Comedy and Cuisine

2010 Comedy & Cuisine Honors
Our Outstanding Faculty

Our award-winning faculty is also being honored at this year’s Comedy & Cuisine. Our outstanding faculty carries on the Dominican tradition of educating the whole child in academics, faith and service to community. The faculty’s success is demonstrated, in part, by the numerous awards of distinction that have been awarded to St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School.

• One of only two schools in the State of Nebraska to receive a "Blue Ribbon" award for academic excellence from the U.S. Department of Education in 2007.
• Recognized for outstanding programs in the arts by the Nebraska Alliance for Arts Education and the Nebraska Council of School Administrators in 2006.
• Recognized as a National Exemplary School by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Awarded the Creighton University Presidential Medallion in 2006.
• Our faculty serves on National Workshop committees for the National Catholic Education Association and has contributed to the national curriculum.

More importantly, their success is evidenced by our children’s successes. As we know, St. Cecilia graduates have consistently demonstrated academic success in addition to successes in faith and service. For all of these reasons, we feel lucky and blessed to have our children educated by these dedicated and talented teachers. Please read on to get a tiny glimpse of their extreme talent, commitment to partnering with us to educate our children’s minds, bodies and souls, and more importantly, their undevoted dedication to our children.

We are blessed to have such a wonderful faculty to influence our children every day!

Thank you!

As a token of our appreciation for the dedicated faculty of St. Cecilia Grade School, Comedy & Cuisine 2010 will make a donation to allow for the implementation of a St. Cecilia Faculty Garden which will be established this Summer on our campus.

The garden will be in honor of our teachers, and in recognition of the loss of their dear friend and extraordinary gardener - Rose Luebbert.

Teachers Wish List

As you can imagine, our teachers are continually striving for the best methods and tools to help our children grow academically and spiritually. To help them out, we have placed donation cards on your table to help raise funds to purchase items from each teacher’s Wish List. If you would like to show your support of our outstanding teachers by donating towards a Wish List item, simply fill out the Wish List Donation form that has been placed on your table, or at the Wish List table in the silent auction area. Please join us in honoring our teachers for their continued dedication and commitment to our children’s education by donating towards their Wish Lists.

We honor our award-winning faculty!

Principal: Mrs. Paulette Rourke

has been the School’s Principal since the fall of 2008 after teaching for 35 years in grades 5 - 8. Mrs. Rourke’s son and daughter are both graduates of St. Cecilia. Her awards include: National Catholic Education Association Distinguished Teacher and Omaha Archdiocese Metro Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Secretary: Mrs. Theresa Tworek-Jensen

is the School’s Secretary and the comforting face and welcoming voice that greets our children, parents and visitors to our school. Mrs. Tworek-Jensen has been with St. Cecilia for eight years, with six years as a para-professional and the last two years as secretary of the school. Mrs. Tworek-Jensen’s son is an 8th grader and her older children are graduates of St. Cecilia.

Pre-Kindergarten: Mrs. Crystal Gerken

is the school’s Pre-Kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Gerken has been teaching for six years, with the last four of them being at St. Cecilia's. She completed her student teaching at St. Cecilia with Mrs. Swanson. She has three children attending St. Cecilia and her fourth child is due on the night of this event!

Kindergarten: Mrs. Rose Luebbert

had been our St. Cecilia Kindergarten teacher for the last 20 years. She started teaching at St. Cecilia 25 years ago, opened the pre-school 23 years ago, taught 1st grade for one year, and then found her home in the Kindergarten classroom. Our St. Cecilia school family lost this extraordinary kindergarten teacher to cancer this year and her immediate family lost someone even more memorable than a kindergarten teacher… a truly wonderful wife, a mother and a beautiful friend and gardener. Her three children are graduates of St. Cecilia, and were taught by her. We have memories of the gingerbread man, the Letter People and more importantly her comforting hugs and her compassion and patience in teaching kindergarteners which will forever be engrained in the spirit of our school. We will miss her dearly and are so grateful to have known her. May God hold her in the palm of His hand and provide comfort and peace to her family.

Kindergarten: Mrs. Bridget Morton

has served as the school’s substitute Kindergarten teacher throughout the last two school years. Mrs. Morton’s selfless giving at a time of such great need for the school family speaks volumes of her generosity. Her two sons currently attend St. Cecilia and she, herself, is a graduate of St. Cecilia.

First Grade: Mrs. Margaret Swanson

is the school’s 1st grade teacher and has served as the student teacher instructor for several teachers. She has been teaching for 39 years, with 37 of those years being at St. Cecilia. In all of that time, we can’t imagine that any one of her students has EVER heard her raise her voice! Mrs. Swanson is herself a graduate of St. Cecilia's Elementary School and Cathedral High School and her son and daughter are also graduates of St. Cecilia.

