New Hires at Ballston Spa& Saratoga Catholic

Ballston Spa School District’s Wood Road Elementary and the Saratoga Central Catholic School each hired new faculty members last week.

At Wood Road, Kelly Cataldo will be joining as their new building principal. 

Cataldo is a 2001 Ballston Spa graduate. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Adolescent Education Social Studies from SUNY Oneonta and a Master’s Degree in Literacy from the College of St. Rose. She earned both her School Building Leader and School District Leader Certificates from SUNY Plattsburgh.

Cataldo brings twelve years of teaching experience at the middle school and high school levels from the Lansingburgh Central School District. She transitioned into administration in 2019 as the assistant principal of Turnpike Elementary School and has spent the last three years as the building principal there.

“Coming home to work in Ballston Spa has always been a dream of mine,” Cataldo said in a statement. “As a graduate and current parent in the district, I am honored to join this amazing school district and lead Wood Road Elementary.” 

The Saratoga Central Catholic School added Rita Penny as its new theology teacher. She’ll be teaching Religion 6, Religion 7, Religion 8, and Theology 9.

Penny holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classical and Early Christian Studies from Christendom College. She previously served as an Assistant Teacher at both Chelsea Academy and Padre Pio Academy in Front Royal, Virginia, where she taught middle school and high school students. Penny also has experience in Latin, having tutored the subject in recent years.

Raised in Saratoga Springs, she is an active member of St. Clement’s parish.