Meet the Team

Jennifer Pierce joined Fox Hill in 2022 as Preschool Director of Operations and three year old teacher. She has an Elementary/Early Childhood degree & Psychology concentration from California University of Pa and Director’s credential from CCAC. Mrs. Pierce has been in the early childhood field for over 24 years and have taught children from infants through school age.

Mrs. Pierce lives in Springdale with her husband, 2 boys, and their pets…Max, (dog) and Smokey (cat). Her older son plays multiple instruments, including drums, and her younger son plays basketball and multiple sports. In her spare time, she loves to read mystery books, cheer on her favorite drummer and sports player, spend time with her family & friends, and enjoy every moment!

Denise Patricca joined Fox Hill Preschool in the summer of 2017. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from Chatham University as well as a BA in Psychology from University of Notre Dame of Maryland. Before coming to Fox Hill, Mrs. Patricca taught at various Elementary grade levels at St. Ursula’s in the North Hills. While there, she designed and implemented their preschool program.
Mrs. Patricca resides in Gibsonia with her husband. She has two adult children. She enjoys going to the gym, reading, and going to the pool in the summer. Most importantly, Denise loves spending time with family and friends.

Mrs. Curcio joined Fox Hill faculty in 2000 and has taught two’s, three’s, and four’s classes. She holds an associate’s degree in Child Development. In past work with children, she has taught ages two though twelve at Western Psychiatric Hospital, for Fox Chapel Area School District as an aide, at Leap Preschool with typical and Autistic children, at Louis Child Care Center, and St. Margaret Day Care. Additionally, she is a volunteer in the nursery/toddler room at her church where she attends with her husband and two grown children.

Diana loves teaching preschool and seeing how much each child grows over the year through many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn.

Mrs. DeLuca has been a faculty member since 2007 and has taught our two’s, three’s and four’s classes. Kelly grew up as part of the Shady Side Academy family. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in education from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey. She has worked as a behavioral specialist with special needs children and has more than a decade of experience as a preschool teacher.

Kelly’s three children have all attended Fox Hill. She believes that the preschool experience is about providing opportunities for a child to learn and explore in a safe and nurturing environment.

Lisa Hoover joined us at Fox Hill Preschool in 2020 and she teaches the 4 and 5 year-old students, as well as the extended day program. Previously, she was a substitute here at Fox Hill.

Lisa grew up in Fox Chapel and is a graduate of Fox Chapel High School and Slippery Rock University. Lisa returned to Pittsburgh in 2018 after living in Haddonfield, New Jersey for 30 years. Lisa resides in Harmar Township with her husband, Dan. They have 2 grown daughters, Mary and Holly.

The students love Mrs. Hoover’s dance parties and always look forward to extended day activities with her.

Renee Conroy joined Fox Hill Preschool in 2018.  She teaches two and three year-old classes and has loved every second of it!
She and her husband, 2 daughters, and 2 dogs reside in the Freeport/Sarver area. Her daughters are involved in many sports and activities, and Mrs. Conroy enjoys watching them and spending time with friends and family.

Alyssa Kordecki joined the Fox Hill team in 2023. She grew up in Ohio and started teaching while in high school and continued doing so throughout college. She studied music composition at Youngstown State University and writes and performs original music in her spare time.

Ms. K. made the switch to working in early education in 2021, first teaching in Ohio and later that year in Northern Virginia. She recently moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to family.

She has always been passionate about music and working with children, and is grateful that she can combine the two everyday in her career.

Hello, my name is Ellie Simmons, and I am a lifetime resident of the Fox Chapel Area School District. I graduation from Fox Chapel, married my husband 52 years ago (who also attending FCHS) and raised our family of four daughters in the community we both love.
We built our home in O’Hara Township and although we still live in O’Hara, the home we built is now occupied by one of our daughters and her family. Our daughters and sons-in-law have given us nine amazing grandchildren, ranging in age from 15-29.
I spent most of my career working for Giant Eagle in their corporate offices. When I decided to retire, I wanted to use much of my time volunteering and working with children. In addition to my time here at Fox Hill, I volunteer my time at Roots of Faith in Sharpsburg. The three things that most matter to me:
• Finding Purpose in my life.
• Seeing possibilities through my children’s eyes.
• Responsibility to empower children with tools they need to live a happy and meaningful life.