Meet the Teachers
VPK-3
Mrs. Isabelle Romano, BA
I am a Ft. Myers native and a parishioner at
St. Francis Xavier
Church. I am proud to say that I was
baptized, made my First Holy Communion and Confirmation also at St.
Francis. My first job when I was in High School was at the
Daycare and continued through college. I was delighted when I
graduated college to begin teaching Kindergarten here at the school.
I have three wonderful boys, Mikey and Nicholas who attend St.
Francis and Christopher who is two years old. My husband and I
love spending time boating and going to the beach with our boys and
just being together. After spending two years at home to be
with my children I am thrilled to be back again at St. Francis
teaching the PK 3 children.
Mrs. Anne Boddison, BS
I
graduated from St. Francis Xavier and Bishop Verot High School. I
attended
college at Florida Gulf Coast University where I received
a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. I taught
Kindergarten for 5 years here in Lee County before becoming a stay
at home mom. My husband and I have two children, Emily and John who
both attend St. Francis. St. Francis has such a warm and welcoming
feeling and I am delighted to be here teaching VPK. I love being
outdoors whether it is going camping or heading to the beach with my
husband and children.
VPK-4
Mrs. Joan Becker, MS
I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. I have a
Bachelor's degree in Elementary
Education and a Master's degree as a Reading Specialist from the University of
Akron. I began my teaching career in 1975 at St. Sebastian School in Akron,
Ohio as a first grade teacher. In 1982, I moved to Florida with my husband
and began teaching at St. Francis Xavier School. After teaching reading
in middle school for one year and second grade for seven years, I returned to
the first grade classroom for 19 years. I am delighted to be teaching
Pre-K now! I have both VPK Staff Credentials and VPK Endorsed Director
Credentials. I have one son involved in electronic technology. My
hobbies are reading and going to the movies. My web site can be found at
www.beckerteacher.com
Pre-K
Mrs.Trish Goldbach, MS
Mrs. Goldbach was born and raised
in New York State. She
has always wanted to teach. In fact, when she was in 4th Grade she
dreamed about having a closet full of colorful construction paper,
glitter, paint and glue and now she has it! Her undergraduate degree
is a B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of South
Florida and she has a Master's Degree in Varying Exceptionalities
from Barry University. Currently, Mrs. Goldbach has a Staff
Credential and is completing her Director's Credential for VPK.
Mrs. Goldbach loves cats and finally adopted a kitten last year! He
is marmalade (orange tabby) and white. Her "boy", now 3
years old, is named Indiana Jones--Indy for short! She lives in
Venice with her husband, Jeff. She has
both of her brothers, Geoff and Brett, living in the same town! Mrs. Goldbach is very
grateful to God for her family and all of their love. Mrs. Goldbach
and her husband attend Epiphany Cathedral Church in Venice. They met
at a Young Adults Meeting there and were married 8 years later!
Her goal in teaching VPK/Pre-K is to show God's love to the children
every day, introduce them to prayer and its power, and to help them
"get ready for Kindergarten!" She hopes to teach Pre-K for a long
time to come!
KINDERGARTEN
Mrs. Maureen Proce, BS
I have two beautiful daughters, and a wonderful
husband. I was
born and raised right here in Fort Myers. I
went to St. Francis and Bishop Verot. I enjoy spending time in
the Georgia Mountains. I love taking long walks. I also
love going to the Library and book stores. I enjoy watching
and playing sports, volleyball is my favorite.
Ms. Kim Ogburn, MA,ED
I am a Ft. Myers native and proud Alumnus of
both St. Francis and
Bishop Verot! I also went to the University of Florida where I
received my Bachelor and Master's degrees in Early Childhood
Education. After
college, I moved to Houston, Texas where I taught Kindergarten and
I'm happy to be back at St. Francis in Kindergarten as well!
I love Gator football, going to the beach, reading and
traveling!
