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MEET OUR FACULTY AND STAFF...
The Faculty and Staff at Holy Rosary come from varied backgrounds. All of the teachers are degreed teachers from accredited universities. Most of our teachers are state certified, and many hold specialized certificates. All of them are here because they love to teach and love to share their faith as a benchmark for who they are.
The following is a listing of the faculty and staff, along with a short bio they have written about themselves:OFFICE STAFF
Adrienne Rodriguez
Principal
[email protected]I grew up in Katy and attended St. Bartholomew Catholic Church where my parents and sister are still members. I am married to my husband, John who grew up in Richmond and attended St. Teresa in Sugar Land. I graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas with a BA in Spanish and received my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in Austin, Texas. I began my career in education 17 years ago as a high school Spanish teacher, then moved into school administration as a middle school principal, then high school associate principal, and most recently served as an elementary school principal. We recently moved back to Richmond with our daughter so we could be surrounded by our family and close friends. With new jobs, a new home, and a new baby, I trust in God’s plan for us and am so thankful for the many blessings. My passion is to serve others in a school community and I am grateful for the opportunity to be at Holy Rosary Catholic School where we are dedicated to educating the whole child- mind, heart, and spirit. Our children are our future, we must guide them, nurture them and love them as Jesus loves.
Valerie Kerne, Ph.D.
School Counselor (PK-8th)
[email protected]I have been working in the mental health/counseling field since 2005. I have experience working in community mental health, adolescent residential treatment centers, children's hospitals, private practice, and a neurodevelopmental medical clinic. I hold licenses as a professional counselor and a psychologist. I enjoy supporting student's academic, social/emotional, and career growth. I also enjoy time with family and friends, cheering my children at their sport activities, reading, assembling puzzles with my children, and watching romantic comedies. I am most excited about being able to be a part of the Holy Rosary family and assisting students, their families, and teachers and staff.
Cheryl Wehring
Administrative Assistant/Second in Command
[email protected]I am a Rosenberg native and life-long member of Holy Rosary Church, Rosenberg. I graduated from Lamar Consolidated High School and received my Bachelors of Business Administration Degree from Sam Houston State University. My husband, Mike, and I have two wonderful sons who attended HRCS, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. I love my work at HRCS and am blessed to be a part of this amazing Catholic community with excellent leadership, and a great team of dedicated faculty, staff, students and families.
Amy Sopchak
Library (M/T)/Receptionist (W/Th)
[email protected]I graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from Texas A&M University in 1980. I have one daughter who attended Kindergarten through eighth grade at Holy Rosary Catholic School. My husband also is a graduate of Holy Rosary. Holy Rosary School instilled in my daughter the Catholic faith and values needed to become a caring, active, and successful adult. I love the friendly and caring atmosphere of the staff, students, and parents. I have been teaching for 30 years mostly in the library setting. I love to see students who come to the library not wanting to read and finding the perfect book that gets them hooked. I love to hang out with my grandkids (current HRCS students) and sit on the patio to bird watch with my cat. And, this school year, I'm most excited about helping our kids to shine bright.
Claudia Vega
Health Coordinator/Receptionist (M/T/W/F)
[email protected]
[email protected]
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Michele Foster
PreK-4, Department Chair
[email protected]I graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1991 with a BBA and Secondary Education Certification. In 1999, I received my Early Childhood Endorsement while teaching Pre-K at Garden Oaks Baptist School. My son attended HRCS from Kindergarten through 8th grade. I enjoy working in a Catholic environment with the friendly faculty and staff. I love teaching Pre-K because it is a new adventure every day! The children are excited, curious, and ready to learn. Away from HRCS, I love to spend time with my family and friends. I am excited about the 2022-2023 school year with Principal Rodriguez as well as returning to our beautiful church!
ELEMENTARY
Kristi Carter
Kindergarten, Department Chair
[email protected]I graduated from SHSU with a BAT in Special Education, and Reading Minor. I have been at Holy Rosary for 33 years. It has been a joy and a passion teaching Kindergarten, while implementing developmentally appropriated practices with in the Kindergarten curriculum. I have also been a part of the Diocesan Early Childhood Association for about 30 years, and served as Secretary, Vice President, President, and then Vice President again for about 26 years. In 2019 I was nominated for the Sally Landram Award of Excellence. In 2020 I was awarded the award from our Superintendent on behalf of my work with the Early Childhood Association, and here at HRS.
I love Kindergarten because it lays the ground work for all the other grades, and the learning to come. I believe in a developmentally appropriate classroom, and finding balance with the students core subjects of reading, writing and Math. I find that Kindergarteners are inquisitive, happy, excited, and look to the teacher with admiration, love and awe. They are eager to learn and experience all that I can teach them.
