3rd Grade

  Stacie Matz - 3rd Grade Teacher:

I am honored to be a part of the teaching community at St. Patrick’s.  Working with children has been my passion for many years.  It is my goal to see each student succeed and feel proud of what they have accomplished throughout the year.  It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on a child’s life.  I feel very blessed to be a teacher. 

I received a B. A. in English Communications and a B. A. in Elementary Education from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.  In addition to my undergraduate degrees, I earned a Masters Degree in Education with a specialization in Early

Childhood from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

After college, I taught second grade in the Millard Public School District for 5 years.  For the past several years I have remained active in the profession by substitute teaching, tutoring and taking classes.  

In my free time I like to cook, read, travel and spend time with my family and friends.

Melissa Peal - 3rd Grade Teacher: 

As a little girl I always dreamed of becoming a Catholic school teacher. I grew up in Omaha, and I attended St. Robert’s and Marian High School. I graduated from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in May 2003.  I received a Master's Degree in reading from the University of Nebraska, Omaha in 2007.

I taught sixth grade for three years prior to coming here. In my free time, I enjoy reading, spending time with family and friends, and taking walks with my husband and our dog, Avery. I am thrilled to be a part of St. Patrick’s community and I look forward to a great school year!

Besty Larson - 3rd Grade Teacher:

Gazelle Johnson - 3rd Grade Teacher Assistant

Hello!  My name is Gazelle Johnson.  I am married to my high-school sweetheart and have three children, a girl and two boys; all three attend St. Patrick’s School.  Our family loves being a part of this busily growing Catholic community.  My husband is a manager at a locally-owned and operated restaurant, and we reside on the fringes of historic downtown Elkhorn Station.  The small-town friendly character of this Omaha suburb is what drew our California-transplant family to settle here.  As everyone says…it’s a great place to raise a family!

My educational background—well, I did attend college in California so perhaps it will come as no surprise that I majored in Liberal Studies.  The smorgasbord of classes, many of which were focused on early childhood education, led me to be a flexible Jill-of-all-subjects, a perfect prerequisite for a teacher’s assistant called upon to help facilitate educational enthusiasm amidst a wide variety of student learning styles, abilities and interest levels. 

It is for the students that I am here, my own children and yours.   Children, and people in general, delight me to no end, and I feel privileged to spend my days teaching, and to be perfectly honest, learning from the students entrusted to the care of St. Patrick’s School.  My hope for all of us, students, parents and teachers alike, is that as individuals, as families, as a school, as a parish and as a community we can truly fulfill our school motto: “…to teach as Jesus taught.”

Kathy Wentworth - 3rd Grade Teacher Assistant:

My husband and I are Catholic school graduates from Mason City, Iowa. We sent our three children to Catholic schools.

I’ve been involved in children’s education most of my adult life. While living in Iowa, I served as the Director of Preschool for our parish’s religious education program, assisted with handicapped pre-school age children and worked as a reading assistant in a public school, and oversaw the religious training of students in grades K-12 as the Director of Religious Education.

We moved to Omaha in 2004 from St. Louis, where I was in charge of 20 energetic four year olds at Kindercare. I was blessed to spend seven years in St. Louis as a nanny for two adorable little boys who have become members of our extended family. 

I was attracted to St. Pat’s because I feel very strongly about Catholic education. I’m impressed with the strong family atmosphere here and the smaller class sizes. I really enjoy my job and working with the teachers and staff at St. Pat’s. Your children are a complete joy to be around.