Upper School / Poplar / 6 to 12

Maria Dreher

Spanish Teacher

Daniel Jackson

Dean of Students

“I am most excited to be at City Schools where I can now freely pray with the children.”

Rev. Daniel M. Jackson is a motivated individual whose passion for life is empowering, which shows through his love for God and for people. Most recently, Rev. Jackson was an educator in the Philadelphia Charter School District. He served the Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School for 18 years in roles such as the Dean of Students, Assistant Dean of Students and was also the Head Coach of the Boys Varsity Basketball Team for 14 years until his early retirement to focus on his pastoral journey. Rev. Daniel M. Jackson currently serves as the Senior Pastor of New Kingdom Baptist Church, where he continues to push the vision of the church which is dedicated to creating a holistic life-changing experience for all. Rev. Jackson has a sincere love for God and the youth. He strives to carry out God’s mission and is very excited about what God is doing in the lives of young people.

John Deaton

Interim Principal

I was born and raised in North Alabama. I graduated with a double major in Sociology and Vocal Performance from UMass Boston. I have a Master of Divinity from Memphis Theological Seminary, and finished the coursework for a Master of Science in Education with a focus on Applied Behavior Analysis at Temple, but stopped short because I was offered a teaching job that I just couldn’t turn down. I taught at a charter school in North Philadelphia for 6 years. Prior to teaching I served for 12 years in various full-time roles as Youth and Music Director, Christian Education Director and served 8 years as Pastor.

Jessica Sinagra

Art teacher

I am a Christian visual artist with a heart for elementary aged children and I love teaching Art. As the STEAM/Art teacher at Fairmount, I combine natural sciences, scientific method, and visual art techniques to guide my students’ discovery of the world God created. I am from New England but have lived more than twenty years in South Philadelphia. Hobbies and activities I enjoy are beach days, reading, hiking, and swimming. My husband, Joe Sinagra, is the High School Art Teacher at TCS Poplar. We have six children, all of whom are either currently enrolled at TCS or have recently graduated. Together we have been a part of the TCS community for over seventeen years and believe in the mission to train students’ minds, disciple their hearts, and bring light to the city one child at a time. I have seen this mission in action within my own home and am honored to serve in this place among Christ-centered people. Soli Deo Gloria!

Cherie Hackett

Office Manager

Cherie joined our team as an Office Assistant and began serving each campus as a support in the office alongside the Office Manager Team. She now exclusively serves the Poplar campus, and joins the City School with a wealth of experience in planning and organization. Cherie stated that she is “excited to join the mission!”

Vicki Taylor

Academic Support Coordinator

“What we say about having a family atmosphere at The City School is true. As a parent, I understand the careful, hopeful, prayerful considerations that go into choosing a school for your child. I assure you this is an excellent school—it’s where I chose to send my daughter. This is a place where students are known and loved as individuals and challenged to grow as learners.”

In addition to having served as a Teacher, Principal, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and now Academic Coordinator at the Poplar Campus, Vicki continues to teach algebra classes and loves sharing her joy of theatre with students. She “falls in love with books” and says her favorite is always something newly discovered, most recently Melanie Shankle’s Nobody’s Cuter than You: A Memoir about the Beauty of Friendship. Vicki lives in University City with her husband Paul.

Noel Terrell

Music Teacher

“Music is more than notes and harmony–it’s a way of unleashing your emotions. Music moves people. It brings us together. It glorifies God. My dream is to share the power of music with my students.”

Noel has served as a Musical Director and keyboardist for diverse musical acts like Pharrell Williams, Meek Mill, and Jill Scott. He also toured Europe with British hip-hop/r&b duo Floetry and currently performs with his contemporary Christian band, The Browne Boyz. Noel is happily married and has two sons, Roman and Lincoln.

Rich Lindberg

English Teacher

“My goal is to help students become intelligent and engaged people in this world. Through books, I am hoping they will understand how to live on this planet, how to interact with others, and how “to be.” I am hoping that they will leave my class being a better writer, a thinking person, and a strong Christian.”

Rich lives in Roxborough with his wife and loves living in “an honest-to-goodness world-class city.” His favorite book is Frederick Buechner’s Godric, a semifictionalized account of the life of medieval saint Godric of Finchale, who inspires Rich to be a more humble and self-sacrificing person. He is also an avid cyclist and bikes to work almost every day, even in the dead of winter.

Ken Hunsberger

Math Teacher

“Over the years I have come to believe that an education is not complete if it is not Christ-centered. As a Christian school, we can offer more than excellent academics—we can introduce students to the one who created everything we learn.”

Ken lives in Chester County and enjoys his early morning commute on the train. Ken is an avid reader and has lately been on an Agatha Christie kick. He also enjoys crossword puzzles, crypto-quotes, and Sudoku, and he tends a bountiful vegetable garden at home.

Katelin Conde-Rodriguez

College Guidance Counselor

“The City School embodies so many of the values I hold dear, not least of these is shalom, the wholeness and completeness God desires for his people. I began my work with the City School three years ago as an intern from Mission Year, an urban ministry program dedicated to pursuing justice, peace, and reconciliation in the city. It became apparent to me early on that this was a special place where we not only pursue shalom by providing accessible and excellent education, but also raise students up to bring shalom to their city.”

Katelin lives in South Philly, “near a little enclave of City School folks.” When she’s not reading something that challenges her perspective, she enjoys watching nerdy tv shows, baking and cooking new recipes, and spending the day at the beach. And while Katelin’s heart belongs to Philly, her football loyalties are still in the Midwest—Go Pack Go!