My name is Jill Smith and I have the BEST job in our school!

I am the PE teacher at St. Theresa's and I absolutely LOVE it. 

Let me tell you a little bit about myself...

I grew up in Valley Forge, PA and come from a family that loves sports. My brother, sister and I were all involved in team sports. The sports I loved the most were softball, volleyball, field hockey and basketball. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Economics at Penn State and moved to Central Pennsylvania with my husband after graduation. My career after college involved banking, weird, right? I have always loved math and I was the branch manager of a local credit union for many years. When my husband and I had our first child (Amanda), I knew it was time for a career change. Substitute teaching allowed me the flexibility I wanted with my growing family.

Where does St. Theresa's enter into this story? When Amanda was three years old, we enrolled her in St. Theresa's Pre-school. It was amazing! I have been a part of the St. Theresa's family in one form or another since that day nearly 20 years ago. Amanda is 22 years old now, a senior at Carnegie Mellon University and Captain of the CMU softball team. So my first experience at St. T's was as a parent. We loved becoming part of the St. Theresa's community and became very active in the school. I served as the Treasurer of the PTO for many years and coached CYO basketball teams too (by that time Amanda had a little sister, Maddie, at STS too). Maddie, now a freshman at Frostburg State University, is on the FSU softball team. I have passed on my love of team sports to my own kids and I feel very strongly that so many life lessons can be learned by participating in team sports. We play many of them in PE class.

Then one day I was asked this question. Why don't you sub here? Next thing I know, I had two kids at St. Theresa's and was working here too. I subbed for quite a few years and when there was an opening for a PE teacher during the 2020-2021 school year and I was asked if I was interested, I said YES! I have been the full-time phys ed teacher at STS ever since. It has been so much fun!

My philosophy regarding gym class is easy...it is my desire for ALL students to...build their skills, gain confidence and, most importantly, HAVE FUN! 

If you ever have any questions or concerns about your child's progress in Phys Ed, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jill Smith