Welcome to Stella Maris Academy

Gavin Colvert

Head of School

We are blessed to be a part of something new
and exciting happening here in San Francisco

…the revitalization of our 111 year old elementary school as a Catholic classical academy with an integrated academic program.

What distinguishes us from other private and parochial schools in the area? Integrated Catholic education cultivates the full intellectual, moral, and spiritual development of young people as whole persons to appreciate beauty, goodness, and truth and to act with integrity in life.

While some aspects of our curriculum will be found in other excellent schools across the country, including a joyful, faith-filled, academically rigorous environment, our approach to instruction and student formation follows an integrated model based upon the natural development of the human person. In school, we may have studied each subject separately from the others, including reading, literature, mathematics, science, social studies, theology, and the arts. As adults in the workplace and the world, we realize that the most important questions and challenges in life cut across different fields of study. We need to understand how the different things we know connect and fit together to form a coherent and ordered whole in order to make wise choices. The natural experience of children is the same. Moral questions arise through the study of history and literature, mathematics is the language of scientific inquiry, and questions about the goodness and beauty of creation arise in science classes, to name just a few examples.

In early childhood, students rely on the help of their teachers to experience how their world is connected. In the intermediate years, they begin to ask critical questions about how things fit together. As they reach young adulthood they begin to synthesize their understanding of the whole that will sustain them throughout life. In all things, they need a joyful encounter with God through prayer and the sacraments. Our integrated curriculum supports this natural development of each child and it is excellent preparation for future careers in every field, including the sciences, engineering, medicine, law, business, and so many more.

Come visit us in person or through a virtual information session in order to experience the joyful spirit that permeates our campus.

Our Mission

Guided by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, the mission of Stella Maris Academy at Star of the Sea is to collaborate with parents to form young minds and hearts for the journey of life. By cultivating the love of Wisdom and the capacity to seek truth, goodness, and beauty in all things, we form young people to exercise their freedom wisely in order to excel in life by seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven. Through our commitment to provide a rigorous, integrated, and authentic Catholic liberal education that embraces the richness of tradition and the promise of innovative advances in knowledge, we aim to prepare students who will be the Christian servant leaders of tomorrow in every field of human endeavor.

Our Vision

The purpose of classical education is to foster the full intellectual, moral and spiritual development of persons to appreciate truth, beauty, and goodness, and to act with integrity in life. As Catholics we understand that whole persons live well and know truth and beauty in the fullest sense through life in Christ. Tus, while classical education embraces all of the liberal arts and sciences, it understands theology as an integrating principle and the life of faith as what animates our love of learning. While the purpose of classical education differs from the contemporary “pragmatic” model, which proposes to cultivate skills students need for college and career readiness, it is no less practical.

By focusing upon the development of the memory and imagination, multiple languages, mathematical intelligence, logical and rhetorical ability, art and music, among many other things, students learn to form and ask the right questions, read thoughtfully, write eloquently, calculate effectively, and to represent their ideas to others. By paying careful attention to the development of the virtues, classically formed students learn to seek the good, tolerate frustration, be courageous, act with justice, and work cooperatively with others.

Contemporary culture understands these as skills of “emotional intelligence.” A classically trained student has the right balance of resilience, creativity, critical analytical ability, and the entrepreneurial spirit needed to excel in any field, as well as academic excellence that will compete effectively with any contemporary measure of student achievement.

Our Mission

Guided by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea, the mission of Stella Maris Academy at Star of the Sea is to collaborate with parents to form young minds and hearts for the journey of life. By cultivating the love of Wisdom and the capacity to seek truth, goodness, and beauty in all things, we form young people to exercise their freedom wisely in order to excel in life by seeking first the Kingdom of Heaven. Through our commitment to provide a rigorous, integrated, and authentic Catholic liberal education that embraces the richness of tradition and the promise of innovative advances in knowledge, we aim to prepare students who will be the Christian servant leaders of tomorrow in every field of human endeavor.

Our Vision

The purpose of classical education is to foster the full intellectual, moral and spiritual development of persons to appreciate truth, beauty, and goodness, and to act with integrity in life. As Catholics we understand that whole persons live well and know truth and beauty in the fullest sense through life in Christ. Tus, while classical education embraces all of the liberal arts and sciences, it understands theology as an integrating principle and the life of faith as what animates our love of learning. While the purpose of classical education differs from the contemporary “pragmatic” model, which proposes to cultivate skills students need for college and career readiness, it is no less practical.

By focusing upon the development of the memory and imagination, multiple languages, mathematical intelligence, logical and rhetorical ability, art and music, among many other things, students learn to form and ask the right questions, read thoughtfully, write eloquently, calculate effectively, and to represent their ideas to others. By paying careful attention to the development of the virtues, classically formed students learn to seek the good, tolerate frustration, be courageous, act with justice, and work cooperatively with others.

Contemporary culture understands these as skills of “emotional intelligence.” A classically trained student has the right balance of resilience, creativity, critical analytical ability, and the entrepreneurial spirit needed to excel in any field, as well as academic excellence that will compete effectively with any contemporary measure of student achievement.

