Mrs. Maria Niebuhr, M.Ed., was born in Long Island, New York and has been principal at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School since 2017. Mrs. Niebuhr has a Bachelor of Business Degree in Marketing from Hofstra University in New York and was formerly employed as a Vice President in sales and marketing for NatWest USA Bank. After receiving teaching certification from FGCU in elementary education, Mrs. Niebuhr went on to earn a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership while teaching in the Diocese of Venice. Mrs. Niebuhr has served in Catholic Education since 2002 as a music educator, choir and theater director, and classroom teacher. When she’s not in school, Mrs. Niebuhr enjoys spending time with family and reading.

Mrs. Tenbarge is our Assistant Principal and Dean of Technology, and she also teaches sixth grade Language Arts. She has been part of the faculty of St. Elizabeth Seton since the fall of 2001. As a member of our Seton family she has had the opportunity to teach fifth grade, a variety of middle school subjects, and serve for a number of years as our school librarian. Mrs. Tenbarge and her husband, Jeff, are committed to Catholic education and proud that both of their children are successful alumni of St. Elizabeth Seton.

Mrs. Tenbarge is a graduate of St. John Neumann High School, Naples, FL. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Secondary Education from Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. She recently earned her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mrs. Tenbarge holds teaching certifications in Elementary Education (K-6) and Social Science (5-9).

Dianne Fabii, Ph.D., NCC, MCC, LPC, comes to the diocese with a unique background in both providing counseling services and coordinating advancement programs. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in special education from LaSalle University and Master’s degree in education and health from St. Joseph’s University. After teaching both in Philadelphia and in England, she moved to New Jersey and completed requirements to obtain several certifications in counseling, where she conducted a private counseling practice for over fifteen years. There she also completed her Ph.D. at Rutgers University in the field of Childhood Studies, the first program of its kind in the United States. Dr. Fabii also has worked in K-8 schools, colleges and the non-profit sector providing counseling and career development services for students with diverse needs.
She has traveled extensively throughout southern India on many mission trips to assess needs and to determine sources to raise funds for a variety of needs. Dr. Fabii relocated to southwest Florida in 2015, and is happy to combine her passions for helping children reach their greatest potential and raising funds to support Catholic education. She divides her time between St. Elizabeth Seton School and Rhodora J. Donahue Academy in Ave Maria, Florida.

Ms. Kelly is our office manager and has been working at Seton for twenty one years. She started as the 2nd grade teacher’s aide and did so for eight years. On year nine at Seton she started working as the office manager. Ms. Kelly is the coordinator for the Aftercare Program and takes an active role in many Seton programs. When she is not at Seton, Ms. Kelly enjoys vacationing in North Carolina with her family.

Ms. Pearce is originally from Ontario, Canada, and moved to Florida 13 years ago with her two children. Prior to moving to Florida, she was a teacher at a community college and loved being involved in education. After moving to Fort Lauderdale in 2005 she became a business manager and accountant. Ms. Pearce relocated to Naples in 2017. She was very excited at an opportunity that merged education and accounting and became St. Elizabeth Seton’s school accountant in March 2018. Ms. Pearce enjoys meeting the school families and looks forward to getting involved with school activities. When not working with numbers, Ms. Pearce enjoys outdoor activities and spending time with family and friends.

Mrs. Gina Groch is the new Marketing/Communications Director. She holds a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with a double major in Computer Science and Marketing from Temple University.

Mrs. Groch begins her 24th year in the Diocese of Venice, having recently retired from the position of Principal of Saint Ann Catholic School, and as former principal of St. Charles Borromeo School in Port Charlotte. For sixteen years, she served in a variety of roles at St. Elizabeth Seton including Assistant/Interim Principal, Director of Admissions and Marketing, and Tech. Coordinator and teacher. She holds Florida Professional certification in Educational Leadership-All Levels, and K-12 Computer Science. Prior to joining the Diocese, Mrs. Groch worked for the Unisys Corp. as an instructor in the Schools & Government Division. She also ran her own small business computer company.

Both Mrs. Groch’s children attended St. Elizabeth Seton. She is dedicated to promoting the mission of Catholic education and is thrilled to re-join the Seton family and grateful to be back home in a new role!

Mrs. Rendon was born in New York but grew up in Colombia. She returned to the US and settled in Florida in 2009. She lives with her husband and two young sons who are students at our school. Mrs. Rendon has over ten years of experience working as an office assistant and serving others. She is fluent in Spanish and loves to interact with children as well as spend time with her family.

Mrs. McFee and her husband, Shannon, have four daughters who have graduated from St. Elizabeth Seton and St. John Neumann High School. They have a great love and appreciation for Catholic Education! She has lived in Naples most of her life but loves to travel and experience new places. Mrs. McFee received her Associate of Arts from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL and her Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. She holds a teaching certificate in Primary Education.

