Meet our Principal, Janet Buras It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself as the new Principal of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School. I have recently relocated to New Braunfels from the Gulf Coast of Mississippi in order to be closer to my son and daughter-in-law. I am a product of Catholic Education and have spent 10 years teaching and 28 years as an administrator in Catholic schools. I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana and spent 26 years working for the
Archdiocese of New Orleans. In 2005 I relocated to become a principal with the Biloxi Diocese in Mississippi, where I was immediately faced with the task of getting my new school back up and
running after Hurricane Katrina. Now God has led me to New Braunfels and Saints Peter and
Paul. I have always been an advocate and promoter of Catholic education. It is truly the greatest gift my parents ever gave me. My Catholic education has made me who I am and what I have
chosen as my career and ministry. God has always led me where he needs me and I pray that his leading me to New Braunfels and SPP will prove to be beneficial to all, especially our children. I feel confident that with your prayers and support we can make this happen.
Meet our staff:
Early Childhood
Pre-Kindergarten teachers:
Meet our PK3 (PK3A) Teacher, Jenny Campbell. Jenny Campbell graduated from Texas Lutheran University with an Early Childhood - Elementary Education degree. She taught in the public school system for 6 years teaching Title 1, 1st grade and 3rd grade. She became a stay at home mom when her first child was born. She and her husband, Brad, have been married for 16 years. Their daughter, Braelyn, is in the 6th grade here at SPP. Her twin and big brother have both been called home to be with our Lord. Tambryn and Braden had SMA, a rare genetic disorder. Mrs. Campbell is a huge advocate for special needs children and their families. She loves to read, run, craft and have adventures outside. After 13 years of being away from the classroom she is thrilled to get back into teaching again and excited to share this year with the little ones on our campus.
Meet our PK3 (PK3A) Aide, Hazel Simoni.
Meet our PK3 (PK3B) Teacher, Lisa Curtis. Mrs. Curtis is a graduate of Southwest Texas State
University earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Educatin. She is certified in
EC-4th grade as well as ESL. This will be her 13th year of teaching. She taught kindergarten at rolling Hills Catholic School in San Antonio and also taught pre-k4 and kindergarten for
Lockhart ISD. Mrs. Curtis has been a Vacation Bible School volunteer, as well as, a parent volunteer at SPP. She lives in New Braunfels with her husband, son, daughter and two dogs. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Mrs. Curtis is looking forward to a fun filled school year.
Meet our PK3 (PK3B) Aide, Mary Frausto. This is Mrs. Frausto's first year at Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic School. She has a Paraprofessional Certificate. Mrs. Frausto comes from Comal ISD, where she was an assistant teacher in the Dual Language Program and also worked as an Administrative Assistant. She was PTC President for the 2016-2017 school year at SPP. She has joined the American Heritage Girls Troop #0905 as a Shepard Leader. Her husband, Alex is a Software Engineer for Continental in Seguin. They just celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this September. God has blessed them with two beautiful little girls. Liliana Alexis is in the 3rd grade and Emma Grace is in the 1st grade here at SPP. Mrs. Frausto enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys reading, playing tennis, crafting and attending adoration.
Meet our PK4 (PK4A) Teacher, Staci Higginbotham.
Meet our PK4 (PK4A) Aide, Tina DeVito. This is Tina Devito's second year as an assistant for prek3 at SPP. She also worked in the after school care program. She is originally from New York, and is a devoted mom to two children, who attend school here at SPP. When not at school, she enjoys spending time with friends, and watching her kids participate in their extracurricular activities
Meet our PK4 (PK4B) Teacher, Katie Leitgen. Mrs. Leitgen earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and graduated Cum Laude from Chaminade University in Hawaii. She is a certified teacher and has been teaching for 10 years! Mrs. Leitgen was born in San Antonio, TX and moved to New Braunfels in 2004. She is married to Robb Leitgen and they have two wonderful children. Katie enjoys reading, traveling, shopping, and spending time with her family.
Meet our PK4 (PK4B) Aide, Carla Early. Mrs. Early has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has been a substitute teacher and a PK4 Aide for 3 years at SPP. Previously, she worked as a Program Coordinator with a private, nonprofit in Austin. Carla and her husband, Bob, have made their home in New Braunfels for 10 years and have a daughter, Ava, in second grade at SPP.
