ST. JOHN'S ADMINISTRATION AND BASEBALL SUPPORT
10
JEFFREY MANCABELLI
DENNIS HART
PRESIDENT
ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
Jeffrey Mancabelli became the 28th president, and first lay president, of St. John’s College High School in 2010, after serving nine years as the school’s first lay principal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Scranton and a master’s degree in education and human development from The George Washington University. Throughout his 30 years in Catholic education, Mancabelli has remained focused on creating and leading positive and inclusive educational environments. He is a graduate of the Lasallian Leadership Institute and the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies and has presented at numerous educational conferences. He is a member of The Lasallian Association of Secondary Schools and the Strategic Planning Committee for The District of Eastern North America. He previously served on the board of The Woods Academy and currently serves on the boards of St. John’s College High School, La Salle College High School and Calvert Hall College High School.
In March, 2020, St. John’s announced the appointment of Dennis Hart as the school’s new director of athletics. Hart will bring extensive experience as an administrator, teacher and coach to St. John’s. For the past 14 years, he has devoted himself to the students of his own alma mater, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic preparatory high school in Philadelphia, PA. He spent the past five years serving as director of athletics, overseeing a robust and successful program that included 40 teams, nearly 100 coaches and more than 700 student-athletes. Prior to that, Hart spent four years as dean of students and five years as a history teacher, including an appointment as the chair of the History Department. He also coached both baseball and basketball for St. Joseph’s Prep, the same sports he played as a student there. Hart served as associate head coach for the varsity baseball team for 13 years, helping guide the team to four consecutive division titles, back-to-back Philadelphia Catholic League championships and a 2009 appearance in the state semifinal game. He also spent three years as a coach for the school’s basketball program, including time with both the varsity and freshman teams. Prior to joining the faculty at St. Joseph’s Prep, Hart was a social studies and science teacher at People for People Charter School in Philadelphia for three years. He also coached the boys’ varsity basketball team, which he led to two Independent Charter School League finals. He began his coaching career at St. Matthew School, also in Philadelphia, where he served as assistant coach for the girls’ varsity high school Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) team. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Temple University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from St. Joseph’s University. Hart has also served on a number of professional committees, including the St. Joseph’s Prep Strategic Plan 2020 – Academic Excellence Committee (co-chair), St. Joseph’s Prep Middle States Committee (chair), St. Joseph’s Prep Board of Trustees Athletics and Student Life Committee, the Philadelphia Catholic League (vice chairman) and the Philadelphia Catholic League Board of Directors. He also served as the league’s chairman for baseball and boys’ and girls’ track and field. Hart and his wife, Kate, live in Washington, DC, with their two daughters, Olivia and Claire.
CHRISTOPHER THEMISTOS PRINCIPAL
Christopher Themistos is in his fifth year as principal, but joined St. John’s College High School in 2001. In the time that he has been with the school, he has taught in two academic departments and held four positions in the administration. He was also part of the baseball coaching staff for six years and has worked extensively in other areas of the school’s extra-curricular offerings. Before becoming principal, Themistos was the director of admissions, academic dean and assistant principal for academic affairs. In his extensive work in the academic administration, Themistos has been committed to improving the education of students by attending to their immediate needs, while asserting his belief than an innovative mindset should be applied to the school’s fervent Lasallian pedagogy when developing new programs and opportunities. He and his wife Laurie have two daughters, Caroline and Kalliope, and enjoy being fully immersed in life at SJC.
ST. JOHN’S BASEBALL 2021
