  I have worked within a Catholic school setting since the young age of 19 and would not change a minute of it for all the world. I love being around young people, watching them learn new things, explore their limits, and helping them reach their potential.  Prior to my last two positions, I taught at the Academy of the Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes. In that role, I worked closely with the students, families and faculty to promote spiritual growth, academic success and moral development. During my tenure at AMBS, I taught students in grades PreK-8 in all subjects, with a focus on Reading-Literature, Language Arts, Religion and Technology in grades 4-8.  Being a Teacher Leader became part of my daily routine, my vocation.  This led me on my journey to a leadership role, most importantly mentoring and assisting teachers to inspire, guide, motivate, and educate those entrusted to us.  I have served as the Principal at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Tenafly, and during my three years as principal, it has been both a privilege and a pleasure to be the leader of OLMC. Together we established many new programs and fostered the growth of both faculty and students.  We learned from one another and brought education to the next level in terms of technology, differentiation, and innovation.  

Having extended my experience to include my four years at Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi as Dean of Academics and Associate Head of School, I am pleased to have been instrumental in fostering a desire for the faculty as well as students to set and achieve specific learning goals. They each set and reached higher expectations than they initially thought possible and it was heartwarming to share in their accomplishments. I treasure my time with them. 

My background also includes several opportunities to share my teaching expertise as a guest lecturer at the college level. It has been my pleasure to share innovative teaching techniques, the integration of technology throughout the curriculum and an intro to utilizing the latest tech devices and apps from early childhood through the college level.  Both teaching and sharing ideas with teachers rank very high on “my favorite experiences” chart!  I love to collaborate with others and will do so as I continue my journey.

I am passionate about working with teachers to assist them in continually becoming better educators and to keep me and them up to speed in this technologically advanced society. I have an Ed.S in Education Leadership, Management and Policy and an M.S. in Education (Seton Hall University) as well as a B.A. in Psychology (Focus on Children and Adolescents) from Ramapo College. I am currently pursuing an Ed.D. in K-12 Educational Administration.

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My Educational Philosophy is as follows: 
I believe each person is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature intellectually and socially.  It is my desire as an educator to help students grow to their fullest potential by providing a safe environment that invites a sharing of ideas.  Understanding the diversity of learning styles and student experiences is key when engaging students and staff.  The process of stimulating student involvement in learning is unique to each individual.  Ultimately, students must be responsible for their own learning, but as the teacher, as a guide, I can inspire their desire to learn and act as a facilitator to instill a love of learning.  Developing a curriculum around student interests fosters motivation and stimulates their passion for learning.

I believe students work best through interaction with others and that learning increases when the learner is engaged in activities that have personal meaning.  I am also a strong believer in a classroom environment that reinforces learning, rewards acceptable behavior, and inspires an ongoing love of learning.  Through positive reinforcement, students will behave well toward one another, listen, and participate.  This can be accomplished by an array of things such as: demonstrating a positive attitude, encouraging students to learn by interacting with one another and encouraging student discussion.  For myself, teaching provides an opportunity for continual learning and growth.  One of my hopes as an educator is to instill a love of learning in my students, as I share my own passion of learning with them.

My hopes are to share this philosophy with the faculty to help build upon the amazing place that Divine Mercy Academy already is! I look forward to working with the entire team and the students at DMA because I know TOGETHER we can make a difference!