Kindergarten

Marion Lewis

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Mrs. Marion Lewis graduated from Creighton University in 1982 with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Education. She has been teaching Kindergarten for 33 years. She taught at the La Vista Kinder Care for a year and a half before starting up the kindergarten program at Sts. Peter and Paul School in South Omaha. Mrs. Lewis taught kindergarten there for 15 years before joining us as our kindergarten teacher in 1999. She taught at St. Mary's until 2012 and then left briefly to work as a kindergarten teacher for St. Patrick's in Elkhorn. She has since returned and is excited to be back "home" again at St.Mary's! Mrs. Lewis and her husband, Mark have 9 children, all of whom are graduates of St. Mary's - the youngest of whom graduated in 2013. She enjoys reading, quilting, spending time with her family - especially her children and grandsons.

1st Grade

Sharon Gaspers

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Ms. Sharon Gaspers is a graduate of the College of St. Mary's, Omaha and has continuing education credits from the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), Creighton University, and Peru State College. Ms. Gaspers began her teaching career at St. Mary's teaching 6th, 3rd, combination 4th/5th, and 1st grades. She says, "Being a part of the reading process is an exciting journey that I look forward to each year." That's only one part of what she looks forward to, she says, "I am blessed every year to share my faith journey with my students and equally blessed that they share their journey with each other and me." When she is not teaching, Ms. Gaspers enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, and spending time with her nieces and nephews.

2nd Grade

Maureen Sobilo

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Mrs. Maureen Sobilo has taught at St. Mary's School since 1990. Throughout these years, she has remained our second grade teacher - except for one year when an additional third grade teacher was needed, so she was promoted up a grade! Second grade gives her the opportunity to share her faith with her students as she prepares them for the sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. Mrs. Sobilo was born and raised in New York City and Long Island. She attended college in New York, California, and finally here in Nebraska. Mrs. Sobilo holds a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Peru State, plus many graduate courses in Special Education and Administration. She and her husband, Dave, have been married since 1973. Dave was in the Air Force and they were assigned to Offutt A.F.B. in 1987. They have two adult children named Kelly and Sean. Kelly lives and works in Arlington, Virginia and Sean lives and works in Omaha. They also have a very spoiled fur baby named “Lucy." In her free time, Mrs. Sobilo loves to read and travel. She told us she feels honored to teach at St. Mary’s, "Everyone is so welcoming, caring, and supportive." She is now teaching children of former students and for her, it's very rewarding that they are carrying on the tradition of Catholic education for their own families. 

3rd Grade

Diane Embury

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Mrs. Diane Embury has been teaching 3rd grade at St. Mary's since 1990. She says, "Third grade is such a fun grade! We pray together, play together, and learn together. It is an ideal setting to develop a strong faith and academic foundation." Both of her adult daughters are graduates of St. Mary's. Mrs. Embury earned her Bachelor's of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a Biology minor from Mt. Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She also has graduate hours from UNO, Wayne State College, and Creighton University. Her teaching experience has been in the Catholic school system working with 3rd through 8th grades at St. Rose of Lima in Denison, Iowa; St. Philip Neri in Omaha; and, of course, St. Mary's in Bellevue. She continues to attend workshops in a variety of areas including reading, math, and technology. Mrs. Embury enjoys flower gardening, baking, and wool stitchery projects in her free time.

4th Grade

Mary Jankovich

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Miss Mary Jankovich is overjoyed to be teaching 4th grade at St. Mary's School! Miss Jankovich (Miss J.) graduated from UNO with a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. She has taught Kindergarten, 3rd grade, 5-6th grade, Jr. High (Social Studies), and K-8 computer classes. Miss J. was raised in South Omaha along with her 11 brothers and sisters. She enjoys spending time with them, their families, and her parents - both of whom are "master storytellers" and encouraged her to be the same. Miss J. was raised with a strong love of faith, reading, and history. "Everyone has a story, whether it is in a textbook or passed down through family stories. I encourage a classroom environment where everyone can tell their unique story about their journey as children of God." Miss J continues to develop her skills by attending workshops for reading, math, writing, and many other topics. She is a lifelong learner and hopes to inspire her students to be the same.

5th Grade

Cindy Menzel

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Mrs. Cindy Menzel is our fifth grade teacher here at St. Mary's School. She is a graduate of Midland Lutheran College with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She earned her Master's Degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) in Special Education. Mrs. Menzel has experience teaching several different grade levels in Columbus, NE and the Bellevue Public School System. She was a long-time substitute teacher for St. Mary's School prior to joining the faculty in 2007. Mrs. Menzel and her husband, Ted, have been active members of St. Mary's Parish since 1985, and are proud parents of three St. Mary's graduates who attended school here from Pre-K through 8th grade.

