Our Faculty and Staff
St. Anthony de Padua Catholic School is blessed by the presence of dedicated teachers committed to our students’ success. All of our teachers are fully licensed, and many hold masters degrees. On average, our faculty has about 18 years of teaching experience. All St. Anthony teachers and staff regularly attend workshops, seminars, and graduate courses in order to keep abreast of the latest research and teaching methods.
Every year, we are fortunate to have selected Saint Mary’s College and Indiana University South Bend student teachers at St. Anthony. These energetic students learn from our staff Master Teachers and help us provide individualized attention to our students. In addition, Saint Mary’s College field experience students — as well as Marian High School and Adams High School Cadet Teachers — assist our teachers and students throughout the year.
St. Anthony teachers recognize that every student learns differently, and approach various abilities and needs with an individualized approach. Enrichment programs, resource teachers, and tutoring maximize each student's potential. Speech therapy and counseling are available on-site to qualifying students. All students benefit from small class sizes.
Faculty Biographies
Fr. Dave Rupert — Pastor
St. Anthony is proud to welcome Father David Ruppert as pastor. Fr. Dave arrived on June 20, 2011. One of his hobbies is people, and he likes collecting friends. One of his favorite prayers is the Stations of the Cross.
Fr. Dave grew up at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Huntington, Indiana, just south of Fort Wayne. He is the oldest of three children with a younger brother and sister. His parents and sister's family live in Huntington while his brother's family lives in Fort Wayne. Father enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews.
Fr. Dave earned a bachelors degree in computer science from Tri-State University in Angola, now Trine University. After college, he worked as a computer systems analyst in engineering, business and security applications for 13 years at several companies, about 10 of those years with the local telephone company.
Along the way, Fr. Dave began teaching an 8th Grade Confirmation class, and the student questions caused him to begin reading and learning more about the Faith. The more that he learned, the more that he wanted to learn. He began taking evening classes in religious studies at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne and eventually completed a bachelor's degree. After several years of continued church ministry in religious education along with youth groups, he felt God asking him to serve the church as a priest.
He was accepted by Bishop D'Arcy to study for priesthood at Saint John's Seminary in Boston in 2000. He was there for four years at which time he moved to the Pontifical College Josephinum to complete a masters degree in theology. He was ordained for the diocese on October 29, 2005. He is proud to be one of the shortest priests in the diocese, standing about 5'4" tall on his tiptoes. After ordination, he served as the associate pastor for Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Fort Wayne from 2005 until 2007 and as pastor of Saint Therese of Lisieux Parish in Fort Wayne from 2007 until 2011. During these two assignments, he also served as chaplain, teacher and board member at Bishop Luers High School. He continues to serve on the Priest Personnel Board and Priest (Presbyteral) Council as well as beginning some work at the local IUSB campus.
Fr. Dave has never escaped his computer background. He has used those skills since leaving the corporate world to help fellow seminarians along the way and even to write a program for use in marriage preparation. He confesses to coveting the latest electronics and gives up Best Buy ads for Lent.
Another hobby of Fr. Dave's is model railroading. He has been working on an N scale layout and invites people over to play with it. Father wanted to be a railroad engineer when he was growing up. He was thrilled to see the dual line train tracks running next to the St. Anthony property! He also enjoys going to movies as they can sometimes give him ideas for homilies. His favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz, and it was a dream come true for him to play the mayor of Munchkinland in a school play several years ago.
Fr. Dave is excited to be a part of St. Anthony de Padua Church and School. He enjoys visiting people in their homes and tries to schedule those visits coincidentally around supper time! He also likes visiting students in the classrooms and lunchroom.
Chad Barwick — Principal
Chad Barwick began his role as principal of St. Anthony de Padua on July 1, 2009. He came to St. Anthony from the Alliance for Catholic Education Program at the University of Notre Dame where he was Senior Associate Director of Fellowship.
Chad's has experience teaching English, Journalism and Spanish. He has taught at Mount De Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia; San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin, Texas; and St. John High School in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Chad was instrumental in working with a core staff to open San Juan Diego Catholic High School.
In addition to teaching, Chad has assisted in developing school curriculum, organized extra-curricular school activities and programs including development of partnerships with local arts organizations and successful film and music programs. He has served as sponsor for a student newspaper and student councils. At San Juan Diego, he worked on an administrative team with the superintendent and two other faculty members and served as acting principal for two quarters.
During his tenure at Mount De Sales Academy, Chad coached cross country and track and field teams. He was named the 2007 Georgia Independent School Association Region 2AAA Girls Coach of the Year and GISA Region 2AAA Boys Coach of the Year.