My two sisters, brother and I
all graduated from Bishop Verot High School. I attended
Florida Southern College in Lakeland and graduated with a degree in
Early Childhood Learning and Elementary Education. My first
teaching experience was in 1980 when I was hired to open the first
Kindergarten class at St. Francis. I moved to the Boston area
for seven years and then returned to Ft. Myers to teach Kindergarten
and 1st grade at Orangewood Elementary and later Littleton
Elementary. My husband, Jim, and I were married in 1994.
We have two children attending St. Francis. I'm very happy to
be a part of the St. Francis family once again. I am blessed
to have continued support from my family and sister (also a teacher)
for their help in preparation for this exciting new year.
1ST GRADE
Mrs. June Durand, MBA
I am proud to be a
native Floridian and graduated from both the University of
Miami and the University of Florida. I became part of the St.
Francis School family in 1992 when my oldest child began
Kindergarten. Since then, all three of my children, one
daughter and two sons, have graduated from St. Francis and
Bishop Verot, and now attend college. I designed and planted
the school butterfly garden in 1998, worked as the Fifth Grade
teacher assistant, taught Kindergarten, and am delighted to be
in my third year of teaching First Grade. My husband and I are
avid walkers and we love to explore and hike in the wilderness.
Mrs. Bonnie Hendricks, MA
I am originally from Upstate New York, but have called
many places home, including the Virgin Islands, Virginia, and
Denmark. Twenty four
years ago, my husband and I moved our family to Southwest Florida.
All three of our children graduated from both St. Francis Xavier and
Bishop Verot High School
2ND GRADE
Mrs. Tracy Kenney, BA
I was born in Panama City, FL on Tindle Air Force Base. My dad was a career
officer in the Air
Force, so I lived and attended schools all over the United
States and Europe. We moved to Ft. Myers in 1975.
I graduated from Cypress Lake High School here in Ft. Myers and USF in
Tampa. In 1980 I began teaching 5th grade at St. Francis. Since then
I've also taught kindergarten and 1st grade. Now I love teaching 2nd
Grade! I am a parishioner at St
Katharine Drexel in Cape Coral. I
have five grown children. I love animals and originally dreamed of being a
veterinarian. We have two dogs and a cat.
In my free time I enjoy relaxing at home with a movie, shopping, going to
the beach, and eating out.
Mrs. Maria Niebuhr, BBA
Originally from New York, I moved to Florida in
1997. After a career
in commercial banking began teaching at St.
Francis 8 years ago and loving every minute. I have three children,
daughter, Danielle just graduated St. Francis and is now at Bishop Verot; Michael is an airline pilot, and Christopher is a senior at
Syracuse University. I also have a wonderful husband of 18 years.
I love musical theater, reading, cooking and decorating.
3RD GRADE
Mrs. Shelly Rieske,BA
I moved to Florida 30+ years ago. North Fort
Myers High School,
Edison and Univ. of S. FL (Ft. Myers Campus)are
my alma maters. I taught in public school, before coming
to St. Francis 8 years ago. My 2 children are the most
important people in my life. I am very active in my home
parish of St. Katharine Drexel,a Girl Scout Leader and Boy Scout
parent volunteer. My hobbies include scrapbooking, reading,
and I am taking up walking.
Mrs. Roberta Sedgwick
I've been a 4th grade teacher for 28 years
and 3rd grade for the past 3 years. I
also taught in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
I have two married daughters and five grandchildren. .
I was born in North Carolina but raised in Washington State until
the middle of the 4th grade when the family moved back to North
Carolina. I love to
read, hike in the North Carolina Mountains, exercise and visit
family and friends.
4TH GRADE
Kim Anderson, BA
My name is Kim Anderson. I am originally from Michigan, but grew up
here in Fort Myers. I am
a graduate of both St. Francis Xavier and
Bishop Verot. This is my eighth year teaching. I have taught 1st,
3rd, and 4th grade. I lived in North Georgia for the past 6 years
and am happy to be back home in Florida! I obtained my Bachelor's
degree from Florida Gulf Coast University. I completed additional
teaching courses at Brenau University in Georgia. I have completed
half of the credits for my Master's in Elementary Education and I
plan to continue to pursue this degree. My interests include
reading, traveling, and spending time with my family. I am very
excited to be back at St. Francis and thank everyone for the warm
welcome!
