New Faces at St. Bernard's, Part I

There are some new faces at St. Bernard’s this year.  In this two part series, we would like to introduce and re-introduce some members of our faculty and staff.  We are delighted to welcome these talented individuals to our St. B’s community.

Kate Fiscus, Old Boys Director

Kate Fiscus grew up in Northeastern Pennsylvania and moved to New York City after graduating from the University of Scranton, where she majored in political science and women’s studies.  She worked in the development offices at both Loyola School and The Speyer Legacy School before joining St. Bernard’s.  In her free time she enjoys traveling, attending concerts, and reading a good book.

John Rodiño, Spanish Teacher

John Rodiño is excited to join a school with a long and proud tradition in education and personal growth.  He received a master’s degree in Spanish Teaching and Literature from Saint Louis University in Madrid, Spain.  Upon graduation, he spent three years living, studying, and working in Spain.  His familial roots inspired his passion for this country and the language it birthed, as much of his family lives in Pego, Alicante, a rural hamlet tucked into the mountains overlooking the southwestern Mediterranean.  Though he has spent almost his entire life in the United States, the food, language, and culture of the Iberian Peninsula have always remained an integral part of his day-to-day life at his home in New Jersey.  In fact, his father just put his decade’s Spanish culinary practice to the test by representing the United States in the International Paella Competition in Sueca, Spain.  In the greater Hispanic world, John spent a summer working as a journalist and translator in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and took a course in South American literature in various cities in Ecuador.  In New York, he worked as a Spanish translator at the Morgan Library, where he translated and revised a medieval biblical commentary book commissioned by the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain.

Rachel Schlessinger grew up in Berkeley, California.  She attended UC Berkeley, where she studied theater and performance studies, art history, and creative writing.  She worked for the California Academy of Sciences and an organization called Save Nature as an insect discovery lab educator.  After moving to New York four years ago, she worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Central Park Zoo.  Shortly thereafter, she began working in the education department at the American Museum of Natural History.  She continues to work for the museum, primarily for the Adventures in Science program, both teaching and writing curricula for pre-K through fifth grade students.  She spent the last three years working at the Dalton School in the First Program Science Department. Last spring she earned a master’s degree in Animal Behavior and Conservation from Hunter College.  She lives in Brooklyn with her cat, Paloma.  She loves to travel, and was thrilled to visit the Galapagos last summer.  She enjoys costume making, being outdoors (camping, hiking, picnics), and cooking.

Allison Thomas grew up in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  She attended Lehigh University, where she majored in English and minored in Studio Art.  She also played on the lacrosse team.  She stayed at Lehigh to receive her master’s in elementary education and coached the Lehigh lacrosse team.  Ms. Thomas started her teaching career in Philadelphia at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and was an assistant Kindergarten teacher.  She taught fifth grade boys for three years and was the girls head varsity lacrosse coach for five years.  Ms. Thomas moved to New York last summer and is looking forward to her role as second grade teaching associate at St. Bernard’s.  Ms. Thomas loves to paint, run, play sports, travel, and spend time with family and friends.