Prior to joining academics and education, Chad worked for two years as a county government reporter at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Barwick is a Cum Laude graduate from Auburn University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Journalism. He continued his education by graduating at the top of his class from the University of Notre Dame with a Master of Education degree through the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Program.
When asked about the role of Catholic education in our community and the world today, Barwick said, “I feel blessed to serve in Catholic education because of its rich history and the vibrant role it plays in our world today. The Catholic schools started by Sister Elizabeth Ann Seton have been serving the needs of American children — both Catholics and non-Catholics — better than any other type of school for more than 200 years.”
Barwick feels that Catholic schools are the most vibrant testament of the work of the laity in our nation, providing a vocation that serves children, families and communities. He notes that Catholic education provides an environment that celebrates Christ and His gift of the Eucharist, as well as providing an incredible academic foundation for children.
Emily Johnson — Pre-Kindergarten - Age 3
Emily is originally from Muskegon, Michigan. She attended Saint Mary's College and graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and a reading minor. As a sophomore at St. Mary's in 2002, she observed in Mrs. Mabold's classroom; she returned in 2004, her senior year, to student teach for Mrs. Alexander. It was throughout these years that she fell in love with St. Anthony's. Emily will head up our new pre-K 3 program for 2010-11, after enjoying several years of teaching 5th and 6th Grade science and 5th Grade reading at St. Anthony. "I know I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of this great community."
Cynthia Spalding — Pre-Kindergarten 4/5's
Cynthia Spalding comes to St. Anthony’s Pre-K program not only as an experienced teacher but also as a St. Anthony parent as well. Mrs. Spalding and her family have been parishioners since 1991 and enrolled their first of three boys in St. Anthony’s in 1998. A graduate of Dayton University, Cynthia has a degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. She has taught in Catholic elementary schools in Ohio, Chicago and Indianapolis. Her teaching career in South Bend includes time spent at St. Joe-South Bend and St. John the Baptist.
After the birth of her boys, she took a break from teaching but rejoined Catholic education when she saw the development of the exciting and wonderful new Pre-K program at St. Anthony. Her oldest son graduated from St. Anthony's and her other two boys are in 7th and 8th Grades. She has loved helping start the Pre-K program and thinks there is nothing better than being in the classroom with our youngest students watching them grow, change and learn each day.
Betsy Williams — Pre-Kindergarten 4/5's
Betsy joins us for the 2011-12 school year to head up the second Pre-K 4/5 class in our growing Pre-k program. She graduated from Saint Mary's College in 1992 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in reading. She taught 2nd Grade at St. Mary of the Assumption for three years before taking a 12-year break to stay home with her children.
When her youngest began pre-school, she became a Title 1 Reading intervention specialist at Holy Cross School for two years, and St. John the Baptist for one year. When the opportunity became available to teach preschool at St. Anthony's, she excitedly took it. She has three children enrolled at St. Anthony (1st, 5th, and 8th), and one who will be a sophomore at St. Joseph's High School. She has been a lifelong member of the parish, and attended St. Anthony School herself! She says, "I look forward to being a part of St. Anthony School as a teacher now, in addition to being a parent. I love the positive, warm, family atmosphere as well as the strong Catholic identity and superior academics that it offers. I am so excited to work with all the sweet little 4- and 5-year-olds!"
Charlotte Garrison — Kindergarten
Charlotte is a graduate of IUSB with a Masters Degree in Elementary Education. She holds a major in English and a minor in psychology and holds a life teaching license from the state of Indiana. Charlotte taught third and fifth graders at Holy Family and Holy Cross schools. She also taught three, four and five year olds at Shamrock Preschool for six years.
Charlotte took a leave from teaching to stay at home with her three daughters. During that time she served as room parent, kindergarten helper, Girl Scout leader, Junior High girls assistant volleyball coach and was a facilitator for the Rainbow for All God's Children Program. She has worked as a volunteer in the Big Sister Program and has volunteered with CANCO Organization as a parent aide. In addition to teaching at St. Anthony's, she is also teaching classes on Early Childhood at Ivy Tech and enjoys spending as much time as she can with her five grandchildren.
Rebecca Gonsoroski — Kindergarten
Rebecca moved back to Kindergarten for 2010-2011 after a year as our second 3rd Grade teacher. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with a Kindergarten Endorsement. She taught Kindergarten at St. Mary's School in Big Rapids, Michigan, before taking time off to raise three children with her husband, Paul.
Rebecca went back to teaching and taught 3rd Grade at Culver Elementary in Culver, Indiana, before moving to Granger. She is happy to be back and teaching at St. A's.
