By Elena Perri • Posted June 12, 2025

Two middle school math teachers have been knocking it out of the park in their classrooms for years, helping their students swing for the fences every time they need to solve challenging math equations.

The impressive teaching stats of Caroline Maher and Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Catherine Danielle LeTourneau speak for themselves — and now both have been recognized as Phillies All-Star Teachers.

While neither teacher knew they were nominated for this honor, they had plenty of fans rooting for them to be named winners in this annual contest.

Both were among a group of 10 teachers treated to a dinner before the May 2 Phillies game vs. the Arizona Diamondbacks. They also received a bronze plaque in recognition of their All-Star Teacher Award, City Connect jerseys with their names on the back, and rally towels to take back to school.

In addition, each teacher received a $1,000 donation for their schools.

The teachers were honored as part of the Phillies 25th annual Teacher Appreciation Night, which also happened to be Catholic Charities Appeal Night at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies prevailed over the Diamondbacks, 3-2, making their experience at the ballpark even more memorable.

Maher, who teaches honors math and serves as assistant principal at Our Lady of Mercy Regional Catholic School in Maple Glen, calls herself a “huge Phillies fan” who has been following the team for decades.

Eighth grader Mickey Contorno made the successful pitch on his math teacher’s behalf.

In his nomination, Contorno described Maher as “the most enthusiastic Phillies fan” he knows, and said she has “prepared me for high school by challenging me with classwork and teaching me how to problem-solve.”

“In class, she is passionate about what she teaches, making lessons engaging and helping her students understand each problem,” he wrote. “Many times, her lessons include baseball analogies, and she even taught us the Pythagorean Theorem using the bases on a baseball field.”

A longtime baseball fan, Maher enjoys incorporating sports into her math lessons.

“Whether you played sports or not, everyone can relate to sports,” she said. “So many of our children are involved with sports.”

Bill Delaney, principal of Our Lady of Mercy School, said that Contorno shared the good news with the entire school during a morning assembly.

“Everyone was applauding and happy for her,” Delaney said. “She was very surprised and excited.”

He noted that Maher has worked in Catholic education for more than 30 years.

“She’s a very dedicated teacher, and she’s the first one here and the last one to leave,” Delaney said. “All her students have loved her.”

Her track record of success is evident in how her students perform in high school.

“As far as the honors math program, all the students are very prepared,” he said. “No matter where they go to high school, they’re usually more prepared than most of the other kids in their class.”

At St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Bensalem, Sister Catherine Danielle not only was selected as an All-Star teacher, but a surprise pep rally was held at the school in her honor.

“I knew something was up because the sister in the office said to me, ‘Don’t make any plans for tomorrow afternoon,’” Sister Catherine Danielle said.

She explained that students and staff were expecting to attend a gathering to celebrate her award. Instead, the pep rally featured a visit from the Phillie Phanatic who snagged a dance with Sister Catherine Danielle during the celebration.

Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo and a staff member from state Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s office also attended the rally.

“I had no idea, and I was utterly shocked,” she said. “I thought they were just going to gather and sing or something, but I didn’t expect all that.”

Molly Quinn, principal of St. Charles Borromeo School, nominated Sister Catherine Danielle and highlighted her dedication to teaching in Catholic schools for more than 50 years.

“Students from all over often come back to see her and thank her as they credit her for preparing them for high school and beyond,” Quinn wrote. “She is rigorous, but fair. She holds her standards very high and pushes them to do better and better.”

Quinn shared in her nomination that in addition to teaching honors math, Sister Catherine Danielle “rules the cafeteria at lunch time, and she teaches our bell choir.”

Sister Catherine also coaches the school’s forensics team, and she created the “knitting knights,” an afterschool program where she helps students learn how to knit.

“Not only does she teach them to knit, but she can also often be found passing on life lessons as they chat doing their work,” Quinn wrote.

“It is just such a fitting way to end our school year,” she added. “This past September we were honored as a School of Distinguished Instruction by the (archdiocesan) Office of Catholic Education, and our enrollment is growing.”

Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister John Magdalen, who works at the school and also happens to have a large Phillies bobblehead collection, attended the game with Sister Catherine Danielle.

All those Sister Catherine Danielle lives with in community are passionate Phillies fans.

“We watch games on TV or listen to them,” she said. “Usually there’s three or four of us gathered around the TV.”

“The award was very humbling,” said Sister Catherine Danielle, who has taught at the school for 15 years. “What I enjoy most is watching the kids get excited when they learn something new and being able to share with them some tricks and things that help them to process the math. They learn and see where it’s applied to everyday life.”

For Maher, she enjoys teaching math to middle school students because of the relationships she builds with them.

“They get my jokes, and I can kid around with them,” she said. “They keep me young, and they keep me excited about coming in. I never feel like it’s a job.”