This past school year, OLSH has gained some new members- Mrs. Buettner, Mrs Garner, Mr. Malinowski, and Miss Tarnik. I got the opportunity to ask them some questions about themselves! 

Q: Did you have any previous teaching experience before OLSH?

B: This is my first year teaching Theology, but I have been teaching 3rd grade CCD classes for the last 4 years at St. Luke Parish (Sts. John and Paul).  

G: Prior to teaching at OLSH, I spent 1 year at High Point Regional High School, 15 years at Bishop Guilfoyle in Altoona, PA and 3 years at St. Edward’s in Dana Point, California. 

M: Prior to teaching at OLSH, I taught at Upper St. Clair High School. At USC, I taught a 9th Grade course called Shaping the Modern World, which focused on American History, World History, and Russian History. 

T: Yes, I was a teacher in Lakeland, Florida for 2 years. 1 year in middle school and 1 year in high school. 

Q: What made you want to teach high school?

B: High School, for me, was so important in figuring out who I was as a person and what was important to me. I want to be able to engage the students during these pivotal years and give them a strong foundation in their faith. I also want them to feel supported as they develop and deepen their faith in Christ. 

G: I am the first person on both sides of my family to attend and graduate college. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher when I was in high school. I had a inspiring community of teachers, who encouraged and supported my goals of higher education. I wanted to become a teacher who provided a safe, comfortable, supportive, and relatable environment for students. My hope is that I create this existence for my students everyday. 

M: I always enjoyed my Social Studies classes in high school and I looked up to my former teachers. They had a strong positive impact on my life both academically and personally, which pushes me to do the same for the next generation of students. 

T: Actually, at first, when I was looking at education grad programs, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher and I worked in a preschool. But when having to make lessons for the preschool, it always focused on a social studies topic. Then when I shadowed in a high school for the first time, I fell in love with teaching high schoolers, it all clicked from there! 

Q: Outside of OLSH, what are your favorite hobbies or things to do?

B: I like to run and workout, go on date nights with my husband, and spend time with friends and my family. 

G: When I am not in school, I am running around taking my two beautiful children, Landon and Lola, to sporting events. In our down time,  we love to travel!

M: Outside of teaching at OLSH, I enjoy relaxing and spending time with my friends and family, and all things sports.  

T: I love to do a lot of things! I go to the Pitt football games with my family. I love to crochet, build puzzles, create things on my cricut, draw, shoe shopping or just shopping in general, and read. 

Q: What do you hope your students take with them when they leave your classroom?

B: I hope, more than anything, that they know how loved they are by God. I also hope to give them a good foundation for the next three years of Theology they will have here at OLSH and lastly, to be able to appreciate the beauty and depth that lies within the Scriptures and the Tradition of the Catholic Church. 

G:  I had a inspiring community of teachers, who encouraged and supported my goals of higher education. I wanted to become a teacher who provided a safe, comfortable, supportive, and relatable environment for students. My hope is that I create this existence for my students everyday.

M: When my students leave my class, I hope they take with them both content knowledge and a desire for life-long learning. Academically, I hope my students find an appreciation for history itself. In addition, I also find it important that they take away skills beyond academics such as self-advocacy, the value of hard work, and curiosity for topics beyond their areas of interest. 

T: This one is a hard one! I want them to take confidence and hard work with them when they leave. One of my classroom expectations is 100% Everyday. That doesn’t mean to get an A or a 100% on every assignment, but rather they need to get it their all and work hard in my class. With working hard and giving it your all, you can achieve many things and be confident in doing so. If I didn’t give 100% everyday and work hard and build my confidence, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t have been the first person in my family to graduate from college, and the first person in my family to have a Master’s degree!

Welcome to the OLSH family, new teachers!