Matthew Azano joined our faculty in 2020. Originally from the Northeast, he graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in English, having completed the Development of Western Civilization Program and the Liberal Arts Honors Program. He went on to earn his M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, where he specialized in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Upon relocating to Texas, he taught as an Adjunct Professor at several colleges and universities is certified in secondary English as well, and has taught in our area at Central Catholic High School. Mr. Azano is looking forward to teaching Sophomore and Senior English, as well as a new Film/Video Tech class. In his spare time, he enjoys collecting comic books, CDs, and vinyl records.
Mr. Dillenbeck joined our faculty part-time, teaching some history courses; he has been a high school social studies teacher in Texas for 36 years. All of his teaching experiences have come in small districts, which attracted him to serving in our school, where students and teachers can form real relationships and rapport. For him, these relationships are the key to a great learning environment.
Mr. Fagan serves as the History Department Chair here at SJPII and teaches World History, US History, and Dual Credit History for Upperclassmen. Mr. Fagan holds a B.A. in History from the University Texas at San Antonio and a master’s in history from Wayland Baptist University. He is also certified in Social Studies 4th grade through 12th grade and in History by the Texas Education Agency. In his 16-year teaching career, he has taught 7th grade through college. He served 20 years in the military, five in the United States Navy in Aviation Ordinance, and as a Hospital Corpsman. He served 15 years in the United States Army as a Combat Medic and Nurse. He served in Desert Storm and has had the opportunity to either live in or visit 38 countries of the world. He loves being part of the community here at St. John Paul II. Mr. Fagan has been married to the love of his life, Patricia, for 40 years.
Dr. Sherry Garrett, Ph.D., CSC, LPC
Dr. Sherry Garrett is an alumnus of the University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology, Counseling and Guidance, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Garrett has a
Texas Teacher’s Certification in English for grades 6 th -12 th and a Texas School Counselor Certification for grades K-12 th . She also holds a Licensed Professional Counseling licensure. She has been an English teacher and Counselor at East Central High School previously. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, teaching Graduate Counseling courses. Dr. Garrett is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Counseling Department at Our Lady of the Lake University, teaching Graduate School Counseling and Community Counseling courses. Additionally, she has years of experience counseling college students at The University of the Incarnate Word. Dr. Garrett has supervised and mentored numerous school counselors in training through the years. She is an active member of St. James Catholic Church in Seguin, where she serves as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Rosary Leader, Catholic Daughter, and member of the Pastoral Council. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their daughters.
Mr. Garza teaches English III and English IV as well as the A/V Production Classes, which
produce Guardian TV. Coach Garza started at St. John Paul II CHS in 2018 and has served in
various roles since then, including being the Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Football
Coach, and Assistant Track Coach.
Natalie Gazda joined our faculty in January of 2021. After graduating from St. John Paul II CHS
in 2016, she attended Texas A&M where she earned a B.A. in Philosophy. She is currently
working towards an M.A. in Pastoral Theology through the Augustine Institute. While attending
Texas A&M, she was very involved at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station and
received much formation through various retreats and programs there. She also spent a lot of her
college years seriously discerning religious life. Through her time with a few different religious
communities, she grew in prayer as well as in her desire to serve in ministry. She now enjoys
serving in full time ministry as the Director of Faith Formation at St. John Paul II.
Mrs. Gordon has earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and a Masters of Science in
Science Education (7-12). Before pursuing a career in education, she worked in R & D for Sherwin
Williams in Cleveland, OH. After staying home to raise her two children, she returned to the
education field as an Adjunct Chemistry Professor, at Lincoln Trail Community College in Illinois.
She moved to Texas in 2019 and joined the SJPII community in 2021. At SJPII Mrs. Gordon teaches
Honors Chemistry, Regular Chemistry and AP Chemistry. Her classes focus on laboratory
experience, critical thinking, and learning through discovery.
Robert F. Gorman is a University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Honorary Professor of International Studies at Texas State University. He is the author of numerous books and articles on international relations, international law and organization, refugee and asylum policy, ethics, patristic era philosophy, and the history of ideas. His recent books include What’s Wrong with Global Governance (Acton Institute Christian Social Thought Series, 2016) and Toward the Common Good: A Catholic Critique of the Discipline of Political Science (Scarecrow, 2011). He is a member of the Catholic Society of Social Scientists, serving as editor of its book series. He is a former Council on Foreign Relations Fellow and has worked in the U.S. Department of State's Refugee Program Bureau and at Africare, an American nongovernmental organization. He has an undergraduate degree in political science from Seattle University, and an MA and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oregon. He was ordained a deacon in 2000 for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and serves at Saints Peter and Paul Parish, where he specializes in catechetical and retreat ministries. He writes regularly on the subjects of Church teaching, history, liturgy and homiletics for the Homiletic and Pastoral Review. His wife, Mary, is a retired Catholic School elementary teacher. They have three children and eight grandchildren. Deacon Gorman teaches government and theology, including a dual college credit course in global studies.