School of Grammar
Kindergarten teachers:
Meet our Kindergarten (KA) Teacher, Emily Smith. Mrs. Smith graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana in 1998 with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She has been married for 15 years to Clayton, an engineer for Rolls-Royce. They have been blessed with one son and two daughters, three dogs and a cat. She has had many opportunities to teach in Catholic schools around the country. God has had a hand in placing her in the right schools. She has taught at St. Andrew the Apostle in Indianapolis, and Benoit Academy and St. Joseph in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Her last teaching assignment was the most difficult and yet brought her the most joy. She moved with her husband to Easley, South Carolina and was hired for the 3rd grade teacher at St. Anthony School on the spot. She worked with at-risk students for two years before taking a break from teaching to be a stay-at-home mom. Her three children attend Sts. Peter and Paul. She is a competition Power lifter and has won several state and national titles and now looks forward to working with your Kindergartners.
Meet our Kindergarten (KB) Teacher, Britany Rodriguez. This is Mrs. Rodriguez's second year teaching kindergarten at Sts. Peter & Paul. Before kindergarten she taught 5 years of middle school in La Vernia. She has 3 kids Brayden, Ava, and Allie, and a very supportive husband. She loves being involved in our SPP community and looks forward to an amazing year!
First grade teachers:
Meet our First Grade (1A) Teacher, Erica Aurora. Ms. Aurora graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelors of Science degree with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies. This is her seventh year teaching at Sts. Peter and Paul. She taught Kindergarten for 4 years and this will be her 3rd year teaching first grade. Ms. Aurora has one super cool daughter that is in first grade at Sts. Peter and Paul and a dog that chews up anything within reach. In her spare time Ms. Aurora enjoys sewing and being creative, working around her house, and spending lots of time with family and friends.
Meet our First Grade (1B) Teacher, Robyn Krug. Mrs. Krug graduated from Texas State University with a post graduate degree in Education. She started her teaching career in Mississippi while her husband was in the Air Force. She taught for five years before deciding to stay home with her two children. This will be her first year at SPP and she is eager to get back in the classroom. It will be a family affair as her oldest son, Bryson, will be attending Kindergarten at SPP and her youngest, Brock, will be in the Pre-K 3 class. In her spare time, Mrs. Krug enjoys refurbishing furniture, fishing, and spending time with her family.
Second grade teachers:
Meet our Second Grade (2A) Teacher, Reagan McNeill. Mrs. McNeill graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria with a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2003. This is her second year at Sts. Peter and Paul, however, this will be her 14th year teaching awesome kids! She enjoys planning and creating hands-on learning opportunities for her students and finding new and exciting ways to help them learn. Mrs. McNeill and her husband, Thomas, have
three wonderful kids, Charlie, Emma, and Reid. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies, traveling and shopping.
Meet our Second Grade (2B) Teacher, Tammy Schaefer. Mrs. Schaefer is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University. This is her seventh year teaching at Sts. Peter and Paul. Mrs. Schaefer was born and raised in New Braunfels. She and her husband have one wonderful son. Mrs. Schaefer enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, traveling and being outdoors.
Third grade teachers:
Meet our Third Grade (3A) Teacher, Jill Van Geffen. Mrs. Van Geffen graduated from LeTournaeu University with a Bachelor degree in Education. This will be Jill's 8th year as a member of the staff at Sts. Peter and Paul. Jill was raised in Austin, Texas and moved to New Braunfels in 2008. She has been married for 16 years and has a daughter who is in the 9th grade at St. John Paul 2 high school. Jill enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.
Meet our Fourth Grade (3B) Teacher, Christina Duncan. Mrs. Duncan graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio with a Bachelor of Arts dual major of Biology and English with a concentration in Education. She also currently holds three Texas teaching certificates in her content areas and special education. Mrs. Duncan has been teaching since 2003: two years in Fort Bend ISD in Sugarland, two years in Comal ISD here in New Braunfels, and has been at Sts. Peter and Paul since the 2007-2008 school year. Mrs. Duncan has been married to Henry (Mitch) Duncan since 2007 and has a son, Tristen. Mrs. Duncan LOVES cats! Much to her chagrin, her husband and son are allergic so they have a beautiful dog....to which she is allergic.
