Teachers & Staff
| Principal: Kathy Sternal kathy.sternal@saintpat.org (812) 232-2157 |
| School Secretary: Laura Myles Laura.Myles@saintpat.org (812) 232-2157 |
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Pre School: Kymberli Payonk
kymberli.payonk@saintpat.org
I am so excited to be teaching St. Patrick's youngest "Saints and Scholars"--the preschool children! Every day is an adventure when it is spent with such loving, energetic, and eager students. I am blessed to be surrounded by the wonderful children, parents and staff of St. Patrick School. I earned my degree in education at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and taught in the suburbs of Chicago and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana before settling here at St. Pat's. My family joined St. Patrick Parish when we moved to town in 1994. My husband, Richard, and I are very proud of our two children. Our son attended St. Patrick School from preschool through eighth grade and our daughter is still here at St. Pat's. I enjoy getting to know the families of my preschool students and I do my best to get them involved here at St. Pat's because it is such a wonderful community. Once you become part of the St. Pat's "family," you'll never want to leave! |
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Kindergarten:
Mary King mary.king@saintpat.org I am Mary King and I teach kindergarten. I have been teaching for 29 years and 21 have been in kindergarten. I love kindergarten! The children are like little sponges wanting to learn everything they can. I like their excitement and willingness to try new things. My favorite part of kindergarten is when they read a story for the first time. It gives me goose bumps! I love St. Patrick School. It is like my second family. All of my nieces and nephews have gone to St. Patrick and had me for a teacher. My family is very important to me. I like to attend their events and activities, and of course I like to brag about them. Ellen Hughes ellen.hughes@saintpat.org My name is Ellen Hughes and I teach Kindergarten. Upon my graduation from Indiana State in 2006, I was offered the Kindergarten teaching position at Saint Patrick School. This is my third year teaching and I have loved every minute of it! My husband and I recently welcomed our sweet baby girl, Cecelia, into our lives last March. We are truly blessed! I hope to teach at Saint Patrick School for many years to come, so I may continue to spread God's word. |
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1st Grade
Amy Plant amy.plant@saintpat.org My name is Amy Plant. My husband Jesse and I have two daughters who attend St. Patrick School. I enjoy reading, gardening and painting. This is my tenth year teaching, but my third year teaching at St. Patrick School. I teach first grade, but have taught fourth, fifth and sixth grades too. Teaching first grade is a joy! The children learn so much in that one year! I love teaching at St. Patrick because I enjoy sharing my faith with the children. The families of St. Patrick are top-notch! Patty Mauer patty.mauer@saintpat.org I currently teach first grade at St. Patrick School. My family moved to Terre Haute eight years ago and we live on the east side of town. My husband Larry and I have four children. Emily and Andrew are at Terre Haute North. Laura and Kristen attend St. Patrick School. I enjoy both watching and participating in various sporting activities, as well as, camping and hiking. |
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2nd Grade
Sarah Clark sarah.clark@saintpat.org My name is Sarah Clark and this is my fourth year teaching 2nd grade. I also taught 4th grade for half a year when Mrs. Wright was on maternity leave. One of the most special things for me about teaching at St. Patrick is that I am a graduate. I teach my 2nd graders in the classroom I was once a 2nd grader in! I have so many wonderful memories of my time as a student, and I now feel so blessed to be adding to those memories as a teacher. In addition to my teaching role, I am currently the Athletic Director for the 4th-8th grade sports programs here at St. Patrick. These two positions definitely keep me busy! During my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends! I also love to read, watch movies, and play with my dog "Spud"! I am looking forward to many more wonderful years teaching the students of St. Patrick School! Kathy Sutterer kathy.sutterer@saintpat.org My name is Kathy Sutterer and I teach second grade here at St. Patrick School. I truly enjoy teaching 2nd grade, they are so much fun! I started as a volunteer when our family moved here in 1998. I then became an aide in 2nd grade and then began teaching in 2004. I received my degree in Early Childhood Education (preschool-3rd grade)from Southeast Missouri State University. My husband and I are from Missouri. We moved here when Kevin accepted a job as a faculty at Rose-Hulman. We have three children. Kimberly is a physical therapy major at University of Evansville. Brian is studying mechanical engineering at Rose-Hulman and Jonathn is in 5th grade here at St. Patrick. We love our St. Patrick family! |
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3rd Grade
Rosemary Mikalowsky rosemary.mikalowsky@saintpat.org Rosemary Mikalowsky is a third grade teacher at St. Patrick School. She started sixteen years ago as the fifth grade homeroom teacher and also taught social studies for grades four through eight. Rosemary received her B.S. in Elementary Education from Calumet College of St. Joseph and her M.S. from Indiana University, Nowthwest Campus. She previously taught first and second grade at St. Casimir School in Hammond, IN for eight years and was a substitute teacher in Lafayette and Terre Haute before she started teaching at St. Patrick. Her two grown sons attended St. Patrick while she was teaching. Rosemary is a member of St. Patrick Parish and serves as a Eucharistic Minister. Julie Eldred julie.eldred@saintpat.org Julie Eldred teaches third grade. She has been a teacher here for seven years. She has three children that attend St. Patrick School. Julie and her family are also members of St. Patrick Parish. |
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4th Grade
Lisa Eilbracht lisa.eilbracht@saintpat.org Lisa Eilbracht is a 4th grade teacher at St. Patrick's. She is a 1987 graduate of St. Mary of-the-Woods College. She has taught many years in the Archdiocese. She has 2 children, Lindsay and Michael. She and her husband Steve enjoy family bike rides and badminton games. She feels very blessed to be a member of the teaching staff at St. Patrick School and enjoys all the students that come her way. Susan McDowell susan.mcdowell@saintpat.org Hello, my name is Susan McDowell. I am a native of Terre Haute. I graduated from Terre Haute North in 1983 and from Saint Mary -of the- Woods in 1987. I have taught for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis for 12 years. I love teaching Indiana history, having fun with mini-economy and experimenting with science. I truly believe that St. Patrick school is a wonderful environment for children to grow as saints and scholars. I feel very blessed to be here. |