Pam Evard — 1st Grade
Pam previously taught first grade here from 1988-1990. She taught 2nd Grade for two years after a short break of service. She then returned to teaching first grade and is thrilled to remain in that position. The Evards live in Granger and are members of St. Pius X Church. Pam has a Bachelors degree from Indiana University and a Master of Science degree from IUSB. She currently holds a valid Indiana State Teaching License and frequently takes courses and attends workshops to stay current in her field.
Gisella Foust — 1st Grade
Gisella is the 1st Grade teacher in Room 203. She holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Elementary Education along with a reading endorsement. She is licensed by the State of Indiana. After graduating, she taught first and third grades at St. Michael's School in Plymouth for two years. Since teaching in South Bend was the ideal place to be, Gisella found a position as the first grade teacher at St. Anthony's.
Gisella has served on the math and reading textbook adoption committees as well as being a representative of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in the Ohio Catholic Education Association. Gisella is also a member of the building representatives of the Indiana Reading Association and has also served on the Diocesan STEPS committee.
She really enjoys working with all of the children and parents. Gisella and her husband are the proud parents of three sons, the oldest of whom graduate from St. Anthony in 2011.
Sr. Lissetta Gettinger, OSF — 2nd Grade
We welcomed Sr. Lissetta Gettinger from The Sisters of St Francis Immaculate Heart of Mary Province for the 2010-2011 school year. Sr. Lissetta filled the shoes of retiring 2nd Grade teacher Linda Maenhout, who retired after 25 years at St. Anthony School. Sr. Lisetta comes to St. Anthony School after serving as a long‐term maternity substitute teacher at Corpus Christi School in South Bend.
Mary Mabold — 2nd Grade
Mary is a Pittsburgh native; she taught 2nd Grade there for 19 years. Her duties ranged from sacramental preparation to teaching math at all grade levels to serving as acting principal. Mary moved to the South Bend area in 1993.
Mary graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. She has gone on to complete many graduate hours and holds a permanent teaching certificate for Pennsylvania as well as a teaching license for the state of Indiana.
Mary and her husband live in Granger and are active members of St. Pius X Parish. Mary is a Eucharistic Minister, sings in the Adult Choir, and plays in the Handbell Choir. She enjoys doing crafts and bowling.
Mary Jo Filipek — 3rd Grade
Mary Jo is a lifelong resident of this area. She lives in Granger with her husband. They have two daughters who both graduated from St. Anthony School. They are also the proud grandparents of a beautiful granddaughter.
Mary Jo graduated from IUSB with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Social Studies. Four years later she earned her Masters Degree in Elementary Education. She holds a current life teaching license from the state of Indiana.
Mary Jo taught 5th Grade at St. Joseph School in Mishawaka for seven years, third grade at St. Joseph in South Bend for one year, and more than 17 years at St. Anthony. During the 10 years she took a leave of absence from teaching to raise her daughters, she served as teacher's aide, room mom, library aide, preschool helper, play director, safety chairperson, field trip guide, and substitute teacher.
Tara Temple — 3rd Grade
Tara Temple is joining St. Anthony School as a full-time teacher for the 2011-2012 school year after spending the last few years at St. Anthony's student teaching in Mrs. Mabold's 2nd Grade classroom and being a long-term substitute for 5th/6th Grade science and 5th Grade reading while Mrs. Lucas was on maternity leave.
Tara received a Bachelors of Arts in Communications from Indiana University South Bend and transitioned to the Bethel College teaching program and received her teaching license from the State of Indiana.
Tara is not a St. Anthony Alum, but she did attend school here for 2nd and 3rd Grade. Tara says those two impressionable years at St. Anthony set the foundation for her Catholic faith. Tara says, "The teachers in my Catholic schools had an incredible impact on me and my relationship with God and I hope I have the same impact on the students at St. Anthony as they grow in their wisdom and understanding of God."
Both Tara and her husband and I are from South Bend and their son, who graduated from St. Anthony in 2011 will be attending Marian High School as a freshman for the 2011-2012 school year. In her spare time, Tara can be found power walking 5-6 miles a day; she says she LOVES it.
Donna Hemmerlein — 4th Grade
Donna taught 5th and 6th Grade language arts at St. Anthony for 10 years before becoming assistant principal. She is now happy to be back in the classroom and is excited to be teaching 4th Grade. She previously taught 5th and 6th Grades at Holy Family School before going to St. Mary of the Assumption where she taught 1st, 5th, 6th, and 8th Grades. She also served as assistant principal there for two years and as principal for four years.
