Mrs. Liz Scacchitti teaches the Art Department at Elk County Catholic High School.
Mrs. Scacchitti grew up in Indiana, PA, and holds an undergraduate degree in art education from Kent State University, with minors in fine arts and education. She taught elementary art and private painting lessons for two years after graduation in Ohio. When she arrived in Elk County, she was hired as the executive director of the Elk County Council of the Arts, where she oversaw the business and managed two grant programs for the PA Council on the Arts. Her service area covered a five-county region.
Mrs. Scacchitti is a working artist, creating work in various media, including photography, acrylic painting, knitting, alcohol inks, and graphite. Her primary focus is acrylic painting.
At ECCHS, Mrs. Scacchitti offers coursework in painting (watercolors, acrylics, oils, and mixed media), drawing (charcoal, Prismacolor, pen and ink, and graphite), and three-dimensional work (pottery, sculpture, stained glass, and glass sculpture). She also offers instruction in digital art using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and iPads. She makes every effort to provide a wide range of materials to encourage all students to explore their potential as artists.
Elk County Catholic High School offers three art courses: Art Pass/Fail, Advanced Art, AP Art and Design. All Students start with Art Pass/Fail. This encourages students to feel free to experiment with art and engage with it outside the high-pressure landscape. If they want to dive deeper into art and do it in the future, we also offer Advanced Art and AP Art and Design.
In an era of high-stakes testing, when so many schools across the country have stepped away from education in the arts, ECCHS is immensely proud of its heritage of excellence in this important field. We are also extremely pleased that Mrs. Scacchitti is so committed to giving our students a complete Catholic education, which includes the ability to appreciate and create beautiful and inspiring things.
Middle School
The art classes at St. Marys Catholic Middle School are held twice throughout every six-day schedule and are offered all year for our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Classes include painting, drawing, sculpting, ceramics, collage work, printmaking, etc. One- and two-dimensional work is covered, and art history and critiques are also touched upon.
Mrs. Lisa Daghir is the art instructor at the middle school level. She holds a bachelor’s degree in art education and elementary education from Edinboro University. She has taught private art classes for over 30 years for local students and adults in our community. Mrs. Daghir has over 20 years of experience as a career development coordinator, instructor, and curriculum specialist at the North Central PA Regional Planning and Development Commission.
Elementary School
Mr. Jesse Gradl teaches art classes at St. Marys Catholic Elementary School. Mr. Gradl holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Slippery Rock University. He is well-versed in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, and art history. Mr. Gradl has exhibited artwork both nationally and internationally. He has sold work to private collectors in eight countries so far. Mr. Gradl owns Gallery 29 here in St. Marys, where he teaches group and private lessons to adults and kids.
In the art classes at St. Leo Catholic School, Mrs. Cathy Zore teaches K-5. Mrs. Zore holds a B.S. in elementary education with a minor in history and a Master’s degree in curriculum development and instruction. Grades 6-8 are taught by Mrs. Nancy Hoffman. Mrs. Hoffman holds a BFA in Fine Arts and Communications Graphics from Edinboro University.
Students at this level typically work with media such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, chalk, pastels, oil crayons, paint, and clay. They are instructed not only on how to perfect their artistic techniques but also learn about the elements of art, the principles of design, and art history.
