
Mrs. Rita Kissel is the Principal of St. Clare Catholic School. Mrs. Kissel has worked in the Diocese of Palm Beach for over 18 years in a variety of capacities including: 3rd. 5th and 6th grade teacher, Media Specialist, Assistant Principal, and Dean of Discipline and Student Affairs. She has a background in business and sales as well as education and leadership. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University, a Masters in Elementary Education from Nova Southeastern University, and an Education Specialist Degree in Ed. Leadership from Barry University.
Mrs. Kissel is married to David Kissel and together they have four children and three grandchildren. She is passionate about family and Catholic education.

Mrs. Rachel Polak is the Assistant Principal at St. Clare Catholic School. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Eastern Illinois University and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida. Mrs. Polak began her teaching career at the former St. Francis of Assisi in Riviera Beach before moving to Atlanta where she taught at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School. She has been married to her husband, Thomas Polak, a St. Clare alumni, for 27 years, and all four of their children attended St. Clare as well. Mrs. Polak taught at St. Clare for seven years prior to accepting the assistant principal position in 2017.
Mrs. Polak is passionate about her Catholic faith and her family. She enjoys family dinners, physical fitness, and reading books that help her to grow spiritually and professionally.
- Deanne Aubuchon
- Elsa Baker
- Kathy Baumann
- Medgine Beldor
- Sara Bernardin
- Mary Breen
- Laura Budnyk
- Christine Davidson
- Jennifer Delgaudio
- Melissa Donlon
- Roseanne Fatigati
- Gabriela Frentzel
- Carolyn Garcia
- Erica Herbst
- Donna Hollander
- Jordan Isiminger
- Nicole Jablonski
- Carmella Keim
- Suzanne Kellow
- Kelli Kocha
- Donna Kreidler
- Christine Laurro
- Angela Lefco
- Will Martin
- Pamela McDowell
- Sharon Micklos
- Cristina Miller
- Lauren Moore
- Siobhan Murphy
- Maureen Mylott
- Tim Mylott
- Margie Navarro
- Emilia Ocampo
- Julia O'Ceallaigh
- Tricia Proefrock
- Baylie Ring
- Courtney Ring
- Gabi Rivera
- Quintan Salery
- Laura Sellati
- Joanne Schwartz
- Karen Smith
- Mary Spiro
- Lisa Swanson
- Andrea Watson
- Michelle Weiss
- Tina Zientarski

Mrs. Deanne Aubuchon has been a teacher at St. Clare Catholic School since 2005. She spent the first 11 years teaching 5th grade, then 6 years teaching middle school Social Studies and Writing/Literature, and now she is the Learning Strategist for 4-8 grade as well as a writing teacher. She is the student advisor for the SCCS Student Council and has been co-director of the annual school variety show for many years.
Mrs. Aubuchon grew up in a small town in northwest Minnesota and graduated from Mayville State University in N.D. After graduation, she moved to South Florida to be closer to her family. Before coming to St. Clare, she worked at Our Savior Lutheran School teaching 5th grade and kindergarten, and then JFK Medical Center Charter School teaching kindergarten.
Mrs. Aubuchon is happily married to her husband, TJ and together they have 6 children and 5 grandchildren.

Mrs. Elsa Baker is our Media Specialist and joined the Saint Clare family this year. Mrs.Elsa is product of Catholic School education and has her equivalency certificates in early childhood education from the State of Florida. Elsa has over 16 years of experience serving Catholic schools in both the front office and classroom. A native of Texas, Mrs. Elsa comes to us from her most recent position as administrative assistant at Saint Patrick Catholic School in Fayetteville, NC.
Mrs. Elsa is married to Andy Baker, and they have one little girl. Mrs. Elsa and her family are also excited to be part of the Saint Clare parish family and to share in our community of faith.

Mrs. Kathy Baumann was a substitute teacher at St. Clare for over 10 years prior to joining us full time in
2107, after spending 20years raising her family. She is a native of Minnesota and a graduate of The
College of St. Teresa in Winona, MN. Both of her children are graduates of St. Clare. During her years
being a parent at our school, Mrs. Baumann headed up countless fundraising events and functions and is
past president of our Home & School Assn. Currently she is heading up a Lighthouse committee for the
schools Leader & Me initiative. Kathy brings a love of children and a passion for Catholic education to
her work.
When not at work she enjoys reading, travel, boating and all things associated with the beach. She and her husband, Jeff have been married for 31 years.

Sara Bernardin is the Director of Religious Education at St. Clare. She graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor of science and received a masters in communication disorders from the University of Florida. She has worked at St. Clare since 2008, first as a teacher’s assistant, then as the speech therapist and now in religious education. She loves working with the students to prepare them for their sacraments. Mrs. Bernardin and her family are parishioners at St. Clare, and both of her children graduated from St. Clare. In her free time Mrs. Bernardin enjoys reading, watching movies and traveling.