Mrs. Banning is a Naples native and a life-long member of St. Elizabeth Seton Church. She began working at St. Elizabeth Seton School six years ago as a teacher’s aide, and then as the second grade teacher. She is now going into her second year as the PreK-4 teacher. Mrs. Banning received her Bachelor’s degree in Child Studies and her minor in Music from Florida Gulf Coast University. When she’s not teaching, you can find her spending time with her family and friends and her dog, Colbie.

Originally from Quito, Ecuador, Mrs. Crowley had two children, Lorena and Andrew, who are both SES alumni. She earned an Associate of Arts degree in Education from Northern Virginia Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from George Washington University, and a Master of Science degree in Varying Exceptionalities from Barry University. Mrs. Crowley possesses Florida certification in Early Childhood and Primary Education. She is bilingual and fluent in both English and Spanish. Her philosophy is: “Childhood should be a journey and not a race.” In her free time, Mrs. Crowley enjoys reading, quilting, painting, and gardening.

Mrs. Hilmoe is originally from Long Island, New York, but spent most of her life in Hagerstown, Maryland. She is the product of Catholic Education having attended St. Mary Catholic School and St. Maria Goretti HS in Hagerstown, MD. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

She and her husband, Monte, have been married for thirty years and have four children who all attended the same Catholic schools she attended. After being a stay at home mom for fourteen years, Mrs. Hilmoe returned to school and obtained her Master of Arts in Teaching. She taught at St. Mary Catholic School for ten years as the kindergarten teacher, then one year in public school teaching third grade.

Mrs. Hilmoe moved to Naples in July 2018 and accepted the position of first grade teacher at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School. She feels very blessed to be part of the staff and looks forward to working with the children and their families.

Mrs. Lucarelli is originally from the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Naples almost nine years ago!
This will be her sixth year of teaching at Seton. Mrs. Lucarelli received her bachelor’s degree from Florida Gulf Coast University. Mrs. Lucarelli lives in Naples with her husband Dominick. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and traveling around the world.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ms. Lanigan received her Bachelor’s degree from Chatham University in Elementary Education and her K-6 teaching certification. Ms. Lanigan is beginning her seventh year at Seton as our third grade teacher. She also serves as our Chief Yearbook Editor. Prior to moving to Florida to teach, Ms. Lanigan worked with children throughout her professional life as a teacher, nanny and camp counselor.

This is Mrs. Stott’s third year teaching fourth grade at St. Elizabeth Seton School, and this year marks her ninth as a teacher. Originally from Birmingham, Alabama, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Louisiana State University. She earned her Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching through International House Riviera Maya in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. She then taught general and business English in Jakarta, Indonesia for two years before moving to Russia where she taught at a youth theater camp in St. Petersburg, then in Moscow at a language school for two years. Ms. Stott then returned to the United States and taught fifth grade at a public school in St. Lucie County for two years before coming to SES in 2017. She lives in Naples with her husband and enjoys travelling and reading.

Mrs. Eastman is a Naples native and has been a teacher for seventeen years. She has served in several educational roles including third and fourth grade teacher, school media specialist, resource, enrichment, school-wide program initiatives, Seton admissions, and now is the fifth grade teacher. She studied at the University of South Florida and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 2001, and her Master of Arts degree in Library and Information Science in 2003.

Mrs. Eastman is married and has two children who attend Seton. She is the staff liaison for the Home and School Association. She and her family take an active role in fundraising for the school and church, and she recently joined the Seton Church Parish Council. Mrs. Eastman spends her personal time with family engaging in a variety of outdoor activities including camping, hunting, fishing, and barbecuing.

Recently completing his third year of teaching at Seton, Mr. Ganse is the Advanced Math and Religion teacher for grades 6, 7, and 8. He has a Master’s degree in Education from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Bachelor’s degree in Diversified Liberal Arts from the University of San Diego. He has 15 years of teaching experience, mostly as a middle school math and Algebra teacher. He is the School Liturgy Director and organizes weekly school masses. He earned intermediate Religion Certification through the Diocese of Venice and authored “Hey Gotta Minute…A Catholic Student’s Summer Survival Guide”.

Ms. Watson is the General Music, Band, and Choir teacher, and she has been in this position since 2017. Prior to teaching at Seton, Ms. Watson worked towards obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the Ithaca College School of Music. She is certified to teach music for Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grades in the state of Florida. At St. Elizabeth Seton, she is working to grow and develop the music program by fostering a love of music and adding many new performance opportunities for each student.

Mr. Snyder is the Language Arts and Social Studies teacher for grades 6, 7 and 8. This is his 4th year at Seton and 6th year in the Diocese of Venice, having taught English and Social Studies for two years at St. John Neumann High School. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Akron in Ohio where he also played college basketball. He has been a teacher and coach in Collier County for the past 10 years, and participates in sports of all kinds.

Sra. Fabiola Galarraga-Cole joined St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School in 2017. She attended John Carroll University where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish, and earned her Master of Education with a concentration in Latin American and International studies. She also attended the Universitat de Valencia in Valencia, Spain with the University of Virginia study abroad program, and has traveled throughout Spain, South and Central America.

