Welcome to our new faculty and staff!

8/26/2026

Communications Office

Welcome to #TeamMagic!

Mercy High School is excited to welcome the following faculty and staff to #TeamMagic as we begin the 2026-27 school year!

Ms. Shehan Baird joins the Mercy community as a part-time physical and health education teacher. Her time spent as a Division I student athlete in cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track, will serve her well as she teaches Mercy Girls health and fitness. Ms. Baird graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in psychology with double minors in sports management and fine arts from Mount St. Mary’s University. A member of Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, Ms. Baird will begin a master’s degree program in clinical professional counseling at Loyola University Maryland this fall. Outside of work and school, she likes to run, create art, and read mysteries.

Ms. Stacey Coffman P’19 will become a member of the mathematics department on a part-time basis teaching two sections of Honors Geometry. After 34 years of teaching math in Baltimore County Public Schools and a brief retirement, she is excited to be back in the classroom. Ms. Coffman holds a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In her free time, she loves going to the beach, volunteering, taking walks, and spending time with her family. Stacey enjoys baking and recently became a sourdough “mom.” No stranger to the Mercy community, Stacey’s daughter Sarah is an alumna from the Class of 2019.

Ms. Paige Dauplaise will use her expertise and experience in history and English to span the social studies and English departments as she teaches United States History, Honors American Government and Global Politics, and Language and Literature II. Familiar with Catholic education, she previously taught English at Saint Ursula School. While earning her B.A. in history from Washington College, Ms. Dauplaise worked as a research intern at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. She enjoys reading, dancing, and going to museums. Originally from Rhode Island, Ms. Dauplaise has loved living in Maryland for the past few years.

Ms. Joelle Farmer will teach in the religious studies department, serve as coordinator of the Frances Warde Service Learning Program, and moderate the newly reinstated McAuley Club, a service-based student activity. Joelle has prior experience in several schools around the Archdiocese of Baltimore including Immaculate Conception School, Institute of Notre Dame, and Maryvale Preparatory School. Ms. Farmer holds a B.A. in history and a Certificate of Catholic Theology from the University of Notre Dame. She recently completed her Master of Education in curriculum and instruction from the University of San Diego. Ms. Farmer likes reading, volunteering, and traveling, whether on global mission trips, with her family, or back home to California.

Ms. Ashleigh Hadley will support the Sister Michele Carroll Learning Services Program as a part-time learning specialist. Having served as an upper school science teacher and learning specialist at St. Paul’s Schools, Ashleigh is well equipped to join Mercy’s learning services team. Ms. Hadley earned a B.S. in biology from Loyola University Maryland and a M.Ed. in integrative learning from Stevenson University. While she originally pursued a career in medicine, her goals changed once she began tutoring and fell in love with teaching. Ms. Hadley looks forward to being able to teach on a part-time basis so that she can spend more time with her young family.

Ms. Victoria Hershman joins the English department on a part-time basis teaching two sections of Honors Language and Literature I, one section of Honors Language and Literature III, and one section of Language and Literature IV. This new role will build on her previous experience as a middle school English Language Arts teacher at Colorado Springs Charter Academy in Colorado. Ms. Hershman graduated magna cum laude from American Military University with a B.A. in English and a M.A. in English literature from Liberty University. Ms. Hershman loves reading in all its forms and genres, especially Tolkien; gardening; homesteading; and quilting.

Ms. Alex Jankowski ’22 has returned home to Mercy to serve as our assistant athletic director. Officially starting her new role in July, Ms. Jankowski is no stranger to Magic Nation as she brings extensive experience as a social media consultant for Magic Athletics. A graduate of Salisbury University, Ms. Jankowski holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in business analytics. As a Division III soccer player, Ms. Jankowski will be able to share her firsthand knowledge of collegiate athletics with Mercy Girl student athletes. Some of Ms. Jankowski’s interests include snowboarding, hiking with her dog, going to the beach, and exploring her passion for graphic design. A Baltimore native, she loves to cheer for the Ravens and Orioles.

Mr. Lawson Ota will chair the world languages department, teach all sections of French, and moderate the Société Honoraire de Français. Lawson earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park, one in French language, literature and culture and the other in Germanic studies with a double major in linguistics. Mr. Ota also studied abroad in both France and Germany. His previous teaching experience is almost exclusively in all girls’ Catholic schools, having spent several years at both Mount Carmel Academy and Cabrini High School in New Orleans. He loves to cook, especially southern staples and Louisiana Creole specialties like gumbo and pralines. Mr. Ota’s academic interests include exploring the histories of different cultures, particularly focusing on speech patterns and language change over time.

Ms. Jillian Scott ’16 returns to Mercy to join the religious studies department teaching The Paschal Mystery and Church History. After graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in anthropology, Ms. Scott went on to study in Scotland, earning an M.A. in history from the University of Glasgow. She was an active participant in Catholic student organizations at both institutions, and her studies focused on religious history, particularly the history of the Catholic Church. Her master’s dissertation explored Catholic iconography and humanism during the Renaissance. While a Mercy Girl, Jill was a leader in the Model Organization of American States and played varsity field hockey.

Ms. Abigail Wesselhoff joins the world languages department and will teach Spanish I, Honors Spanish I, and Honors Spanish III. Ms. Wesselhoff graduated cum laude from Regent University in Virginia with a B.A. in government with a focus on American government and politics. After serving in Virginia Beach City Public Schools and Baltimore County Public Schools as a substitute teacher and at Archbishop Spalding High School on two separate long-term substitute assignments, she spent a year abroad working and studying in Barcelona, Spain. In her free time, she is training for the Baltimore half marathon with her family and enjoys trips to Washington, D.C.

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