Jesuit High School

This is my second year here at Jesuit and I’m so happy to be a part of this wonderful school. I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri which is where I was an elementary school teacher. I moved to California about 7 years ago and really enjoy it. I’ve known since I was in elementary school that I wanted to work in Education. While living in California, I became a Test Center Manager for Pearson where I oversaw many facets of test administration for various exams given at the test center. My husband is an alum of JHS and always speaks so highly of it.

Mrs. Borasi currently teaches English 2 XL and American Lit & Comp. She was born and raised in Sacramento, but she attended college in San Diego and studied for a year in Spain at the Universidad de Alcala. While completing her Master’s degree at LMU, she taught freshman writing courses there.  After teaching grades 6-12 at a private school in Los Angeles, she returned to Sacramento and taught all levels of English at St. Francis High School for fourteen years before coming to Jesuit. 

Carlos Brusel-Casals was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. Mr. Brusel earned his MA in Spanish from Sacramento State University. While studying at Sacramento State University, he worked as a professor’s aid in the Department of Foreign Languages. He also worked in the same Department as an editor of the magazine “Explicación de Textos Literarios,” a monthly publication by the Department of Spanish at Sacramento State. In 1998 he was hired at Jesuit and has taught all levels of Spanish, from Spanish 1 to Spanish 4AP.

In the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, caring for the whole person, the Counseling Department at Jesuit High School has grown to include a Wellness Counselor on campus. 

Mr. Chandley is a proud alumnus of Jesuit High School (Class of ‘93). After graduating from Cornell University, he began his teaching career at St. John the Evangelist K-8 school in 1998, and he has worked at Jesuit since 2001, teaching a wide variety of courses in the Math Department. Additionally, he is the Faculty Adviser for the Cutlass, the student-created yearbook. He has absolutely loved his Jesuit experience, both as a student and as a teacher. 

Julia Clark is a member of the Office of Advancement. As the Director of Annual Giving, she is responsible for raising money for the operating budget to meet the gap between what a family pays for tuition and the full-cost of a Jesuit education.  Born in Fresno, CA, Julia worked in the telcom industry for 21 years before retiring.  She is the mother of Neil (JHS ’07) and Katie (SFHS ’12).  She began her professional relationship with Jesuit in 2004. In her spare time she loves to read, entertain, and spend time with family and friends.

Jeff Grant currently teaches AP English Language & Composition and AP Psychology. Originally from Seattle, he has been teaching and coaching since 2003. When not at school, he enjoys playing soccer, reading, cooking, and being outdoors with his family. 

“Your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.” – Toni Morrison

Counselor Caseload (by last name):

I knew I wanted to be a school counselor in the fourth grade. With that goal in mind, I attended Xavier University and earned my BS in Psychology.

Teresa Herrera has been teaching Spanish for over 20 years mostly at the high school level. A native of Sacramento and graduate of St. Francis High School, she completed her undergraduate degree at CSU Sacramento and then continued her education at UC Davis obtaining a Master’s degree in Hispanic literature. Teresa also studied a semester abroad in Paris, France and also enrolled in classes the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. She is passionate about traveling the world. Her travels have taken her to Mexico, Costa Rica, Western Europe, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. 

“Fate often saves an undoomed man if his courage is good.” Or so I have learned. I graduated from Jesuit High School in 1983, grateful to my teachers, coaches, and schoolmates for all they had taught me and for the care they had shown me but eager to move on to the next phase of my education. Still, I maintained contact with a number of my former teachers, among them my Latin teacher Fr. John Kelly, SJ, who would often suggest that I might one day teach at Jesuit, something I did not initially consider seriously.

A Sacramento native, Rod graduated from Hiram Johnson High School in 1984, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1989. While at Cal, Rod was a three time All-American in the high hurdles. Rod competed professionally in track and field from 1989-1997, going to the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1988, 1992, and 1996. Rod began teaching and coaching in 1997 working at Sheldon High School (Elk Grove) and St, Mary’s High School (Berkeley) before coming to Jesuit in 2002. Rod currently teaches U.S. History and Global Studies.

Sarah Kelso earned her BA in English and Spanish from UC Berkeley and her MA in International Affairs from Columbia University. During her MA program, Mrs. Kelso’s focus was on language and linguistics. She took PhD courses from Columbia University’s Spanish Department, and also studied French and Arabic. While obtaining her MA, Mrs. Kelso was the senior editor for the Journal of International Affairs in New York City. Prior to joining the World Languages Department, Mrs.

Currently the Director of Campus Safety, Mr. Lane previously spent 25 years as Director of Admissions. Born and raised in San Francisco, he attended Riordan High School before moving to St. Mary’s College. He taught at St. James in Davis and St. Mary’s in Sacramento before being hired at Jesuit. Mr. Lane is also the Boy’s Director of the Parochial Athletic League (PAL) and has been in that position for 30 years. Mr. Lane has coached football and basketball while at Jesuit, including as an assistant on the two State Runner-up Basketball teams in 1993 and 1994.

