Our Staff

Preschool Director

Gina DeGennaro says, “I have the privilege to serve as the Preschool Director at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church.  I have been working with children for over twenty years in a variety of learning environments.  I hold my bachelors in elementary education and have taught in the classroom for many years with all different age groups.  My passion is early childhood education and I am honored to work with such an amazing team of kind and compassionate teachers.  I love to see the work of God come together and this preschool is a fine example of just that.  We have been blessed to hire the best staff, enroll an amazing group of families, and be showered with materials by the most generous parishioners known. It has been delightful to see Father Terry’s vision unfold.   I am humble to come to my job each and every day and fulfill this purpose that has been assigned by the Lord.

On a personal note, I am a native New Yorker and have been in Georgia for 26 years.  I have truly enjoyed raising a family in this beautiful state and calling it “home”.  I have been married to my husband Joe for twenty five years.  He also is an educator and is currently a special education teacher for Troup County.  We have two grown children, Anthony and Michael. I love spending time with family and friends.

I am grateful to serve each and every one of you and look forward to growing our preschool family each year.”

You may reach Mrs. Gina at gdegennaro@smmcatholic.org or 678.854.9990.

Assistant Director

Heather Alley is the Assistant Preschool Director. She states, “I started at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Preschool in February 2017 as the assistant for Pre-K3 and Pre-K4.  I attended the University of West Georgia after high school.  I have been married to my husband Mike for fifteen years and we have a fourteen year old son named Stephen.  My husband and I are also busy with owning a local business called Storks Newnan which delivers food from restaurants that do not deliver. In my spare time, I enjoy watching my son play the bass drum for the East Coweta Marching Indians. I love country music, the Atlanta Braves, and Alabama Football. In my free time I like to read, attend concerts, spend time with my family and friends, and go to movies.

Working with children and the staff at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Preschool has truly been the most rewarding blessing to me.  There is nothing better than seeing a child light up when learning. “

You may reach Mrs. Heather at halley@smmcatholic.org or 678.854.9988.

Pre K-4 Teacher

Lindsay Jenness is the Lead Teacher for our Pre-K 4 class.  She says, “I am so blessed to teach at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church Preschool. I was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee and I moved to GA in 2020. I graduated from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Studies with a concentration in Early Childhood Education with a focus on PreK-3. In August of 2020, I completed my Masters degree in the same field of study. I taught kindergarten for one year before moving to preschool. I attended Catholic schools from kindergarten until my senior year of high school, making my faith is very important to me. I am so excited to have the opportunity to instill the Catholic faith in the minds of young children. My classroom will be a place where all diversities will be embraced and celebrated. My husband, Aaron, and I have been married for almost three years. We have two dogs, both Boston Terriers, named Nellie and Hank. I love to bake, spend time with my family, read, and make magical things for my Etsy shop. I am so blessed to be starting my fourth year teaching at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Preschool.”

You may reach Mrs. Lindsay at lremeta@smmcatholic.org or 678.854.9990.

Pre K-3 Teacher

Jennifer Fleming is the Lead Teacher for our three year old program. She says, “Both my husband Kevin and I were born and raised in New York. His career relocated us to Dallas, Texas just after we became married. Later, we moved to Georgia and we currently reside in Sharpsburg with our three young sons; Padraig  Cavyn, and Keagan.  We have a sweet Persian Cat named Ballybunion and a silly little Labradoodle named after a character in the children’s series Land Before Time, (Cera).

With baseball being a passion of each of our boys, you’ll generally find us at one field or the other, watching practice or cheering at games and weekend tournaments.

In the past, I have served as an assistant in evening Faith Formation here at Saint Mary Magdalene Catholic Church. Our youngest son attended Saint Mary Magdalene Preschool for three years.  During that time, we created many friendships. It truly was an environment that enriched the life of our family.

It’s a blessing to be able to continue as part of this wonderful community, by having become a Lead Teacher for Pre-K3.  I consider it an honor to help bring other families the same joy that we found here. “

You may reach Mrs. Jen at jfleming@smmcatholic.org or at 678.854.9990.

Pre K-2 Teacher

Kim Santana is the Lead Teacher for our 2 year old class. She says “I am thrilled and grateful to find myself at St. Mary Magdalene Pre-School, where my son currently attends, and honored to step into the role of teacher for the 2’s class. With over 25 years of hands-on experience in guiding children of all ages and abilities, my journey includes 15 years as a Kindergarten paraprofessional. In the afternoons, I transitioned to after-school care, creating a vibrant and supportive environment for 3rd-5th grade students to thrive academically and socially.

On a personal note, I am a proud Central American Latina originally from the beautiful beach city of Santa Monica, California. Fluent in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish, I embrace all ethnic backgrounds and cherish working with children of diverse abilities. My husband, Roddy, and I recently relocated to Newnan, Georgia, in March 2023. Together, we have three precious gems: our two beautiful adult daughters, Valentina in Arizona, Vivian in California, and our youngest, Roddy Lorenzo. My cherished moments involve family time, travel, hiking, and watching NFL Football.

Firmly believing in God’s amazing plan, I am dedicated to enriching the lives of my little amigos in the 2’s class.”

You may reach Mrs. Kim at ksantana@smmcatholic.org or 678.854.9990.

Teachers’ Assistants