Fourth Grade teachers:
Meet our Fourth Grade (4A) Teacher, Stephanie Rosales. Mrs. Rosales was raised in Schertz and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 with a Bachelor's of Art in Art: Visual Communications. She became a Navy wife of Raul who took her to Jacksonville, FL and Juneau, AK. She worked as a graphic designer for 8 years before staying home with the first of eventually four children (and becoming an avid school volunteer) for 13 years in Corpus Christi, Houston and Alexandria, VA. Stephanie rejoined the work force in August 2012 as the school secretary of St. Rita School in Alexandria and loves working in the Catholic school environment. Her teaching experience includes five years as a catechist, four years leading girls in scouting (including building a new American Heritage Girls troop at St. Rita) and a period of homeschooling. Raul and Stephanie's oldest daughter, Claire, is a sophomore at St. John Paul II High School, and their other three attend Sts. Peter & Paul: Olivia (7th), Theo (3rd) and Miriam (1st).
Meet our Fourth Grade (4B) Teacher, Jennifer Rompel. This is Jennifer Rompel's first year as a teacher at Sts. Peter and Paul. She received her bachelor of science in both journalism and English with a minor in art from Stephen F. Austin State University. Before becoming a teacher she worked for several years as journalist at several small daily newspapers. She then decided to continue her education by attending Texas State University to work on her teacher certification. She holds a Texas teacher certifications for the following: English for 6-12 grades, journalism for 9-12 grade, language arts and reading for 4-8 grade and social studies for 4-8 grade. Mrs. Rompel taught for several years at Canyon High School in New Braunfels. She taught English, journalism, radio/TV and speech classes. She decided to become a stay at home mom after having her first child, Trey, who attends St. John Paul II Catholic High School. She also has two daughters, Rachel and Emilie who are students at Sts. Peter and Paul. She has been married to Alan Rompel Jr. for 22 years. She is an active tennis player and is the coach of the school tennis team. When she is not attending her kids soccer games and tennis tournaments, she and her family love to travel.
Fifth Grade Teacher:
Meet our Fifth Grade (5A) Teacher, Joseph Mahlie. Mr. Mahlie graduated from The Ohio State University with a BS degree in Business Administration. For the next twenty years his career was focused on business opportunities while getting his MBA degree from the University of Dayton along the way. He then changed careers and received a Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Dayton. He has worked as a fifth grade teacher in Ohio and has spent the last eleven years teaching fourth grade at St. Anne Catholic School in Beaumont, Texas. When he is not teaching Mr. Mahlie enjoys riding his motorcycles, snow skiing, water skiing, and visiting his children in Ohio, Colorado, and California. He especially enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Mary.
School of Logic:
Meet our School of Logic Math Teacher and Sixth Grade 6A Homeroom Teacher, Emily Tolson. Mrs. Tolson graduated from Texas A&M University in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, 4th – 8th Grade Math and Science. She also graduated from Sam Houston University in 2013 with a Master’s of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Secondary Mathematics. She currently holds Texas teaching certificates in EC-6 Generalist and 4th – 8th Math and Science. She taught Enrichment (pre-k – 6th grade) for one year and 5th and 6th grade science for two years at St. Joseph Catholic School in Bryan. Mrs. Tolson has been married to her husband, John, for over two years now. They have one son, Landon, who is a year and a half old.
Meet our School of Logic Science Teacher and Sixth Grade 6B Homeroom Teacher, Roxanna Brightman.
Meet our School of Logic Latin Teacher and Seventh Grade 7A homeroom Teacher, Cullen Harris. Mr. Harris is a 2015 graduate of The Ohio State University with Bachelor of Arts in English. Before attending Ohio State, Cullen attended the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He joins us after spending several years working in music ministry in various parishes within the Diocese of Columbus. During college, Mr. Harris also worked for the English Department at Ohio State- Newark. Cullen comes from a family of educators, and he enjoys traveling, writing, and reading.
Meet our Religious Coordinator, School of Logic Religion Teacher, and Seventh Grade 7B homeroom teacher, Paul Bain. Mr. Bain earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1987. After working in the field for 5 years he became a full time father. As his household nest emptied into Sts. Peter & Paul School, he also got the call to attend our school - but as a teacher. Though gears and grease fill his head, his heart has room only for heavenly things - The Trinity, the Mass, the saints (including your children) and his beloved family. He has served as catechist in his last 3 parishes, taught Robotics, and coached track in the years between engineering and his tenure here. He remains active in the leadership for charismatic prayer @ St. John the Evangelist in San Marcos. He has 5 children Phillip, Helen, Catherine, Peter, and Susanna ( all of whom attend/ed SP&P ) and a brilliant wife, Dana.
