A Letter from the Head of School

I welcome you to our school with an invitation to explore the many stories throughout our website that highlight the vibrancy of the Laurel Springs community.

There is great joy and opportunity in being an online K-12 private school offering a challenging curriculum that serves as the foundation for a lifelong passion for learning. Every aspect of our program is focused on the learning experience, on building close connections with our faculty, and on creating age-appropriate learning environments for our Lower, Middle and Upper School students. These are the foundational building blocks that shape our community.

We are a school with a global reputation of educating students to be well prepared for college and beyond. What you’ll find in Laurel Springs’ online environment is a deliberately constructed community that embodies what it means to define one’s own education. We put equal importance on each student’s individual development as we do on global citizenship and respect for others. Our focus is preparing students for the world ahead, and it has always been our guiding principle since the school’s founding in 1991 by Marilyn Mosley Gordanier.

Our entire school—faculty, students, administrators, parents, and alumnae—is committed to ensuring that Laurel Springs is a thriving community. We are focused on building upon our solid academic foundation that provides rich experiences for our students. Their success is supported by the quality curriculum, counseling services, teacher support, extra-curricular activities, special program offerings, and our dynamic guest speaker series. This commitment reaches into every aspect of school life.

Our teachers are extraordinarily talented and dedicated. 13% of our faculty have doctorates and over 69% of them hold master’s degrees from selective colleges and universities around the world. Recruited for their outstanding academic achievements and their commitment to Laurel Springs’ core educational values, our teachers are encouraged to select, expand on, and modify their curricula, fostering an unparalleled sense of ownership and creativity in their teaching practices.

The heart of the Laurel Springs experience is the relationship between inspiring, caring teachers and talented, motivated, and engaged students. At Laurel Springs, our mission to support students to achieve their academic goals and foster their personal interests and talents is more than just a statement; it is how we do school. Students who attend Laurel Springs are inspired by the power of ideas, made available through engaging exchanges with teachers who are passionate about global concepts that construct, characterize, and transform the world.

Beyond the online course experience, Laurel Springs encourages its students to be responsible and caring, while engaging in the school community and as citizens of the world. One place that this happens is in our iClass environments. Our iClasses are designed to provide opportunities that are both academic and social that explore content-specific big ideas, skills, and application of learning.

In the days ahead, I hope you will take the time to learn exactly how, each day, our students and teachers are working together to demonstrate our mission to personalize the learning experience and help students realize their best selves. I invite you to get to know the heart of this remarkable community: our students, faculty, and staff.

Sincerely,

Head of School

Meet the Leadership Team

The Laurel Springs philosophy was developed by a visionary leadership team. Our team is comprised of experts in the field of online learning, curriculum design, academic instruction, and assessment. They are passionate about our mission and about helping our online school students develop a lifelong love of learning.

Darby Carr
Head of School

Darby Carr has 20 years of education experience. Ms. Carr has served as Head of School for an international distance online learning program, as well as Chief Administrative Officer and School Principal for a charter school. She is a member of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), the Academy of International Schools Heads (AISH), Association of International Educators (NAFSA), and the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE). She holds a B.A. from Bates College in Psychology/Economics.
Email: HeadofSchool@LaurelSprings.com  Phone: 484.947.2091

Megan O’Reilly Palevich, M.Ed.
Director of Education and School Principal

Megan O’Reilly Palevich has been a teacher and administrator in the public and private sectors for 20 years. Her rich and varied experience in PreK-12 education includes curriculum design, signature innovative program development, technology integration, and personalized professional development for educators. Mrs. Palevich has won awards for innovation in science education from CESI and in social studies education from Facing History and Ourselves. She earned her B.A. from Rosemont College in Elementary Education and Psychology, and her M.Ed. from Cabrini College in Educational Leadership with completion of the K-12 Principal Certification Program.
Email: MPalevich@laurelsprings.com Phone: 484.947.2016

Diane Coraluzzi
Director of Student Services

Diane Coraluzzi has worked in the field of customer service management for 20 years and is passionate about creating legendary customer experiences. She is committed to ensuring legendary service and actively seeks solutions that work for our families. She is genuinely enthusiastic about serving our students and their families and looks forward to working with them throughout their years with Laurel Springs. She earned her B.A. in English and Communications from Cabrini College.
Email: DCoraluzzi@laurelsprings.com Phone: 484.947.2038

Ken scheuer
Director of admissions

Ken Scheuer has worked in sales management, coaching, and training for over 25 years.  He brings a consultative sales approach to our enrolling families, and a supportive leadership style to our Admissions and Partnership teams.  Ken is committed to helping Laurel Springs continue to identify educational solutions that satisfy our families’ unique needs.  He earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Ursinus College. Email:KScheuer@laurelsprings.com  Phone: 484.653.2928

Caroline Colantuno
Director of Marketing and Communications

Caroline Colantuno has been working in the education space for more than 20 years. As the Director of Marketing and Communications for Laurel Springs School, she works closely with all areas of the school to deliver on a robust communications plan through the use of interactive web strategies, leveraging social media channels, and developing targeted campaigns. Caroline is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of Laurel Springs School’s marketing and communications strategies. She holds a B.A. in Family Studies from Arizona State University.
Email: CColantuno@laurelsprings.com Phone: 484.947.2056

Marilyn Mosley Gordanier, M.A.
Founder

Marilyn Mosley Gordanier has more than 35 years of education experience. Since founding Laurel Springs in 1991, she has led the school to become a premier provider of customized distance learning. Ms. Mosley Gordanier was nominated for a Nobel Earth Prize, and is the president of the United Nations Global 500 Environmental Forum. She participates in the Captain Planet Foundation on its Board of Directors, and serves on the STEM Education Working Group for the Clinton Global Initiative.

