St. Joseph Catholic School has been in existence since 1860! That was the year the Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. In that time, thousands of students have roamed the halls of the school and hundreds of teachers have dedicated their careers to the youth of our parish. Over the next several months, I want to introduce some of our current faculty and staff to you so that you might come to know them a little better. This week, we will hear about Janice Matlon and Nadine Metling.
Ms. Janice Matlon is grateful to have found St. Joseph Catholic school after spending her first four years of teaching at a Catholic school in Flint, Michigan, which emulated the close community atmosphere found here at St. Joe’s.
Ms. Matlon is from New Jersey and attended the University of Dayton in Ohio, majoring in Middle Childhood Education with concentrations in math and science and with a Language Arts endorsement as an undergrad student. She continued onto grad school and received a Master of Science degree with a major of “Teacher as Leader” with a focus in Literacy.
Ms. Matlon loves to run and play/watch sports, especially baseball, as she is a huge Mets fan (and a pseudo Twins fan). She also has a passion for music, both vocal and instrumental, as she played the clarinet and trumpet in high school and college and now sings in the choir here at church.
Janice is so excited to be living in Minnesota where most of her relatives are and is so blessed to be able to continue her teaching vocation at St. Joe’s, helping students use the gifts that God has given them! She states, “It is so cool to be able to help students become independent thinkers while also sharing faith-filled moments day in and day out.”
St. Joe’s is fortunate to have the expertise and diverse knowledge base that Ms. Matlon brings to our school every day. Her passion for education, for precision, for her faith and for kids in general help to make our school shine.
Mrs. Nadine Metling is a veteran teacher and has dedicated over 30 years of teaching to the children of St. Joseph Catholic School. Over those many years, Mrs. Metling has seen many “Light bulbs” turn on for students as they learn new things. She loves to see that sparkle in children’s eyes when they partake in discoveries, creations, and investigations with our C-STEM program.
Mrs. Metling engages students minds so that they will have that love for learning and exploration, not only while they work with her, but as life-long learners. Mrs. Metling herself is a life-long learner. She graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota achieving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with concentrations in Reading and Learning Disabilities. She completed the STEM Certification program through St. Catherine’s University. Early in her career she taught fourth grade, fifth grade, and Title I at Balaton Public School and fourth grade at St. Kevin’s Catholic School in Minneapolis.
Mrs. Metling became a part of St. Joseph Catholic School Staff in 1987 as a 3 rd grade teacher. She is thrilled to continue to help students become the person that God intends them to be at St. Joseph Catholic STEM School.
Those who have been blessed to know her as teacher, know that she has a heart of gold and a flair for helping all students achieve at an incredibly high level. Mrs. Metling is a St. Joe’s gem!
