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Teachers
The first director of the School was Mrs. M. Butti and the first teacher was Mr. Tony Falcone.
Melania Stavale
Melania Stavale was born in Edmonton, Alberta. Every year I travel to Italy to visit my family and to always stay connected with my culture. I have completed a Masters Degree in Psychology and Diploma is Social Work. I have worked in Private Practice for many years, and am currently employed with Edmonton Catholic Schools. I have dedicated over 10 years of teaching with the Dante Alighieri Society and continue to share my passion for Italian culture and language. I have been a part of many Italian societies such as The Appennini Folk Dancers of Edmonton for 19 years, Santa Maria Goretti Parish and the Ital-Canadian Seniors Center. I also teach a children's Italian Summer Camp at the Ital-Canadian Seniors Center every summer. I love my knowledge of Italian culture with everyone around!
Bianca Cerisano
Bianca Cerisano has taught with the Dante Alighieri Italian Program since 2023. She obtained her Bachelor of Education degree from Concordia University of Edmonton, and is an elementary teacher with the Edmonton Catholic School District. Her family is originally from Calabria, Italy and she is active within the Italian community in the city.
Loretta Moscardelli-Bacon
Loretta Moscardelli-Bacon has been teaching for over forty years. I am fiercely proud of my Italian heritage and I thoroughly enjoy teaching the Italian language and culture to students. I am so happy to witness students when they are proud of their Italian accomplishments and enthusiasm for culture and traditions. It is our job as promoters and teachers to instill in students motivation and passion for learning the wonderful Italian language. LONG LIVE THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE!
Giampiero Iannone
I am a veteran high school Math and Science teacher here in Edmonton. I was born in Italy, and I came to Canada in 1999. I enjoy working with people, young and less young. I am a big fan of astronomy and I take pictures of the night sky through my telescope when I can. I also like travelling (to Italy, of course!) and reading and swimming and keeping up with the times. I have two wonderful children aged 4 and 6 who keep me young!
Francesca Cardile
Francesca Cardile was born in Reggio Calabria, where I studied and started my teaching career. I transferred to Edmonton, where I live. I frequented courses at the University of Alberta. Teaching is my passion, and I am doing it for a long time. I love to share my experiences with my students. I like to read, take long walks, travel to Italy, and on a cold winter night playing cards. Saying goodbye, I hope that you will enjoy my classes, and your learning experiences be wonderful.
Ciao a tutti!
Kristina Perri
Hi! My name is Kristina Perri and I am super excited to be teaching at Dante Alighieri School. I was born in Edmonton, however my family originates from the Calabria region. When I was younger my grandparents would always speak Italian to me and when I was in high school and university I started studying it formally in school. I continued learning languages and now teach Spanish and French at a junior high. After studying University in Italy for a semester and multiple trips I continue to love the language and I am looking forward to sharing this with you.
Raffaella Musciagna
I was born and raised in Italy and moved to Canada in 2008, bringing a deep love for my culture, language and a strong work ethic. After dedicating 7 years to learn English and building a new life here I started my own business. My family tries to go to Italy often so the children stay connected to their roots and keep the Italian language alive. I started volunteering at the Dante Alighieri School and then started teaching. I am a dedicated, caring and a compassionate teacher. My goal is to keep the culture, tradition and language as the main focus in the students lives.
Gaetano Pepe
Gaetano was born and raised in a small town near Salerno (Campania) and moved to Edmonton in 2015 after finishing high school. He later graduated from NAIT with a major in accounting and currently works at an accounting firm full time.
Teaching Italian is something he is very excited about. It is his native language and a big part of who he is, and he truly enjoys sharing the language, culture, and traditions with others. He is very grateful for the opportunity to guide his students through their Italian learning journey.
For the 2026–2027 school year, the teachers are:
- Elementary Courses
- Pre-School and Kindergarten - Melania Stavale
- Introductory and Level One - Raffaella Musciagna
- Level Two and Level Three - Bianca Cerisano
- Level M1 and Level M2 - Loretta Moscardelli-Bacon
- Credit Courses
- Italian 10 - Mirella Caputo
- Italian 20 and 30 - Kristina Perri
- Courses for Adults
- Adult Beginner - Gaetano Pepe
- Adult Intermediate 1 - Lidiya Nikulina
- Adult Intermediate 2 - Francesca Cardile
- Adult Advanced - Giampiero Lannone