Faculty & Staff Directory

Administration

alt textMs. Maddy Pedrette, B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed
Principal
ac.dnsic@etterdepm

Ms. Pedrette grew up in Toronto and attended Catholic elementary and high school. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and her Bachelor of Education from the University of Victoria. In 2017, Ms. Pedrette earned her Master of Education degree in Leadership and Administration from Gonzaga University. Ms. Pedrette has been at St. Joseph School for over 20 years and thinks of it as her second family. She wants all students, staff, parents and anyone else who enters St. Joseph School to feel a strong sense of belonging and to know that they are loved by God.

alt textMrs. Giovanna Basso, B.Ed.
Vice Principal, Intermediate French
ac.dnsic@ossabg

Mrs. Basso was born in raised in the northern community of Prince Rupert. She attended the University of British Columbia in Vancouver where she received her Bachelor of Education degree. Upon graduation, Mrs. Basso returned to Prince Rupert and began her teaching career in School District 52. In 1991, she and her family moved to Kelowna and she soon began teaching at St. Joseph School. She immediately felt an incredible connection to the school and its community. In her spare time, Mrs. Basso loves gardening, walking, reading, and cooking. She looks forward to holidays when she can spend time with family and especially her granddaughters.

 

Teachers

alt textMrs. Margo Rensby, B.Ed.
Director of Student Support Services
ac.dnsic@ybsnerm

Mrs. Rensby grew up in Saskatchewan, receiving her Bachelor of Education from the University of Regina. She moved to Penticton, BC with her husband in 2001 where she taught at Holy Cross Elementary for 4 years before moving to West Kelowna. She received her Certificate in Special Education from Queen’s University in 2013 and has been passionate about this aspect of education ever since. She loves spending time with her children and grandchildren and taking her dogs on adventurous hikes. She feels so blessed to be teaching at a Catholic school, sharing her faith with students, staff and the community. 

alt textMrs. Jessica Aitken, B.A., B.Ed.
Learning Support
ac.dnsic@nekitaj

Mrs. Aitken was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario where she attended Lakehead University receiving her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education. Shortly after graduating, she accepted her first teaching position in Fort Frances, Ontario at the Northwest Catholic District School Board. After many family trips to Kelowna, her love for BC grew strong. She and her husband moved to Kelowna in 2013, accepting a position here at St. Joseph School, teaching Grade 3 for the past 6 years. Mrs. Aitken’s true passion is helping students with specific learning difficulties so she completed her Specialist in Special Education with Queen’s University. The St. Joseph community has been very close to her heart, where a sense of family and support is always present. The outdoors is a huge part of her life and she is thankful to share many exciting adventures with her husband Trevor, childre Ariya and Parker, and dog Harley. She and her family especially love to camp, snowboard, hike and travel.

alt textMrs. Marilyn Herron, B.PE, B.Ed.
Kindergarten, Director of Outdoor Academy
ac.dnsic@norrehm

Mrs. Herron moved to Kelowna from Calgary 25 years ago. Since then she has completed the specialist in Special Education and Inclusion program and received a certificate in Applied Psychology and Counselling Skills. Mrs. Herron began her teaching career in middle school and moved to high school before embracing the younger grades. She also spent four years as a learning facilitator for an online school. Her three children attended both St. Joseph and Immaculata High School. Mrs. Herron loves Kindergarten and has been teaching it for 11 years. She is a strong believer in inquiry and play-based learning and, as our Director of Outdoor Academy, continues to be an advocate for hands-on interaction with the natural world. Mrs. Herron's favourite things include, family time, cooking, and of course outdoor activities, especially hiking and skiing.

Mrs. Tereen Beriault, B.Ed.
Kindergarten
ac.dnsic@tluairebt

Mrs. Beriault was born and raised in Saskatchewan. She graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Education degree specializing in elementary education. Mrs. Beriault and her family relocated to Kelowna in the summer of 2021 and she brings with her 20 years of teaching experience in the primary years. Throughout her career Mrs. Beriault has developed a love for the early years and is very excited to be teaching Kindergarten at St. Joseph School. She has a passion for inquiry, play-based learning, and is inspired by the Reggio Emilio approach. She wants her students to feel capable, competent, and develop a love for learning. In her spare time Mrs. Beriault enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, and spending time with her family.

alt textMrs. Sarah DeFrancesco, B.A., B.Mus. (Hon), B.Ed.
Music Specialist
ac.dnsic@ocsecnarfeds

