St. Teresa of Avila Child Development Center Preschool Program Faculty and Staff

Faculty and Staff

Director:
Jan Sullivan brings eighteen years of teaching experience and eleven years of administrative experience to the St. Teresa of Avila Child Development Center. She taught second, third, and fourth grades in Carson City and Douglas County. Additionally, she was a Vice Principal for two years at Gardnerville Elementary School and was Principal of John C. Fremont Elementary School for nine years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Psychology and her Masters of Education with a focus on Reading and Language Arts in 1993. Jan was selected Teacher of the Year in 1988 for Gardnerville Elementary School.

Her first love is working with children at any age level, and she is happy to be working with the young 3 and 4-year-old children at the St. Teresa of Avila Child Development Center. Watching the students grow spiritually, academically, physically, emotionally, musically, and artistically makes her job as Director both rewarding and gratifying.

Pre-kindergarten teacher:
Bonnie Hubert has over thirty years of experience teaching kindergarten students. Her career began in Pennsylvania with the Erie Co. School District. Bonnie also taught for the Clark County and Carson City School Districts. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a minor in Early Childhood Education from Edinboro State University in Pennsylvania in 1973. In 1996 Bonnie received her Masters in Education from the University of Nevada, Reno. Miss Bonnie is active in the International Reading Association, the Silver State Reading Association where she served as president, and the Carson City Reading Association. As a past Secretary and as the current Historian, Bonnie is also a member of the Nevada Sagebrush Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She is a Troop Leader (1001) with Girl Scouts of Sierra Nevada. Additionally, Bonnie is active in her church where she is a Sunday School teacher and a bible School volunteer.

Preschool teacher:
Carmen Brockett. Born in Panama and raised in southern California, Carmen Brockett moved to North Lake Tahoe in 1992 where she first found her path in early childhood education. For over 17 years Carmen Brockett has been teaching children from toddler age to pre- kindergarten. She was the Recreational Director for the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe and has also been a preschool director. Aside from teaching in the preschools, Carmen became very involved in many of the community’s events involving children. She quickly realized that teaching our little ones is what she was put on this earth to do. Along with her many years of experience in the field, Carmen took college courses in Child Development in San Jose. She is looking forward to continuing her education and pursuing a degree in the field. In 2007 Carmen was awarded “The Teacher Who Made A difference Award” by the Reno Association of Education for Young Children.Carmen’s other passions include spending time with her family and taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors with her husband and her two sons whenever possible! She enjoys running, mountain biking, skiing… pretty much anything that involves being outside!

Assistant:
Cassie Dodge has worked with children for the past seventeen years in various capacities. Initially she was a volunteer in her three daughters’ schools for fourteen years. During that time she was awarded the OCEA (Ormsby County Education Association) Volunteer of the Year Award, which is a prestigious recognition. She was also an active Board Member of P.T.A. During the academic years between 2007 and 2009, Cassie was the Library Media Technician for John C. Fremont Elementary School. In that position, Cassie held 45 minute, weekly classes for all kindergarten through fifth grade students. Because of her creative, artistic abilities, she brings her myriad talents to the Child Development Center and shares them with our students and staff. Cassie has always had a passion for working with children and now enjoys working with the 3 and 4-year-old students at St. Teresa of Avila Child Development Center.

Teaching Assistant:
Cecilia Brooks, has worked with children for about ten years, not counting countless years when she volunteered with numerous children’s organizations. Cecilia has been a teacher’s aide in the special education setting where she worked with children, aged preschool through middle school, with severe and profound disabilities. Additionally, she worked with the elderly in a day care setting. Cecilia is bi-lingual and enjoys teaching our students Spanish. She excels in craft activities as she works with utmost patience with our students. Because of her vast experience, Cecilia is certainly an asset to our Child Development Center.

Teaching Assistant:
Shelli Belanger, brings a varied level of experience to St. Teresa of Avila Child Development Center. She worked for Douglas County School District for four and a half years as an aide with children who were severely and profoundly disabled. The ages of these children ranged from five to twelve years of age. She also subbed in the schools in Douglas County. Working with children has been her lifelong dream. Shelli lives in Gardnerville with her husband Mike and their three children, Tyler, Danielle and Bryce. In her spare time, she volunteers for the Partnership of Community Resources. Her favorite pastime is spending quality time with her family.

Custodian:
Deysi Martinez, works hard to keep our facility tidy and clean. Each night she vacuums, mops, and cleans the restrooms so that our school is ship shape every day. We appreciate her hard work.