| 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.
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