MMI Preparatory School has announced that Jennifer Novotney, currently serving as the Director of the Joseph A. Turri ’45 Library and Learning Center, will take on the additional role of Director of Curriculum and Instruction. This new administrative-level position will expand Mrs. Novotney’s responsibilities to include curriculum development and implementation, instructional leadership, assessment and evaluation of student learning, and faculty resource management. She will continue to lead the library and learning center while assuming these new duties.

This summer, Mrs. Novotney successfully completed the Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s online Curriculum Leadership Academy in preparation for her expanded responsibilities. This intensive program provides a comprehensive professional learning experience focused on curriculum leadership covering key topics such as foundations of curriculum leadership, curriculum design analysis, curriculum development and revision, and curriculum implementation and evaluation. 

Mrs. Novotney was appointed the Director of the Joseph A. Turri ’45 Library and Learning Center for the 2023-2024 academic year, where she oversees the library program and academic support services. Previously, she served as the English Department Chair and an English Instructor at MMI from 2013-2022.

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Novotney has an extensive background in education, having taught English and coordinated the Gifted and Talented Program within the Los Angeles Unified School District. After relocating to Northeast Pennsylvania, she taught English, writing, and literature courses at Penn State University, Misericordia University, and Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from California State University Northridge, a Master of Arts in English from Northern Arizona University, and a Pennsylvania Instructional Credential in both English (7-12) and Library Science (PK-12).

Mrs. Novotney’s dedication to education has been recognized with several awards, including the 2016 National Council of Teachers of English High School Teacher of Excellence Award and the 2017 YWCA PEARL Award (Professionalism, Excellence, Achievement, Role Model/Responsibility and Leadership) for Professional Achievement in Education. She also served as the Vice President for Secondary Schools for the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English from 2016-2019. Under her guidance, her students have achieved notable success in state-wide and national programs such as Poetry Out Loud, Scholastic Art and Writing, and the Pennsylvania School Press Association Student Journalism Competition.