Faculty/Staff

Jen Bruzzone knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher; she grew up working in day care centers and babysitting. Taking care of others is her passion, and building relationships and connections with students, while also teaching them important life skills has always driven her work. She believes strongly in the idea that teaching is a calling, and feels most fulfilled when working with her students and seeing them smile! Her philosophy has always been based on the idea that students may forget what you said or what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel.

Jen's professional career began at her alma matter of Notre Dame Elementary. While getting her credential and Masters, she was the 6th grade aide and eventually co-teacher there. Upon completing her Masters at NDNU, she applied for a teaching position in the 6th grade at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and began as the 6th grade homeroom teacher in 2002. Jen was in this role for 16 years before adding the role of Assistant Principal while continuing to teach 6th grade full time. In 2018, she decided to take a major leap and transition from the classroom to pursue more work at the administration level, while still continuing to teach math to the middle school students. Jen currently teaches one class of 8th grade math.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, Jen loves to travel, cook, and just enjoy the simple things in life. Her personal life motto is docle far niente. It’s an Italian saying directly translated to mean the “sweetness of doing nothing.” It’s a way of life that focuses on the art of living in the moment: focus on the present moment and try not to get caught up in much more. She finds much happiness in doing this and tries to work on this in the classroom and in her personal life.

Megan Andreano returns to Our Lady of Mount Carmel School as the 5th Grade Homeroom Co-Teacher, as well as our Resource Specialist for fourth through eighth grades. 

Megan originally joined OLMC years ago to fulfill her student teaching experience as Mrs. Camille Torres’s 3rd Grade Instructional Aide. Prior to returning to the OLMC faculty, Megan was the 4th Grade Homeroom teacher at nearby St. Pius School for 14 years.

Megan received her liberal studies degree from the University of the Pacific, her teaching credential from Notre Dame de Namur, and her Masters in Inclusive Education from USD.

Megan has always had lifelong aspirations to become a teacher; following in her mother’s footsteps. Over her fourteen years of teaching, Megan has been very involved in the school by leading various school committees, piloting new programs through the Archdiocese, participated on numerous WASC experiences, and sat on a panel to help determine the NAEP Writing Achievement Level Setting, to name a few. She loves working with children and is excited to work in this new position.

Megan grew up on the Peninsula, having attended a Catholic elementary and high school. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, trying new restaurants, and traveling to new cities around the world. Megan is excited to join the Mount Carmel community and is looking forward to meeting the students and families! 

Maureen Arnott is our PreSchool teacher and director of early childhood education. An OLMC graduate herself, Maureen has been at the school for many years in many different roles. 

Karen Sammons brings 33 years of early childhood education to the Mount Carmel TK classroom. She began her teaching career at Kirk House Preschool in Menlo Park in 1987 and established their TK program in 1998, which she ran for nine years. When her youngest daughter began kindergarten at OLMC, she joined the staff and served as the 3rd grade aide, 5th grade aide, kindergarten aide, Kid's Place staff, and finally the PreSchool teacher for the past 8 years.

Karen graduated from OLMC along with her five siblings, mother and numerous other relatives (22 in total with eight more currently attending OLMC!). Karen's three children graduated from OLMC and, while a parent, she and her husband were very involved in the sports programs and Parent-Teacher Group events. Karen has led the Sunday morning Children's Liturgy of the Word program at the 10 am Mass for the past 25 years and serves as a Eurchastic Minister at church.

Karen's deep ties to the OLMC community represent her commitment to providing a positive academic experience to the young ones who pass through her classroom. She is very excited to transition to the role of TK teacher at OLMC and can't wait to see what this year brings!

Gina began teaching at Mount Carmel in 2003 where she taught 1st grade for four years before taking over the role of Kindergarten Teacher.

Meaghan has been a part of the OLMC community since 2020 as the 2nd grade teacher. She has been an educator for over 5 years, previously teaching at De Marillac Academy, a tuition-free school in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. Her favorite thing about OLMC is the tight-knit community.

Meaghan attended Saint Mary’s College of California for both undergraduate and graduate school and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal and Civic Studies (Teachers for Tomorrow Program) with a minor in Theology and Religious Studies, a cleared Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, and a Master of Arts Degree in Education.

A Daly City native, Meaghan enjoys baking, cooking, reading, traveling to new cities and countries, making charcuterie boards, going to Adoration, praying the rosary, going on daily walks, grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, and spending too much money at Target.

Janice Scherba is a padre through and through! She began her teaching career at OLMC in 1982, teaching both 1st and 2nd grade in her long tenure as a classroom teacher. She recently moved to her new role as literary specialist, helping students become the best readers they can be.

After 40 years total in education, Janice feels blessed to be a part of the OLMC family. Her favorite thing about OLMC is that it is a solid, friendly, faith-based community with history. 