When I am not teaching, I enjoy a variety of activities such as gardening, camping, the beach, fishing, cooking, collecting recipes and recipe books, craft shows and antiques, travel, and lunches with my friends. I especially love the Holidays. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. I collect ornaments from vacations and travel. I love my pets... I have 3 cats (Harley, Princess, and Mrs. Kitty) and one dog (Shiner). I of course love spending time with my two boys, who like to do many of the things I already mentioned. I also like to go to my Alma Mater and cheer for the SHSU Bearkat football team, while visiting my son Mitchell who now is a sophomore there.
I am eager and excited to have Mrs. Rodriquez come to our school and lead us, as well as challenge us all. I cannot wait to see where this year leads us! I am always happy to meet my new students, as well as good friends from last year and beyond.
Blair McDougal Ganz
1st Grade
[email protected]Hi Cougars! I have taught kindergarten, prek and this is my 2nd year in 1st grade and I love it!! My family grew up going to Holy Rosary. After high school, I worked at the BASP here before attending Sam Houston State University where I earned my degree in early childhood education. I absolutely love that at this age the students are excited to learn and I can have a blast with them! My favorite subject is reading because reading is the gift that keeps giving ♥️. I'm excited to welcome new students into my room and make amazing memories with them! In my free time, I love burning hats and doing makeup. For fun I enjoy relaxing with my fur babies, Lacey Grace and Igor.
Amy Sundberg
2nd Grade, Department Chair
[email protected]I attended Holy Cross Catholic School in Bay City, Texas and graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in Speech Communication and a double minor in Psychology and Journalism. For ten years, I enjoyed a career in the recruiting industry, but I always wanted to teach. In 2004, I obtained my teaching certification through the University of St. Thomas. I taught in Alief ISD for 2 years, and this will be my 14th year of teaching second grade at HRCS. I am married and have two sons who attended Holy Rosary. I truly believe in differentiating education for the child based on readiness, learning style and interest. I feel blessed to be here!
Shana Boettcher
3rd Grade
[email protected]I have been with Holy Rosary for 8 years. I started as a teacher's aide in Pre-k and Kindergarten, was the P.E. teacher for 2 1/2 years and I am starting my 3rd year as the 3rd grade teacher. I love the endless supply of funny stories that I get daily from 3rd graders! I get to learn a lot of new jokes. Their independence and confidence is without comparison. 3rd graders are great at making you feel like a Rockstar with extreme kindness and love! The most rewarding part of teaching for me is getting to watch them grow and develop as young learners. I am a wife and mother of 2 children. Both of my kids are HRCS Alumni. My daughter is a Senior at B.F. Terry Highschool and my son is a Freshman at Needville High School. Our family enjoys camping, fishing, the beach, and baseball. We often hangout with family and friends making memories. I am excited to meet and get to know my 3rd graders this school year!
Dolores Rosales
4th Grade
drosales@holyrosary-school.orgHi! My name is Dolores Rosales and I grew up in the Needville/Rosenberg area. I graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2006 and earned my B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies. I also graduated from Lamar University in 2012 and earned my Masters in Educational Leadership. This is my 16th year in education and my first year teaching 4th grade at Holy Rosary. I previously taught Kindergarten, 2nd and 3rd grade at Lamar CISD and 2nd and 5th grade at Houston ISD. I especially love teaching math and science because it’s all around us! I am so excited to get this year started and learn more about YOU! Go Cougars!
Amy Bender
5th gradeI was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. I received my BA at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. I studied Theology and Political Science with a minor in Spanish. After graduation, I worked as the Director of Admissions and Marketing for Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Washington D.C. It was here that I had my introduction to teaching as I also taught sophomore Spanish. During my time in D.C. I met and married my husband and we now have 5 beautiful children! We moved to Texas to be closer to family in 2016. It was here that my career in teaching elementary students began. I became certified to teach EC - 6th grade. I have taught preschool, Spanish Pre-K -8th, 3rd and 4th grade. I absolutely love being a reading and writing teacher. It is my greatest desire to help students develop a lifelong love of reading! Second to teaching reading and writing is my love of teaching religion. My faith is the most important part of my life. My hope is that my students learn about their faith in my class and experience a life of faith lived with great joy through my example. It is for this reason I am so excited to be joining the Holy Rosary Catholic School community!
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Suzanne Krusleski
Math (6th-8th)
[email protected]I graduated from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and English. I taught math for five and a half years in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and then decided to stay home when my oldest child was born. My husband and I have lived in Sugar Land since 1994. I enjoy reading, puzzles, hiking, camping, swimming, and just spending time in nature. All three of my children attended Holy Rosary from kindergarten through eighth grade, and they have many fond memories of their years here. I have been blessed to be a part of the Holy Rosary family for many years as a parent, Girl Scout leader and substitute teacher, and now a Middle School math teacher. Math has always been my favorite subject and I love when students learn shortcuts and new ways to solve problems. I'm excited to be part of the wonderful community of teachers, parents, and students at Holy Rosary.