Mrs. Susan Zell, MA
This begins my eighteenth year at St. Francis
and 26th year
teaching. Like my three children who graduated from
here, we consider this experience to be a firm foundation for both
faith and education. My master’s degree in reading from Appalachian
State University confirms my passion that reading is a fundamental
skill for learning and tool for recreation! I look forward to
learning every day with my students!
5TH GRADE
Mrs. Rosemarie Furlong, MA
I am very happy to be teaching at St. Francis
Xavier. I started
teaching as a substitute teacher for Lee
County schools and St. Francis in 1996. After spending many
years as a teacher and Elementary Principal I realize the place I
love most is the classroom. I cherish the parents, students,
teachers and staff. I hold a Bachelor's degree with a major in
Education and a Master's degree in Education and Supervision K-12.
I am a Eucharistic Minister at St. Therese's Mission Church where I
volunteer. Movies are my hobby along with Sudoku puzzles.
Mrs. Debbie Tousey, BA
I am originally from Michigan but I've lived in Florida for over 25
years. I started teaching 3rd
grade here at St. Francis in 2000 and I am currently teaching 5th
grade. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren all of whom I adore!
My hobbies include baking, cooking, being outdoors, and spending
time with my family. My husband and I spend our weekends doing
household chores, bicycling, and figuring out when our next trip to
see the grandchildren will be. God has provided our family with many
special blessings all of which I am so thankful.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
RELIGION
Mrs. Karen Galloway, BS,
Diploma in Pastoral Ministry
This is my 13th year teaching
at St. Francis. I previously taught 11 years in a
Catholic high
school in Ohio. I am married to
Dave and have three grown children and three granddaughters. My children attended Catholic schools. I
enjoy boating, working out in the gym and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
(my degree - BS ed, diploma in Pastoral Ministry).
Social Studies
Mrs. Mary Schmidt, BS
I grew up in Portland, Maine, and attended
Catholic school
through high school. I graduated with a
teaching degree from the University of Southern
Maine. I taught, for many years, in a Catholic
shool in Maine, before moving to Florida. I
have two grown sons, and three wonderful
grandchildren, all of whom live here in
Florida. I enjoy traveling back to Maine for my
yearly reunion with college friends. Reading
and gardening are my favorite activities away
from school. My eight years at St. Francis have
been very special to me.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Mrs. Angela LaPorte, BA
I'm a graduate of St. Mary's School and John
Baptist High School in
Bangor, Maine. I graduated from St. Joseph's
College in Standish, Maine. I taught for over thirty years at St
Joseph's and St. James School in Biddeford, Maine. My husband is a
retired fire chief. We moved to Florida in 2002 to be near our
married daughter and granddaughter. In fact they are our next door
neighbors. My interests include reading, cross stitching, and
spending time with my family.
Language Arts
Mrs. Bobbi Jo Wisocki, MS
As a former Falcon myself, I am thrilled to be
back doing what I love, which is
teaching language arts.
I am originally from Johnstown, PA (go Steelers!), although I
grew up here in southwest Florida.
I graduated from Auburn University in 1993 with a B.A. in
English and earned my M.S. degree in English Education from Nova
Southeastern University in 2000.
I have been teaching for thirteen years.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Mrs. Nancy Truman, BA
I am married with two adult children, and I
have many interests. I
am especially fond of cross stitching,
doing jigsaw puzzles, reading (especially mysteries), and I dabble
in various other crafty endeavors. I love to decorate and I am
a hopeless clothes horse!
MATHEMATICS
Mrs. Patricia Gill, BS
Mrs. Pat Gill is a graduate of St. Bonaventure
University and has
taught mathematics at St. Francis for the past
decade. Mrs. Gill is married to Mr. Mike Gill, who teaches at
Bishop Verot High School. She has two sons. Both
graduated from St. Francis Xavier and Bishop Verot. Zachary is
an attorney and Patrick is studying medicine. Mrs. Gill enjoys
hiking, visiting our national parks, sporting events, crafts and
home projects.
