Mrs. Bruni has been an active member of St. Theresa Parish since 2002 as a parishioner, a school parent, and parish staff member.
Mrs. Bruni taught preschool and elementary summer school programs in addition to teaching kindergarten at St. Thomas the Apostle School. Since 2017, she has coordinated the HSYM/Confirmation ministry at St. Theresa. She is thrilled to be teaching in a Catholic school classroom at the school that played a formative role in the development of her children.
Mrs. Bruni is a Bay Area native who received her B.A. from the University of San Francisco, a Liberal Arts Certificate from the St. Ignatius Institute, and studied Early Childhood Education at San Francisco State University. In her free time, Mrs. Bruni loves cooking, going on food adventures, and spending time with her family.

Stacey Rodriguez is thrilled to be part of the staff at St. Theresa and teaching Kindergarten. For over a decade, she taught in Piedmont for their Special Education department with students from kindergarten to 5th grade. Additionally, she frequently taught the incoming Kindergarten summer program.

Mrs. Rodriguez moved to Oakland in 1990 with her husband and has two sons who are graduates of our sister school, Corpus Christi. She likes to sew, complete jigsaw puzzles, and go on vacations with her family. But most of all, she loves to read, and it's her goal to instill that love of reading in her students, as well.

Mrs. Martinez is a graduate of San Francisco State University and received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Saint Mary's College. She is a Bay Area native, attending local Catholic Schools from Kindergarten through High School. She has taught for almost 5 years and loves teaching 1st grade! In her spare time, Mrs. Martinez enjoys spending time with family, friends, hiking, camping, and being outdoors. She loves exploring with her two labrador retrievers and recently adopted two kittens who she adores. Mrs. Martinez is so excited for the year ahead and cannot wait to grow and learn with her students!

Ms. Felix was born and raised in Oakland. She has had a Catholic education from kindergarten through high school from St. Lawrence O’Toole, St. Joseph Elementary and St. Joseph Notre Dame High School. Ms. Felix found her passion for teaching as a junior in high school when she had the opportunity to become an assistant for St. Joseph’s Elementary School.
Ms. Felix loves spending time with her family, her German Shepherd Gaia, and friends. She also loves going to the movies, cooking and baking, arts and crafts, listening to music, and dancing. Ms. Felix has been a salsa instructor for many years as well. Ms. Felix joins the St. Theresa community with 17+ years of teaching in Catholic, public, and independent schools and is very excited to return to what she describes as “home”.

Mrs. Rhea is a native of Berkeley and attended Catholic schools in Oakland for grammar and high school before graduating from University of California Berkeley. Mrs. Rhea is married with two young girls (Katie and Madie) who keep her busy with coaching and Girl Scouts. Mrs. Rhea has her blue belt in karate and in her spare time, she loves to cook, volunteer and tend to her many pets. There are more animals living in her household than humans!

Mrs. Ratto has been teaching for 22 years and is excited to begin her second year at St. Theresa's. She loves cooking, reading Harry Potter books, swimming, going to see plays and spending time with her family and friends. Her love of travel has taken her to many places but one of her favorites was Italy. She is adventurous and climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and walked the wall around the city of Lucca!

Mrs. Nuti is an Iowa native that has been in the Bay Area since 2018. She received her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University. When Mrs. Nuti is not at school she enjoys taking her two dogs, Gino and Pearl, to explore different hiking trails, beaches, and local dog parks. She also enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with friends and family. Mrs. Nuti absolutely loves teaching the 5th grade!

Apollo Papafrangou serves as St. Theresa's 6th Grade Homeroom/Middle School ELA Teacher. Prior to joining St. Theresa School, Mr. Papafrangou was a 6th Grade Socratic Seminar Teacher and ELA Teacher. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in English and Creative Writing from Mills College/Northeastern University. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Papafrangou is a published author. He is currently revising his new novel manuscript. Mr. Papafrangou grew up in Oakland, and each summer he visits his extended family in Greece.

Ms. Ebright holds degrees from UC Berkeley (BA) and St. Mary’s College (MBA). After college, she taught high school Economics, Civics, and English then spent 20 years in corporate marketing working with the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, NCAA, Disney, and esports. She has returned to teaching feeling blessed to be on the middle school math department team. A former D-I college student-athlete, Ms. Ebright is passionate about women’s sports and coaches our St. Theresa Cross County teams, 6th grade girls Volleyball, and 6th grade girls Basketball. She also coaches boys baseball year-round and is extremely proud of her North Oakland Little League 10U and 11U All-Star District 4 champions.

