Meet the Staff

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Mrs. Melanie Chavez, Principal, went to UNM where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology with a minor in Political Science. She received her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from The University of Phoenix. Mrs. Chavez has been at St. Mary’s for several years. She has taught fourth grade, a fourth/fifth grade combo class, second grade and was the middle school language arts teacher. She was named St. Mary’s Teacher of the Year in 2012 and 2018, and has received the Catholic Foundation Teacher of the Year in 2016. She and her husband have three children, who are all alumni of St. Mary’s and went on to continue their Catholic education at St. Pius X. 

Ms. Susan Barela, educational assistant, is native to New Mexico with family roots in the Manzano Mountains. She attended The University of New Mexico Valencia Campus where she obtained her Educational Assistant Level 3 Licenses Certification. With twenty-two years of experience working in the Belen Public Schools system, she has recently retired in 2020 as an Elementary/Special Education Instructional Assistant at Gil Sanchez Elementary. Ms. Barela has 3 sons and numerous grandchildren, and has a passion for educating and caring for children. With this deep passion, she is excited to influence and educate students at St. Mary’s Catholic School. Beside working with children, Ms. Barela also likes to spend her time gardening, baking, and attending Mass at Our Lady of Belen. 

Mrs. Charlene Baca has been the first grade teacher at St. Mary's Catholic School for over 18 years. Charlene has been married to Gilbert Baca for more than 31 years and they have two sons, Brenton and Austin, both graduates of St. Mary's. She enjoys the challenges of teaching inquisitive young minds so that they can achieve academic growth that exceeds expectations. In her down time, she likes staying active with yoga, zumba, and salsa dance lessons

Ms. Leah Blankenship Brown is the K-8th Spanish teacher.  She earned her bachelor's degree with a double major in Economics and Spanish literature from Bryn Mawr College in 2008, and is currently working towards her Masters in Secondary Education at UNM.  She has previously worked at other Christian schools, but has been blown away by the love, care, and welcome she's found at St. Mary's.  In her spare time she enjoys working on her home pollinators' garden and exploring New Mexico with her young children. 

 Ms. Alex Carrillo is the Middle School Science teacher. She also does the science lab for grades Pre-K through 5 th grades. Ms. Carrillo graduated from the University of New Mexico with a double Bachelor’s Degree in General Education as well as Special Education. In the summer, you may have seen her at the Belen High School pool where she teaches swimming lessons and supervises the life guards. She has certifications in First-Aid and CPR. 

 Mrs. April Foster, St. Mary's assistant cook, has been working for St. Mary’s for many years.  She is married to Steven Foster and her three children are all alumni of St. Mary’s.  In her spare time, she likes to cross-stitch and read.  She enjoys working at St. Mary’s because everyone  is friendly and the school has a family oriented feel.  She loves being able to share her Catholic faith and values with the students.  

 Mrs. Vera Gibson is the Middle School Math teacher. She is a product of Catholic Schools (St. Mary’s ABQ & Our Lady of Fatima). She received a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics/Business and a Masters of Business Administration from New Mexico State University in 2007. For 11.5 years, she worked in an alternative education setting, helping youth in and out of the classroom learn through hands on education. She and her husband Roy Glenn have been married for over 10 years and have two sons who attend St. Mary’s. She loves kids and is always excited to get to work in her classroom.  

Mrs. Sohaila Lucero, Technology Specialist, System Administrator, Elementary STEM/Makerspace and Middle School Technology teacher. While completing her B.Sc in Computer Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), she worked as an assistant System Administrator at the School of Pharmacy, MUN. In 2003, she began working as a Software Engineer for the ALMA project at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). She started working at Saint Mary's at the end of 2014. She was awarded teacher of the year in 2019 in Albuquerque and in the state of New Mexico by the the Air Force Association for STEM focused curriculum. 

 Mr. John Martinez is a UNM graduate with an additional twenty-seven hours of graduate work. He recently retired from the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS.) This veteran teacher started his teaching career working for St. Therese Parochial School in Albuquerque. After his first two years of service with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, he gained employment with APS. Mr. Martinez worked eight years for APS, then was employed with the Public Education Bureau in Santa Fe as a Bilingual Consultant. As a Bilingual Consultant, John helped implement bilingual programs throughout our state. After three years of work for the State Department he realized his love for teaching, and how much he missed it. As a result, back to APS where he taught for years, until he retired. Never did Mr. Martinez forget his first two years of service with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. He then received employment at St. Mary’s School where he is very excited about resuming his teaching career. 

Mrs. Elena Padilla  teaches 2nd grade. She is a graduate from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Mathematics. She has taught various grade levels throughout her career spending many of those years teaching first grade. She is now thrilled to be able to prepare her kindergartners and help them master the skills that will enable them to be successful in first grade. She absolutely loves to be able to invite God into her classroom and help her students grow spiritually as well as academically. Mrs. Padilla was the 2020 St. Mary’s Teacher of the Year and a recipient of the Catholic Award for Teachers. 

Mrs. Elise Prevot, Middle School ELA,  was born and raised in Belen and is a graduate of Belen High School.  She received a BS in Education from New Mexico Highlands University.  After she received a MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of New Mexico.  She has been married for 28 years and has two children.  For the past 30 years she have taught grades K-6, including technology and recently retired from the Los Lunas Schools.  Some things she enjoys doing are arts and crafts including beading and taking long walks.  So if you see her out walking, please say hello!

Ms. Breanne Rocco, Art/Music teacher, went to Adams State University where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Music. For 16 years she worked as a Trainer/Supervisor with Progressive Insurance company. She has one son who attends St. Mary's and is a member of the Our Lady of Belen parish. She is very excited to teach both Music and Art here at St. Mary's.

Mrs. Theresa Sanchez is the Kindergarten teacher this year at St. Mary's Catholic School.  This will be her first year teaching at St. Mary's.  She has been married to Juan J Sanchez for almost 8 years, and they have a son, Juan E Sanchez. She has three other children:  Blanca, Gabriel and Sonia.  Theresa is from Aragon NM and went to school in Reserve, NM for 8 years.  For the rest of her high school education, she was homeschooled with a correspondence course from Seton Home Study School in Front Royal, VA.  Theresa received her Bachelorette of Science Degree with an endorsement in Mathematics at the University of New Mexico college in Albuquerque NM.  Theresa enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening and working in the yard