A Community Of Vibrant Faith Filled Families

A school is so much more than place where children go only to learn. It is where your children will likely meet their childhood best friends. Where they will meet teachers who will be role models and shape their interests. It is where you will meet other parents who you will share countless hours of your lives with. It is a community which will shape significant aspects of your families lives.

In this regard Stella Maris Academy strives to be so much more than just a school. We are a place where vibrant and faith filled families come together and partner with each other to enable every child to reach their full potential.

Our Faculty

Fr. Joseph Illo

Fr. Joseph Illo is the Pastor of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Fr. Michael Konopik

Fr. Michael Konopick is a Parochial Vicar of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Deacon Albert Nimri

Deacon Albert Nimri is the Parish Manager of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Carmel Richard

Carmel Richard is a 2015 graduate of Thomas Aquinas College. She comes to Stella Maris with a background in Philosophy, Theology, and Mathematics gleaned from original sources, as well as six years’ experience working to support students here in the Bay Area and abroad. For the last four years, she’s also trained teachers and managed for a tutoring firm. Carmel is excited to help her students direct their God-given sense of wonder toward Truth in its fullest sense. In her free time, she loves singing, watching live theater, advocating for the unborn, and trying to write poetry.

Dennis Ow

Maintenance and Facilities, Star of the Sea Parish and Stella Maris Academy

Francesca Del Curto

Francesca Del Curto is a recent graduate of Benedictine College where she studied English literature. Upon graduating, Francesca has returned to her home state of California where she is eager to implement her Benedictine liberal arts education to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder in her classroom. In her free time, Francesca can be found playing music, reading, writing, or exploring the great outdoor wonders of Northern California with her nine siblings.

Gavin Colvert

Gavin Colvert is pleased to serve our community as our Head of School. Gavin returned to his native San Francisco in 2020 to join the Star community. Born in the Richmond District, Gavin’s family attended St. Dominic’s and St. Monica’s parishes in the city. After attending Bellarmine College Preparatory for high school and Santa Clara University, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. He later taught at The College of the Holy Cross and chaired the Philosophy Department at Assumption College (now University) in Worcester, Massachusetts, before moving back to California with his wife Danielle to be closer to their children. Both of them have been principals of LA and Bay Area Catholic schools. Gavin and Danielle have two adult children who work in the field of bio-engineering. They also have two wonderful grandchildren, the first of whom began her journey as a Catholic school student in Southern California in 2023.

Jacqueline Jacobi

Jacqueline believes art must take one beyond itself to the idea of truth, and hopes to delight and edify others with her creative understanding of the world.​ Jacqueline studied cast drawing at the Ingbretson Studio in Manchester, New Hampshire, while attending the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack. She studied fine art at the Florence Classical Arts Academy in Florence, Italy, and apprenticed under English painter James Gillick in Lincolnshire, England. Jacqueline graduated summa cum laude from the Catholic Distance University with a bachelor’s degree in theology and has been teaching studio art and working as a painter for the past seven years.

Jakeline Novoa Flores

Ms. Jakeline Novoa Flores is a preschool teacher at Stella Maris Academy.

Juan Carlos Lopez

Sacristan, Star of the Sea Parish

Lynn Kraehling

Dr. Lynn Kraehling is the Director of Music for Star of the Sea Parish.

Mariella Zevallos

Mariella Zevallos is the Director of Communications and Parish Life at Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Marisela Miranda

Marisela Miranda graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 2009 with a BA in Liberal Arts. Upon graduation, she joined the faculty at St. Monica Academy, a private school in Pasadena, California seeking to form students through a classical education in the Roman Catholic tradition. At the start of her second year as the 5th grade teacher, she commenced graduate studies and earned an MA in Elementary Education and a California Teaching Credential from Loyola Marymount University. After twelve years of teaching as well as fulfilling the positions of Director of Marketing and Accreditation Coordinator, Marisela is enthusiastic to continue in the tradition of Catholic, classical education as a faculty member at Stella Maris Academy.

Michaela Semling

Michaela Semling is a native of Novato, California. She graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 2020 and prior to teaching at Stella Maris Academy she served as a missionary at an elementary school in the South Bronx. Ever since she was a student herself, she wanted to be a teacher. Through her work in the Bronx, she had the opportunity to grow as a teacher and experience Christ’s goodness through her students. She is thrilled to be teaching at Stella Maris Academy and to inspire young hearts to know, love, and serve Christ.

Thelma Queri

Bookkeeper, Star of the Sea Parish and Stella Maris Academy

Mary Sorenson

Mary Sorenson is a recent graduate of Thomas Aquinas College. She teaches middle school math & science and preschool at Stella Maris Academy.

Marilyn Bridon

Art Teacher and Assistant to the Head of School.