Donna graduated from IUSB and holds a Bachelors Degrees in elementary and secondary education. She is licensed by the state of Indiana. Donna's husband is also a graduate of IUSB where he completed his Bachelors and Masters Degrees. They have two married children. Donna loves to read and scrapbook when she has the chance and especially loves to spend time with her family.
Maureen Alexander — 4th Grade
Maureen is a 4th Grade teacher. She is an active parishioner at St. Anthony, where she is a Eucharistic Minister. She graduated from Saint Mary's College where she majored in elementary education and minored in psychology. She has trained five student teachers from Saint Mary's College and remains dedicated to helping women begin their careers.
Maureen and her husband have three children. Their two daughters are graduates of St. Anthony School, and their son graduated in 2011. Maureen enjoys reading, going to watch her children's sporting events, and spending time with her family.
Nancy Huffman — 5th Grade
Fifth Grade teacher Nancy Huffman is in her 14th year at St. Anthony. Her first three years at the school she taught social studies in the 7th and 8th Grades before moving to the 5th and 6th Grades. Nancy graduated from Western Michigan University with an undergraduate degree in Physical Education and went on to add an elementary endorsement and a Master's Degree in Elementary education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She taught the 5th Grade for 10 years prior to coming to St. Anthony.
Nancy and her husband, Steve, have been married 35 years and have two daughters, both married. One lives in Indianapolis and one lives in Chicago, so Nancy is situated nicely in-between. When not teaching, she enjoys reading, sewing, and scrapbooking.
Lauren Lucas — 5th Grade
Teacher Lauren Lucas' first exposure to St. Anthony came when she student taught in Mrs. Mabold's 2nd Grade classroom during the Fall of 2009. After that experience, she was sold on the school and said any time they wanted her back, she'd be happy to come. That call came almost immediately when she was asked to be a permanent substitute for the second half of the 2009-2010 school year for 6th Grade.
Mrs. Lucas moved from 6th to 5th grade as a full-time faculty member for the 2010-2011 school year, teaching reading and science. Mrs. Lucas and her husband, parents of one son, are transplants from western Pennsylvania. She has a Masters Degree in elementary education (K-9). She is very happy to be a part of the St. Anthony family and feels blessed to be able to work with such a wonderful group of faculty, staff, parents and students. She loves teaching and being with her students, but in her away time she spends it with her family and enjoys reading.
Tracy Taelman — 6th Grade
Tracy has worn many hats at St. Anthony School. She was first a mom who volunteered her time in her children's classrooms and also served as president of the Home and School Association. She also coordinated the school SCRIP program for two years.
Tracy, who holds a BA degree and a teaching degree from Indiana University, began her career in education in 1991 teaching sixth grade at St. Francis Xavier School in Medina, Ohio. She put her career on hold for several years to be home with her four children. She came back to work in 2006 to teach 6th Grade at St. Anthony School. Her past work experiences include positions in marketing and public relations. Tracy likes to read, take walks, and spend time with her family and friends.
Sr. Mary Vianney Grau, OSF — 6th Grade
We welcomed Sr. Mary Vianney Grau for the 2010-11 school year. Sr. Mary Vianney has a 6th Grade homeroom and teaches Language Arts to 5th and 6th Grades, as well as Religion to the 6th Grade. Sr. Mary Vianney comes to us after teaching in Ohio and finishing her degree from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Jaci Byrne — 7th Grade
Jaci, a veteran teacher with over 20 years experience, teaches science, religion, and art at St. Anthony School. She graduated with High Honors from the University of Illinois in 1972. Her certifications include science, language arts, and physical education.
Over the years she has developed several fun and crazy science lessons like elephant toothpaste, the Rainbow Connection, and Viscosity Day for the eighth grade. Highlights for the 7th Grade include: Little Pumpkin goes trick-or-treating, dissecting, and the Swamp Stomp.
Her greatest joy is in sharing our Roman Catholic faith. Helping young teens grow in wisdom as they strive to make their faith in Christ personal and relevant is the most important work done in junior high. In science and religion, the teachers help the students see the value of being good stewards of all their gifts and resources.
Bridget Sullivan — 7th Grade
Bridget has been a member of the St. Anthony family for five years, teaching language arts and literature to junior high students. She also serves as the Student Council moderator. Bridget graduated from Saint Mary's College earning a Bachelor's Degree in mass communications and political science with a concentration in communication disorders. She completed her graduate work in English and literature at Indiana University at South Bend and holds a teaching license from the state of Indiana.
