New Staff for the 2023-2024 School Year

Mrs. DeBolt joins the St. Mary’s library with over 20 years of experience in the Media Center at the Medford School District.  During her long career at McLoughlin Middle School, she promoted student centered customer service making certain the services being provided benefited the entire school. Mrs. DeBolt was involved in all aspects of the library including summer reading programs, chairing OBOB competitions, coordinating scavenger hunts, giving book talks, and educating students on digital citizenship along with promoting a lifelong love of reading.  Seeing students succeed is what motivates her everyday.  During her free time, she enjoys camping with her husband, reading, gardening, walking her dog and spending time with her three adult children and four grandchildren.  Mrs. DeBolt is eager to join the St. Mary’s team!

 

Our new 6th grade teacher, Ms. Stearns comes to St. Mary's with over ten years of experience in independent, public, and international schools. With an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Kenyon College and a Certificate in Publishing from the University of Denver Publishing Institute, Ms. Stearns began her teaching career as a Resource Center Instructor at her middle and high school alma mater, The American School in Japan. Upon returning to the U.S., Ms. Stearns earned her MAT in Secondary English/Language Arts from the University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education. Ms. Stearns moved with her family to Southern Oregon in 2019, after several years of teaching 6th grade English at an independent middle school in New Hampshire. She spent the next few years teaching and working in administrative positions with virtual schools, before returning to the brick and mortar classroom in 2022. When she's not teaching, Ms. Stearns enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling with her family.

 

“Profe” Batey enthusiastically returns to St. Mary’s with 15 years experience as a certificated Spanish teacher.  Ms. Batey earned her Bachelor’s in Secondary Spanish Education from Indiana University (2005) before venturing to Spain, where she taught English.  She returned home in 2009 to teach Spanish in Chicago before moving to Portland in 2010, where she built the K-8 Spanish program at St. Pius X School.  Then, she left teaching to stay home with her daughter.  Ms. Batey first joined St. Mary’s (2014-2015) while living in Jacksonville.  She immediately loved the St. M community and wanted her daughter to attend St. Mary’s.  After a family move to Washington, Profe taught at Winlock High School, where she was named Educator of the Year, mentored students and teachers, coached Knowledge Bowl, led Mindfulness Club, brought the Seal of Biliteracy to the district, and had the honor of commencement speaker for the Class of 2022.  In the summer of 2022, Ms. Batey earned her Master’s in Spanish Language Teaching at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico (via SOU) and returned to the Rogue Valley to teach advanced Spanish classes at Ashland High School.  While the decision to leave AHS was difficult, Ms. Batey couldn’t miss the opportunity to reconnect with the St. M family and live her dream of watching her daughter walk the halls of St. Mary’s!  When Profe Batey is not teaching, she enjoys live theater, human connection, reading, writing, meditation, yoga, dancing, and exploring with her daughter.

 

Sarah Du Pont moved to Medford in 2022 and is thrilled to join St. Marys and our HS social studies team!  She is an experienced and passionate educator with two sons of her own joining the St. M community.  Over the last 14 years, Mrs. Du Pont has been involved in education in many different capacities including mentoring new and struggling teachers, leading data teams to analyze and improve student success, and coaching teachers through best pedagogy practices.  Most recently she finished the Principal as an Instructional Leader licensure in El Paso, TX.  Mrs. Du Pont received her Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction along with her ESL certification from Concordia College in Chicago, IL.  She also completed her International Baccalaureate certification in order to teach IB curriculum at the middle school and primary levels.  Mrs. Du Pont's journey as an educator has taken her to many different places, including teaching abroad at the Asia Pacific International School in South Korea.  It is here where she met her husband as he was deployed with the US Army.  Sarah traveled most of SE Asia with her husband and two sons.  Her love for different cultures and world history became a focal point of her teaching.  She is excited to bring this love of traveling and global citizenship to the classrooms at St. Marys. During her down time, you’ll find Mrs. Du Pont baking and hosting friends at her house,  playing mixed doubles with her husband on the Pickleball court, and taking road trips with her family exploring new small towns or great hiking trails.  

 

Mr. Fields comes to St. Mary’s and our tech and engineering department with 27 years of experience in tool design, machining and manufacturing. Locally born and raised, he has worked his way up through the technical career of manufacturing.  Having been employed at a locally based antenna manufacturing company for over 15 years, he found a passion for bridging the gap between engineers and production, ensuring plans could be executed in the most efficient way through various roles within the German owned company.  Mr. Fields took that experience with him to his new position as an Operations Manager and Process Engineer for a Chinese owned manufacturing company. In this role, he operated a locally based research and development facility.  However, the most impactful part of his new role was the life changing experience of working overseas. His travels had him consulting, designing, and implementing tooling for production lines to maximize efficiency and productivity at a facility that employed over 600 skilled workers in Shanghai. In his downtime, he enjoyed interacting with locals and gaining an understanding about how others live through this immersive cultural experience.  With a passion for technical careers and education, Mr. Fields shifted his career to building his own small, locally owned product design business that allows him the flexibility to teach his craft to youth. Through community connections, he provided high school student internships. These are important pathways to success, offering students opportunities to personalize their education based on their unique learning needs and interests.  Mr. Fields has two children with his wife, one who attends St. Mary’s HS. In his free time he enjoys coaching robotics, volunteering to help families with children experiencing disability, fishing, traveling, home improvement projects, and spending quality time with his family.

 

Mrs. Uschold will be teaching 5th grade science.  She is a Southern Oregon Coast native who has been living and working in the Rogue Valley for 10 years.  She earned her undergraduate degree in Neurobiology and Behavior from Cornell University where she developed a strong interest in science and medicine. She then attended Duke University, graduating with a Masters in Health Sciences. She has been a practicing Physician Assistant since 2006. After moving to the Rogue Valley over a decade ago she also began regularly volunteering in her children’s classrooms.  As St Mary’s returned to the classroom, Mrs Uschold became a regular on the St Mary’s campus working as a substitute and as a volunteer teaching 5th grade science for the 2022-23 academic year under the guidance of St Mary’s staff. Her passion is to help 5th graders learn to enjoy scientific concepts through hands-on activities and project based learning. When she is not at St. M she enjoys hiking with her family and dogs, running, or riding horses.

 

 

Mr. Leddon is changing roles at St. Mary’s and moving from the maintenance department to become our Dining Services Manager.  Mr. Leddon joined St. Mary’s in 2019, and we are excited to have him take on his new role!