Our Faculty
Gabriela Bohnett
Spanish 1 and Advanced Spanish
Nicole Bohnett
Spanish 2
Shelly D'Antoni
Algebra 1 and Geometry
Martha Fartes
Art
Joanne Girard
Latin 1
Joanne Girard holds a liberal arts degree from Trinity College, (Hartford, CT), and a master’s degree in International Affairs from the School of International Service, American University. During her career she has held a number of varied roles in education, international affairs, and information technology. Living overseas as a student and for several jobs was a gift sparked by curiosity. She is a member of a small Endow study group for Catholic women and she regularly participates in courses at the Institute of Catholic Culture. Mrs. Girard lives in Reston with her husband, daughter, and their cat. The Girards belong to Christ the Redeemer parish.
John Harrison
Salvation History, American History, American Literature, Economics and British Literature
Danielle Jones
Dean of Administration
Katherine Kirkland
Nutritional Science, Earth Science, Apologetics, Geography and Middle School Life Science
Katie Kirkland studied Biology at West Virginia University and then went on to work in the field of Information Technology for over 15 years building websites, setting up support systems, developing online learning, instructing students and training university faculty members in using and implementing various eLearning applications in their online classrooms. While working for the university she discovered a great love for teaching. She recently completed and received an AMI Diploma in Montessori Education at the Southwest Institute for Montessori Studies in Arizona. To her great delight, being trained as a Montessori teacher touched on all three of her greatest loves - faith, science, and education. Dr. Montessori, a devout Catholic and scientist stated that a great teacher is both a scientist and an artist. One who uses her powers of observation and creativity wisely to inspire both the mind and heart, all the while nurturing her students’ interests, fostering a curiosity that leads to lifelong learning, and guiding them to think critically about the world around them. At the end of her life, she said that all education has as its end the highest form of education, which is learning about God from the world around us. This is the kind of teacher Miss Kirkland hopes to be. She is a convert who entered the Catholic Church in 2017 at St John the Apostle in Leesburg, and is most passionate about her faith. Since becoming Catholic she has been a member of the Legion of Mary knocking on doors evangelizing, discerned contemplative religious life for a few years, started a Christmas Dinner at Christ the Redeemer for those alone, poor, or homeless, and has served as a Catechist for both 2nd and 7th graders. She completed a Level 1 certification in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and in the Fall of 2024, she will complete her Master Catechist Certification at Christendom College. She is extremely excited and deeply honored to be teaching at the St John Bosco School.
Dr. John Kornacki
Following Christ, Entrepreneurship, Civics and Debate
John is a retired college professor over 25 years of teaching and academic advising experience at several area universities George Washington, American and most recently George Mason. He received his BS from Marquette University and his MS and PhD from Michigan State. He has tutored and advised middle and high school students in the area and taught CCD for his parish, St. Theresa in Ashburn. He has helped students prepare for the SAT/ACT exams and is a certified college counselor.
For fun he plays guitar with friends in a garage band. This is not the first garage band either. His first was when he was in 7th grade a while back.
Susan Lindner
Chemistry and Latin
A mother of five, Mrs. Lindner has homeschooled since 1993. She has taught high school and middle school Chemistry and Biology to the homeschool community since 2006. She is a graduate of Georgetown University, and a member of St. Mark Church in Vienna.
Jill Matz
Literary Studies, World Literature, British Literature and Catholic Doctrine
Mrs. Matz graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire in 1981 with a BA in English Literature. She went on to teach two semesters of Freshman composition and complete six courses toward the MA in English. At UNH she met her future husband, who introduced her to the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith. She homeschooled her seven children for more than fifteen years, using Mother of Divine Grace for most subjects. The Matzes have lived in Virginia since 2004.
Bridget O’Donnell
Middle School Religion. and Government
Miss Bridget O’Donnell or “Miss B” as she prefers is a graduate from Christendom College. She started out teaching at a Montessori school and has taught religion at St. Thomas À Becket parish for over six years. After leaving Montessori, Miss B worked as a governess for a political family. As a governess she took on responsibilities of private tutor, caregiver and personal assistant. Miss B is very excited to be a part of the St. John Bosco School community.
Tony Somma
Dean of Student Life and Athletic Director
Tony's family relocated to the NoVa area from Long Island, NY during his youth. He grew up in a faith-filled Catholic family in Dale City, VA and then attended West Virginia University where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration as an Accounting major. He spent about 20 years in the accounting world in the communications and healthcare industries before realizing he was being called to something more. In 2019, Tony was recruited into the world of hybrid Catholic education as an administrator where he discovered he had an important role to play helping to foster Catholic youth into a life of Faith as they transition to adulthood. Tony resides in Sterling, VA and is a member of Our Lady of Hope parish, where he is active in many ministries. Having previously served as an assistant catechist for 6th/7th grade RE students, he is currently a volunteer adult leader for their HS youth group, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, and a member of the parish's Knights of Columbus council. Tony is thrilled to have been part of the SJBS community since its charter school year and looks forward to helping nurture its growth and impact on our students & families!
Kelly Sonnhalter
Head of School
Physics, Biology, Physical Science
Kelly Sonnhalter is a home schooling mom, who has a passion for all things SCIENCE! Kelly has been home schooling her children, for the past five years and believes that learning is most vibrant when it is hands on. Her passion for science began in college; where she earned a Bachelors Degree in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University, and then went on to earn a Masters Degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. After finishing college, Kelly worked as a research associate for the pharmaceutical and oil and gas industries. Kelly uses her academic and professional experience to bring real life applications into her science curriculum. Kelly lives in Ashburn, Virginia with her husband Kevin and their three children, Jacob, Jenna and Heidi. Kelly and her family are parishoners of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Herndon, Virginia.
Adam Stanislawski
Physical Education, Leadership
Adam Stanislawski is a homeschooling Dad! He earned a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and a Master of Education from the University of Virginia. For 10 years, Adam taught kindergarten through 12th grade students in adapted physical education for Loudoun County Public Schools. He also spent 3 years at Saint John Paul the Great High School teaching special education and health, physical education, and driver's education. In 2020, he embarked on the adventures of homeschooling as the primary educator. Married to his college sweetheart, Rita, in 2007, they have three young children and are parishioners at St. Timothy parish in Chantilly.
Isabella Tyson
Auxiliary Faculty Member
Dr. Katie Vizenor
Nutritional Science, MS History, MS English and World History
Katie Vizenor always wanted to know a bit about everything. That was why pursuing a PhD in Anthropology at SUNY-Buffalo made sense. Her undergraduate and early graduate studies were in archaeology. She switched to medical anthropology for her dissertation. Katie also holds an MLS from the University of Maryland-College Park specializing in public health information. She worked for many years in research management jobs at academic and non-profit organizations. This included work at Johns Hopkins and The American Foundation for the Blind. The pandemic helped her make the move to homeschooling. Katie lives in Reston with her husband, daughter, a giant mastiff and two cats. Katie and her family are parishioners of Saint John Neumann in Reston.