Faculty

St. Philomena School Faculty

Mrs. Mary Ruth – 8th Grade Religion, Library and Vice Principal

Mrs. Ruth has been teaching for 25 years and 24 of those have been right here at St. Philomena School. She was born in Tacoma, graduated from Stadium High in Tacoma and WWU in Bellingham, and earned her master's degree long-distance from Lesley University in Massachusetts. Mary has six brothers and sisters and has been married to her high school sweetheart, Robert, for 26 years. They have two daughters who are both graduates of St. Philomena. Briana is a sophomore at Gonzaga University in Spokane, and Aleah is a sophomore at Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien. She loves animals and has two cats and a dog. Mrs. Ruth’s favorite subject to teach is religion, and she loves teaching at St. Philomena. She states,”My favorite part of this job is being a member of a devout and loving school and parish community.”

Mrs. Meghan Hoyer – 8th Grade Homeroom and Literature, Algebra, 6-8th Grade science

Mrs. Hoyer has been teaching for 14 years, 12 of which have been at St. Philomena. Meghan graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in math/science education. She is married to Nate. Meghan is an avid bowler and traveler. She likes to get up in the air at least once every year and has a goal to go to every continent…two down…five to go! When asked what she likes about her job she said, “I absolutely love going to 6th grade environmental ed. camp and watching my students explore the world around them!”

Mr. Frank Crosswhite – 7th Grade Homeroom, Religion, 6th Grade Math and 6th- 8th Grade History.

Mr. Crosswhite has been teaching for seven years, all of which have been at St. Philomena. He and his wife, Teri, have two beautiful daughters; Amelia (24) and Lise (22). Frank graduated from the University of Iowa. He enjoys reading anything about history and gardening in the summer. When asked what his favorite subject to teach he said, “My favorite subject is teaching U.S. history and discovering the great achievements of the U.S. and revealing some of the warts that we have as a nation.”

Mrs. Marilyn Byers – 7th and 8th Grade Language Arts, 8th Grade Math.

Mrs. Byers has been teaching for over 38 years and has been at St. Philomena for a lot of those years! J Marilyn went to the UW and has two adult children and a gaggle of adorable granddaughters. She loves to fly 2-line stunt kites - even in roaring winds that nearly pull her off her feet! Mrs. Byers favorite thing to teach is writing because, “7th graders make so much growth in one year (followed closely by the intellectual challenge of staying 2 or 3 steps ahead of 7th and 8th graders who love to play "games" and can find a loophole in any rule, regulation, or set of directions).”

Mrs. Sarah Gibson – 6th Grade Homeroom, Religion, Reading, Lang. Arts, 7th Grade Math, and math resource specialists.

Mrs. Gibson has been teaching for five years, all of which have been at St. Philomena. Sarah is a proud graduate of Washington State University (GO COUGS!). She is certified in Elementary Education, and is currently working on her National Board Professional Certification with focus on Early Adolescent (Middle School) Math. When asked why she loves teaching, Sarah replied, “I love teaching and seeing the 'a-ha' moment students have when they understand a concept. It is so rewarding to make a positive impact on others through teaching.” She has been married to her husband, Dan, for almost two years. Sarah loves to read, listen to music, and bake in her spare time.

Mrs. Amy Apthorp – 5th Grade

Amy has been teaching for 13 years and this is her 4th year at St. Phil’s. She went to school at Central Washington University for her undergraduate and City University for her master’s degree. Amy and her husband, David, have two daughters: Paige (8) and Lauren (6). Both Apthorp girls attend St. Philomena. When Amy isn’t enjoying all 5th grade has to offer, she loves to read, watch movies, travel, shop and most of all spending time with her family. Mrs. Apthorp’s favorite subject to teach is history and creative writing. When asked what her favorite part of her job is she said, “That it is ever changing. Each student and each class is unique and special and I get a kick out of the many personalities and gifts present in my students. I like to help them realize their gifts.”