Meet our School of Logic English Language Arts teacher and Eighth Grade 8A Homeroom teacher, Judy Geison. Mrs. Geison graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. After graduating, she served in the United States Air Force in the accounting field for seven years. While in the Air Force she met her husband Gordon, and they were married. After getting out of the Air Force, Mrs. Geison worked in the business field, while following her active duty husband to different assignments. Mrs. Geison received her Teaching
Credential in California, through Santa Clara University and has been teaching in Catholic schools
for over ten years. She was hired to teach English language arts at Sts. Peter and Paul in 2016.
Judy and her husband have been married twenty-five years and have two children Shannon and
Luke.
Meet our School of Logic Social Studies Teacher and Eighth Grade 8B Homeroom teacher, Jennifer Sprencel.
SPECIALS TEACHERS:
Meet our Physical Education teacher and Athletic Director, Rodney Geter. Mr Geter has 16 years teaching experience. He has been at SPP for 8 years and is returning as our Athletic Director. Coach Geter graduated from St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, IN with a BS in communications/ Theater Arts and a minor in secondary education.
Meet our Physical Education aide, Megan Velazquez.
Meet our Art Teacher, Katie Agnew. Mrs. Agnew is returning to SPP for her second year as the Art Teacher and Yearbook Manager. This will be her first year teaching the REACH Program. Mrs. Agnew moved to New Braunfels a year ago, from Houston, with her husband of 10 years and two daughters, both of whom attend SPP. Mrs. Agnew graduated from Angelo State Universiey, was orginially an investment banker, and after spending some time at home with her daughters, started a second career here at SPP following her true passion, Art and Art History. Mrs. Agnew enjoys spending time with extended family and traveling. She is also an avid quilter and sewist.
Meet our School Librarian, Rebecca Matschek. Mrs.Matschek is a graduate of Texas Tech University. She has 11 years teaching experience and has taught from pre K through 8th grade as well as worked as a K-8th librarian while chasing her Air Force husband around the world. She may be a familiar face to some because she taught 2nd grade last school year. She has taught CCD and Confirmation. She has 3 mostly grown children. Her interests include reading, cooking, travel, and KIDS!
Meet our Music Teacher, Liz Williams. Liz Williams graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in Spring of 2016 with her BA in vocal performance focused in classical singing. In her undergraduate studies Ms. Williams was the Assistant Director of ENMU children's chorus. Ms. Williams was an active member in the Newman Center at St. Helen's in Portales. She also was Vice President of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association). Ms. Williams has performed several different operatic roles while pursuing her BA. She has performed internationally in France and in Italy. While performing in a young artist program in France, Ms. Williams decided to change her focus on education. Now, she is a graduate student at Texas State University where she is pursuing her MA in Music Education with an emphasis in choral studies. She will graduate in the Spring of 2018. Ms. Williams has completed Level I of III towards her Kodaly certification. Ms. Williams participates in music ministry at both St. John's and Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish. This will be Ms. Williams second year teaching.
Meet our Spanish Teacher, Melissa Esparza. A lot of the students at Sts. Peter & Paul know me as Ms. E, and some are starting to get into the habit of saying Senora Esparza. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Texas State University in 2015, and I am currently working on my Master's in Business Administration at Texas State University. I am from South Texas, specifically Edinburg, Texas. The 2016-2017 school year, was my first year at Sts. Peter & Paul as the Spanish teacher for the elementary school. This 2017-2018 school year, I have the pleasure of continuing my role as the Spanish teacher, as well as, the Study Skills teacher for our 7th and 8th grade students. I look forward to an exciting school year.
Meet our Teacher’s Aide, Glenda Cobb. Mrs. Cobb graduated from Southwest Texas State with a Bachelors and Masters in Ed., along with a Kindergarten Endorsement. She taught for 13 years in public schools and 4 years in a Mothers’ Day out program before coming to SPP. She is beginning her 19th year here: teaching kindergarten for 11 years and working as a K5 and 1st grade aide for 6 years. Last school year, she helped with the Challenge Lab working with a very special student and is blessed to be working with him again. Mrs. Cobb is married to her husband, Rodney, for 28 years and lives in San Marcos. They have 1 son, Jeremy, who attended SPP from K5 through 6th grade. He is presently getting his Masters at the the Unversity of New Mexico and working with the Lobo football team as a 2nd year graduate assistant Athletic Trainer.
