The 1975 Mount Assisi Academy class officers included Annette Giovanazzi (center), Georgeann Krummenacker, Betty McCarthy, Trina Litterini and Dora Drobniewski.
Sister Elaine in 1975
Sister Elaine today
Do you have a Sister Story to share?
Submit it through our Alumnae Portal
Setting a Fine Example
annette giovanazzi | MOUNT ASSISI ACADEMY 1975
Our alumnae honor members of the School Sisters of St. Francis who touched their lives back then
and who they consider to have been especially influential in who they are now.
THEN
“I was the senior class president and worked closely with Sister Elaine (Hromulak), who was our senior homeroom moderator. She also happened to be our English teacher. Over the course of our senior year, Sister Elaine displayed patience, understanding and a sense of humor — all essential characteristics when working with teenagers — as we planned and organized senior events. She helped us to develop leadership skills and have a voice in the decision-making process. She was kind, caring and very supportive, both as our English teacher and as our class moderator. She earned the respect of her students through her actions and interactions, both in the classroom and beyond the classroom walls.
After graduating from MAA, I went on to college and graduate school and then began a 34-year career in public education as a school social worker and adjunct faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh. Over the years, I tried to emulate the same qualities Sister Elaine displayed when I was working with students and families. I know I speak not only for myself, but also for the many other students Sister Elaine influenced, when I say, ‘Thank you!’”
now
Over 34 years with Baldwin-Whitehall School District near Pittsburgh, Annette provided counseling and support services to students experiencing social, emotional and behavioral issues. A resident of Ross Township, Annette is now retired and enjoys reading, playing pickle ball, biking and walking her beloved pups. Her older Sisters Donna (1969) and Diane (1972) also graduated from Mount Assisi Academy. Annette remains in contact with eight of her former classmates who, pre-pandemic, still got together regularly.
After MAA closed in 1978, Sister Elaine went on to serve as principal at several Catholic grade schools in the Pittsburgh area and as provincial minister of the Pittsburgh and United States provinces. She also worked for an extended time with both Presbyterian Senior Care and Pittsburgh’s Catholic Cemeteries Association. She is retired now, but coordinates the Little Dresses of Love project, sewing dresses for impoverished children around the world.
“I am blessed to have attended MAA. I feel it was there that I developed my love for learning and met individuals who would become lifelong friends.”
Students hard at work in one of Sister Elaine’s English classes in 1975.