SCIENCE
Mrs. Anne Gellert, BS
I have two brothers. I have been married
to Barry for 31 years and
we have two great children, Marisa and Michael. Both of them
graduated from St. Francis. In my spare time I love to read
mysteries and cook. I collect frogs as anyone can tell when
they step foot into the science lab. They help me remember to
Forever rely on God. I am starting my 24th year at St. Francis and look forward to it being yet another
memorable one.
MATH/SCIENCE
Christina Stejskal
I
am a native Floridian, and moved to Fort Myers after graduating from
high school in Tampa.
After obtaining my bachelors from FGCU, I remained in the Fort Myers
area working as an environmental consultant.
Over the years, I realized the care and compassion that I
have for children. This
was especially evident after having two of my own, Trenton and
Magnusson. When I became
the middle school math and science teacher, I was overjoyed at the
opportunity. The
overwhelming support from my husband, family, and students reminds
me daily of why I became a teacher.
I am so blessed to be a part of their lives, and a part of
the entire St. Francis family.
SPANISH/ VPK-6th Grades
Mrs. Evelyn Velasquez, BA
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and part of my
life was spend in
Puerto Rico. I have been teaching in St. Francis
Xavier since 2001.I enjoy every moment teaching, going out to the
movies and spending time with my family. I have two wonderful adult
children Justine and Edwin Jr. Our little precious gift is Isabella
Rose my granddaughter.
Spanish/7th & 8th Grades
Mrs. Alessandra Giordano, BA
I have been a proud resident of Fort Myers
since 1982 and attended
St. Francis Xavier School as a child. After graduation from
high school, I attended the University of Central Florida in
Orlando. I am married to my high school sweetheart and have a
wonderful son, Jack. I enjoy spending my free time with
family.
Art
Mrs. Vanessa Lombardo, BS
I was born
in Texas, and I moved to Captiva
Island when I was 16 years old.
I
attended Cypress
Lake High School, Edison College, and went on to graduate from the
University of South Florida with a degree in Education.
I am certified in Elementary Education (K-6) and Art Education
(K-12).
I began teaching in 1995.
Over the years, I have taught 4th grade, 5th grade, and
kindergarten. Now, I am
enjoying my position as the art teacher at St. Francis Xavier
School. I live with my
husband, Carmen, and my daughter, Marina.
We have two cats named Sunshine and Angel.
We love traveling and boating together.
I always have several creative art projects underway at once.
I love painting, wood working, fusing glass, and much more.
My interests are constantly expanding and evolving.
It is never too late to learn something new and exciting!
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Mr. Stephen Bedford, MA
I am from the Carolinas. I was born in
Greenville, SC and lived in
Greensboro, NC until I was 13. Then our family moved to Miami,
Florida. I love Florida and have lived here most of my life. I
have lived in Fort Myers since 1978. I love to jog and I have
run in four marathons and two half-marathons at Disney World. I
have two children and two wonderful grandsons (ages 5 and 7). I
love to be online and watch the stock market when I am not busy
doing other things. I am also an avid sports fan having grown up
in Miami. It is exciting to be the IT Coordinator at St Francis
Xavier School and be a part of the many changes that are coming.
These will help prepare our students for high school and beyond.
COMPUTER TEACHER
Mrs. Kate Hamstra, BA
I am in my 3rd year of
teaching Computer class here at St.
Francis. I am a Fort Myers native
(there aren't many of us around!)
and a graduate of both St. Francis and Bishop Verot. I live
with my husband and our two "Boys", a Dachshund named Brady and a
Corgi/Chihuahua mix named Bo. We enjoy traveling around the
country and overseas. In my spare time I also like reading,
riding my bike
and rollerblading, watching sporting events, and playing Fantasy
Sports (Baseball and Football)! I love working with the students
here at St. Francis not only as the Computer Teacher, but also as
the 7th and 8th
Grade Girls’ Basketball Coach. Go Falcons!
SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Ms. Jacqueline Gelardi, MA
I enjoy traveling, especially to Europe.
