Mr. Thomas

Mr. Thomas is one of Lower Moreland High School’s new assistant principals. A native Pennsylvanian, Mr. Thomas graduated from Upper Dublin High School and later worked at Mapleton Public Schools in Denver, Colorado as a Geography teacher, English teacher, and assistant principal. 

Mapleton Public Schools were small and allowed Mr. Thomas to connect with each and every student. That’s why upon moving back to Montgomery County, Lower Moreland was at the top of his list. “The size, the sense of community, and just the general academic reputation, as well as all of the extracurriculars offered in this high school” made Lower Moreland the obvious choice. 

Outside of school, Mr. Thomas has two children and a wife with whom he loves to explore new restaurants. An avid sports fan and soccer coach, Mr. Thomas is reluctant to miss an Eagles or Flyers game. 

Mr. Thomas believes that maintaining a good GPA can open doors after high school and college. He also encourages students to explore the extracurricular clubs and sports teams that Lower Moreland offers. Getting involved in extracurriculars reveals new passions students may never have known they had. 

If you see Mr. Thomas in the hallway, be sure to give him a wave!

Ms. Oglesby

This year, Ms. Oglesby is a new addition to the guidance department. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Ms. Oglesby went to Howard University and majored in psychology and education. She started her career in Washington, D.C., where she worked at a Catholic high school. After 10 years in D.C., she moved back to Pennsylvania. She enjoys exploring new restaurants in Washington and Philadelphia, and trying out new food, especially Ethiopian cuisine. 

Ms. Oglesby was drawn towards Lower Moreland because of the rigorous curriculum, individualization of excellence and the acclaimed music and drama programs. She also loves to hear the creative and unique ideas that teens bring to her office daily. 

She advises students to use high school as an opportunity to learn as much as they possibly can, rather than as a means to get to college. High school, she thinks, is a perfect time for figuring out what “you like…don’t like, the type of people you want to be around, [and] the type of person you want to become.”

Just as Ms. Oglesby’s guidance counselors helped her make the right career choices, Ms. Oglesby hopes she can make the same lasting impact on her students.

Ms. Geenens

Lower Moreland has recently welcomed Ms. Geenens, the high school’s newest addition to the faculty. Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Ms. Geenens gained a liking for the small-town feel that Kansas City offered, one of the factors that brought her to Lower Moreland. Lower Moreland “…reminded me a lot of home, and that’s something that really attracted me to the district,” Ms. Geenens explained. 

Outside of school, Ms. Geenens enjoys Thai, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine, and she loves to cook as well. She loves to experience the city of Philadelphia, exploring the numerous hot spots when she finds time. She is also close with her brother, who lives in Arizona, and her sister, who has a 6-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son.

Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Geenens tutored students in special education, participated in her school’s cheerleading squad, and promoted citizenship, scholarship, and leadership on her high school’s student council. In college, she continued helping students with special needs and transitioned into medicine, driven by her desire to help people.

Soon after, however, she faced what she called her “quarter-life crisis” and reversed course, instead deciding to become a teaching assistant where she could help push students in the right direction. 

Ms. Geenens urges students to be kind to others and remember to have fun in high school, and she encourages teens to meet new people by branching out and getting out of their comfort zone. 

Mrs. Hesney

The science department has gained a great new addition! Mrs. Hesney is the new physics teacher at Lower Moreland High School, teaching college prep, honors, and track 3 physics. She grew up nearby, in Doylestown, and in college she was a math and physics major, pursuing a minor in statistics and education. Before teaching here at Lower Moreland High School, she taught at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, about 15 minutes from King of Prussia. She decided to move to Lower Moreland to find a better work/life balance and work at a reputable school closer to home. 

Currently, Mrs. Hesney lives with her husband, an English teacher at New Hope-Solebury, her nine-month-old daughter Kayla, dog Luke, and cat Oliver. She likes it here at Lower Moreland High School, and enjoys teaching her students. “They have been super kind, super helpful,” she said during an interview. “As a new teacher, they’ve helped me find my way around the building, they’re very engaged in class, they’re, like, the best students you could ask to teach for as a teacher.”

In college, Mrs. Hesney was on the cross country and track team, and considers jogging to be a hobby. Since then, she has transitioned to triathlons, already mastering the swimming and jogging skills needed. 

Despite the focus on learning in her class, she also wants students to prioritize enjoying their lives and having a healthy balance of work and fun. One of her major goals at Lower Moreland is to get her students to not just learn, but enjoy the learning they do in her class. 

“As far as academics, my biggest recommendation would be to definitely do your school work and study, but in the same token…have some fun, too – enjoy it!” she explained. With helpful goals in mind for her students Mrs. Hesney is a wonderful new addition to the Lower Moreland staff! 

Mrs. Turner

Following the departure of Mr. Heiland, LM’s previous athletic director, the Lower Moreland High School athletics department needed a new candidate to fill the position, and they picked a great one in Mrs. Turner. Mrs. Turner, the athletic director and activities director, is from Bucks County and worked at Central Bucks School District in the central office, overseeing athletics for the entire district before coming to Lower Moreland. In college at La Salle University, she majored in English and Education and played soccer for the university. She came to Lower Moreland for a change in environment and to get back to having interactions with the student-athletes. 

Mrs. Turner loves animals, and she lives with an English bulldog and five chickens. Aside from her animals, she lives with her husband, John, an English teacher and basketball coach at Nazareth Academy. She is also very close with her family and has about 14 nieces, nephews, and godchildren. She loves walking, playing tennis, and reading.

For her students, she has strong advice for being happy and successful in school. “I would recommend that every student here at Lower Moreland get involved in something besides just coming to school here everyday from 7:00 to 3:00. So, whether that be athletics, or it be music, or drama, or a club, or just…getting more involved in academics and joining some of our…academic clubs, I would just encourage every student to do one more thing than they’re already doing in school now, just to become more involved in our school community,” she explained.

Even though she has not been at Lower Moreland for long, she says that the best part of her day is her daily interactions with the student-athletes. Her goal at Lower Moreland is to further enhance the LMHS Athletics Department and give kids opportunities to join clubs and make them better. Mrs. Turner is a considerate and upbeat new addition to the Lower Moreland community!