Mrs. DeFrancesco’s love for singing and performing began at a very young age. This love eventually led her to pursue a music degree at the University of Western Ontario where she majored in voice and later earned a B. Ed. from the University of Windsor. Her varied career has included teaching K-8 music, band, choir, creative arts and performing in several mixed choirs as well as musicals and drama productions. She is thrilled to bring her love of singing and music to St. Joseph students and hopes to inspire them to a lifetime of enjoyment in music and the arts. Mrs. DeFrancesco has lived in Kelowna for 20 years with her husband Darren and their two children. Spending time together as a family in the outdoors is one of their top priorities. They love living in the beautiful Okanagan!

alt textMiss Julia Lalach, BBA, B.Ed.
Grade 1
ac.dnsic@hcalalj

Miss Lalach grew up in Kelowna and loves living in the Okanagan. Before pursuing a career in Education, Miss Lalach completed a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Okanagan College in Kelowna. She then moved to Vancouver and received her Bachelor of Education degree from The University of British Columbia. She is thrilled to be teaching Grade 3 at St. Joseph School, the school she attended as a child! In her free time, Miss. Lalach loves to spend time outdoors- hiking, golfing, and skiing.

alt textMrs. Caty Deadmarsh, B.Ed.
Grade 1
ac.dnsic@hsramdaedc

Mrs. Deadmarsh was born and raised in Kelowna. Growing up, she enjoyed spending time with her aunties and cousins, riding horses and being outside. St. Joseph School has always been a big part of her family. Not only did she attend St. Joe's and Immaculata growing up, but so did her mom, aunts, uncles and cousins, and now her own children, Ethan and Cora. When she is not teaching, Mrs. Deadmarsh enjoys spending time with her family and dog. She usually spends the weekend at the hockey arena, dance studio, or on the soccer field, depending on the season. Mrs. Deadmarsh feels very blessed that she and her children are able to be part of such a wonderful, faith-based school.

 

Mrs. Geri Lee Sayers
Grade 2
gsayers@cisnd.ca

alt textMrs. Ashly Isle, B.Ed.
Grade 2
ac.dnsic@elsia

Mrs. Isle graduated with a Bachelor of Education Degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. She finds value in providing children with authentic learning experiences in our rapidly growing and changing classrooms. On the weekend, you can find Mrs. Isle snowboarding, playing soccer, taking photos, or hiking with her dog, Rigby!

alt textMrs. Christina Beaudin, B.Ed.
Grade 3
ac.dnsic@niduaebc Website

Mrs. Beaudin grew up in Kelowna and feels very fortunate to be able to raise her family here as well. She and her husband are blessed with two beautiful daughters. Mrs. Beaudin graduated from the Elementary Teacher Education Program at UBCO in 2013, and has since taught Grades 1 through 4. Teaching is her passion, and she loves seeing the students grow academically, socially and spiritually throughout the years. She enjoys baking, painting and spending time with family. One of Mrs Beaudin’s favourite sayings is: "Do what you love; love what you do; teach!"

Ms. Stephanie Nagy, B.A., M.A., B.Ed.
Grade 3
ac.dnsic@ygans

Ms. S. Nagy was born in Calgary and raised in Mississauga. She moved to Kelowna to study at the University of British Columbia where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a Master's in Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies and a Bachelor of Education. Ms. Nagy is passionate about learning and Education. She is excited to be teaching at St. Joseph Catholic School. On the weekend, Ms. Nagy loves to spend time with her family and friends, travel, or stay in and read.

 

alt textMrs. Serenella Braund, B.Ed.
Grade 4
ac.dnsic@dnuarbs Website

Mrs. Braund was born in Rome, Italy and came to Canada in 1965. She graduated from Summerland Secondary School and received her Bachelor of Education from UBC. She has been teaching now for 31 years. Twenty-eight of those years have been at St. Joseph Catholic School. Her number one hope for all her students is that her classroom only serves as a starting point for all of the things they will learn in their lifetime. Her favourite quote is “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

alt textMrs. Samantha Legal, B.A., B.Ed.
Grade 4
ac.dnsic@lagels

Mrs. Legal comes from the Lower Mainland where she played soccer for Trinity Western University and The University of the Fraser Valley while earning her Bachelor of Arts degree. You can still find her playing soccer or hiking in he woods. She has two young energetic daughters, Emery and Lily, who keep her busy and always moving. Mrs. Legal is very passionate about health and creative ways to make learning fun. 