This is Mr. Maas’ 18th year teaching in the Oakland Diocese and his 12th here at St. Theresa. He graduated from California State University East Bay with a degree in history. Mr. Maas is the owner of a mobile DJ company which allows him to pursue his other passion: music. A father of two grown children, he is a karaoke addict, a self-confessed Disneyland nut (he goes as often as he can), and enjoys rooting for all Bay Area sports teams.

Mr. Fahy is a former health coach and sales professional who became an educator to make a positive impact on the world through teaching and inspiring students. He holds a bachelor's degree in Health Education from California State University, Chico, a master's degree in Education from Alliant International University and possesses a California Teaching Credential. Mr. Fahy is a health and fitness enthusiast, an avid sports fan and an adventure seeker. His wife and 6-year-old son, Nicholas relocated back to the bay area this summer after living in Sacramento for the past seven years. When he is not spending time with his family and friends, Mr. Fahy is most likely playing ice hockey, watching the latest Pixar movie or re-reading the awesomeness that is Harry Potter. He is thrilled to join the St. Theresa Community.

Mr. Baer brings his passion for teaching to his role as Language Arts Teacher for grades 6–8, the grade levels with which he began his career. Mr. Baer earned his BA in English from Marquette University and MA in Theology from St. Louis University and then taught theology in Bay Area Catholic high schools for 19 years. He and his wife live in Albany and have three children, the youngest of which is a junior in high school. In his free time Mr. Baer enjoys reading, rock climbing, skateboarding, biking, and motorcycling.

Mrs. Sandra Perez Taylor has worked in child development since 2014 as a Support and Co-Lead Teacher. She is an Oakland Native and first generation Mexican American with an AA degree in Psychology and in progress working on her BA in sociology. Outside of school, she enjoys being with her two children and husband, has a passion for jewelry making and cooking. Mrs. Taylor enjoys nature and learning every day about culture in the community. She is excited to be work with our students as an Instructional Assistant for TK and Kindergarten.

Mr. Cabradilla worked as a clerk at Alameda County Social Services Agency for 19 years. He graduated from Notre Dame Institute High School in La Union, Philippines. He attended Merritt College in Oakland, and completed two Majors, Associates Degree in Computer Information Systems and General Curriculum. He has two children, Xian and Mikayla. They love to watch movies, go to the park, play Nintendo Switch, attend church on Sunday, and watch Golden State Warriors basketball!

Ms. Navarro was born in Oakland and has worked at St. Theresa for over 7 years. She loves the wonderful community of St. Theresa and is excited to be working with the TK and Kindergarten classes. In her free time she likes to go to the beach, watch the sunset, and take day trips around the Bay Area to get to know the beautiful hidden gems around us! Ms. Navarro has a daughter named Alena and loves animals!

Ms. Fox holds degrees from Northwestern and San Francisco State and has been teaching music for over 20 years. A musician herself, her passion is to instill an appreciation of music in all of her students. She maintains a busy schedule of performing professionally on her trombone. She plays all around the Bay Area! In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking and bicycling with her son. She is a Grammy award winning artist who gained fame with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra.

Mrs. Bonavolonta has been teaching for over 20 years and earned her Master’s Degree in English from Holy Names University and her Master's Degree in Teaching from USF. She also has her clear Multiple Subject Credential and her clear Single Subject Credential in English. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and continuing her education by participating in professional growth seminars and classes. She enjoys traveling and spending as much time as she can with her family.

Ms. Rinehart is a graduate of Golden Gate University, received her teaching credential from Holy Names University and holds a Gifted Education Certificate from the Alameda County Office of Education. Teaching is Ms. Rinehart's second career and she has been doing it for over 10 years. One of her favorite things to teach her students is how to gain personal financial skills. She loves listening to audiobooks of all types. In her spare time, she gives back to the Oakland community by volunteernig to help students in inner city schools stay in school. She believes every student can learn at or above grade level. She enjoys getting to know both her students and their families at St. Theresa School and feels like the luckiest person in the world working with St. Theresa students!

