New teachers grace the halls of BSM

From NHL scout to the orthopedic industry in medical education, Mr. Fred Bandel joins Benilde-St. Margaret's as a full time US History teacher, as well as teaching French 5. During the 2020-2021 school year, Bandel filled in for Mr. Tom Klein as a full-time substitute teacher. Bandel was looking for a second or third career after his schedule opened up due to COVID-19. Bandel is originally from...

This year, BSM welcomes Mrs. Andretta Colley Hanson, a full time theology teacher in the Senior High. Hanson hopes to get to know her students at BSM through discussions to understand their perspectives on issues pertaining to their class. Hason began working at BSM in 2019 as a substitute teacher. In 2020, she became the full time building substitute. This year Hanson is still working full time,...

Benilde-St. Margaret’s has had multiple teachers absent at the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Abigail Ash is a new math teacher here at BSM and was absent for the beginning of this year on maternity leave. She is now back at BSM and ready to continue her career. Ash is a Minnesota native, and attended the University of Minnesota for her undergraduate degree, as well as Bethel University where...

In comes a new Chinese teacher, Ms. Jiali Zhao. Teaching for over 13 years, and moving from China, Zhao brings culture and experience to the language department. Zhao is a Chinese teacher from Northern China and has been teaching since 2008. She started her teaching career in China but shifted to an international school where she was able to work with teachers from all over the world. This influenced...

This year, BSM has a new music teacher. Mrs. Chmielewski — also known as Mrs. C — is teaching choir along with orchestra. Mrs. Chmielewski taught middle school at BSM, and this year she continues her love for teaching in the senior high. Chmielewski appreciates the positive aspects of BSM; one example being the prayers before and after announcements. “The ‘love our neighbor without distinction’,...

There are several new teachers filling empty positions from the previous school year. Ms. Lana Golembeski (also referred to as Ms. G) is a long-term substitute filling in for math teacher Sam Fulco. Golembeski received her teaching degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida and has been teaching math for over 40 years at several different schools. She taught 35 years of her teaching career...

This year, BSM welcomes brand new English teacher Paul Canavati. Most recently, he comes from St. Therese School of Deephaven, where he taught middle school English. Canavati spent his early years of teaching at Shattuck St. Mary’s School in Faribault, where he taught eighth and ninth grade English students. Now here at BSM, this year marks Canavati’s fifth year of teaching.  Although he h...

This year, BSM welcomes a new engineering teacher, Mr. Charles Nepomuceno. With over a decade of experience as a professional engineer and multiple years of experience coaching robotics, Mr. Nepomuceno is a valuable addition to the department. For Nepomuceno, engineering runs in the family. His father, an electrical engineer, exposed him to the world of engineering at a young age. In fifth grade,...