alt textMiss Agnes Nagy, B.A., B.Ed.
Grade 5
ac.dnsic@ygana

Miss Nagy was born in Alberta and, even from a young age, always knew that she would do something that she loved. Attending the University of British Columbia, Miss Nagy completed an English degree before pursuing education. Since graduating she has been teaching at St. Joseph Catholic School. She loves to share her passion for books with her students. Her favourite authors include Wilkie Collins, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Dickens. When she is not at school, you can find her lost in a good book or spending time with her family.

alt textMrs. Janilee Stovel, B.Sc, B.Ed., M.Ed.
Grade 5
ac.dnsic@levotsj

Mrs. Stovel is a teacher who loves to teach and loves kids! She is excited that she gets to spend her life doing what she loves with the people she loves. Mrs. Stovel spent the first half of her childhood in Calgary and then moved to Abbotsford. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of the Fraser Valley, then completed her Bachelor of Education degree at the University of Northern British Columbia. Soon after she began teaching in Prince Rupert, Mrs. Stovel graduated with a Masters degree in Education from Simon Fraser University in curriculum development with a focus on learning for understanding through culturally inclusive, imaginative development. After having children, Mrs. Stovel and her husband decided to raise them in paradise. They continue to love life in Kelowna more than ever.

alt textMrs. Kelly Beetlestone, B.Ed.
Grade 6, Athletic Director
ac.dnsic@enotselteebk

Mrs. Beetlestone was born in Burlington, ON and from an early age was turning cartwheels, competing, coaching, and judging gymnastics. Her love of teaching young ones to tumble led to receiving a Bachelor of Education from the University of Victoria. As well as taking on the role of Athletic Director at St. Joe's, Mrs. Beetlestone also enjoys technology and is our Google administrator and coding expert. She advocates the importance of play for our youth; "Children need to play to be adaptable, construct knowledge, problem solve, learn, create, discover, and challenge themselves. To be healthy, laugh, and have fun". Mrs. Beetlestone has three active boys and on the weekend can be found at the yoga studio or cheering from the sidelines during her sons' volleyball, basketball, and ultimate frisbee games.

alt textMrs. Janea Hallyburton, B.Ed.
Grade 6
ac.dnsic@ppokj

Mrs. Hallyburton moved to Kelowna from Alberta where she had graduated with a Bachelor of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Miss Kopp moved back to her hometown and taught Junior High before relocating to Kelowna and working as a Teacher on Call with frequent visits to St. Joseph. She feels very blessed to have the opportunity to be teaching our Grade 6 students at St. Joseph. Her aim for education is to “teach for life.” She finds value in teaching students to establish good morals, values, and nourishing them with valuable content that they can use outside of the classroom and into their everyday lives. She finds importance in teaching children how to learn so they can take advantage of every learning opportunity and flourish in knowledge. When Mrs. Hallyburton is not teaching she can be found doing outdoor activities such as hiking or traveling to the mountains.

alt textMrs. Kate Hopley, B.Ed.
Grade 6, Music
ac.dnsic@yelpohk

Mrs. Hopley is from Ontario and came out West in 1995, following her passion for skiing. After coaching at various mountains, she was recruited by Holy Cross School in Penticton to sub for a day; she has been a Catholic School teacher ever since! She and her husband, Peter, have three children; Matthew and Anna (who attend university), and Markus (who attends Immaculata Regional High School).

Mr. Del Sheehan, B.Ed.
Grade 7
ac.dnsic@naheehsd

Mr. Sheehan has worked as a school administrator and teacher for over 25 years in Northern BC and throughout Alberta. He graduated from the University of Alberta in 1991 with an English major and Physical Education minor and went on to complete his Masters of Education in Curriculum through the University of Calgary in 2011. Mr. Sheehan recently finished his Ed. D. in Educational Leadership. Yes - he loves to learn almost as much as he loves to teach! Mr. Sheehan is joining the St. Joseph staff this year as a Grade 7 teacher and feels fortunate to live, learn, and work in Kelowna. 