Elizabeth Harris is new to our faculty for the 2022-2023 school year. A native from San Antonio
she attended Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi earning a Bachelors of Science degree in
Biology. Before teaching she was a SCUBA diver at Sea World, and was a missionary in
Ethiopia. She has taught math and science in both public and charter schools, at both the
middle school and high school level, for approximately 6 years. A convert to Catholicism, she
has developed special devotions to Saint Joseph, our Holy Mother Mary, Saint Benedict, and
Saint Adelaide. In her spare time she enjoys going to Mass, praying, reading, traveling, and is
currently learning Latin.
Dr. Hedman joined the JPII family in 2022 teaching the Healthcare Clinical course. He
graduated from University of Northern Iowa in 1999 and Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in
2003. He has experience in private practice, group practice, and hospital care. Dr. Hedman
also serves as the SPP Middle School Cross Country and Track & Field coach. Dr. Hedman is
a volunteer with New Braunfels Community Emergency Response Team and the city’s Search
and Rescue team. Staying active and healthy are priorities in the Hedman family. He and his
wife started the Health & Wellness Ministry at their parish, Sts. Peter & Paul. He is married to
Annamarie and has two children, Isabella and James.
Mr. Iliff is the school's principal, now in his thirteen-year in the role. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Trinity University. He is a certified English teacher, earning his certificate through coursework at St. Mary's University. He was a teacher, coach, and administrator at Central Catholic High School, and was the principal at St. Luke Catholic School in San Antonio. He also taught in the Bronx at Cardinal Spellman High School, through a volunteer program run by the Archdiocese of New York. He has taught courses at SJPIICHS (Economics and AP Language & Composition) and will teach Economics again this year.
As a native of San Antonio, she began college at Incarnate Word, attended various colleges in Mississippi, Georgia, and Oklahoma during her husband's Air Force career, and earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Latin and Latin Literature from the University of Oklahoma. Upon returning to settle in San Antonio, she did her educational certification courses at Trinity University, becoming certified to teach Latin and History. For 23 years, she was a teacher in North East ISD, 21 of them at Roosevelt High School, and the last 8 as the Department Head of Foreign Languages. She and her family have been active members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Selma for the last 27 years. She has led Adult Scripture studies, directed and served on ACTS retreats and ACTS Core, been a member of the Pastoral Council, been a member of the Arts and Environment Committee, and currently is a lector, extraordinary minister of communion, co-director with her husband Kerry of the Lector ministry and member of the Liturgy Committee. Mrs. Ledford teaches Latin I, Latin II, and Dual Credit Latin III.
Mrs. Maldonado brings a passion for a hands-on approach to the study of Biology and natural sciences in addition to an emphasis on laboratory work with students. She brings experience working in the Mammalogy department at the Field Museum in Chicago while studying for her Biology degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She began working directly with students by delivering hands-on science programs while she worked as Operations Manager at the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History. Mrs. Maldonado continued to collaborate with teachers in bringing lab activities to students by organizing and running her own business to bring science experiences to classrooms. She is excited to utilize her 20 years of experience in her own classroom teaching Biology. Mrs. Maldonado has recently earned a Master’s degree in Education from Western Governors University and a Texas Certification in Science for grades 7th-12th. In 2017 she moved to Seguin with her family from Apple Valley, CA.
Mrs. McCune has a BFA in Theatre Performance and Production, with a Minor in Music from
Texas State University. Mrs. McCune has spent many years in arts education throughout the
San Antonio area. She has worked as a teaching artist at the Magik Theatre, taught theatre and
art for a homeschool class day program, choreographed and assisted with close to forty musical
theatre productions (fifteen of which were performed by children ages 4-19), and is beginning
her 17th year of teaching dance. She works closely with Christian Youth Theatre in New
Braunfels as co-leader of their high school youth leadership program (HYPE) and occasional
teacher/choreographer. In 2016, she was trained to become one of the first four Wolf Trap
teaching artists in Texas and has completed residencies in at least seven different San Antonio
area school districts and ten campuses, assisting preschool and elementary teachers on how to
better incorporate the arts into their classrooms. Mrs. McCune can be found on the SJPII
campus afterschool, working with the drama program and students. When she is not teaching,
she loves spending time with her husband, their toddler, and their family and friends.