Linda Waltz — 8th Grade
Linda loves junior high students. She enjoys teaching pre-algebra to the 7th Grade and algebra to the 8th Grade. She also has the privilege of teaching religion to all the 8th Graders. "I feel that math can be one of the most academically challenging subjects, so I like to help students meet and even overcome those challenges. But, I also love to help develop their relationship with God."
Linda and her husband have two awesome sons. One of their sons graduated from Marian High School in 2011 and is beginning his freshman year at Purdue University; their other son graduated from St. Anthony in 2011 and is beginning his freshman year at Marian.
Linda is an alumnus of St. Anthony's as well as Marian High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in math education at Bethel College. She is licensed to teach Grades 5-12 and has taught at St. Anthony's since 1987. She says she wouldn't trade junior high for anything.
Ali Turnock — 8th Grade
Ali has returned to St. Anthony to teach junior high social studies and life skills, historical literature and seventh grade religion. She grew up in South Bend and attended St. Anthony and continued her education at Marian High School where she participated in many activities. She completed her undergraduate work at Indiana University Bloomington with a B.A. in History. She returned to finish her education certification and holds an Indiana State Teaching License for Social Studies and Computer Education. She received academic awards from IU which include the Founder's Day Award and the National Education Award.
Ali taught computer at St. Anthony for three years from 1994-1997 and worked in the business world setting up, training, and troubleshooting financial software from 1997-2000. She is more excited than ever to be back at St. Anthony working with students, parents, faculty, and staff.
Mary Ann Slavik — Computer
Mary Ann was born in Niles, Michigan. She graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and has taken many hours of graduate level courses since then. She lived with her husband and daughter in Champaign, Illinois, for several years and began her teaching career in a small farm community near Champaign. When her daughter was in 6th Grade, the family moved to Granger in order to be near to grandparents and to return at last to Michiana. In 1997, the family moved again to the farm in Niles where Mary Ann grew up.
Mary Ann now lives in a house at the edge of the woods and enjoys very much the quiet countryside and the outdoor activities that go with it. She has a garden in which she grows fresh vegetables, flowers and fruit. She has a granddaughter now and enjoys spending lots of time in Chicago visiting the baby and her parents. Mary Ann is very happy to be part of the staff at St. Anthony and is excited to be able to increase the students' knowledge of computer technology.
Josie Goepfrich — Library
Josie has been with St. Anthony’s for 16 years. She served as a lunchroom/recess monitor, teacher aide and currently as the school librarian. Josie and her husband have been married for 34 years. Their daughter, an associate producer for Towers Productions, and their son, a Holy Cross College student, are both St. Anthony alumni. In her spare time, Josie enjoys spending time at her family's lake cottage.
Chris Fowler — Physical Education
Mr. Fowler joined St. Anthony for the 2008-2009 school year. Teaching P.E. is his second career; he spent 25 years in business before teaching. He has his elementary license with all grades certification and taught physical education for six years in Granger. Mr. F. is also a certified personal trainer, referee, and does ski patrol at Swiss Valley. An avid bicyclist of 35 years. Mr. Fowler has participated in the National 24 Hour Challenge, and ridden (slowly) over the Rockies, Appalachians, Alps, and Pyrenees. One of the major blessings in his life is his marriage of 21 years. He and his wife have two wonderful children.
Allison Taylor — Resource Teacher
Allison is the resource teacher at St. Anthony School. She provides instruction on developing reading skills with students in Grades K-4 and in all core subjects with students in Grades 5-8. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and is currently pursuing a special education degree.
Allison was born in Alabama and moved to Indiana in 1997 to be closer to family. She and her husband have two amazing daughters, one a St. Anthony grad and the other a current student. Many of her nieces and nephews also attend or graduated from St. Anthony School. Allison enjoys scrapbooking with her daughters, reading, bike riding with her family, summers at the lake, and learning new ways to help struggling readers. She feels so blessed to work with the wonderful students and staff at St. Anthony.
Other Staff:
Administrative Assistant
Kim DeBoe
After School Care
Director - Barb DeMetz
Liturgical Music
Jessica Springer
Jerry Siefring
Maintenance
Mark VandePutte
Mike Ruttschaw
Lunchroom
(Servers & Monitors)
Regina Coryn
Molly Harbron
Kris Jenkins
Nan Mullaney
Maggie Pfaller
Francine Riley
Jennifer Springer
Teacher’s Aides
Josie Goepfrich
Lynda Gring
Jane Kiley
Shannon Kreskai
Suzanne Martinez
Lilly Pimentel
Rose Lord
Graceann Taylor
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