My name is Rita Bernhart and I love education! I hold a certification in secondary education with history as my content area. I also am certified in middle school language arts. I also hold a Masters in Education with a certification in Special Education. I am currently working on obtaining my Principal's certification and I am almost finished! My next goal is a Ph.D. in Education! I obtained the majority of my education at Holy Family University. (A wonderful university indeed!)

On a personal level, I am a mother of five children with my oldest being 27 years of age and my youngest children being 15 year old twins. My love of education stems directly from my children. When my oldest child entered kindergarten, I made an active effort to be a part of her education. At first, I volunteered often within the classroom and Home and School Association. During that first year, I was elected to the position of Treasurer in the Home and School Association and then a few months later, I was hired to be a classroom assistant in the 4^th grade.

The moment that I am most proud of concerning education was when I was invited to sit on the Board of Directors for a charter school that was still in its infancy of development.  It was then that my creative ideas concerning education were heard and some were even implemented!  Throughout the construction of this magnificent school, I assisted in the selling of this wonderful idea to parents in the neighborhood.  I encouraged hundreds of parents to entrust their children to a new style of educational institution.  My love and respect of charter schools obviously comes from my past experience and I recognize what sets charter schools apart from traditional school environments.

          While at MaST, I held a variety of roles, all of which I enjoyed immensely!  My official title was Community Liaison, which kept me involved with local businesses, the faculty, parents, and the students.  I loved working in the classroom and substituted when needed.  This was the final push that helped me to recognize that I needed to become a teacher.  During the first year of transition from conception to reality, it was difficult to find teachers that shared the same vision of the Board for MaST.  Often, I found myself taking on the role of teacher and I had the privilege to substitute in grades kindergarten through twelve.   

          Once graduated from Holy Family, I took on the position of social studies teacher at an alternative learning school in Philadelphia. In February of 2008 I was most fortunate to come to CSL and this is where I hope to stay for a long time. I enjoy this school and truly find my students to be AWESOME! CSL is a great place not only to learn but to develop social skills and the experiences needed once a student is out in the working world!

          This year, I have a new position. Although I am not in the classroom full time with a homeroom, I still get to hang out with my students from both the middle school and the high school. I really have the best of both worlds! Even more interesting to me, I get to work within the area of Special Education, a facet of my job that really has become very important to me!

          I look forward to meeting my new students, welcoming back last year's students, and working with the parents of my students this 2012-2013 school year!