Mr. David Lopez
St. Genevieve School
Panorama City
Mr. David Lopez is the 7th grade teacher and technology coordinator at St. Genevieve School in Panorama City. He has been at the school for seven years and during that time brought the school into the 21st century with technology. Five years ago the teachers had an old computer in the back of their rooms which was not connected to the internet, students went to a computer lab with very old computers and learned to type on them but little else, and the school only had paper communication with parents. Due to Mr. Lopez’s leadership and technological skills, St. Genevieve Elementary School is a transformed school. Through his efforts the teachers have updated computers and received in-services to help integrate language arts with the school’s Apple laptops. They also use Edmodo to communicate with students and parents online, as well as Gradelink and the new school website, spartansonline.org, to receive emails and share homework with students. Through his leadership we are piloting one of the first IPad programs in which students in Grades 6-8 use IPads with online textbooks, create PowerPoint for presentations, and utilize many other apps which help create engaging learning environments for our students. The school will never be the same! Mr. Lopez has given various workshops to the school community on internet safety. Students love to be in his class as he is professional and models his Catholic faith in a kind and sincere manner with all in the school.
Ms. Beth Cohen
St. Philip the Apostle School
Pasadena
Ms. Beth Cohen is the junior high science teacher at St. Philip the Apostle School. She has been teaching science at the school since 2005. In addition to being an excellent teacher who plans lessons and assessments that meet the needs of all of the different learners in her classroom, Ms. Cohen also runs both a science fair and a reverse science fair each year. The science fair is typical of most junior high science fairs, although the caliber of projects has certainly increased over the years. But it is the reverse science fair that is so very different. Ms. Cohen invites scientists, medical professionals, inventors, and others in scientific fields to come to St. Philip to spend a day presenting their research or field to our students. On the day of the reverse science fair, the students visit with the visiting scientists and question them about their field. It is a wonderful day in which the students are exposed to all of the possible scientific fields available to them. The school has hosted visitors from Cal Tech, JPL, USC, UCLA, and numerous other facilities. Students from St. Francis High School come and present their biology projects. In addition to presenting their research to the students, the scientists return in the spring as judges for the student’s science projects. This is a wonderful opportunity for the students to defend their project to a real scientist. The reverse science fair was conceived and implemented by Ms. Cohen. She is truly a teacher who goes above and beyond to provide every way possible to reach her students.
Ms. Lisa Widmann
Good Shepherd School
Los Angeles
Ms. Lisa Widmann has been a teacher at Good Shepherd School for 11 years. She is the mother of five children, all of whom attended Good Shepherd as well. Ms. Widmann is the 8th Grade teacher. She is recognized as a leader among her peers and is always the one who volunteers to take on extra responsibilities. Presently, she is the moderator of the Student Council and the head of our STEP Team. She also is the Junior High Level Chairperson. Almost all of the school activities are organized by Ms. Widmann, the 8th Grade and/or the Student Council. One of her very special gifts is directing the school musical every year. This is the highlight of the 8th Graders’ year and something every 8th grade class looks forward to every year. This musical is a family production as Ms. Widmann’s husband, daughters and sons are all involved in either playing the music, choreographing the dances or taking care of the sets. She also sings in her Church choir on the weekends. Her energy and enthusiasm for her family, her Church, Good Shepherd School and her profession are admirable. Ms. Widmann is truly one of those dedicated Catholic School educators who goes above and beyond. We are lucky to have her as part of Good Shepherd School.
Ms. Lisette Williford
St. Raphael School
Santa Barbara
Ms. Lisette Williford is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and just received her Masters Degree as well as her teaching credential from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). We are excited to have Ms. Williford return to St. Raphael’s as she is a graduate. She joins a long list of teacher who are St. Raphael’s grads. Ms. Williford brings a lot of new ideas in the areas of curriculum and instruction to our amazing staff.
Ms. Mary Margaret Grady
American Martyrs School
Manhattan Beach
Ms. Mary-Margaret Grady has enjoyed a 30 year career in the classroom, the last 14 of which have been as an American Martyrs School Kindergarten teacher. Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Denver, Colorado, Ms. Grady grew up attending Catholic schools. She feels blessed to be a part of the American Martyrs School community. She says being able to incorporate God in all aspects of teaching as well as the generous support of the parents and administration make AMS a terrific place to work. Ms. Grady’s love of teaching goes well beyond the walls of her own kindergarten classroom. She has a Masters in Literacy from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and is a Certified Dyslexia Specialist. For the last 11 years she has served as chairperson for the school’s Student Success Team, heading up the school’s goal to implement the idea and practice of “inclusion” for all students in all grades. The goal of inclusion is to make sure that every student is taught in the way they learn best. This means that every child’s needs are met whether they are a high achiever, a child struggling in a certain subject or a child with a specific learning disability — this last group makes up 10 percent of the AMS school population. Through the efforts of Ms. Grady and the SST, AMS is now used as a model for other catholic schools implementing their own inclusion goals. Ms. Grady believes that students grasp the idea of inclusion better than anyone, as it teaches them understanding, compassion and empathy for their fellow students. Her husband Mike is also an educator, having spent the last 35 years in the Math Department at LMU. The Gradys have two grown sons, Sean and Ryan. Ryan has followed in his parents footsteps and teaches math to 7th – 12th graders at the Pilgrim School in Los Angeles. When she is not in her classroom, Ms. Grady loves to cook and is an avid reader. She also enjoys traveling with her husband and Sudoku puzzles.