Meet our Panther Den Coordinator and Teacher, Rebecca Mercer. Rebecca Mercer comes to St. Peter and Paul with 18 years of experience teaching in public schools and 7 years of experience tutoring for a local learning center. Ms. Mercer is a native of Seguin, Texas and a graduate of Southwest Texas State University. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, visiting historic sites in Texas, and reading.
Meet our Panther Den Aide, Jana Proff. Mrs. Proff graduated from James Madison University
in 2002 with a Masters in Communication Disorders. She began her career as a speech-language pathologist seeing adults and children in the McKenna/Christus Santa Rosa hospital system. She was then a lecturer and clinical supervisor at Texas State University for 9 years before joining the Sts. Peter and Paul team as a teacher in the Panther Den. She has specialized training and extensive experience and interest in providing dyslexia services and early literacy interventions. She attended Catholic school in Victoria, Texas for grades K-12 and feels working
in a Catholic school is like a homecoming. She has three children who attend Sts. Peter and Paul and loves working here helping students grow in their confidence and love of school.
Meet our Dean of Students and Technology Teacher, Wes Streeter. This is Mr. Streeter's 2nd year at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School after moving with his family from Kansas 2.5 years ago. Mr. Streeter holds a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a Masters Degree in Education from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. He also has 45 additional college credits in leadership and problem solving courses. This is his 12th year serving in the education field. Prior to comning to SPP, he taught in public schools for 10 years. He has also served 3 years as a chairsperson on St. Mary's Catholic School's Advisory Council in Pittsburg, Kansas. His wife, Brooklyn, is the plant manager of a plastics manufacturing company in Seguin. They celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary this past summer. they have two amazing daughters who both attend SPP. Addilyn is in 4th grade and Audrina is in Kindergarten. Mr. Streeter loves spending time with his family! He also enjoys watching sports, tinkering in the
garage and helping people fix things.
Meet our Director of Instruction and Director, Dorothy Matschek. Dorothy Matschek is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University where she received both her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Education. She holds a lifetime teaching certificate for grades 1-6 and has lifetime Mid Management Certification for grades 1-12. She is a believer in lifelong education and has completed a large number of advance training hours through Regions 13 and 20, Southwest Texas State University, the University of Texas, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Purdue University. Mrs. Matschek taught students in the Comal Independent School District for 36 years with the majority of her classroom experience in grade 4. She also was as a Teacher Mentor for Comal Independent School District as part of the Teacher Fellows program and has received advanced training in mentoring teachers from kindergarten through sixth grade. Mrs. Matschek and her husband Tom have lived in New Braunfels and been members of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic parish for many years. They share two children and five grandchildren. Mrs. Matschek's passions away from school are baking and quilting!
Meet our Admissions and Business Director, Bianca Dalrymple.
Ms. Dalrymple attended Texas State with a major in Criminal Justice and minor in Theatre Arts, focusing on communication. Ms. Dalrymple has three children, William, Sabre and LeeAnn. Sabre, a graduate of Sts. Peter and Paul and 7th grader LeeAnn have both attended Sts. Peter and Paul since Pre-K3. Mrs. Dalrymple has served as PTC President as well as the School Council President at Sts. Peter and Paul, and this is her 7th year working for Sts. Peter and Paul.
Meet our Administrative Assistant, Kay McDonald. Mrs. McDonald is starting her fourth year working in the front office of Sts Peter and Paul School. She is married with five children, three of which are graduates of SPP and two whom are currently attending - one in fifth and the youngest in third grade. Mrs. McDonald and her husband are long-time, active parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul church.
Meet our Administrative Assistant, Stephanye West. Mrs. West is originally from Houston and moved to New Braunfels in 2003. She attended Sam Houston State and received a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration. She and her husband have 2 children, who both attend Sts. Peter and Paul School. Mrs. West served on the PTC for 3 years and is currently one of the Box Top Coordinators for SPP.
Meet our Health Coordinator, Pauline Turner.
Meet our After-School Care Director, Kathy Burley. Ms. Kathy Burley is originally from Dover Ohio moving to New Braunfels Texas in 1997.Has worked at Sts.Peter and Paul school going on 8 years now. Starting as a sub she went on to be an aide. Director of Summer Camp, Director of Mother's Day Out and now Director of After School Care. Has 3 sons. In free time enjoys spending time with family and friends.