​Mrs. Amber Ploussard became the principal at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in 2019. She has been in education for 12 years as a K-8 teacher in the Archdiocese of Portland, and served as the vice principal at St. John the Baptist for the past three years. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon, a Master of Education degree from Concordia University, and Initial Administrative License from the University of Portland.

aploussard@sjbcatholicschool.org

Alina Best began her teaching career here at SJB in 2008. She has taught multiple grades and subjects in her career and is currently Spanish, Art and Learning Support coordinator. She received her BA in Elementary Education with a minor in Spanish in 2001, and her MSEd in Elementary Reading and Math in 2013. She is part of the Metro STEM partnership for STEAM/STREAM education and is focusing on positive behavior support and struggling readers in her professional development. In addition, Ms. Best will be supporting Mrs. Ploussard as Vice Principal, focusing on building positive community and supporting teacher professional growth.

abest@sjbcatholicschool.org

Lucero began working at SJB in 2016. Since a young age she has worked with families and children. She was raised in Hood River, but was born in Michoacan a state in Mexico. She has lived in Milwaukie since 2010. She has three sons her two oldest attend SJB. Lucero enjoys spending time with her family.

lsilva@sjbcatholicschool.org

​This is Mrs. Chipps tenth year teaching at St. John the Baptist Catholic School. Mrs. Chipps started teaching 4th grade, and for the last three years taught 2nd grade. She is so excited to be teaching kindergarten this year. She graduated from Oregon State University with a Bachelor of Science in Housing Studies. After serving the Portland commuinty for seven years, she returned to school to earn her Masters in Teaching from Concordia University.

bchipps@sjbcatholicschool.org

Tenley Roosevelt has been teaching first grade at SJB since 2014. She has experience in teaching kindergarten-3rd grade and special education. Tenley graduated from the University of Oregon with a B.A. in Educational Foundations and minors in both Special Education and Business Administration. After that, she earned her Masters in teaching from Lewis and Clark.

troosevelt@sjbcatholicschool.org

This will be Dave Quinn’s 5th year at SJB. He has been the kindergarten teacher for the previous 4 years and will be teaching second grade this year.

Dave is from Melbourne, Australia and has been living in Portland for 5 years. He got his Masters degree in teaching at the University of Melbourne and taught in Australia for 2 years before moving to the States. Dave still struggles with the weather in Portland and no doubt the other teachers are sick of hearing him mention it.

dquinn@sjbcatholicschool.org

​Sister Juana Gutierrez Mares joined the teaching staff at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in 2017 to teach third grade. She graduated from George Fox University where she earned her teaching certificate with endorsements in elementary education and Spanish. Sister Juana is happy to share her journey in life, especially toward joining a religious order and becoming a teacher.

In 2001, she started working at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Forest Grove as a parish minister. She worked there until 2009. While working there, she studied theology at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkley, CA. In 2010, she started working at Valley Catholic Early Learning School teaching Spanish. It was then, when she fell in love with the little ones, as she had done when she worked at Migrant Head Start, that she decided to go back to college to become a teacher and to eventually find her way to St. John the Baptist.

srjuanag@sjbcatholicschool.org

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This is Mrs. Schweigert’s 5th year teaching at St. John the Baptist Catholic School and 22nd year of teaching. Mrs. Schweigert started teaching 5th grade at SJB. She now teaches 4th grade and 5th grade math. She graduated from Central Washington University with a B.A. in Elementary Education. Later she returned to school to obtain her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Integrating the Arts from Lesley University. Mrs. Schweigert is excited to continue teaching 4th grade and 5th grade math.

jschweigert@sjbcatholicschool.org

My name is Laura Larsen and I am excited to be returning to St. John the Baptist next year as the 5th grade teacher. I have been teaching at St. Francis in Sherwood for the past 4 years. I taught 2nd grade for 3 years, and I am finishing up this year as the homeroom 8th grade teacher/ELA teacher for middle school. Prior to St. Francis, I taught right here at St. John’s which is my alma mater. My experience at SJB has evolved over many years…I taught second grade, middle school, kindergarten, and even helped open the day care. I am happy to be returning to such an amazing community that holds a special place in my heart.

Miss Reagan Reid is the Middle School Social Studies teacher at St. John the Baptist. She grew up
in the Lake Oswego area, and after high school attended Boise State University where she earned
her Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in English in 2016. A month after completing her
undergraduate she began her graduate program at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.
In 2017, she earned her Master of Arts in Teaching with an endorsement in Social Studies.

During her time at Lewis and Clark she student taught eighth grade social studies at Evergreen MiddleSchool in Hillsboro. After finishing graduate school Reagan started her teaching experience as a substitute teacher throughout the Portland Metro area.

Reagan is new to St. John the Baptist School, starting in January of 2018, however, is excited to be a part of the community! When she is not at school teaching or lesson planning, she is working on completing her second masters, a Master of Arts in History, through Arizona State University’s online program. She enjoys spending time with her friends, family and her dog Bella. History is her passion and she cannot wait to tell the stories of
those who came before us!

rreid@sjbcatholicschool.org

Mrs. Christina Simmons is our physical education and middle school health teacher at SJB. This is her third year teaching physical education, and her second year teaching at SJB.

Christina is a born and raised Oregonian and grew up in the Portland Archdiocesan Catholic schools. She graduated in 2014 from Warner Pacific University and went on to earn her Master’s degree in K-8 education in 2016 at Concordia University.

She is excited to welcome students to PE which will provide opportunities to learn about the many different ways in which our bodies and minds can benefit from fitness and having fun. Physical education teaches students about teamwork, problem solving, inclusion, sportsmanship and a solid foundation for healthy lifestyles.

csimmons@sjbcatholicschool.org

Hello St. John the Baptist! My name is Paula Miller and I am St. John’s K-8 art specialist and K-2 reading specialist. I’m coming to you from the Madeleine school, where I’ve been teaching middle school and working as a learning specialist for three years.  Before that, I taught right here at SJB for ten years!  I love this community and am beyond excited to be returning to St. John the Baptist!    I’m bringing to you over 15 years of teaching experience, a passion for art and creativity, and a dedication to making education accessible to all learners.