Mrs. Kim McIvor
Grade 7
ac.dnsic@rovicmk

 

Support Staff

alt textMrs. Susan Sehn 
Administrative Assistant
ac.dnsic@eciffokjs

alt textMrs. Pamela Lovering
Bookkeeper/Librarian
ac.dnsic@kbkjs

Mrs. Lovering grew up in Saskatoon, moved to Kelowna as a teenager, and graduated from Immaculata Regional High School. While completing her Bachelor of Science Degree at UBC – Okanagan she met her husband. It was chemistry! Mrs. Lovering has two children who attend St. Joe’s and Immaculata. After nearly 20 years in the dental industry, Mrs. Lovering has found her true calling. She has always loved books, played librarian as a child, and was even in a library club in high school in the exact room in which she now works. As if working as librarian didn’t keep her busy enough, Mrs. Lovering has also taken on the role of bookkeeper. When not reading or calculating, Mrs. Lovering can be found in front of her sewing machine creating purses.

Mrs. Debby Simmons  
Custodian/Maintenance

Mrs. Vilma Craig
Educational Assistant

alt textMrs. Violeta Jurska
Educational Assistant

Mrs. Jurska was born and raised in Poland. She graduated from the University of Pedagogy and Psychology in Bialystok, Poland with Masters degree in Primary Education. She also has an Educational Assistant Certificate from the Okanagan Collage in Penticton. Mrs. Jurska moved to Canada in 2003 and has lived in Kelowna since 2008. She is blessed with two children, Veronica and Nathaniel. In her spare time she loves reading, watching a good movie and searching for new recipes to blend essential oils. Mrs. Jurska really enjoys working with the staff and children at St. Joseph School!

Mrs. Lola Lee
Educational Assistant

alt textMrs. Tammy Lencovic
Educational Assistant

Growing up in a small Northern B.C. town, Mrs. Lencovic's family moved to the sunny Okanagan in the mid 1980’s. After graduating high school she went on to get her Human Service Worker diploma. Mrs. Lencovic has been working in the field for over twenty five years now, and at St. Joseph for three years already! Her husband and their two boys enjoy family movie nights on the weekends, walking their dog, Stanley, shooting hoops on the driveway, and walking around their neighborhood. Mrs. Lencovic has been in a Grade 5, 6, and now a Grade 7 class room, and has enjoyed every minute of it!

Mrs. Traci McWilliam-Russell
Educational Assistant

 

alt textMrs. Yvonne Moore
Educational Assistant

Mrs. Moore was born and educated in Scotland. She studied Business with Travel and Tourism specialties for two years at a post secondary university college, after which she embarked on a career with a well known British airline for 17 years. A love of travel encouraged her family’s decision to immigrate to BC, Canada in 2008. Back to school she went to get her certification as an Educational Assistant. Mrs. Moore joined our school team after graduation where she loves helping students discover their talents and supporting their learning every day. Traveling is still something she enjoys and the great outdoors is where she’ll be, relaxing, reading, hiking and camping with her family on those precious days off!

Mrs. Carrie Phare
Educational Assistant

alt textMrs. Gisèle Préfontaine
Educational Assistant

Mrs. Préfontaine was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has been blessed with two daughters, a son in-law and two grandsons. In 2019, Mrs. Préfontaine and her husband decided to move to Kelowna to follow their children whom they missed dearly. She has over 30 years of experience as an educational assistant and is dedicated to the well being and success of the students she works with. Mrs. Préfontaine has been privileged and blessed to be a part of the St. Joseph family since 2019 and is currently a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in West Kelowna. She is fluently bilingual in English and French. Mrs. Préfontaine loves to cook, travel to Cuba and Mexico, take long walks with her husband Ray, and spend time with her family.

alt textMrs. Alba Rendon
Educational Assistant

Mrs. Rendon grew up in Arequipa, Peru. She taught at her own Alma mater for seven years before she moved to Canada in 2003. She has been blessed with two daughters: Camila and Fabiana. Mrs. Rendon has moved around provinces quite a bit, living in Smithers and Langley, BC as well as Saskatoon, SK. While in the Prairies she decided it was time to go back to teaching. She loves to be around children; teaching is her passion, and she is always willing to give her best in benefit of her students. If Mrs. Rendon is not in her classroom, she is probably playing volleyball or chess or maybe trying a new recipe!

Mrs. Melissa Woodman
Educational Assistant

 

alt textMrs. Kaitlyn Carter, B.Ed.
Maternity leave
ac.dnsic@retrack

Mrs. Carter grew up in Kelowna and spent most of her time dancing. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Education, specializing in Elementary Education. As a teacher, her goal is to create a safe and nurturing classroom environment where students feel welcome and excited to come to school. She incorporates movement and technology in various ways throughout the school day. After spending time in her tropical and Disney classroom, it is no surprise that she loves to travel to California and Disneyland any chance she can. Mrs. Carter enjoys spending time with her husband and puppy, Coach.