After 10 years in parish Youth Ministry, I came to Jesuit High School as the Director of Campus Ministry. Our goal in the YM Office is to help our youth have an encounter with Christ that leads them to greater love and service to others in their lives. I married my best friend, Jennifer, on May 4, 1996. Travel, cooking, golf, theater, Sacramento Kings, SF Giants, SF 49ers are a few of my passions.

Rocklin native Katherine Madden holds a Ph.D. in Critical Studies from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. Her dissertation, Father, Son, and the Holy Dollar: Rebuilding the American Dream in Post-Recessionary Reality Television and Mommy Blogging, studies the ideological framework of Christianity and parenting in reality television and video blogs following the Great Recession of 2008. She also holds an M.A. in Critical Studies from the University of Southern California and a B.A.

Alma Veronica Morales-Dickenson received her BA as Teacher of English as a Foreign Language with a minor in French from the Autonomous State University of Oaxaca “Benito Juarez” and obtained her MA in Spanish Literature from CSUS. She has lived and studied in Vancouver, Canada and Oaxaca, Mexico. She has learned English, French, Italian and Japanese as foreign languages. Ms. Morales had the opportunity to teach at Loretto High School for 5 years. She taught the AP Spanish there as well as the Spanish 3 classes.

Education:

• BS Kinesiology with an emphasis in Athletic Training – Sacramento State University
• MS Exercise Science: Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention – California University of Pennsylvania

Moderator/Coach:

• Sports Performance Coordinator
• Safe Return Task Force
• Equity and Inclusion Committee
• Assistant Varsity Basketball Coach
• Assistant Varsity Football Coach

Certifications/Committees (Off-campus):

• ATC (Athletic Trainer Certified) –

I graduated from Jesuit in 2004, and returned in 2009 for my first full-time teaching assignment. It is an honor to teach with peers who were some of my greatest teachers, and to work with such compassionate, enthusiastic students. I especially love watching students discover their voice as writers and thinkers in English class. For many years I helped as an assistant coach in the aquatics program, with both water polo and swimming. Now, my time after school is devoted to my family and my own continuing education. 

Joe serves as Jesuit High School’s baseball coach. He has been a member of the coaching staff since 1986. In addition to baseball, Joe coached freshman football from 1989-1992 and freshman basketball from 1991-1992. Prior to coming to Jesuit, Coach Potulny coached at the University of San Francisco as a graduate assistant in 1981. Later, Coach Potulny traveled to Wisconsin and was an assistant coach for the La Crosse Loggers in the Northwoods League, a summer collegiate league, from 2008-2012.

Kristie Quillen earned her BA in Communication Studies from UCSB, where she also studied French, Italian, and German. Inspired by a study abroad program and extensive travel throughout Europe and South America, Mrs. Quillen learned Spanish as well. After working in sales in the private sector for several years, she realized that teaching was her true calling and obtained teaching credentials in French and Spanish from Chapman University. Mrs. Quillen currently teaches French and Spanish.

Counselor Caseload (by last name):

My love for working with students in a school setting began with my B.A.

Jennifer is a registered nurse whose medical expertise and familiarity with best practices in virus mitigation ensure Jesuit Sacramento follows the relevant protocols and help the school make the right decisions if COVID-19 related issues arise. She is an integral part of the Safe Return Task Force.  Additionally, she monitors many other medical needs that may arise on campus during its use for Summer at Jesuit.

Carol works in the Academic Support Center which is a dedicated space for students with learning differences and/or ADHD.  Carol supports students during their FLEX periods through check-ins and assistance with their academic classes.  She has worked as a teacher, counselor, campus minister, and coach during her years in high school education.

Sarah Ruano is the Assistant Principal for Student Life at Jesuit High School. She began her career as a classroom teacher before managing education programs at the National Center for Education Statistics and UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education. She worked at St. Francis High School as Director of Data and Assessment for nine years, where she oversaw the WASC accreditation process, analyzed school data to inform decision making, and supported academic and extracurricular programs. Sarah has taught both English and English as a Second Language.

Mr. Strawn graduated from Jesuit in 2004. He attended the University of San Diego, studying English, Philosophy, and Theology & Religious Studies, and began his teaching career three months after graduating in 2008. He earned his M.A. from CSU, Sacramento, in English Literature, and is currently working towards his B.S. in Computer Science from Oregon State University. He is teaching Algebra 1, AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A.

La Roddric Theodule is the Assistant Principal/Dean of Students at Jesuit High School.  He graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA before attending Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida.  After undergrad, La Roddric began his teaching career in Catholic high schools and has remained a Catholic school math and physical education teacher, football and track & field coach, and mentor/moderator since 2002.  During his time as a Catholic school teacher, he earned Master’s degrees from both Concordia University, Irvine and

George Wagner first came to Jesuit in 1988 when he taught math and coached football. He later became the Department Chair of Mathematics. Soon after he spent several years teaching Advanced Placement Computer Science. He then moved out of the classroom and became the Director of Technology.

George is married with two children, one of which is an Alumni of Jesuit & CSUS while the other is an Alumni of Saint Francis High School.