Academic Department Chairs

Click on the ADC’s image to read more about them.

Leigh Tillman Mathematics Academic Department Chair

Leigh has been in the field of education for over 20 years. After teaching in a classroom for 8 years, she began to pursue teaching opportunities in virtual education. She has served as a high school math teacher, math department chair, and administrator for several online charter school programs. In addition to teaching and administration, Leigh has experience with curriculum development and professional learning for teachers. She has worked extensively with teachers to develop best practices in the online environment and to use data to revise their teaching strategies. She received her B.A. in mathematics and holds a secondary mathematics teaching certificate in multiple states.

Cory Plough, M.Ed. Social Studies Academic Department Chair

Cory joined Laurel Springs School as the Social Studies Academic Department Chair in 2015. Throughout his twelve years of online and blended learning experience, he has worked with a variety of programs around the country developing curriculum, integrating emerging technologies and mentoring students. He earned his M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Boise State University with a focus on online education and has studied Education Leadership at UNLV. Prior to that, he earned his B.A in History from California State University Northridge. Cory has spoken at numerous conferences and written about online education since 2008.

Bridget Schleifer, M.Ed. K-8 Academic Department Chair

Bridget has over 20 years of brick and mortar classroom, online and blended education experience as both a teacher and administrator. Mrs. Schleifer has her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University, a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University and is a certified reading specialist and K-8 teacher.

Alex Schroeder, M.Ed. Dean of Teacher Services Academic Department Chair

Alex was a high school English and ESL teacher as well as an high school Administrator before coming to Laurel Springs. She has developed assessments and curriculum at both the school and district level, and has also served on committees to evaluate teachers working towards National Board certifications. Alex earned her M.Ed in Teacher Leadership as well as her Principal’s Certification from Regis University, her B.A. in English from the University of Colorado at Denver, and her teaching certification through Western State University, and is certified in Linguistically Diverse education.

Emily Reid, M.Ed. Blended Learning Manager 

Emily has been in the field of education for over 10 years. She has worked as a traditional teacher at in brick and mortar setting, as well as teaching students in Kindergarten through 8th grade in an online environment. She has also managed after-school programs facilitating students with learning needs to fill gaps in knowledge and enhance their learning experience. Emily Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English with a concentration in Humanities as well as a Master’s Degree in Elementary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. She is extremely passionate about the progressive world of online learning. As the Blended Learning Manager and Customization Coordinator she is incredibly knowledgeable and experienced in implemented blended learning in an online classroom, providing professional development to staff involved in online and blended learning, and tracking and analyzing data in regards to student success. Mrs. Reid is focused on individual student’s growth and progress, providing teacher support, and determining and enhancing the best curriculum and environment to benefit each student.

Rachelle Wafer Student Engagement Manager 

Rachelle has been involved in the private school sector for 30 years and is celebrating her 20th year as a Laurel Springs School teacher, academic department chair or administrator. She is a Level 2 Learning Success Consultant, earning her B.A. from Antioch University majoring in Psychology, minoring in Communication, with concentrations in child development and education. She has developed student centered, teacher professional development; personalized student study systems; curriculum; and a viable social community for students in a virtual campus to become well-rounded members of any community. Her focus in all areas has been to instill students lead with their strengths; address areas for growth to meet individual goals; and develop an effective balance of self-sufficiency, creativity and productivity in preparation for college and career in the 21st Century.

Gabby Bray, M.Ed. Gifted Academy Manager 

During her 20 year career in education, Gabby has spent significant amounts of time working in brick and mortar schools, in fully online schools, and in several blended settings.  Gabby began her career as a high school Social Studies teacher, quickly adding Gifted and Advanced Placement credentials and experiences.  She subsequently held a variety of positions including Department Chair, Instructional Coordinator, Assessment Coordinator, and Staff Development Instructor in areas such as research-based instructional practices, data analysis, blended learning, and classroom engagement.  Gabby has worked on curriculum and assessment development at the local school, district, and state level.  Her current areas of focus include differentiation in the online setting, fostering leadership in teachers, and best instructional practices for gifted learners.  She received her B.S.Ed. and her M.Ed. in Social Studies Education from the University of Georgia.  She holds gifted certification in Georgia and teacher certification in five other states.

Emily Mulvihill, M.Ed English Academic Department Chair

Emily earned her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College and holds a M.Ed. degree from Western Governors University. She is a certified teacher in the areas of EC-6 elementary education, 7-12 English, EC-12 special education, EC-12 gifted education, AP English Language and Literature and K-12 teaching ESL. Emily began her career teaching in a brick and mortar setting and has a variety of experiences in online learning and teaching, including as a teacher, mentor, club advisor and lead teacher at Laurel Springs. She is currently working on her Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership and Online Learning. Emily’s focus is on guiding and mentoring teachers, supporting students and families and sustaining the Laurel Springs School mission.

Jennifer Taylor, MLS Science  Academic Department Chair

Jennifer Taylor has been in the field of education since 2002 and has spent the last 10 years working with students, families and teachers in online schools.  Prior to joining Laurel Springs, she was an online Science Department Chair and teacher.  She has a wide variety of experience in online education, including teaching, teacher training, curriculum development, and school operations. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Science in Science Education from North Carolina State University in 2002 and a Master of Library Science degree from East Carolina University in 2006. She is certified to teach all sciences in grades 9-12 and holds her media coordinator certification for grades K-12.