Lower School
“You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving.”
-St. Francis de Sales
Mrs. Linda Klein, Fifth Grade Math and Science
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Mr. Howard Hain Fifth Grade Humanities
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Mrs. Susanne Tyrrell, Fourth Grade Teacher
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Mrs. Maggie Killackey, Fourth Grade Teacher
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Ms. Katie Zachok, Third Grade Teacher
Miss Zachok is very excited to be working at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. She attended Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in English and a Minor in History and Political Science. She is also a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society. Over the years, she has enjoyed working with children in her parish youth group, tutoring fellow students on her college campus, and reading classic literature. In her free time, you can find her working on her latest writing project, watching old films, or cuddling her Golden Retriever!
Miss Zachok is an avid devotee of C.S. Lewis. She agrees with his statement that “[s]ince it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage.” She fully believes that a good story, whether real or fictional, has the power to transform the reader for a lifetime. It is her mission and her dearest hope to help others find God within the pages of great literature, and in the drama of history.
Mrs. Christine Holmberg, Third Grade Teacher
Mrs. Holmberg’s desire to be an educator started at a very early age. It was at her kindergarten graduation that she proudly announced to everyone that she wanted to be a teacher or dance on Broadway when she was older. Although her competitive dance career ended when she finished college, her passion for teaching was really just beginning to blossom. Mrs. Holmberg graduated cum laude from Florida Atlantic University with a B.A. in Elementary Education and then went on to receive her M.A. in Teaching and Learning, with a concentration in Elementary Reading, from Nova Southeastern University.
She was very fortunate to teach in a wonderful New Jersey school district for almost 12 years before taking some time off to raise her three boys. After seven years at home, focusing solely on her family, Mrs. Holmberg knew it was time to get back in the classroom. Her family feels so blessed to have found OLMC and that she was given the opportunity to become part of the incredible faculty at just the right time.
She has a special appreciation for the beauty of nature and all that God has created for us in this world, especially Monarch butterflies. Mrs. Holmberg has raised, tagged, and released them with her students in the past as part of the Monarch Watch conservation and research program. It brings her great joy to continue to carry on that tradition at home with her own children.
In her free time, she and her husband can be found at the baseball field cheering on their boys as they compete for their league and tournament titles. When she isn’t busy doing that, she loves to spend time with her extended family, enjoy a delicious dinner at a nice restaurant, or stick her toes in the sand and listen to the crashing of the ocean waves.
Mrs. Nichole Pineault, Second Grade Teacher
Nichole Pineault is excited to be teaching at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and feels blessed to be a part of such an outstanding team of teachers. Mrs. Pineault earned her BA from West Chester University, where she graduated cum laude in Early Grades Preparation: Preschool through Third Grade. She also holds a standard certification for Kindergarten through sixth grade. She began her teaching career as a Preschool teacher, and has since taught kindergarten and is now beginning her third year teaching second grade.
Mrs. Pineault’s aspiration is to instill a passion for reading in her students. She believes that through such a passion, children grow into lifelong learners. When Mrs. Pineault was in grade school, she had a teacher who passed along her love of literature, and it was that experience that set Mrs. Pineault on the path of lifelong learning. She now feels it her duty to do the same for her students. She believes it is vital for students to develop a curiosity about all of God’s creation, and to be prepared and encouraged to investigate everything they find. Through a passion for literature, children can grow into young adults who actively seek to further themselves and their education by their own volition.
Mrs. Heather Golinski, Second Grade Teacher
"It is not what is poured into a student that matters, but what is planted." This is the quotation that I chose when asked to find a line that summarizes my view of teaching. This quote has not only shaped how I teach, but has influenced my journey as a life-long learner as well.
As a C.S. Lewis and Tolkien fan, I believe that the wonder of God can be found anywhere. Whether I am teaching, writing, reading, sewing, gardening, hiking, or playing flute and ukulele, I am continuously planting seeds of wonder in myself and in those I am teaching.
I recently completed my Masters degree in Literature and want to share my own love of reading and learning with my students. I believe that learning is an experience like creating a cherished memory, one that is so powerful that you want to share it with the world. That is the kind of awe that I like to create in my students and hope to let thrive at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Mrs. Kim Marion, First Grade Teacher
Kim Marion brings a both a passion for teaching and a wealth of experience into her classroom. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with a minor in mathematics from William Paterson University, and in addition to 1st grade has taught kindergarten and third-grade for more than thirty years in the Diocese of Paterson.
Mrs. Marion continues to share her love of learning through Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s classical method of education. Every year she looks forward to preparing the first-grade students for future success and an utter love for learning all their own.
Mrs. Marion is married with two adult children. When she is home, she devotes much of her time to her brand new grandson. In her free time she likes to devote her green thumb to the cultivation of her family garden.
Ms. Alyssa DeBlasis, First Grade Teacher
Bio coming soon - please check back!
Mrs. Carolyn Clark, Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Clark earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary and Special Education with a minor in Mathematics from Saint John’s University (Jamaica, NY) and a Masters in Education from Queens College (Flushing, NY). Following college and graduate school, she participated in the Writing Workshop at Teachers’ College (Columbia University) for two summers, during which she learned the value of great books and stories that capture children’s attention. She continued her education at the Circe Institute, during which she refined the foundational skills of her classical approach. Among the many delights of teaching, her greatest joy is sharing a good book that utterly enchants her students.
After teaching all grades in Catholic, public, and private schools, staying home to raise her two daughters, serving as an aide and substitute at OLMC, and caring for her parents, Mrs. Clark is thrilled to be back at the school where children learn to love God, one another, and learning!
Mrs. Judy Swetlitschnyj, Kindergarten Teacher
Judy Swetlitschnyj has enjoyed teaching and tending to young children since her own childhood, when she cared for her younger cousins. From there, she worked at an early education both in high school and while attending William Paterson University, where she majored in Early Childhood Education and Psychology. Mrs. Swetlitschnyj continued her work in early education while raising four children of her own.
She has also enjoyed sharing her faith as a first grade religious education teacher at her home parish of St. Ann’s Melkite Catholic Church (Woodland Park) for the past eight years.
Mrs. Swetlitschnyj is overjoyed to share both her faith and her love of learning with OLMC’s Kindergarten students, and is excited to be a part of such a God-loving community. Particularly inspired by the gentle methods of Fred Rogers, she often uses puppetry to engage and enchant her little learners.
During her free time, Mrs. Swetlitschnyj enjoys drawing, painting, sewing, and crafting, and has even dabbled in refinishing old furniture. Mostly, though, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her children, and her two grandchildren.