Preschool - Meet the Staff

I am blessed to be the Director of Preschool at Our Lady of Joy Catholic Preschool. I have been in education for 17 years in both private and Catholic schools. A positive, engaging and safe learning environment is the setting here at OLOJ Catholic Preschool and I am proud to lead our great school in academic excellence in a faith filled surroundings.

My family has been parishioners at Our Lady of Joy for over 25 years and we love being a part of the Cave Creek community. I enjoy being a part of the community in which I was raised, growing up in Cave Creek has been wonderful. Our two children, Warren age 15 and Elena age 12 enjoy participating in church activities, playing basketball and camping.

Credentials

• M.ED Administration and Supervision/University of Phoenix
• B.A Science /University of Arizona
• Arizona Certified Principal
• Arizona Teaching Certificate/Highly Qualified Biology
• Structured English Immersion Certificate
• Catechist Certification

Hello! I am Antonella Guarino a proud mother of 2 beautiful children. My son Gabriel,12, attends Annunciation Catholic School In Cave Creek and my daughter Elianna,4, is a student here at beautiful OLJ. I was born and raised In The Bronx, NY and my entire education from elementary to college has been through Catholic institutions. My strong tie to faith and education as one began as a child with my parents’ decision and now as a parent myself, it is a proud decision I have made for my children. I am very blessed to be part of this amazing school which humbles me daily as I witness the teachings of Christ reflected in the children’s actions.

I graduated Iona College located in New Rochelle, NY with a BA in international studies and I am fluent in Italian and Spanish.

I am thankful for the opportunity to teach the young members of Our Lady Of Joy Catholic Preschool. I have over 17 years of teaching experience, having taught preschool classes, early elementary, middle school and special education classes. My education began with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the College of Staten Island. After earning my bachelor’s degree, I started working at Goldman Sachs on the Institutional trading floor and attended St. John’s University graduating with a Masters In Business Administration with a major in Finance. God truly blessed me with four amazing sons Matthew, Ryan Tyler and Robert. I stopped working for a while to raise them, and while volunteering in the classroom I decided to become a teacher. I attended Rider University earning a Graduate Level Teaching Certificate. I moved here last January and became a parish member of Our Lady of Joy. I enjoyed volunteering at OLOJ preschool and was thrilled when a position became available. It is an honor to teach in such a nurturing environment where Faith is not just a religion but a way of life.

Credentials

BA in Psychology
MBA in Finance
Graduate Level Teaching Certificate Specialization in Science

I am excited to come out of retirement after raising my family for the last 20 years! I can’t wait to get back into the classroom!

I have been blessed with a wonderful family. My husband Tim and I have been married for 25 years. We have three beautiful children, Julia (23), Garrett (20) and Grace (15). In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, quilting and spending time with my horse.

Education

BA - University of California Santa Barbara
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential – California State University Northridge

I am so excited to join the exceptional staff at Our Lady of Joy Preschool. As a parent of two children that graduated from Notre Dame Catholic Preparatory, I fully embrace the balance of religion and an education that surpasses other alternatives.

My husband and I moved to Cave Creek seventeen years ago by way of Boston, Dallas, Houston and Nashville. We enjoyed having a local business in Carefree for ten years and when it was time to move on, I joined a Montessori school as a Toddler/Pre-school teacher for a fun four years. Much to my son’s objection, I chose to spend his senior year as an active volunteer Mom at NDP. I also discovered a few fabulous young families that could use a hand to maintain order in their busy lives.

I am excited to be here at Our Lady of Joy Preschool teaching the foundations of a life time of learning.

I am so excited to join the staff at OLOJ! I am originally from Iowa (Go Hawks!) and have lived in Arizona for over 30 years!

I previously taught 8 years in the public school system teaching Special Education at the Middle and Highschool level and 4 years of experience teaching preschool.

My husband and I got married at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Scottsdale 16 years ago and have two amazing teenage boys. They keep us busy with all their sports and social outings but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

My husband and I love to travel, and spend time with our two golden doodles.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Education- University of Arizona
Masters of Arts in Special Education and Rehabilitation- University of Arizona

Hello and I am excited to be a part of Our Lady of Joy Preschool. I am a preschool teacher with over 12 years of experience. My husband Bob and I relocated to Arizona three years ago after raising our 4 children in Ohio.

I enjoy reading, volunteering and hiking in my free time.