Jessi Acosta, a native of Panama, has been at Shorecrest since 2006. Ms. Acosta is bilingual and loves to help her kindergarten students practice their Spanish. Of teaching kindergarten, she says, “I love the energy and enthusiasm of the kids and our teaching team. There are no limits to learning at this age! I love the smiles and joy when they learn new things.” Both of Ms. Acosta's children are Chargers Alumni, Katerina '15 and Alexander '18. At the end of a long teaching day, Ms. Acosta unwinds by running, spending time with family and friends, and cooking.
Alumna Katie Johnston '16 is back on the Shorecrest campus. Born and raised in St Petersburg, Katie was a Shorecrest lifer and member of the Class of 2016. She attended Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers and majored in art. After spending time working with Lee County Mosquito Education in Fort Myers, she came to Shorecrest as a floating substitute in the Lower School. Now Ms. Johnston is a Teaching Assistant in kindergarten.
Joanne Minke has been teaching at Shorecrest since 1979, and has taught kindergarten, first and second grades. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Wayne State University and an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. Mrs. Minke relishes the energy her students bring to the classroom. She says, “It's exciting to watch the children's growth in confidence, independence, responsibility, social skills, and academic skills. It's such a fun age!” Mrs. Minke has a passion for community service, quilting, and reading, all of which she loves to share with her students. Before starting her busy day with students, Mrs. Minke and her husband take their black lab Buddy on 2 mile walks most mornings.
Jade Quick was a substitute teacher at Shorecrest for many years before she joined the staff in 2018 as a long-term substitute Kindergarten Teaching Assistant. Mrs. Quick has a degree in nursing from Saint Petersburg College, taught Sunday School at St. Raphael's Church, and was the manager of One Lucky Dog. Jade is engaged in many volunteer services throughout Tampa Bay. Jade and her husband are proud parents of two grown sons, Carson and Connor, who previously attended Shorecrest.
John Schiaparelli earned a BA from California State University, Los Angeles, in Social Sciences, and a teaching certificate in Secondary Social Studies from Montclair State University in New Jersey in 1996. John and his wife have lived in NJ, CA, WI, MA, CT, NE, Toronto, AZ and Florida. As a stay-at-home Dad in most of those locations, John spent lots of time volunteering at his daughters' schools. John climbed the ranks at Shorecrest from Room Parent to substitute to full time Kindergarten Instructional Assistant in 2013. "If I had known how much I enjoy elementary education, I would have started there at the beginning. I love the instant feedback you get from younger students and seeing their amazing progress in short periods of time," he said. His daughters are Chargers, Kara '14 and Emma '22.
Alissa Vigue '97, herself a Shorecrest graduate, holds a Bachelor of Arts from Elon University and both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of South Florida. Mrs. Vigue has two daughters currently attending Shorecrest, Rylee '27 and Avree '30. According to Mrs. Vigue, “The student is the most important aspect of teaching. While the subject matter needs to be challenging yet encouraging for all students, it is important to listen to your students and guide them in a direction that will bring about growth." In addition to teaching kindergarten, which she has done at Shorecrest since 2008, Mrs. Vigue has taught swim lessons and coached a number of swim teams over the years. In her free time, she loves to enjoy the outdoors hiking, whitewater rafting or skiing.
Shorecrest Preparatory School is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational, college preparatory day school for students preschool through high school, located in St. Petersburg, Florida.