Mr. McGehee joined our faculty in 2018. He currently teaches Chemistry and Anatomy/Physiology. In addition to teaching, Mr. McGehee is also the Head Football Coach. He is a graduate of the Texas State University in San Marcos and has over 30 years of experience teaching in Texas.
Sharon Nittinger is a graduate of Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where she earned her B.A. in psychology. She completed her master’s degree in psychology at Loyola College in Maryland and obtained her master’s in financial management at the University of Maryland. During her professional career, Sharon worked with chronic mentally ill adults, as a therapist in a maximum-security prison and as a director of staff development in Philadelphia. As an adjunct instructor, Sharon has taught a range of psychology courses at the college level. In 2013, she was nominated for the Excellence in Teaching award at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mrs. Patillo has over twenty years of teaching experience in schools throughout the country (Colorado, California, and Virginia) as her family has moved to different military bases. She has taught middle school through community college and has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Colorado State University. She also served ten years in the U.S. Army Reserves. Mrs. Patillo has been teaching English I and English II at SJPII since 2010.
Ms. Phelan has been our librarian since 2013. She earned a BS in psychology from Texas A&M University-College Station and an MS in library science from Simmons College in Boston, MA. She grew up all over the country with her military family but has always called New Braunfels home. Ms. Phelan also leads our academic team and has assisted with retreats, and has worked very hard to build our school's library collection.
Mrs. Rowe has taught math for 16 years. She graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Clarkson University. She worked for Texas Instruments in the Antenna Department for a number of years before starting her teaching career. Mrs. Rowe grew up in the New York/ Pennsylvania area but found the warmer climate of Texas suited her better, and she ended up staying in Texas, raising her family, and pursuing her education career here.
Ms. Sweeney has a long career in education, over thirty years of teaching Mathematics in Texas high schools. Most recently, she helped to open a new high school in Katy, Texas, the 5A Seven Lakes High School (Katy ISD). She served as the math department chair there previously and has taught just about every Math course offered in high schools. Ms. Sweeney attended Catholic schools as a young person. She has a Master’s in Education and an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and is excited to have the chance to give back to Catholic education, knowing how much she received from the schools she attended in Memphis growing up. She teaches upper-level math courses here and directs our mathematics instruction.
Mrs. Thomson has earned three degrees from Trinity University: a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish, a Masters of Arts in Teaching, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership. Before coming to SJPII, she spent a year abroad teaching English as a foreign language in Chile and then worked as a ninth-grade teacher and team leader at Lee High School in North East ISD. She taught upper-level English courses at SJPII from fall 2012 to spring 2016, and also became the Professional Development Coordinator in the fall of 2014. In the fall of 2016, she became the Academic Dean; along with continuing to lead professional development, she works with teachers to maintain and improve SJPII's college preparatory curriculum, and with students to help ensure their academic success.
Michael Travis taught 9th and 10th-grade mathematics and brought thirty-eight years of experience to the classroom, twenty-one of them at Fox Tech, and the rest in high schools in Massachusetts. He passed away in February 2013 and is survived by his wife of thirty-one years, Jackie. We consider him to be an enduring presence on our campus and among our teachers.
He earned his Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. He and his wife have been active members of St. Helena's Parish, where Mr. Travis was a member of Knight of Columbus Council #7965 and a Fourth Degree Knight Assembly #2102. While at Fox Tech, Mr. Travis served in a variety of departmental leadership roles and was a part of a team of math teachers that consistently overcame difficult situations to improve student learning. Mr. Travis - we love you - keep us in prayer.
In addition to being our Assistant Principal, Mr. Wills teaches all Art Classes at SJPII. Mr. D’Arcy Wills joined us in 2018. He has a Master’s in School Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Art, along with over forty credit hours in science and math. He has been a chemistry teacher, an art teacher, a football coach, and a dean of students, along with work in the private sector. He joined us after having served for seven years as the Dean of Students at The Highlands School, a K-12 Catholic school, in Irving, Texas. Before joining The Highlands School, he was the National Director of a virtue-based program called SportsLeader. In this role, he helped develop a simple-to-use curriculum for coaches to help them in forming athletes in virtue. This knowledge and experience in using athletics in the formation of young Catholic men and women serves him very well as a Catholic school teacher and administrator. In his personal life, Mr. Wills has a great love for football and art. In college, he was a Division I quarterback at both the Air Force Academy and the University of Richmond and has coached for over a decade at the high school level. He is also an accomplished student of classical realism and enjoys creating sacred artwork in his spare time But, Mr. Wills' greatest joy is going on adventures with his four sons.