SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — St. Joseph Center for Special Learning has named Elisabeth Hughes as its new principal, bringing an educator with 24 years of experience and local ties to lead its programs for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Hughes will serve as the center’s chief executive and educational leader, overseeing both its school-age program and Adult Program. She succeeds Bob Giba, who became principal in 2019.
Experience in Schuylkill County Schools
An Orwigsburg native, Hughes spent more than two decades in the Schuylkill Haven Area School District, where she taught first and third grades before serving as a Title I reading specialist from 2014 to 2024. During that time, she worked with fellow Title I teachers to develop an Orton-Gillingham reading curriculum for kindergarten and second grade.
Since January 2025, Hughes has worked as a reading interventionist in the Blue Mountain School District.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Elizabethtown College, a master’s degree in education from Alvernia University and a reading specialist certificate from Wilkes University. She also is certified in special education and the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction and has training in Science of Reading methods.
“Elisabeth Hughes has spent her career helping students with diverse learning needs, and she brings deep expertise in literacy and a background in special education,” said Dr. Michael St. Pierre, superintendent of Catholic education for the Diocese of Allentown. “Her student-centered approach is an excellent fit for St. Joseph Center’s mission of helping each student reach their maximum potential in a Christ-centered environment.”
A Personal Connection to St. Joseph Center
The appointment also brings Hughes to a place connected to her childhood. She grew up as a member of St. Ambrose Parish in Schuylkill Haven, whose former elementary school now houses St. Joseph Center.
Hughes lives in Schuylkill Haven with her husband and son and is a parishioner of St. Mary Parish in Hamburg.
“Growing up in the Catholic faith helped shape the person I am today,” Hughes said. “It taught me the value of a person and the love that we must have for one another.”
Hughes said she has seen the difference St. Joseph Center has made in the lives of a friend’s family over several years.
“St. Joseph Center has always held a special place in my heart,” she said. “I felt a calling to be a part of this incredible place as more than just someone on the outside looking in.”
As she begins her first year, Hughes said her priorities include getting to know the center’s teachers, staff, students, adult participants and families while strengthening connections with the surrounding community.
“Having a small school means having a sense of family and community, and I want to immerse myself in all that comes with being a member of this family,” she said.
Programs for Children and Adults
Sponsored by the Diocese of Allentown’s Office of Education, St. Joseph Center provides academic, social, religious and pre-vocational instruction for students ages 5 to 21 with intellectual and developmental disabilities from Schuylkill and surrounding counties.
Its Adult Program is a state-licensed Community Habilitation Program serving individuals ages 18 and older.
For more information, visit the St. Joseph Center for Special Learning website.