Randie Piscitello

Executive Director & Founder

STEM Curriculum and Instructional Lead

Randie Piscitello is the Founder and Executive Director of The Academic Orchard, where she also leads STEM curriculum and instruction. She holds a B.S. in Biology from The University of Texas at Austin, is a Texas-certified Life Science teacher, and earned her Montessori adolescent diploma from the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI).

With a decade of experience in adolescent education across startups in both public and private Montessori settings, Randie integrates rigorous STEM learning with Montessori principles, emphasizing independence, critical thinking, and real-world application. Randie’s founding vision for The Academic Orchard is to create a learning community where adolescents can grow into capable, self-directed individuals, grounded in scientific literacy, empowered by practical skills, and guided by a strong sense of purpose.

Beth Sharkey

Director of Humanities and Academic Operations
Beth Sharkey brings extensive classroom and curriculum experience to her role at The Academic Orchard. With a career beginning in educational publishing, Beth has written and edited nationally-distributed content for organizations such as Sesame Street and Mystery Science. She has since held roles developing adolescent programs and curriculum, and she has taught in middle and high school classrooms. Beth holds a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of California, Irvine, and a credential in secondary English. She is thrilled by the opportunities a Montessori program offers to help adolescents take ownership of their education and discover their personal values.