Ms. Kris Chisholm
La Reina High School
Thousand Oaks
Ms. Kris Chisholm is the quintessential Catholic school teacher. A principal dreams of having a school of individuals like Ms. Chisholm. She came to La Reina High School in September 2002, taking over for an English teacher in an emergency situation. Overnight, she went from being a substitute to a fulltime teacher. An alumna of La Reina, she knew that the English Department program was demanding and she wanted to teach it well. Always the curious student, she sought direction and help, and quickly mastered the material. The next year when she was challenged by a particular class, she videotaped it, and asked the Department Chair to watch the tape and help her develop strategies that would work. She immediately put into practice the suggestions made, and the rest of the year went smoothly. Each year, she grew as a teacher; soon, she was helping other teachers, and showing them how to use technology effectively. She was asked to fill a different slot and teach at a different level each time. She always said yes, accepting new challenges, teaching new material, finding ways to reach students. This year she again was asked to teach at a new level. Her goal is simple: always do what is best for the students. You will seldom find her in the teacher’s lounge unless she is collaborating with another teacher, or helping one. You will seldom find her there during lunch because she is in her classroom, tutoring students, going over essays, and generally being available for her students. She is very approachable; students feel listened to and cared about in her presence. When her name is mentioned to former students, they immediately respond with, “We love Ms. Chisholm and Ms. Chisholm loves us.” The second part of that statement is as important as the first. Students feel validated in Ms. Chisholm’s classroom whether they are struggling with particular material or at the top of their class. Two years ago the administration needed someone to take over the literary magazine. The principal asked Ms. Chisholm, knowing that she was not only creative, and hard-working, but that students would be attracted to the organization because Ms. Chisholm was in charge of it. The magazine her students created was worthy of the best the school has published. Besides teaching four English classes and moderating the literary magazine, Ms. Chisholm is also Sophomore Class Moderator. Ms. Chisholm, who attended St. Rose of Lima School and La Reina High School, is dedicated to her Catholic faith. An active member of St. Peter Claver Parish in Simi Valley, Ms. Chisholm has been a Religious Education instructor for the last three years. When she was at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Simi Valley, she led Girl Scouts for three years, helped at the parish carnival and served in the parent-teacher organizations for several years. In an effort to help her students and to deepen her own faith, Ms. Chisholm has attended the Religious Education Congress for many years. A faith-filled woman, Ms. Chisholm is the sort of teacher that La Reina High School seeks out and is blessed to have.
Ms. Suaronne Angeletti
Verbum Dei High School
Los Angeles
Ms. Suaronne Angeletti is a passionate, intelligent, and caring teacher who is in her sixth year in the mathematics department at Verbum Dei High School. Ms. Angeletti attended St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey before matriculating to Florida A & M University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. At Verbum Dei, Ms. Angeletti has taught all levels of math from Pre-Algebra to Pre-Calculus. In addition to her work within the classroom, Ms. Angeletti is dedicated to the spiritual and extra-curricular growth of her students. Ms. Angeletti is often found chaperoning Christian Service trips, retreats, and immersion experiences, and she participates in a weekly Bible study group. Since 2005 Ms. Angeletti has moderated Verbum Dei’s Robotics Team, which in 2010 won the Los Angeles Regional Team Spirit Award at the annual FIRST Robotics competition in Long Beach. The Robotics Team provides an avenue for students to put their passion for mathematics and engineering to work in a real-world setting. Always looking to further develop herself as a teacher, Ms. Angeletti is currently pursuing a master’s degree in secondary education at Loyola Marymount University. Characteristic of a Catholic school graduate, Ms. Angeletti also gives of her time and gifts to others. She serves on the Board of Directors of a non-profit called The Lady-Like Foundation, Inc., which is a faith based outreach organization that serves to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as promote spiritual virtue and femininity in every aspect of a woman’s life. The Lady-Like Foundation offers cutting edge resource programs that prepare, empower, awaken, and inspire women of all ages to reach their God given potential and become well-rounded professionals in a competitive society.