About the Elementary School Faculty

Jennifer LaForge -5th Grade
Mrs. Jennifer LaForge graduated from Washington State University in 2003, earning her B.A in Elementary Education. She then moved to Las Vegas where she earned her Masters of Education from UNLV in Curriculum and Instruction and a certification as a K-12 reading specialist. Jen taught both fourth grade and first grade in Las Vegas. In addition to her classroom duties, she served as site coordinator for the after school program at her school. Jen also served in Americorps, the national service program. With five years teaching experience, Jen is very excited to be a part of the Saint Sebastian community as the 5th grade teacher.

Mary Steedle - 4th Grade Teacher
Mary Steedle joined the Saint Sebastian School community in the Fall of 2005 and has been sharing her passion for education ever since. Mary has served at a variety of Catholic schools during her 25 years of teaching. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Duquesne University. In 1998, Mary was the recipient of the Golden Apple Award from the Diocese of Pittsburgh for excellence in teaching. Several years ago, Mary enjoyed being the principal of a Catholic School in Pittsburgh for a short time. She also served as the Vice Principal for the elementary grades at Saint Sebastian School for three years. Mary has now returned to her primary passion: teaching in the classroom.

Heidi Altenberg – 3rd Grade Teacher
Heidi Altenberg earned her B.A from California State University at Dominguez Hills and her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She is a native Californian. Heidi has shared her passion for teaching at Saint Sebastian School for ten years now. She has experience teaching middle school and first grade. After spending a year traveling in 2007, Heidi returned to Saint Sebastian and found her place in third grade. She shows her true dedication to the Saint Sebastian community through her involvement with several of the school’s programs. She is an active member of the Booster Club and PTO. Heidi also served at Yearbook Coordinator for several years and worked hard as Carnival Chairperson for the 2009 Spirit of the 60s Carnival.

Julie Weldon - 2nd Grade Teacher
Julie Weldon holds a B.A. from Scripps College and an M.M. from New England Conservatory of Music. Julie also completed a rigorous internship program through the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in order to earn her California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Upon completion of this program, Julie was recognized as one of the outstanding teachers of her class. For 6 years, Julie taught within LAUSD, where she taught both 2nd and 4th grades. With her background in the arts, Julie also helped to establish an arts program at her previous school which incorporated music, dance, theater, and art across all areas of the curriculum. In her 4th year at St. Sebastian School, Julie is thrilled to be a part of a school that promotes Catholic beliefs. Julie strives to give all of her children an excellent education in order to prepare them for a successful future.

Laura Duganne - 1st grade
Laura Diganne earned a dual undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and in Mathematics/Computer Science from Boston College (BC). She also earned a Masters degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology from BC. In addition to her studies, Laura was a varsity cheerleader and an active participant in the community service programs at BC. This is her fourth year teaching first grade at Saint Sebastian School. She has previous experience teaching kindergarten and second grade in Boston. Laura is excited to be able to continue her love for teaching, cheering, and community service here in her fourth year at Saint Sebastian School.

Rosa Buelna-1st Grade Teacher’s Aide
Rosa Buelna attended University of California Los Angeles where she studied Early Childhood Education. She has taught Early Childhood Education and Development and art for over 20 years in Santa Monica, the Pacifi Palisades, and the greater West Los Angeles area. She is a proud mother of two sons and two daughters and a loving grandmother to her two lovely, young grandsons. Rosa continues to share her creativity and passion for education with the Saint Sebastian School community for her fifth year. Her love and dedication to her “children” has fulfilled her heart and soul for many years and believes that children are truly the voice and force of our future.

Lucia Jamieson – Kindergarten Teacher/ Vice-Principal (K-5)
Lucía Jamieson has shared her talents with the Saint Sebastian School community for nine years now. She started her career here teaching junior high; then, she taught second and third grade. She is now in her fifth year of teaching Kindergarten. Lucía completed her undergraduate degree in Modern Languages from the University of Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. Lucía then earned her California Teaching Credential in Spanish, her Master’s Degree in Elementary Bilingual Education, and her Elementary Bilingual Curriculum and Language Acquisition and Development (BCLAD) Credential from Loyola Marymount University (LMU). Lucía has served in a variety of roles including Religion Coordinator, Academic Decathlon Coach, Standardized Testing Coordinator and WASC Leadership Team.

Jershawn Hewing – Kindergarten Teacher’s Assistant
Jershawn Hewing is working hard in his second year as the Kindergarten Teacher’s Assistant at Saint Sebastian School. Jershawn first joined the school community as the girls’ basketball coach in the winter of 2007. He then became a substitute teacher for the elementary and middle school. Additionally, Jershawn taught middle school physical education, coached girls and boys’ athletics, and coordinated the after school K-2 day care here at Saint Sebastian. Jershawn received a B.S. in Physical Education from California State University Bakersfield. In Bakersfield, CA Jershawn was a teacher’s assistant at Valley Achievement Center, a school for students with autism. He was also a volunteer track and field coach, and he worked at a housing unit for troubled teens. In addition to teaching in Kindergarten, he also continues to coach boys and girls’ athletics for Saint Sebastian