Ms. Laura Budnyk has been the middle school English Language Arts (ELA) teacher at St. Clare Catholic School since 2001. She grew up in North Palm Beach and is a graduate of St. Clare Catholic School and Cardinal Newman High School located in West Palm Beach. After high school, she attended and graduated from the University of Notre Dame, and she received her Master of Science in English Education from Nova Southeastern University. She is passionate about God, family, education (ELA Arts in particular), and Notre Dame football, of course.

Mrs. Christine Davidson grew up in Lake Park Florida and is a St. Clare's alumni. She graduated from Cardinal Newman High School and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Dance Education at Jacksonville University. She has taught elementary school for 7 years (grades 2, 5, K, and Pre K 4) as well as dance for over 20 years. This will be her first year teaching at St. Clare in the second grade.
She is the proud mother of 3 grown sons ages 23, 21, and 18. Christine is passionate about be her religion, family, and teaching. In her time outside the classroom she enjoys dancing, kayaking, traveling, and spending time at the beach

Mrs. Melissa Donlon is the Media Specialist and School Counselor at St. Clare Catholic School. Mrs. Donlon holds a Master's Degree in School Counseling from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has been teaching for 12 years in Palm Beach County.
Born in New Jersey but moved to Florida shortly after, she became an alumnus of St. Clare Catholic School where she now sends her daughter. She enjoys helping students create individual goals and guiding them a long the way to success. You can find her spending time with family and friends and planning her next vacation.

Hola! Gabriela Frentzel is our new middle school Spanish Teacher. She was born in Argentina, and also grew up in Venezuela. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of New Hampshire, and has been working as a Spanish teacher since 2006. She worked in New Hampshire and Massachusetts Public schools, before joining us here in North Palm Beach.

Mrs. Garcia comes to St. Clare with many years of school office experience. Her and her husband have lived in North Palm Beach for close to twenty years, where they have raised their family. She enjoys boating with her family and reading a good book. Mrs. Garcia is very happy to be working at St Clare Catholic School.

Ms. Erica Herbst is the Prek 3 teacher at St. Clare. She has been at St. Clare for 3 years now working in the Preschool program. Ms. Herbst grew up in North Palm Beach and attended St. Clare from 2nd grade through 8th grade. She graduated from Cardinal Newman High School in 2014 and went to Florida Atlantic University. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and minored in Leadership Studies.

Mrs. Hollander was born in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1961, her family relocated to Palm Beach County. She lives in Palm Beach County Estates with her husband of 45 years. They have three children who are married, and they have a total of seven grandchildren, two currently attend St. Clare Catholic School.
Mrs. Hollander started her career in preschool in 1985. She has educated and cared for children ages birth through five, and aftercare children five through twelve. She has had the joy and satisfaction of working as the director of several local preschools in her career. She is so proud of a goal that she accomplished: which was to accredit preschools that she worked in, with the APPLE (Accredited Professional Preschool Learning Environment) certificate.
Her goal here at St. Clare is to work in an environment where she can educate the children to love Jesus as she loves Jesus.

Mrs. Jordan Isiminger is a kindergarten teacher at St. Clare Catholic School. This will be her third year with the school. She has been an elementary school teacher for 5 years in the public and private schools. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education from Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina. She is currently certified to teach age 3 through grade 3.
Mrs. Isiminger is from Augusta, Georgia and moved to Florida in 2016 to be closer to her college sweetheart. Her husband, Curry, is a St. Clare graduate and North Palm native. They have three pet and love them so much! In her spare time, Mrs. Isiminger enjoys spending time with her family, boating, and traveling.

Mrs. Nicole Miller Jablonski is a Learning Strategist at St. Clare Catholic School. Mrs. Jablonski holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wesleyan College and has a Professional Elementary Education (K-6) certification. She has been teaching since 2009.
Mrs. Jablonski is a native of Palm Beach County and is happily married to her husband Todd. They have four children two of which attend school here at St. Clare.

Miss Carmella Keim is a fourth grade teacher at St. Clare. This is her first year at St. Clare and she is so excited to be a part of the family. She grew up in Palm Beach County Florida and is an alumni from Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University with her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.
In her free time she enjoys baking, staying active and spending time with her family and friends.

Suzanne Kellow is happy to be here at Saint Clare's as the new music teacher and childrens' choir director. Formerly from New Jersey, Suzanne prepared her private voice and piano students for Broadway roles, conservatory auditions at Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University in addition to coaching her students for their acting roles in school plays. One famous student was the multi-Grammy award winner, Ms. Lauryn Hill, who requested a vocal coaching session during a career transition.
Ms. Kellow was the former drama teacher and creator of the drama program at Saint Luke's School where she recently directed the operetta, "The Pirates of Penzance."
She continues to teach private voice and piano lessons.
She holds a master's degree from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Suzanne has four children, three grandchildren and a cute little poodle named "Sheba".