A San Carlos native, when not at school, Janice enjoys doing yoga, walking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. 

Shannon Thayer was born and raised in San Mateo and has always enjoyed working with children. She found her passion for teaching during her college years. Shannon loves making a difference in student's lives and really enjoys finding creative ways to make learning fun. Shannon received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Sonoma State University. After graduating, she knew she wanted to pursue the filed of education so she attended Notre Dame de Namur University where she earned her teaching credential and Master’s Degree in Education.

Outside of school, you can find Shannon spending time with her family and friends, playing volleyball, cheering on the Oregon Ducks and SF Giants, kick boxing, and going running!

Megan is thrilled to be teaching at her alma mater! A third generation Padre herself, Megan has always considered Mt. Carmel home. After being an elementary aide and Kid’s Place teacher, Megan moved to Southern California to get her masters and credential through the Loyola Marymount University PLACE Corps program, where teachers teach in their own classrooms while simultaneously earning their masters in education and teaching credential. Megan taught 3rd grade at St. Anthony of Padua in Gardena, California before moving back to the Bay Area in 2019. Megan has spent the last year and a half in a behind the scenes role at OLMC, editing the weekly newsletter, school website, and alumni and donor database.

Megan is passionate about teaching, and especially loves helping her students become confident, capable, and caring people. Her favorite thing about OLMC is the sense of community and belonging. She is awed that she now has the opportunity to teach alongside some of her teachers from when she was a Mt. Carmel student! 

Megan and her husband Joaquin have one son who is starting his own Padre journey in PreSchool. As a family, they enjoy going to the Hiller Aviation Museum, CuriOdyssey, Filoli, and Kepler’s and the Reading Bug for new stories.

Kalei Ching is very excited to be back at OLMC! Kalei has a long history at this beautiful school, having first taught first grade decades ago as a new teacher just out of graduate school. After taking some time off to raise a family, she returned to Mt. Carmel in 2013, this time in 7th grade; most recently, she taught a year of junior high science. Now, she is looking forward to rejoining the junior high team as the 6th grade homeroom teacher.

Gene Borja has been teaching for over 10 years both in the classroom and out as an excellent Elementary and Junior High School physical education and homeroom teacher. Gene earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from San Francisco State University in History with an emphasis in Classical and Latin America and a Master of Arts in Education with an emphasis in Cross Cultural Education from National University in San Jose. Gene spent five years at St. Pius where he taught as the Eighth Grade Homeroom teacher and brings with him a wealth of experience in teaching and preparing his students for high school.

Fun fact! Gene returned to Our Lady of Mount Carmel School after a seven-year absence when he originally taught P.E. from 2007-2012.

¡Hola! Me llamo señora Mendoza! I have been teaching Spanish at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School for the past 14 years! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown by!

Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in the Philippines to parents of Spanish and Filipino descent. I am the 4thof 6 siblings, and we are a very close family. We have traveled together to Spain and Portugal twice in the past few years. Our family values and harmonious relationship were instilled in us by our parents. I have one child, Patricia, who is married, lives close by, and works in San Francisco for a tech company.

I was educated in single gender Catholic schools from Kinder to College. I was fortunate to attend a school founded by a Spanish Priest who is now a saint, St. Pedro Poveda, and it is the only school in the Philippines that teaches Spanish from Kinder to High School. I still remember some of the poems and songs I learned as a child and have taught them to my students. Fifth graders, do you remember this one: "Tengo, tengo, tengo, pero tú no tienes nada! Tengo tres ovejas en una cabaña. Una me da leche, otra me da lana y la otra mantequilla para toda la semana!"

After college, I spent a year in Spain and studied at La Universidad Complutense de Madrid. It was one of the best experiences of my life!

Since immigrating to the United States, I have lived mostly in the Bay Area though there were short stints in L.A. and Albuquerque, NM. I enjoy living in this area because of the good weather, diverse foods, and most especially, my daughter and two sisters are here!

I love teaching at Mt. Carmel and watching the little 4/5 year olds grow up to be 8thgraders and leaders of the school! It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of your lives! I treasure you all! ¡Hasta luego! ¡Olé!

Mary Dournaee is a genuine Bay Area native; she was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo, CA. Mary attended St. Matthew’s Catholic school through 8th grade and graduated high school at St. Ignatius College Prep. While completing an engineering degree at Cal Poly, Mary was very active in the Society of Women Engineers and her SWE team won the Boeing Team Tech competition with a self-deploying heat shield design for wildland fire engines. 

