Mrs. Debbie Monahan

I was born and raised in southeast Portland and have lived in this area all of my life.  My only venture away from Portland was my college experience at the University of Oregon.  I graduated from UO with a degree in English.  It didn’t take me long after graduation to wish I had become a teacher, but over ten years passed before that dream became a reality.

In 1991, I was accepted into a masters program at the University of Portland.  My daughters, who were in third grade and fifth grade at the time, thought it was fun for the three of us to do homework together!  My first teaching job after graduate school was at St. Agatha, where I taught sixth grade.  From there, I taught sixth grade at Our Lady of the Lake School, where my daughters were students.  During my second year at OLL, my daughter Kristin was in my class.  We truly have great memories of that year!

As you can tell, my daughters are a big part of my life.  Currently, Lindsey, my oldest, is living in Portland after having graduated from the University of San Francisco.  She is enjoying her freedom from school and travels whenever she has the chance.  Kristin will graduate from the University of Puget Sound this coming spring.

Besides spending time with my family, I enjoy reading, listening to jazz, and attending various performances.  Opera and musical theater are my favorites!  I love coffee and any form of Italian food, due to my Italian heritage, no doubt!  I do not like camping, and I’m allergic to chocolate. J   My husband Mike and I like to go to movies and enjoy trying new restaurants.  Mike has taught me to appreciate sports cars and motorcycles!

I so appreciate teaching here at St. Clare.  I truly enjoy my students; they fill each day with smiles and laughter.  I look forward to many future years at St. Clare School.

Mrs. Kathy Kreitzberg

 I was born and raised in Portland and have an older and younger brother.   Growing up I played volleyball and swam competitively.  After graduating from Jefferson High School, I attended Oregon State.   My parents, grandparents and brother had attended OSU so I had spent a lot of time on the campus and it was the only college I even considered. My degree is in Elementary Education with minors in math and science.  While at OSU, I met my husband John, an engineering student and swimmer for Oregon State. We were married a week after graduation 32 years ago. John is an Engineer with ESCO Corporation and has traveled all over the world.  I have joined him in Thailand, and London..

After graduation, I taught science and math for 6th, 7th 8th grade at Whitaker Middle school in Portland.  I moved to Columbia Grade School and had a 5th 6th split teaching everything.  When our children were born, I quit teaching and stayed home.  Joel our oldest is 27 and has a degree in Nuclear Engineering from OSU.  My Daughter, Gwen is 25, married to a fireman in Canby, holds a math degree from Western Oregon, a masters from Willamette in Education, and teaches math at Walker Middle School in Salem.  Our youngest, Ryan, is a senior at Gonzaga, majoring in Mechanical Engineering.   While the kids were growing up I spent a lot of time at soccer, basketball, and volleyball games.  My daughter played volleyball in college, and it was fun to watch the improvement from her beginnings in CYO.

Our family has always liked outdoor activities camping, hiking, and snow and water skiing.  John’s family has a log cabin on Placid Lake in Montana. It has been an important part of each summer.

I have always loved to sew and do crafty things.  To make some extra money while the kids were little I made and sold pottery and stuffed animals at Saturday Market and bazaars.

I was raised Methodist and became a Catholic after we were married because I wanted our family to have a strong unified religious base.  I couldn’t see bring kids up with different Christian outlooks.   We have been active members of All Saints Parish for 32 years.  All of our kids attended school there and then went on to La Salle.  When our youngest was in 1st grade at All Saints, I taught Algebra in exchange for tuition. I then began teaching for Portland’s Home and Hospital program because it was very flexible, and I could still be around for the kids’ activities.  Six years ago, when our youngest was a Junior at LaSalle, I came to St. Clare, and am very glad to be here.

Previous Page Next Page