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5th Grade
Sabrina Truxal sabrina.truxal@saintpat.org My name is Sabrina Truxal and I am a fifth grade teacher here at Saint Patrick. I have truly enjoyed my time spent here teaching. I love the family feel of this community. My children will soon be students here! I am a 1998 graduate of Indiana State University and have been in some aspect of education since that time. Amy Sponn amy.sponn@saintpat.org Hello! My name is Amy Sponn and I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach 5th grade here at Saint Patrick. I am a 2000 graduate of Washington Catholic High School, and a 2004 graduate of the University of Southern Indiana. I love to delve into American history or complete an exciting science experiment. Growing up attending Catholic schools provided me a wealth of wonderful experiences on which to look back. I hope to give my students many cherished memories as well. |
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Middle School
Susan Brown susan.brown@saintpat.org My name is Susan Brown and many of you may know me from last year when I filled in for both Mrs. Bodensteiner and Mrs. McKinney while they gone on their maternity leaves. I am a 2005 graduate of Indiana State University with a degree in Elementary Education and several Middle School endorsements. I enjoy being around students of all ages, but Middle School students are my favorite. In my spare time, I love to read, go to the movies, shop at the mall, and play with my pets. I am very excited to be starting my first full year here at St. Patrick School as the Middle School Science and Social Studies teacher in addition to being the homeroom teacher for the 7th grade. I am looking forward to a fun-filled year of learning and investigation in Science plus a year of examining our rich American history and discovering new cultures in World Geography. Debbie Vajner debbie.vajner@saintpat.org This is my 2nd year at Saint Pats. I have two boys (Ryan and Nathan) at the school. I've taught for 20 years, 18 of them in public high school. My teaching experience is: AP US History, Life Science, Math, ACT/SAT preparation and Technology Lab. My family moved to Terre Haute in 2005 from Kentucky. My husband of 20 years, Todd, teaches ROTC at Rose Hulman and ISU. Teaching in the Middle School has been a very enjoyable experience. Melissa Strange melissa.strange@saintpat.org |
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Art
Maria Nickels maria.nickels@saintpat.org Maria Nickels has been teaching art at St. Patrick School since 2003. She is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute. She has a MS from Indiana State University. She is married to Jeff Nickels. They have 2 children, Jordan and Carmen. They have a dog named Rudy. She enjoys: traveling, painting, gardening, antiquing, tennis, basketball and spending time with family/friends. She enjoys teaching art at all levels at St. Patrick School. Maria loves to watch the students' creativity and see marked improvement year after year. |
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Physical Education and Middle School Health
Cynda Osborne cynda.osborne@saintpat.org I am the physical education teacher at St. Patrick School. I chose wisely, because I love being involved with your children and watching them grow up from kindergarten through eighth grade. I also wear many other hats at school such as middle school health teacher, dean of students, cafeteria bookkeeper, student council sponsor and middle school social coordinator. |
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Spanish
Katie Small katie.small@saintpat.org |
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Resource Teacher
Dallas Wright dallas.wright@saintpat.org My name is Dallas Wright, and I have been the resource teacher at St. Patrick School for five years. Prior to holding this position, I spent eleven years as a classroom teacher. My husband, John, and I have three daughters. The older two are students at St. Patrick. We appreciate the extraordinary education they receive and the strong morals and values that are impressed upon them. We consider ourselves lucky to be a part of the St. Patrick family. |
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Music
Lisa Yozviak lisa.yozviak@saintpat.org Ms. Lisa Yozviak is in her first year teaching music at St. Pat's, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music degree in Choral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Previous teaching experience includes positions as Associate Instructor in Choral Music at Indiana University, Choral Director at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, Choral Director in the East Stroudsburg Area School District, and Choral Director in the Goshen Central School District of New York. Ms. Yozviak has been a guest conductor and adjudicator at the Elementary, Middle, and High School levels, and currently directs the Chamber Choir of the Indiana University Children's Choir, and The Wesley United Methodist Choir of Indianapolis |
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Computer Lab
Lisa Perdiew lisa.perdiew@saintpat.org |
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Librarian
Tammy Kikta tammy.kikta@saintpat.org Tammy Kikta, librarian, began at St. Patrick School in the Fall of 2008. She attended Indiana State University and has taught in the libraries at New Palestine Elementary School and Owen Valley Middle School. She also taught at Annunciation Catholic School in Brazil before staying home with her daughters. Tammy's husband, Pete, is the Assistant Principal at North Clay Middle School, and their two children, Kamryn and Karsyn are both students at St. Patrick School. The Kikta's are proud to be members of the Saint Patrick Parish Community. |
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Religion
Michelle Taylor michelle.taylor@saintpat.org She moved here from North Carolina due to her husband's job. Michelle is originally from South Carolina but has lived all over the US. She resides with her husband, Michael, a United States Marine, and their three children, Charlie, Drew, and Ryleigh. Michelle has her BS degree in Early Childhood Education and her M.Ed. degree in Reading. Her hobbies include reading, watching her children play sports, and spending time in her yard. This is Michelle's first year at St. Patrick School. |