St. Sebastian's is embarking on an exciting future. A very important part of that future is the faculty we have gathered together for Fall 2006. These individuals are highly-educated teachers with impressive elementary school teaching experience. The curriculum will benefit from their collective experience in art, music and athletics, and students will benefit from a low student/teacher ratio.

About the Principal
Edward Hermeno -Principal
Ed Hermeno graduated from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston with a degree in Engineering and furthered his studies at the University of California at Berkeley with a Masters in Engineering. Furthermore, he holds a California teaching credential and Masters in Education from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles. Ed also holds a part-time faculty appointment at LMU through his work with the LMU Math and Science Student Triumphs, Teacher Training Program. Ed is a native Californian and attended Catholic elementary and high school in Orange County. He has taught math and science for several years at St. Sebastian School, and he has a true passion and dedication to making St. Sebastian’s a Blue Ribbon School.

About the Faculty
Roy Quinto - 8th Grade
Roy Quinto received his B.A. from the University of California (UC) at Berkeley and then went on to work as Program Director of the Student Recruitment and Retention Center at UC-Davis. As director he organized university departments designed to help youth in under-served communities not only attend college, but graduate. After his directorship, Roy volunteered at St. Sebastian School. At the end of his summer volunteer work, he was offered a full time teaching position. For the next three years, Roy taught 5th grade at St. Sebastian and then headed to Boston. In Boston, he earned his Masters of Education from Harvard University in International Education Policy. He also earned his teaching credential from Massachusetts in Political Philosophy. Roy then taught 5th grade at an international school in the Philippines for one year. After being gone for two years, Roy is excited to be back and share his new experiences from teaching and consulting abroad with the St. Sebastian community. Roy is teaching middle school Social Studies and Religion.

Erin Rucker - 7th Grade Homeroom/Middle School Reading and Writing
Erin Rucker taught 5th grade at Saint Sebastian School last year and joins the middle school team this year as the 7th grade homeroom teacher. Previously, she taught Science and English to 5th and 6th Graders at St. Peter Catholic School in Dorchester, MA. She earned her New York Certification in Elementary Education, a Bachelor’s degree in English, and an Education minor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She has also studied guided reading for Grades 3-6 at Lesley University and is excited for this opportunity to share her love of reading and writing with the middle school students.

Josh Wilkinson - 6th Grade
Josh Wilkinson graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, a minor in History, and a Coaching Certificate. He obtained his first Iowa State Teaching License in 1997. In college, Mr. Wilkinson was a member of W.A.S.E (Wartburg Association of Student Educators) as well as a member of the Wartburg College Football Team where he was the team’s starting center for three years while lettering all four years. Josh also taught in the Minneapolis area for two years before relocating to the Los Angeles area. In Los Angeles, Mr. Wilkinson taught for the Los Angeles Unified School District for three years obtaining his California Clear Credential last summer. He has been teaching in the classroom for a total of nine years. He is excited to work with the Middle School at St. Sebastian School this year and share his passion for Math and Science with his students.

Breanne Melconian - 5th Grade Teacher
Breanne Melconian is excited to join the St. Sebastian community. Breanne grew up in Northern California, but came to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University (LMU) where she earned a degree in Communication Studies and Sociology. Breanne split her time in college between studying, swimming competitively, and teaching young children. Through these experiences, she quickly realized her calling and is very enthusiastic about teaching the fifth grade class. Breanne currently attends graduate school at LMU and is finishing up her Masters degree in Elementary Education. She started her teaching career at The Growing Place in Santa Monica, assisting in childhood development, and now finds herself here at St. Sebastian where she strives to achieve excellence in the classroom.

Mary Steedle - 4th Grade Teacher
Mary Steedle came to St. Sebastian School in the Fall of 2005. Mary has served at a variety of Catholic schools during her 23 years of teaching experience. 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. A few years ago, Mary enjoyed being the principal of a Catholic School in Pittsburgh for a short time. For the past few years, Mary has returned to her primary passion: teaching in the classroom.

Heidi Altenberg – 3rd Grade Teacher
Heidi Altenberg earned her Bachelor's of Arts from California State University at Dominguez Hills and her Masters in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. She is a native Californian. Heidi has taught at Saint Sebastian School for 6 years. She returns to us this year after taking a year sabbatical to travel around the world. She is excited to return to the classroom and share her traveling experiences to enhance her students’ learning. After spending the past several years teaching the first and sixth grades, Heidi will be returning to teach 3rd grade, where she began her teaching career.

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 the past 6 years, Julie has been a teacher within the 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. Julie is thrilled to be a part of a school that promotes Catholic beliefs and is striving to give children an excellent education in order to prepare them for a successful future.

Laura Warmenhoven - 1st grade
Laura Warmenhoven is originally from Northern California and recently moved to the LA area from Boston. She first completed a dual undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education and in Mathematics/Computer Science from Boston College (BC). She then earned a Masters degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology also from BC. Her previous teaching experiences include kindergarten and second grade. Along with her studies, Laura was a varsity cheerleader and an active participant in the community service programs at BC. As our first grade teacher, Laura is excited to be able to continue her love for teaching, cheering, and community service here at Saint Sebastian.

Lucia Jamieson – Kindergarten Teacher
Lucia Jamieson knows the St. Sebstian community very well as she has taught not only kindergarten, but second grade, third grade, and junior high here. Lucia completed her undergraduate degree in Modern Languages from the University of Caldas in Manizales, Colombia. Lucia then completed her California Teaching Credential in Spanish and her Master’s Degree in Elementary Bilingual Education from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Spring 2006. Lucia is finishing up her Elementary Bilingual Curriculum and Language Acquisition and Development (BCLAD) Credential also from LMU. Through her many years at St. Sebastian, Lucia has served in a variety of roles, including Religion Coordinator, Academic Decathlon Coach, and Standardized Testing Coordinator.

Kristine Vardanyan - Pre-K Director
For the past nine years, Kristine Vardanyan has been involved in different capacities in the field of early childhood education. Her varied roles have included Master Teacher, Mentor Teacher, Executive Director, Child Advocate, and College Lecturer. She received a degree in Bachelor of Science from California State University, Los Angeles. She then earned a degree in Master of Arts in Human Development with an emphasis on College Teaching from Pacific Oaks College. Pacific Oaks College is one of the leading institutions in the United States that focuses on early childhood development. Kristine is pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis on Human Development from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont.

Aracely Jimenez - Pre-K Lead Teacher
Aracely Jimenez has been in the field of early education for 20 years. She has taught preschool in different capacities, such as assistant teacher, Mentor teacher and Master teacher. Ms. Jimenez is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Development from California State University, Los Angeles. She considers herself to be one of the luckiest people in the world because she wakes up everyday and looks forward to seeing her students and their families. Ms. Jimenez believes that every child is unique and special. She also believes that every child needs and deserves unconditional love and respect.

Bessy Arriaza - Pre-K Teacher
Bessy Arriaza is very excited to be a member of our PreK team. Bessy has been teaching preschool for the past ten years where she has worked at two other preschools in the Los Angeles Area. She will be transferring to California State University at Los Angeles (CSULA) where she will be completing her Bachelor’s of Art in Child Development. Afterwards, Bessy plans to earn her Master of Arts in Child Development. As far as Bessy remembers, she has always dreamt of being a teacher. Working with children and their families is her lifelong passion. To her, it is one of the most rewarding and important professions.