I love the outdoors and
being active. I love to hike and
explore the waterfalls of the N.C. mountains. My therapy is
jogging before I come to work in the mornings and a weekly
kickboxing class. I enjoy going to dinner and the movies,
especially independent/foreign films. The best parts of my
days are probably the drive into school with my nephews.
Family time is important to me and I am blessed enough to have my
parents, siblings, niece and nephews live within 10 minutes of me.
God has blessed me in so many ways, including the family that I have
become a part of over the past 15 years at St. Francis School.
MEDIA SPECIALIST
Mrs. Emily Kinney, BA
I was born in Massena, New York and grew up in
Greenwich,
New York, a small village in upstate New York. I
received my BA at Central College in Pella, Iowa. I spent my
junior year abroad studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, France.
I am certified in Educational Media (PK-12), Elementary Education
(1-6), and French (7-12). I taught Elementary French in New
York state before moving to Florida 38 years ago. I taught 4th
grade for 8 years at St. Francis and enjoyed every minute. I
took a year off to travel with my mother, son husband and 2 Dobermans.
When I returned I worked as a volunteer in the Media Center. I
then became the Tech Specialist for 1 year and have been the Media
Specialist for 12 years. I enjoy helping the students become
lifelong readers and learners. My hobbies include reading,
research, traveling, walking and singing as well as learning
state-of-the-art technology.
TECHNICAL MEDIA SPECIALIST
Mrs. Darlene Stewart, MS
I have been teaching Video Production and
Middle School Media at
St Francis for 8 years. I have my degree in
Business Education, and a Masters in Business Education. I am
certified in Business Education and Elementary Education. I am
attending FGCU in order to attain a Masters in Elementary Education.
I also have two children attending our school.
MUSIC
Ms. Lisa Stevens, BA
I graduated from Saint Francis in 2003
and from Bishop Verot in 2007, so teaching at Saint
Francis is like returning to
my family! I recently graduated from University of Florida in August with a
Bachelor's Degree in Music and a minor in General Theater. I love singing
musical theater and learning about composers, among many things about music! I
look forward to sharing my love of music with the children and teaching them how
to read music at a basic level, composers (old and new), and expanding their
knowledge of musical theater repertoire. I am looking forward to organizing an
excellent choir for 4th-8th grade and eventually doing a fantastic musical! In
addition to music, I am assistant coaching the 7th and 8th grade volleyball
team, and I love watching football and basketball (go Gators!). I couldn't be
happier to be back at Saint Francis right out of college, and I look forward to
many happy years teaching here.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Mrs. Sherry Lavender, BS
I've been at St. Francis for 25 years.
Graduated from Florida State College and
masters work from Nova Univ. Family:
Married to Jim Lavender for 35 years, Son Jesse who graduated from
St. Francis, Daughter in law Christina and grandson Levi, now
at St. Francis and granddaughter Savannah. Hobbies and interests: running, hiking,
water activities, painting, reading, Being outside. Favorite quote:
Use what talents you possess: The woods would be very
silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.
Earned my Bachelor of Science Degree from the
prestigious Physica
l Education College at Brockport State University
of New York and has amassed over 30 years of teaching and coaching
experience.
RESOURCE COORDINATOR
Mrs. Mary Cornell, BS
As
a former ESE (Special Education) teacher from NJ I bring
to St. Francis my 35 years of
experience in working with children who exhibit learning
challenges. I am a graduate of the College of NJ and Fairleigh
Dickinson University with a B.S. degree as a Teacher of
Developmentally handicapped (Pre-K through 12) and Transitional
Counseling . I haveresided in SW Florida since 2005. My daughter, a graduate of Bishop Verot
High School currently attends Washington & Lee University
in Lexington, Virginia. My second teaching career over the past 30 years
has been in the
world of fitness and I continue to enjoy teaching at two local
gymns.
Reading Specialist
Sister Juliana Beck, BS
I moved to Fort
Myers in 2010 to be closer to my parents to assist them in their
golden years. My
community, Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland , supported this endeavor.
Prior to coming to St. Francis I taught in the city of
Cleveland at Metro Catholic as an intervention specialist for
students in grades kindergarten and first for nine years and first
grade teacher for four years.