Home is where the heart is, says the old aphorism. Thirty-year-old Carla Chiarelli has travelled the globe in her mission to educate young minds, but she has indeed returned home where her heart lies: a position as the new Catholic school principal of Mount Holly’s Sacred Heart School.

Chiarelli earned her bachelor degree in business administration and Italian studies from Rosemont College, Rosemont, Pa. and a master’s degree in reading and a supervisor certification from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck. She will complete her doctorate in education curriculum and teaching from Northcentral University, Prescott Valley, Ariz., later this year. After stints as a tutor and substitute physical education instructor, she began work as a full-time second grade teacher in Immaculate Conception Regional School, Bridgeton, instructing her young charges in a broad range of subjects within a faith-filled framework.

“A Catholic education is an important choice to help students learn about our faith and the Church, to reinforce important values that mold them into the person they will become, and build long lasting relationships,” she told The Monitor. “A Catholic school education is the foundation necessary for students to dig deeper in their minds and hearts, and to really think about whom they are and what their religion means to them.”

Over the course of her teaching career, the energetic 30-year-old single woman has created a news broadcast television show and mock trial with second graders, hosted school talent shows and served as a summer session reading and mathematics tutor for students travelling to Greece, Italy, Spain and France. In addition to her teaching assignments, Chiarelli has served as accounts receivable manager and assistant to the CEO of a transportation and warehousing company, focusing on billing and computer logistics.

Chiarelli followed her eight-year term at Immaculate Conception with a stint as art teacher and reading specialist at Universal Institute Charter School, Philadelphia.  The Cherry Hill resident’s return to Catholic schooling was prompted by her wish to emulate her Savior. “I chose to become part of [this] environment again to encourage that our students are both formed in their faith and educated to become citizens of the world who can transform it into a more just and loving society as Jesus Christ has inspired,” Chiarelli asserted.

The newly-minted principal plans to focus on faith and academics at the Burlington County Catholic school. Chiarelli, an Italophile who is one of four daughters born to Gianfranco and Valentina, sent a smartphone e-mail to The Monitor from her summer European vacation, stating, “I will encourage the growth and development of each student’s God-given talents and prepare them for any difficulties that may lie ahead. Through God’s grace I have been given this opportunity and I hope that I can teach as well as learn and love as well as be loved.”