Before joining SES, she taught Spanish for eight years at Cardinal Pacelli School in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a member of Sigma Delta Pi, the National Spanish Honor Society. At SES, she organizes the Spanish Spelling Bee Competition and the Latin Zumba Fiesta. Sra. Cole loves teaching Spanish and introducing students to the wonderful and colorful Latin American culture.

Mrs. Charity Winter is our resource coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from the University of Central Florida, and is certified in elementary and exceptional education. Additionally, Mrs. Winter is our seventh grade writing teacher, accelerated math teacher for fourth and fifth grades, and the middle school drama teacher. She has taught at Saint Elizabeth Seton School since 2006.

Mrs. Winter grew up in Missouri and Daytona Beach, Florida. Beginning her teaching career in 1997, she previously taught second grade in Daytona Beach, grades K-3 for emotionally disabled students in Lake Mary, and third grade in Immokalee. She is married and has one son.

She believes every child can learn and every child has a talent they can use to contribute to their class and community; they just need the opportunity to do so. Mrs. Winter is very passionate about teaching and tries to be creative when planning for students so they will be as excited about school as she is.

Coach Tenbarge is entering his twentieth year at Seton. He has been serving as the Physical Education Teacher and Athletic Director. Coach Tenbarge grew up in Evansville, Indiana. He attended Wabash Valley College, where he received his Associates in Science degree while also playing baseball. After graduating from Wabash Valley, Coach Tenbarge attended the University of Evansville and also played D1 baseball. After spending one year at the University of Evansville, Coach Tenbarge was drafted in the 6th round by the Houston Astros, where he played two seasons of Single A professional baseball. Coach Tenbarge is married to Mrs. Tenbarge (Seton’s Librarian and Middle School Teacher) and has two children, Sarah and Tucker. When Coach Tenbarge is not at Seton, there is a good chance you will find him playing golf or umpiring High School baseball.

Ms. Clifford is originally from Staten Island, New York and has been living in Naples since 1978. She has two daughters and five grandchildren. She retired from the Collier County Sheriff's Department and was the previous Religion teacher at St. Elizabeth Seton School. She loves working with children and is delighted to be the PK 4 aide to the little "panther" cubs on campus.

Mrs. Fuentes and her husband were born in Cuba. They have a son and daughter, who both attend St. Elizabeth Seton School. Mrs. Fuentes’ family has a great appreciation for Catholic education. She has lived in Naples since moving out of Cuba. She has many interests including: spending time at home, cooking Cuban food, riding bikes with her family, going to places where they learn about animals, swimming, fishing, enjoying the outdoors, playing soccer, and spending quality time with her family.

Bill Rule was born in Sarasota, Florida and served in the Navy from 1979-1987 as a Petty Officer, 2nd Class. During his navy years he traveled to Spain, Italy Sicily and Ireland. He also has served in the Collier County Sheriff’s Office in the areas of road patrol, criminal investigation, victim services. human trafficking, senior services and administration. He recently retired from there as a Captain after 30 years of employment We are very pleased to have him with us at Seton to help keep our students and campus safe.

Dr. Fontaine brings a wealth of knowledge and experience as the new middle school Math and Science instructor at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic School. He earned three interdisciplinary degrees at Florida State University: a B.A. in International Affairs (College of Social Sciences), an M.A. in Humanities (College of Arts and Sciences), and a Ph.D. in the Historical, Social, and Philosophical Foundations of Education (College of Education). He has 12 years of college and university teaching experience, and 3 years of experience teaching individualized, interdisciplinary, and hands-on projects for elementary and middle school students in a project-based learning environment. He has authored and/or co-authored 23 academic publications, and has presented and/or co-presented his work at 20 academic conferences at the regional, national, and international levels.

Mrs. Stephanie Olson graduated with a B.A. in Elementary Education from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2013. She has been teaching in the Southwest Florida area ever since. She enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, Ryder. She is an avid boater and Alabama football fan.

Since 2013, Mr. Felber has been managing all building maintenance activities at Seton. He is responsible for overseeing the upkeep and maintenance of all the buildings on campus as well as the external property. Before joining the Seton community, Mr. Felber was a construction supervisor for Gulf Bay Construction Company.

Mr. Delgado has served the Seton community since 2014 by keeping our grounds clean and well kept, as well as assisting with numerous tasks to keep our buildings well-maintained. Prior to joining Seton, Mr. Delgado worked with Crawford Landscaping for several years.

Ms. Christina Grün earned her degree in art and design in Frankfurt, Germany before relocating to the United States. From 1999 to present she has taught art to Pre-K through eighth grade students in private education, joining the St. Elizabeth Seton family in 2009. Always bringing out the best in her students, Ms. Grün presents their work out in the community several times a year.

Ms. Grün is a practicing artist who displays her work in various shows and galleries throughout the year in the Naples area and online.