Christine has been working at St. Clare since 2006. She is currently a teacher assistant in our Pre-K 4 program. She's been married for 26 years, and has two sons. (Both are St. Clare graduates.) She received her Child Development Associate Equivalency in 1995, and also works as the Assistant Director of Religious Education, here at St. Clare.

Mrs. Angela Lefco is starting her first year at St. Clare Catholic School as the Middle School Social Studies and Writing teacher. Mrs. Lefco began her career as a History teacher with the Palm Beach County School District in 2009, teaching at both the high school and middle school levels. Before transitioning to SCCS, Mrs. Lefco was a history teacher at her alma mater, Cardinal Newman High School. Mrs. Lefco holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s Degree in Government and Politics from St. John’s University.
Mrs. Lefco is a resident of North Palm Beach, and has three children ages 5, 7, and 10 who attend school at St. Clare Catholic School.

Mrs. Pam McDowell has been employed at St. Clare Catholic School for 30 years. Mrs. McDowell earned her bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and is a proud Nittany Lion! After graduation, she taught first and second grade, then moved into Middle School special education in the Centre County (PA) School District before relocating to Florida. In her spare time, Mrs. McDowell enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, paddle boarding, kayaking, photography, and being outdoors. She is an avid painter and crafter.

Sharon Micklos has been a pediatric Speech and Language Pathologist since 2004. Her passion is working with children and their families to ensure effective communication skills. She has extensive experience treating a variety of speech and language delays and/or impairments with ages 9 months to 18 years, across multiple settings.

After completing her elementary and high school years in the Northern Virginia area, Cristina completed her Bachelor's Degree in Nursing at Villanova University in Pennsylvania where she was an active member of the campus community in many areas. Her college years were highlighted by serving as a Eucharistic Minister for Campus Ministry, being an active member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and her favorite was being on the sidelines being a cheerleader for both the Wildcat football and basketball teams. Go Wildcats!
Cristina resides with her husband, her son (a student at St. Clare), and their active and energetic pup "Juno" in Palm Beach Gardens and feels very blessed to be a part of the St. Clare family.

Mrs. Siobhan Murphy is starting her first year at St. Clare School as the 5th grade English Language Arts teacher. Before moving down to Florida in 2020, Mrs. Murphy lived outside of Boston, MA where she taught 7th grade Humanities and worked as a Reading Intervention teacher. Mrs. Murphy attended Middlebury College where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She then went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University.
Mrs. Murphy lives in Jupiter, FL with her husband, Mike, four amazing children and dog, Bella. She loves spending time with her family, running, cooking, and reading.

Mrs. Maureen Mylott, aka “Mary Poppins” is a Teacher Assistant for the lower school. Mrs. Mylott does every job with an element of fun. She has been a Teacher Assistant for over 25 years. Mrs. Mylott’s past jobs have been pre-K 3-5 assistant, cafeteria service for the School District of Palm Beach Country, and restaurant management and service.
Mrs. Mylott enjoys her family and friends, sports, cooking, baking, reading, sewing, and learning new things. She also tutors children, helping them with homework and study skills. Mrs. Mylott loves working in a Catholic School so that she can watch children grow not only academically, but also spiritually by praying with them and talking about God and Jesus at school.

Mr. Mylott has been working at St. Clare as Maintenance Supervisor since March of 2007, taking care of the church and the school. He maintains and repairs many things on the property such as lighting, air conditioning, plumbing and anything else the teachers and staff request. He enjoys the friendly atmosphere at St. Clare and enjoys working with parents on projects like Mardi Gras,Trunk or Treat and more. He does his best to keep costs down and incorporate energy saving ideas and new technology on the property. Mr. Mylott says, "My main priority is keeping our future leaders safe and our campus comfortable and clean."
Originally from Youngstown OH, he has lived in Palm Beach Gardens for the past 49 years. He met his wife Maureen while working together at West India Shipping Co. They have two wonderful kids. Before working here, Tim owned his own marine electrical business for over ten years. He worked on yachts, ships and boats. In his spare time, Tim likes to travel and do projects around his house.

Mrs. Margie Navarro has been an Art educator for 21 years. She is a product of Catholic schools and was inspired by my family and teachers at an early age to use my gift of Art. She is married and has three adult children. When she's not teaching, she enjoys Pilates, walking, exploring, traveling and exploring museums.