Upon graduation, Mary spent several years as a mechanical designer as well as a math and science after school tutor. She has taught at Mercy High School in Burlingame as well as University Prep Academy in San Jose. Along with her graduate studies in education and computer science, Mary was fortunate to join SFSU’s Estuary and Ocean Science Center during the summer to research coastal ecosystems and climate trends within the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mary’s hobbies include hiking, gardening, curriculum writing, and developing websites. Mary has had a passion for nature since she first started trekking around in the redwoods of Arnold, CA as a girl. She is a wife and a mother of two young energetic children who also love nature and its beautiful patterns.

Mary is so excited to join the Mount Carmel community as the junior high science teacher!

Julie Griffith is the first and second grade aide. A Bay Area native and retired nurse, she became interested in education when her daughter was diagnosed with learning differences. In addition to helping her, Julie volunteered for the second grade reading program at Immaculate Heart of Mary School.  The excited faces and wide smiles of the children as they learned to decode words and read fluently hooked her on being a reading aide for life.

Julie is blessed with two daughters one of whom is a teacher and the other a marketing executive.

Julie's family has an Australian Cattle dog named Lucy who loves soft blankets and seems to run their house! Julie's hobbies outside of school include: walking, scrapbooking, reading, and occasionally going to tea. 

Cathy Paulson was born and raised in Los Gatos, California.  She is one of 5 children all of whom attended St. Mary’s in Los Gatos and St. Francis High School in Mountain View.  Cathy majored in History and received her Bachelor of Arts from Boston College.  She completed a year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps working with at risk youth in the greater Santa Rosa area.  After working for a number of years in the legal field Cathy enrolled in the STEP: Stanford Teacher Education Program at the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and earned both her Master of Arts in Education and her Professional CLEAR credential.

Cathy is an active member of the St. Charles community in San Carlos where she has been a long term substitute, instructional aide and member of both the Parent Activities Committee and School Advisory Board.  When not being her children’s driver, cheerleader, and tutor, Cathy enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and watching Bay Area sports.  Cathy lives in Redwood City with her 3 children (9th, 7th and 4th grades), husband, and dog Otto.  Cathy will be the 4th grade Accelerated Math teacher and the Instructional Aide for 5th grade working with Mrs. Mass.

Ms. Zell is the Instructional Aide to Ms. Thayer for our 3rd Grade class. This will be her 4th year at OLMC as an Instructional Aide. She previously worked in the San Carlos and Redwood City School Districts. She has two children, Olivia and Michael; and a fur baby, a Golden Retriever named Sadie Mae. She enjoys working with children and looks forward to a wonderful school year!

When not in school she loves to go for walks, plant flowers in her yard, spend time with family, and be in Tahoe. Tahoe is her "happy place"!

Pat is a true-blue-and-gold padre. She joined the OLMC community in 1992 as a Resource Specialist and has stayed ever since. Before joining OLMC, Pat worked in public education in San Francisco and San Carlos. She has over 40 years of education experience and loves everything about teaching.

Pat's favorite thing about OLMC is the friendly community and dedicated staff. Her own children and grandchildren have attended OLMC and she loves seeing them around campus.

A San Francisco native turned San Carlos resident, Pat enjoys traveling, reading, walking, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Mrs. Barbato is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has been working at OLMC since 2019. She attended the University of Oregon where she double majored in Psychology and Sociology. She has always had a huge passion for helping others and trying to get to the root of what is going on in our lives that is causing us distress, adversity or turmoil! She decided to continue her education at Santa Clara University where she graduated in 2012 with her Master's in Counseling Pyschology. She has worked at some amazing places learning invaluable lessons about the importance of listening, validating and respecting an individual and helping them gain the tools to feel empowered to take on their lives with confidence. Ms. Barbato worked at Adolescent Counseling Services (Gunn High School and Menlo Atherton High School) as a school counselor for three years. She worked at a 72 bed residential inpatient facility for adults with severe mental illness where she was a case manager/therapist and ran groups. Her last position before coming to OLMC was at Caminar, a non-profit outpatient agency serving adults with severe mental illness, as a case manager and therapist.

Ms. Barbato and her husband Jon and I have two girls, Madison and Avery, and an Australian Shepherd, Scout, who keep. She loves working at OLMC and seeing students in person!! She provides extraordinary support to all our students during this super-challenging time.

Christine Dulany grew up in the Bay Area. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance at San Francisco State University. Chris worked with the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati law firm for years before becoming a mom. At which time, she decided to put being a mom and wife first to the Dulany family with support and love that is needed every day. However, her enjoyment for numbers and money has never left her, whether be it personal or business. Chris deems it essential to be an honorable steward of God's money, that is giving, saving, and spending with purpose and respect. Also, you can find Chris spending time with God, loving on her animals, on a trail, or in a book, where there she finds her soul fed. Chris is grateful to help OLMC and contribute where she can as OLMC has been such a blessing to her son.