Second Grade: Mrs. Dorothy Buchan

is the school’s 2nd grade teacher. She has been teaching for 33 years, with 29 of those years being at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Buchan is an extremely effective and disciplined, yet compassionate teacher, not only for the students but the parents as well. Many students try to see if they can grow to be taller than her before they leave 2nd grade! She is a graduate of St. Cecilia Elementary School and Cathedral High School, and her five children are graduates of the grade school.

Third Grade: Mrs. Sherri Heimerman

is the school’s 3rd grade teacher. She has been teaching for 25 years, with the last 14 of those years being at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Heimerman has five children, all of whom attended St. Cecilia and three of which are currently in college, one is currently in high school and a son who is in 8th grade at St. Cecilia.

Fourth Grade: Mrs. Deb Jacobsen

is the school’s 4th grade teacher. She has been teaching for 14 years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. She has three children - two sons who have graduated from St. Cecilia and a daughter in 8th grade at St. Cecilia.

Fourth Grade: Mrs. Tammy Mateljan<.dt>

also teaches 4th grade at St. Cecilia. She has been teaching for 12 years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia’s. She is a graduate of St. Cecilia Elementary School and Cathedral High School. Both of her children are students at St. Cecilia.

Fifth Grade: Mrs. Cathy Lyons

teaches 5th grade, and is one of the school’s most energetic and charismatic cheerleaders! She has been teaching for 28 years, with 25 of those years being at St. Cecilia. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and for the past 15 years 5th and 6th grades. Mrs. Lyons graduated from St. Cecilia Elementary School and Cathedral High School. Her three children are graduates of St. Cecilia.

Fifth Grade: Mrs. Kristi Cornelius

also teaches 5th grade at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Cornelius has been teaching for 23 years, with 21 of those years being at St. Cecilia. Her daughter attends St. Cecilia.

Sixth Grade: Mrs. Milly Garcia

is the school’s 6th grade teacher. She has been teaching for 33 years, with 20 of those years being at St. Cecilia. She taught 4th grade for three years and has taught 6th grade ever since. Mrs. Garcia has three children, all of whom graduated from St. Cecilia.

Seventh Grade: Mr. Michael Kelly

is one of the school’s 7th grade teacher and the school’s tie fashion trend-setter! Mr. Kelly has been teaching for 41 years, with seven of those years being at St. Cecilia. Mr. Kelly teaches Junior High English.

Seventh Grade: Mrs. Deborah Rosenberg

also teaches 7th grade at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Rosenberg has been teaching for 30 years, with two of those years being at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Rosenberg teaches Junior High Math.

Eighth Grade: Mr. John Pakiz

is the school’s 8th grade teacher. Mr. Pakiz has been teaching for 15 years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. Mr. Pakiz was student taught under Mrs. Rourke. Mr. Pakiz teaches Junior High Social Studies.

Eighth Grade: Mrs. Tara Petersen

also teaches 8th grade. Mrs. Petersen has been teaching for 15 years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. She teaches Junior High Science and was student taught under Mrs. Rourke.

Music: Mrs. Carol Walters

is the school’s Music teacher. She has been teaching for 31 years, with 24 of those years being at St. Cecilia. Her son and daughter attended St. Cecilia.

Physical Education: Mrs. Karen Millmann

is the school’s Physical Education teacher. She has been teaching for one year at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Millman is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas.

Library: Miss Susie Livingston

is the school’s Librarian and Computer Resource teacher (and sometimes the photographer too!). She has been teaching for 28 years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. Miss Livingston is a graduate of St. Cecilia.

Technology: Mrs. Kelly Hickey

is the school’s Technology Coordinator and Network Administrator. She has been teaching for seven years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Hickey’s daughter is a graduate of St. Cecilia and she has a son and daughter who currently attend St. Cecilia.

Art: Mrs. Frances Fitzpatrick

is the school’s Art teacher. She has been teaching for 20 years, with 10 of those years being at St. Cecilia.

Para-Professional: Mrs. Jill Stoffel

is also a para-professional assisting with teaching Pre-Kindergarten. She has been teaching at St. Cecilia for two years. Mrs. Stoffel’s son is currently a student at St. Cecilia.

Para-Professional: Mrs. Deb Kirschenman

is a para-professional assisting with teaching the 3rd grade. She has been teaching for two years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Kirschenman has a daughter who is currently a student at St. Cecilia.

Para-Professional: Mrs. Jean Batenhorst-Smith

is also a para-professional assisting with teaching Kindergarten. She has been teaching for two years, all of which have been at St. Cecilia. Mrs. Batenhorst-Smith is a St. Cecilia Grade School and Cathedral High School graduate. She has four children who are currently students at St. Cecilia.