Mrs. Urizar comes to St. Theresa with over 15 years of teaching experience, both in the private and Catholic school sector. She has a passion for teaching and is looking forward to communicating with our students in Spanish. In her spare time she loves to cook and recreate dishes that she tries at different restaurants. She is a huge sports fan and loves cheering on the Bay Area teams, especially the Warriors, A's, CAL and even De La Salle High School. She is an avid photographer and loves to volunteer at hospitals in her free time!

Ms. Skiles is no stranger to Catholic education. She is an alumnus of Catholic elementary and high schools and has worked in Catholic education for 21 years. Having majored in accounting and sociology, she appreciates data, research, and obscure facts. She also enjoys genealogy, walking many miles along the Bay Trail, and taking road trips without a map or a plan. Most of all, she loves spending time with her sons, Daniel and Andrew.

Mr. Cakebread holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy, and a Master of Music in Musicology. His love of music came very early in his life when he won a statewide talent contest at age 9, playing both the flute and the piano! In his spare time he enjoys collecting and repairing mechanical clocks, especially cuckoo clocks! He enjoys traveling, especially to his hometown where his family has been for 166 years! He even lived in Scotland for five years.

Bio coming soon.

Mr. Espinoza grew up in Berkeley and attended Catholic schools from K-12th grade. He received a B.S. in Health Science from Dominican University of California where he also played two years of collegiate soccer. He currently coaches JV high school soccer and plays soccer in an open men's league. Mr. Espinoza enjoys spontaneous cross country road trips as well as traveling to other countries. He is excited to share his enthusiasm for holistic wellness and exercise with the St. Theresa students and is excited to be a part of this supportive community!

Mrs. Layton is a LMFT and has been a school counselor for seven years and works not only at St. Theresa, but also at St. Agnes in Concord. She has a Master's of Science in Counseling from Cal State East Bay. Before becoming a counselor, she was an Oncology R.N. for 12 years. She has three children that have graduated from De La Salle/Carondelet. In her free time she enjoys art, trying different foods and traveling!

Mrs. Ulbrich has been working at St. Theresa for 35 years. She is extremely dedicated to the children and the parents who use the STEP program for quality after school care. If asked what her favorite thing to do is while she is at STEP, she'd respond "teaching patience, understanding and compassion to her students". Mrs. Ulbrich has two daughters who are alumni of St. Theresa. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis, gardening and hanging out with friends. She loves the Rolling Stones and has been a fan since she was living in the Bronx many years ago.

Ann Toy
Pat Fraser
Theresa Harris
Katie Corbett
Julie Groff
Kristine Ulbrich

Ms. Ortegon has spent much of her life in Catholic Schools. She attended Our Lady of the Rosary in Union City from first through eighth grades, worked in Catholic schools in the Diocese of Oakland for 18 years, and has attended two Catholic universities. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Cal State East Bay, a Masters in Teaching and a California Teaching Credential from the University of San Francisco, and an Administrative Credential from Saint Mary’s College. She is excited and passionate about Catholic education and loves working with children. She loves her job, but also loves spending quality time with her family and friends. In her free time she likes to hike, practice yoga, adventure out to new places, travel, and read. She also loves Disney+ as it has four of her favorite things: Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, and National Geographic! She feels so grateful to be a part of such a wonderful community here at St. Theresa School!

As a credentialed teacher, Mrs. Halligan holds her B.S. in Kinesiology with a minor in Recreation from CSUEB and has spent three years teaching Physical and Health Education at St. Theresa School. A graduate of St. Theresa School herself, she has always wanted to serve others and has done so in the nutrition, rehabilitation and education industries. Mrs. Halligan loves hiking, board games, gardening, traveling (she's been to 40 countries and counting!) and exploring new places. She is always ready to hear (or tell!) a silly joke to brighten any day. In December of 2020, she welcomed her first child, Max, into her family and his little brother, August, was born in June of 2022. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to spend time with them as well as serve the St. T community.

Mrs. Young has been working at St. Theresa for the past 20 years. She loves spending time with her two sons, reading mysteries, watching novellas, and taking her dog for walks.

Ms. Rosa was born and raised in Oakland. Over the past few years, she has worn many hats at St. Anthony’s in Oakland. She is excited to begin her journey at St. Theresa school! Ms. Rosa loves connecting with students and the community. In her spare time, you can find Ms. Rosa with a camera in her hand and a soccer ball at her feet.