6th Grade

Becky Ham

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Mrs. Becky Ham is St. Mary's middle school math and science teacher, as well as the 6th grade homeroom teacher. Mrs. Ham is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is currently pursuing her masters at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She’s been teaching math for six years. She lives in Plattsmouth with her husband and three children. In her free time, she loves to read and enjoys game night with her family. She also likes drawing and gardening.

7th Grade

Lauren Pritza

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More information coming soon!

8th Grade

Carol Sheridan

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Ms, Carol Sheridan has taught middle school at St. Mary's for more than 10 years now. Her teaching responsibilities include religion, literature, and language arts for the 7th and 8th graders. She has a Bachelor's of Arts Degree from Mount Marty College with majors in Elementary Education and Religious Education. Her Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction was earned through Doane College. Ms. Sheridan has taught in Catholic schools since 1983. She says, "Although I spend a good deal of my day making sure students know how to write and enjoy literature, I choose to teach in a Catholic school because I want my students to develop a strong relationship with God. I have the opportunity to bring faith into the classroom all day and in everything we do. I am blessed to have that opportunity."

Art

Allayna Bash

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More information coming soon!

Music

Peg Kallman

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Being a member of a family of 12 children, one really has to work hard to stand out and be noticed. Ms. Peg Kallman accomplished this by being a drama queen from the age of two years old! Her father was in the US Army, and they traveled a lot while growing up. Ms. Kallman entertained everyone along the way!

She received her Bachelor's of Arts Degree from Saint Mary's College in Leavenworth, Kansas with majors in Music and Theatre. Upon graduation, Ms. Kallman ran Cornucopia Theatre - a successful children's theater touring company in Kansas City, Missouri. After returning to the Omaha area in 1986, she worked for a number of years as a costumer for Ibsen Costume Gallery, Ballet Omaha, and the Omaha Community Playhouse. Ms. Kallman was the Costume Designer for Creighton University's Dance and Theatre departments for three years along with costuming, directing, and music directing several community theater plays and musicals in the area. In keeping with her "drama queen" title, she appeared on stage in the Omaha area in many plays and musicals.

An active member of St. Mary's Parish from 1973, Ms. Kallman has been a cantor here since she was 16 years old. She began her teaching career at St. Mary's School in 2000. Shortly after coming to St. Mary's School, she earned her Nebraska Teaching Certificate. Peg is responsible for having created the drama program at the school. Now she is training the drama queens and kings of the future!

Spanish

Joanne Sjostedt

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Mrs. Joanne Sjostedt is the Spanish teacher for all grades at St. Mary's School and she is also the Resource Specialist. She graduated from the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, New Jersey where she earned a degree in Elementary and Special Education with a Certificate of Proficiency in Spanish. Mrs. Sjostedt continued to complete her Master's Degree Program in Human Development from Fairleigh Dickinson University, also in New Jersey. She taught for 12 years in public schools, including 5 years for the Department of Defense in Japan and Germany. In 2006, Mrs. Sjostedt began teaching Spanish and Resource classes at St. Mary's School. "I had always wanted to teach in a Catholic School and share my Catholic faith with all children. To be able to attend Mass and pray daily in school is a gift." She has since earned her Spanish Language Endorsement K-12 from Nebraska Wesleyan University. Mrs. Sjostedt teaches Pre K through 4th grade Spanish once a week, while middle school grades meet twice a week. 7th and 8th grade Spanish begin Level 1 High School Spanish utilizing the book, Avancemos. www.avancemos.com (Holt-McDougal) She is also the Chess Coach Sponsor and Right to Life Coordinator. Mrs. Sjostedt and her husband, Dave, have five children - all of whom graduated from St. Mary's School.

Physical Education

Joan Hug

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Mrs. Joan Hug is St. Mary's Physical Education teacher for grades K-8th. She has her Bachelor's of Science Degree in Elementary Education from UNO. She also has a K-12, endorsement in Physical Education. Mrs. Hug has taught at several Catholic schools in the Omaha metro area. She taught at St. Ann's School 1 year, St. Mary's School in Omaha 3 years, Holy Ghost 25 years, and now she has been teaching at St. Mary's School in Bellevue for more than 6 years. Currently she splits her time between Sts. Peter and Paul and St. Mary's School. Over the years Mrs. Hug has also taught health and math classes. Mrs. Hug enjoys the caring, supportive and friendly atmosphere at St. Mary's as well as the dedicated faculty and staff. Mrs. Hug is a Member of Sts. Peter and Paul in Omaha. She is married to her husband, Dan, and together they have three daughters and a grandson named Tyson. Her hobbies are playing volleyball, walking and spending time outdoors, and being with her family.