Nadia Janelli

Preschool Teacher

Natalie Romeo

Instructional Assistant

Diana Adamson

Advanced Math

Fr. Michael Rocha

Fr. Michael Rocha was ordained for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2019 and has served as parochial vicar in Epiphany Parish and St. Monica-St. Thomas parishes in San Francisco. He was assigned as parochial vicar to Star of the Sea in 2023.

Fr. Joseph Illo

Fr. Joseph Illo is the Pastor of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Fr. Michael Konopik

Fr. Michael Konopick is a Parochial Vicar of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Deacon Albert Nimri

Deacon Albert Nimri is the Parish Manager of Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Carmel Richard

Carmel Richard is a 2015 graduate of Thomas Aquinas College. She comes to Stella Maris with a background in Philosophy, Theology, and Mathematics gleaned from original sources, as well as six years’ experience working to support students here in the Bay Area and abroad. For the last four years, she’s also trained teachers and managed for a tutoring firm. Carmel is excited to help her students direct their God-given sense of wonder toward Truth in its fullest sense. In her free time, she loves singing, watching live theater, advocating for the unborn, and trying to write poetry.

Dennis Ow

Maintenance and Facilities, Star of the Sea Parish and Stella Maris Academy

Francesca Del Curto

Francesca Del Curto is a recent graduate of Benedictine College where she studied English literature. Upon graduating, Francesca has returned to her home state of California where she is eager to implement her Benedictine liberal arts education to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder in her classroom. In her free time, Francesca can be found playing music, reading, writing, or exploring the great outdoor wonders of Northern California with her nine siblings.

Gavin Colvert

Gavin Colvert is pleased to serve our community as our Head of School. Gavin returned to his native San Francisco in 2020 to join the Star community. Born in the Richmond District, Gavin’s family attended St. Dominic’s and St. Monica’s parishes in the city. After attending Bellarmine College Preparatory for high school and Santa Clara University, he completed his Ph.D. at the University of Toronto. He later taught at The College of the Holy Cross and chaired the Philosophy Department at Assumption College (now University) in Worcester, Massachusetts, before moving back to California with his wife Danielle to be closer to their children. Both of them have been principals of LA and Bay Area Catholic schools. Gavin and Danielle have two adult children who work in the field of bio-engineering. They also have two wonderful grandchildren, the first of whom began her journey as a Catholic school student in Southern California in 2023.

Jacqueline Jacobi

Jacqueline believes art must take one beyond itself to the idea of truth, and hopes to delight and edify others with her creative understanding of the world.​ Jacqueline studied cast drawing at the Ingbretson Studio in Manchester, New Hampshire, while attending the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack. She studied fine art at the Florence Classical Arts Academy in Florence, Italy, and apprenticed under English painter James Gillick in Lincolnshire, England. Jacqueline graduated summa cum laude from the Catholic Distance University with a bachelor’s degree in theology and has been teaching studio art and working as a painter for the past seven years.

Jakeline Novoa Flores

Ms. Jakeline Novoa Flores is a preschool teacher at Stella Maris Academy.

Juan Carlos Lopez

Sacristan, Star of the Sea Parish

Lynn Kraehling

Dr. Lynn Kraehling is the Director of Music for Star of the Sea Parish.

Mariella Zevallos

Mariella Zevallos is the Director of Communications and Parish Life at Star of the Sea Parish in San Francisco.

Marisela Miranda

Marisela Miranda graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 2009 with a BA in Liberal Arts. Upon graduation, she joined the faculty at St. Monica Academy, a private school in Pasadena, California seeking to form students through a classical education in the Roman Catholic tradition. At the start of her second year as the 5th grade teacher, she commenced graduate studies and earned an MA in Elementary Education and a California Teaching Credential from Loyola Marymount University. After twelve years of teaching as well as fulfilling the positions of Director of Marketing and Accreditation Coordinator, Marisela is enthusiastic to continue in the tradition of Catholic, classical education as a faculty member at Stella Maris Academy.

Michaela Semling

Michaela Semling is a native of Novato, California. She graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in 2020 and prior to teaching at Stella Maris Academy she served as a missionary at an elementary school in the South Bronx. Ever since she was a student herself, she wanted to be a teacher. Through her work in the Bronx, she had the opportunity to grow as a teacher and experience Christ’s goodness through her students. She is thrilled to be teaching at Stella Maris Academy and to inspire young hearts to know, love, and serve Christ.

Thelma Queri

Bookkeeper, Star of the Sea Parish and Stella Maris Academy

Mary Sorenson

Mary Sorenson is a recent graduate of Thomas Aquinas College. She teaches middle school math & science and preschool at Stella Maris Academy.

Marilyn Bridon

Art Teacher and Assistant to the Head of School.

Nadia Janelli

Preschool Teacher

Natalie Romeo

Instructional Assistant

Diana Adamson

Advanced Math

Fr. Michael Rocha

Fr. Michael Rocha was ordained for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 2019 and has served as parochial vicar in Epiphany Parish and St. Monica-St. Thomas parishes in San Francisco. He was assigned as parochial vicar to Star of the Sea in 2023.

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