Our Administration

Sandi Passalacqua - Head of School
Deanna Fontanes-Halliday - Director of Admissions

Head of School SANDI PASSALACQUA brings more than 40 years of experience in education to The Healdsburg School. Spanning her career, Ms. Passalacqua has been a teacher in public, private and parochial educational institutions. In addition to teaching, Ms. Passalacqua has held numerous positions within education, some of which include tutor, consultant, and principal. She worked in Special Education, and designed and implemented ESL and Title I programs, as well as foreign language curriculums. She has traveled extensively and sought to create unique travel opportunities for her own students. She holds a Masters of Education, and is an accomplished painter and pianist. She is married to Tom Passalacqua and has three children and six grandchildren. Return to top

Admissions Director DEANNA FONTANES-HALLIDAY was most recently the Dean of Admissions at ACS Hillingdon International School in London, England. She held this post for 2 1/2 years after originally joining the organization as a School Psychologist and Learning Specialist in 2003.

Deanna earned her B.A. in Early Childhood Development and her M.A. in  Educational Psychology from Humboldt State University. Prior to her move abroad, Deanna was employed throughout Sonoma and Lake County as an Educational Psychologist and Consultant for fifteen years.

Deanna's educational and professional philosophy is one of student centered, developmentally appropriate school programs with high academic standards in a nurturing and supportive environment. As the new Dean of Admissions at  THS, Deanna is committed to forming lasting and successful partnerships with students, parents and community members.

Her husband, Bill Halliday and two sons, Ryan and Zachary, joined Deanna in her move back home. Return to top