Several new teachers, including two alumni, have joined the De La Salle Collegiate Faculty.

They include: 

• Robert Cornwell, Class of 2019 - Music
• Amanda Hammou - Theology
• Matthew McCroskery - Theology
• Michael Rice - Business
• Dave Nowinski - Science
• Ben Rancilio, Class of 2018 - Counseling pre-practicum

Robert Cornwell has joined the faculty as the school’s Music Director.

He majored in Music Education at Albion College, and minored in clarinet and voice.As part of his college coursework, Cornwell learned how to play a variety of instruments including the piano, saxophone, and stringed and percussion instruments.

Cornwell pursued music education because of his music experiences at DLS.

“Just having the opportunity to teach people inspired me to go into education,” Conwell said.

While a high school student, Cornwell participated in the school’s drama productions, the mock trial team, Science Olympiad, and captained the tennis team.

His high school music participation encompassed the marching and jazz bands, men’s chorus, and show choir. He also served as a cantor for school liturgies.

Cornwell is currently teaching music appreciation and concert band and wants to create a pep band. He is starting a men’s choir for liturgies and hopes to pursue cooperative music adventures with Regina High School.

“I’m looking forward to building the program and giving young men the experiences that I had when I was here,” Cornwell said. “It’s good to be home.”

Amanda Hammou now teaching Theology, has had a wide range of experiences, working in ministry at several parishes, including St. George Chaldean, Holy Martyrs, St. Cyriil and Methodius, and St. John Vianney.

She is a graduate of Avondale High School and majored in Sociology at Oakland University. Hammou also taken classes at Sacred Heart Seminary.

She has worked in leadership and business development for businesses and non-profits for several years.

“A client would come to me with an idea, and I’d make the idea real,” Hammou said. “I enjoy working on building things from the ground up.”

Outside of school, Hammou enjoys creating art in various mediums, and likes hiking on trails. 

Matthew McCroskery also joined the Theology Department, teaching Morality to juniors; he will also be assisting with the DLS Stock Market Club. Most recently, he taught at St. Anne Grade School (Warren), and has had a lengthy career with the U.S. Military.

McCroskery attended Grosse Pointe South High School before heading to college at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia where he majored in political science and played rugby.

He worked in the corporate world for several years but joined the U.S. Air Force after the events of September 11, 2001. Most recently, he has served as a first sergeant , stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township.

McCroskery and his wife live in St. Clair Shores. He enjoys woodworking, music, and outdoor activities. 

Dave Nowinski substituted for science teacher Nina Jacks last spring, and has taken on freshman Biology and sophomore Chemistry. Jacks has become the Administrative Assistant in the Counseling Department.

A teacher at DLS from 1988-1990, Nowinski left for Fraser High School, his alma mater, and taught mostly Chemistry and Physics. He also coached the swim team, a position he held for 36 years. Nowinski retired from the Fraser Public Schools in November 2022.

He is a graduate of Wayne State University with a bachelor’s and master’s in Biology, and a master’s in teaching, Nowinski and his wife Lisa, a small animal veterinarian, have four children and one grandchild. 

Michael Rice, a long-term substitute at DLS during the second semester of the 2022-23 school year, joins the DLS Business Department. He is teaching Accounting, Introduction to Business, Introduction to Technology, and a new course “Entrepreneurship.”
 
Rice, who has both his undergraduate degree and his MBA from Walsh College, spent several years in the banking and mortgage fields before feeling “burnt out” and turning to teaching.

“Various friends, mentors, and my spouse suggested teaching,” Rice said. “I decided I could ‘pay it forward’ and make a difference in kids’ lives similar to how many educators made a lasting impact on my life.”

He and his family live in Macomb; his three children are enrolled in the Utica Community Schools. Rice himself is a graduate of Fitzgerald High School (Warren, MI).
 
When not involved with teaching or his children’s activities, Rice is engaged in various ultramarathons, Ironman triathlons, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, MMA, and Muay Thai Kickboxing.

Ben Rancilio is in the pre-practicum phase of his pursuit of an advanced degree in school psychology at the University of Detroit Mercy. He is spending time at DLS during the first semester, working with the Counseling Department.

A four-year swimmer at De La Salle, Rancilio continued swimming in college at John Carroll University, where he majored in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.