Ona Thacker
ELA/Literature (6th - 8th)
othacker@holyrosary-school.org
I earned a BA in English with minors in French and History from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. From 1990 until 1998, I taught Middle School ELA. From 1998 until 2015, I taught Middle School Social Studies and Religion. After retiring for a year, I returned for 2 years to teach Middle School Religion. I am returning again as a long term substitute teacher for Middle School ELA. I look forward to being in this very wonderful school community again.
Sara Perez
Social Studies/Religion (6th - 8th)
[email protected]I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. I attended Catholic schools from second grade to college. I graduated with a BA in History and Secondary Education and a minor in English from St. Edward's University. I have a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University. I have lived in the west Houston area for the past 15 years. In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, I have taught third through eighth grades religion, social studies, and English/language arts. I have always taught in Catholic schools because I love the community feel and being able to share my faith! The Holy Rosary community has been so welcoming, and I enjoy my time at Holy Rosary Catholic School.
Melissa Stavinoha
Science (6th - 8th)/Department Chair
[email protected]I graduated from Texas A&M University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. I worked for the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center. After my first child was born, I decided to stay at home. My husband Kyle and I have two children, Gracie and Jesse. Gracie is a graduate of Holy Rosary, and Jesse is currently a student at Holy Rosary. I enjoy reading, gardening and summer road trips. I am extremely blessed to be a part of this wonderful school. This is my 8th year at Holy Rosary. I remember this quote when teaching: Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, Involve me and I learn. -Benjamin Franklin. I love teaching middle school students because they have an amazing sense of humor. I feel honored to be a teacher at Holy Rosary and to be one of many among the amazing faculty and staff.
Ann Dubay
BASP Coordinator
[email protected]I graduated from St. Agnes High School and St. Vincent de Paul elementary school. I attended college at the University of Saint Thomas and the University of Houston. I began as a substitute 25 years ago and was offered the Art Teacher position which I loved for 7 years. I had a 4 year respite to care for my mom and returned as Coordinator of the BASP (Before and After School Program). I thoroughly enjoy interacting with young people and hopefully bring a little"hominess" to their day while providing Christian values throughout the program. I have been blessed with two terrific kids (Holy Rosary graduates) and four amazing grandchildren and a wonderful extended family. There is nothing I love more than being with them (preferably outdoors). This year, I am most excited about seeing the kids! I know it sounds cliche, but I mean it with all my heart. Everyone agrees, we've hit the jackpot!
SPECIALS
Avery Rabideau
Art and Computer Technology (PK - 8th)
[email protected]This is my first year teaching and having a classroom of my own. However, I was a teacher assistant last year (grades pk-8th) straight out of graduating college and immediately fell in love with it. As a teacher assistant I was able to experience the different grade levels. I absolutely fell in love with the 5th grade because of the students drive to succeed and the relationships I built with them. When I'm not in the classroom, I love to play guitar, go thrift shopping, and paint or create. I am the 4th child in a family of 8 children. I just moved to Houston from Bandera, TX to be closer to my fiancé who I will be marrying in April 2023. Our favorite thing to do together is binge new shows, read, try new restaurants, and go to perpetual adoration. I am so excited to learn, grow, and build relationships with each of my students this year at HRCS. I'm so excited to be teaching at HRCS!
Elena Ammer
Spanish (PK - 8th)
[email protected]My name is Elena Ammer, I was born and raised in Antofagasta, Chile in South America. I went to Instituto Santa Maria Catholic School from Pre K through 12th grade and I got a degree in Public Relations and Communications after I finished High School. I came to the United States in 2001 after I met my husband Michael in Chile. We have two wonderful children Patrick and Ana. Patrick enjoyed his time in Holy Rosary Catholic School from 2nd grade until 8th grade. Ana currently attends Holy Rosary. I'm very excited to be part of this wonderful staff, I'm looking forward to teaching Spanish to your kids, which I know will be a pleasure.
Megan Miller
P.E. Instructor (PK - 8th)
[email protected]I was born and raised in Sealy, Texas where I graduated from Sealy High School. I attended Lamar University where I majored in Kinesiology. I have 4 years experience teaching PE and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am married with two wonderful children and live in Needville. I feel very blessed to be a part of the HRCS and hope for many years to come. Go Cougars!
Shane Blume
Music (PK - 8th)
[email protected]I have been teaching music to students of many age ranges for 23 years. I am very passionate about music and music ministry because it gives me a chance to give glory to God for His great gift he has bestowed on me. I graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Music degree and 2002 with a Master of Music degree. I like to go hunting, fishing, and gardening. I am excited about sharing my talents and gifts with this school!