Mrs. Ocampo was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She came to Florida at the age of 18 on a soccer scholarship and attended FIU, where she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Physical Education. She has been teaching for 19 years and going on year 1 at St. Clare. She is married with 3 kids, girl boy twins age 14 and a daughter age 11.
When Coach Ocampo is not teaching she is running around with the kids to their sporting events and coaching their soccer teams and girls High School Varsity. Not to mention enjoying all the time with the family outdoors. She also continues to play soccer, which is still her passion. Her students are like her kids and always make sure they have fun and treat them like her own.

Mrs. Julia O’Ceallaigh has worked at St. Clare School since 1999 when she was hired as a 2nd Grade Teacher Assistant. She held that position for seven years before becoming a Kindergarten Teacher’s Assistant. During that time, she returned to school and finished her degree. She graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2008 and was hired as a 3rd Grade Teacher in 2010. She has also taught 1st Grade and 4th grade before became a 5th grade teacher in 2017.
Mrs. O’Ceallaigh has been a St. Clare parent since 1996 when she and her family moved to Florida. All three of her children graduated from St. Clare School.
Prior to fulfilling her life-long dream of becoming a teacher, Mrs. O’Ceallaigh was a radiologic technologist for over 20 years. She loves to paddle board, run, read, and travel.


Ms. Ring has been a First grade teacher at St. Clare school since Fall of 2017. She was baptized here at this parish, is an alumni from St. Clare School and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor’s degree from the College of Education.
In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and near the ocean. Outdoor photography, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, traveling, kayaking and collecting seashells are only a few of her favorite past times. Ms. Ring loves sharing her passion for God’s Earth and creatures with her students.

Mrs. Courtney Ring is joining us this year as the IT Director at St. Clare Catholic school. She teaches technology to grades K3-8. Mrs. Ring earned her bachelor's degree from Florida State University and earned her Master's degree in Educational Technology from the American College of Education. She has over 10 years’ experience in teaching and technology. Mrs. Ring grew up in Martin County, has traveled abroad, and now resides in North Palm Beach with her Husband and children.

Coach Salery is a native of Jupiter, Florida. He attended Jupiter Middle and Jupiter High School. After high school, he went on to be an NCAA college athlete at Jacksonville University. For the past 5 years, he has been working for the Palm Beach County School district as a counselor and coach. He is very excited to be a part of the St. Clare family.

Joanne Schwartz teaches PK4, previously third grade, and has been with SCCS for three years. Prior to that, she taught in Catholic schools, mostly in Connecticut, but also in Oklahoma. She has taught every grade level from pre-K through eighth grade.
Ms. Schwartz was born and raised in Connecticut, but she has explored and moved to different locations. She recently moved to Florida, seeking warm air and sunshine, as she followed her daughter to this area. You can find her walking or reading at the beaches, creating various crafts, and taking care of her little, old dog.

Mrs. Smith is relatively new to Florida having moved from her home state of Maryland in 2017, when a job opportunity for her husband brought their family to warmer weather. She left her career as a public servant with the State of Maryland for over 20 years, most recently with the Department of Social Services. Contributing to their community has always been a priority to her family having been very involved in Parks and Recreation as a board member and coaching. Both her professional and volunteer experiences serve her well in her role in Admissions.
Mrs. Smith feels blessed to be a part of the St Clare community, having herself attended 12 years of catholic school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore she knows firsthand the importance of a catholic education. Her high school motto was Lux Tua Luceat, an excerpt from Mathew 5:16, “So Let your light shine before all, so they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven”, and she strives to live by that every day.

Mrs. Andrea Watson is a 2nd grade teacher at St. Clare Catholic School. She began her teaching career with the Palm Beach County School District in 2013. Mrs. Watson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Florida State University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Florida Atlantic University.
She has lived in the states of Washington, Maine, North Carolina, and Florida. Mrs. Watson currently resides in Juno Beach with her husband, Mike, two children, and dog, Bailey. She loves traveling, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with family.

Mrs. Tina Zientarski is the Religion teacher at St. Clare Catholic School. Through the word of God and she reminds each student of God's love for them and instructs them in church history, scripture and life of Christ. Mrs. Zientarski has her bachelor’s of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, where she graduated cum laude. Before coming to St. Clare, she spent 10 years teaching a fine art enrichment course at St Joan of Arc in Boca Raton. There she also helped commensurate The Edge, a Middle School Catholic Youth Ministry and was a core leader for several years. She has also taught summer camp art programs at Palm Beach State College. A volunteer for Catholic Charities for several years she would council women in the BirthLine clinic with whatever they needed to prepare for an unplanned pregnancy. Prior to that, she spent time at home raising her three children and working as a free-lance graphic designer. A regular at daily mass, Mrs. Zientarski’s faith is a very significant part of her life. Her children all participate in sports, where she has also done everything from coach soccer, take team photographs, and help manage booster clubs for high school swimming.