This year, the school welcomed ten new members to the Viator family. With the loss of some beloved teachers to retirement, it’s only fitting that we have some great new recruits to kickstart the school year. You may not know who they are yet, but pretty soon you may recognize them just from the sound of their voice echoing down the halls.

“I love seeing students showcasing their school spirit at sport competitions and during homecoming week,” said Mr. Austin Bellino, the new testing and international student coordinator. “It can be very contagious.” He previously lived in Beijing, China, working for a company called New Oriental. His experience in China makes him well suited for helping international students adjust to their life in America. Not only does he help them to accommodate to the school, but he also works with them to share their culture and tradition with the rest of the school. Mr. Bellino also oversees the administration of standardized testing.

“I’m excited to be back at Viator teaching as an alum,” said theology teacher Mr. Brian Hansen ‘11. Although this is his first teaching job, he has worked previously at the Viator House of Hospitality. What better experience could he have as a theology teacher? You can catch him wearing suspenders every Thursday, and he is a devoted reader outside of school.

Two of the recruits, math teacher Mrs. Elizabeth Skirucha and history teacher Mr. Vincent Nardiello, came from Guerin High School. The two worked together for eight years. “The friendliness of the staff and students has been, by far, my favorite part,” Mr. Nardiello said. Mr. Nardiello teaches honors and regular world history, along with US history. He is also a coach for JV and varsity football. Mrs. Skirucha teaches pre-calculus, Algebra II/Trigonometry, and Advanced Integrated Math and Statistics. In her free time, she likes going on walks with her rescue dogs.

“Teaching here has been a refreshing and challenging experience,” said social studies teacher Mr. Eric Levin. “I look forward to challenging students as we progress through the year.” Previously, Mr. Levin worked at Zion Benton High School and Village Catholic High School. Outside of school he can be found spending time with his wife and bernadoodle.

“Perhaps St. Viator’s culture fosters this kindness or there is something special in the water. Either way, its working,” said theology teacher Mrs. Carrie Soukup. Mrs. Soukup previously taught theology at Loyola Academy and worked as a freelance writer for various magazines, blogs and companies.

“Life can take you on an incredible journey if you follow your passions,” said math teacher Mr. Joseph Miller. “This is not where I expected to end up and it already feels like home!” Mr. Miller was also added to the math department this year, teaching algebra and geometry. He has previous experience in other Catholic schools in the area at Carmel and Our Lady of the Wayside.

“Grading students may take away their intrinsic motivation to want to become better Spanish speakers,” said Spanish teacher Mrs. Estella Vera-Holzmann. Born in Argentina, Mrs. Vera-Holzmann has a true passion for Spanish and teaching. She wants her students to learn the Spanish language and culture because they want to become better at it and not simply to get a good grade. Ms. Vera-Holzmann has experience teaching at DePaul University and Cristo Rey High School.

“Entering my second year as a counselor and my first year as a counselor at Saint Viator, I look forward to working with great students and great staff in a welcoming environment,” said counselor Mr. Michael Leahy. Mr. Leahy works with students with last names A-L. He is a self-proclaimed “foodie” and his hobbies include cooking, biking and reading.

“It’s been super fun getting to know the senior class— one minute I’m editing essays with them and the next we’re sprinting into a football game Cahill Crazy style,” said college counselor Mrs. Amy Herbert. Mrs. Herbert is the perfect person for the job with her experience at the University of Kansas as Director of Admissions. Mrs. Herbert is working to find which colleges will personally benefit each student. She is an avid coffee drinker and is thrilled that pumpkin spice season is here.

The new faculty had one overwhelming shared response to their favorite part of the school: the students. As for their least favorite part, the general consensus came to the absence of air conditioning. Not surprising, considering most of the students would have the same answer.