Mrs. Teri O’Connor – 4th Grade

Teri has been teaching for 16 years and all of those years have been at St. Philomena! She has taught 5th grade, P.E., Resource, and is now enjoying her 4th year in 4th grade. Mrs. O’Connor earned her B.A. in Special Education and teaching certificate at Central Washington University. Teri is married to her high school sweetheart, Patrick, and they are the proud parents of Jordan (13) and Dylan (9) who attend St. Phil’s.  Teri loves teaching all subjects but religion, science and math are her favorites. When asked what she loves about her job she said, “I love watching the students grow in their faith, explore and make discoveries that surprise them and excite them about learning!”

Miss A’ndria Salcedo – 3rd Grade

Miss A’ndria Salcedo has been teaching for 9 years all of which have been in 3rd grade at St. Philomena School. She was born and raised in Federal Way. A’ndria graduated from St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School and John F. Kennedy High School. She has earned her B.A. and Masters Degree in Education from Central Washington University. A’ndria is an avid traveler who loves to learn about different cultures. She also enjoys staying physical fit by going to the gym, snowboarding, hiking and playing a variety of sports. A’ndria also loves to read and listen to old time radio shows. Miss Salcedo’s loves teaching all subjects but Reading, Cursive and Social Studies are her favorite. When asked what her favorite part of her job is she said, “I love seeing the students eyes light up when the have learned something new and it’s clicked for them.”

Miss Kathleen Fogarty – 2nd Grade

Kathleen has been teaching for 10 years and all those years have been in 2nd Grade at St. Phil’s! In fact, she did her student teaching at St. Phil’s in 2nd grade! She earned her B.A. in Elementary Education with a minor in History and teaching certificate (preschool-12th grade) from St. Martin’s University, a MS in Reading and Literacy from Walden University. Last year she finished her Washington State Professional Certificate Program at Seattle University. When Kathleen isn’t going to school she can be found traveling around the world with her knitting needles in hand or playing with her curly haired nephews Rowan and Conlan. In 2010 she visited Spain, Portugal, Morocco, England and Ireland. Miss Fogarty’s favorite thing to teach is the Sacrament of the Eucharist, math and art. According to Miss Fogarty, “The best part of my job is seeing all those smiles and twinkly eyes when a new concept is mastered.”

Ms. Nicole Paxton– 1st Grade

Ms. Paxton is beginning her first year teaching at St. Philomena School. She received her undergraduate degree from Central Washington University and will be working towards her graduate degree in the near future. Ms. Paxton's favorite subjects to teach are math and social studies. When asked why she loves teaching, Ms. Paxton replied. "I love watching students succeed and become more confident in their abilities". Ms. Paxton can be found outside the classroom playing in the water, skiing the slopes and on the tennis court. She also enjoys cooking, traveling, camping and watching old westerns with her family.

Miss Christina Moreno – Kindergarten

Miss Moreno is enjoying her second year of teaching. When asked why she enjoys teaching she said, “I teach kindergarten because I love seeing students grow academically and socially in their first year of school. It is such a fun age to teach! I also like teaching my students how to read and write in fun and creative ways.” Christina graduated from Seattle University in 2009 with a Master in Teaching. Her favorite activities include traveling, cooking and playing flag football with The Underdog League.

Mrs. Nan Merlich - Music K-6, Choir 5-8 and Liturgical Coordinator

Mrs. Merlich has been teaching for 32 year: 5 at Edmonds School District, 2 in the Kent School District and 25 St. Philomena. She attended Mt Rainier High School, WSU (BA in Music Ed) and SPU (Masters in Reading/Lang Arts). Nan and her husband, Al, are the proud parents of Kim (24) and Karli (20). The Al and Nan are excited about being empty nesters as their new home is being built on 4 acres on the East Hill of Auburn away from the crowds. Nan enjoys teaching about our Catholic faith through song lyrics and showing how music enhances God's spirit in us all. She also enjoys helping students prepare to be leaders and readers at Mass.

Mr. Matt Gregory- K-8 PE

Mr. Gregory has been teaching for four years, this being his first at St. Philomena. He was a student of Mr. Morissette during his first year as a principal at Holy Family before moving on to O’Dea High School and ultimately Santa Clara University. He is the oldest of 5 children, having siblings ranging from 12-25. Matt enjoys sports, both participating and watching. He still plays soccer and softball competitively. He also enjoys the Mariners, Seahawks, Huskies, and is a season ticket holder for the Seattle Sounders.