Emily Theunick

2nd Grade

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Mrs. Theunick grew up in Big Rapids, always wanting to be an artist and a teacher. She attended Wayne State University, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers and is currently working on her masters in teaching in the AME program at Aquinas.

Prior to her full-time teaching position at St. Mary, Mrs. Theunick worked in her studio and substitute taught at area schools, including St. Mary School. In her free time, she volunteers for the Wheatland Music Festival and has volunteered for the Picture Lady Program in Big Rapids.

Mrs. Theunick is married to Josh who is a welder and works for the Lake County Road Commission as a HD Mechanic. They live in Bitely and have recently finished building their house. Together, they have one daughter, Elsa, who is is a student at St. Mary School with Honor Roll merit.

They care for a menagerie of pets including; three dogs, four cats, chickens, and one fish. Mrs. Theunick loves gardening, and have several flower beds, a vegetable garden and an excessive amount of houseplants.

Mrs. Theunick is thankful to be teaching second grade at St Mary School.

Mr. Scott Pieratt

Physical Education/Technology

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A graduate of Central Michigan University, Mr. Pieratt has been a teacher in Big Rapids for 18 years and has had the pleasure of working at St. Mary’s for the past 13. His wife, Sarah, is also a teacher and employed by Midland Public Schools. His 14 year old daughter, Eliza, and 12 year old son, Grady, attend Sacred Heart Academy in Mt. Pleasant where they reside.

Mr. Pieratt teaches Technology and Physical Education to grades 1st through 8th. He loves to see kids grow and work hard to improve their skills in both areas. In addition to the classroom work, Mr. Pieratt coaches cross country at the Big Rapids Middle School.

In his spare time, Mr. Pieratt enjoys coaching his children in various sports such as basketball, softball and baseball.

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Mr. Pieratt’s Website

Mrs. Carey Mathewson

7th/8th Grade

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Mrs. Mathewson grew up in Flat Rock, Michigan on the east side of the state. She graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Secondary Education majoring in Mathematics and a minor in Group Science. After teaching a few years, she returned to school and received a middle school endorsement from Central Michigan University.

She moved to Big Rapids with her husband upon his graduation from the University of Detroit Dental School. Having both been given the great opportunity of a Catholic Education, they decided to continue the tradition with their three children. Brook, Chloe and Emily have all been students at St. Mary School.

Mrs. Mathewson’s responsibilities at St. Mary include teaching math and science to the 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. She is also the religion teacher for the 7th and 8th graders. In addition to her traditional classroom responsibilities, she is a mentor for the middle school robotics team and coordinator for our PALS groups.

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Andrea Cooley

6th Grade

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Mrs. Cooley has been working at St. Mary Catholic School since 2007. For the 2020-2021 school year, she will be teaching 6th grade Religion and 6/7/8th Language Arts and History.

She is an alum of St. Mary’s and an active parishioner. Mrs. Cooley is married (Jack) and has three children who all attended St. Mary Catholic School.

Mrs. Cooley received her teaching degree from Western Michigan University and considers herself a townie – being born and raised in Big Rapids.

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Mrs. Angela Denny

4th Grade

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Mrs. Denny grew up in Grand Rapids and attended a Catholic School for 13 years. After completing the teacher certification program at Grand Valley State University, Mrs. Denny moved to Big Rapids in 2007 to begin teaching at St. Mary School. She met her husband, a St. Mary alumnus, at the St. Mary Gala in 2010. They were married in 2012. She and her husband, John, have one son, who will begin Kindergarten in the fall.

Mrs. Denny has taught grades second through eighth at St. Mary School. For the 2020-2021 school year, she will be teaching math and science to the 4th and 5th grade St. Mary students.

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Mrs. Jennifer Vos

1st Grade

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Mrs. Jennifer Vos is teaching first grade for her 4th year (2nd from left). She and her husband Greg have a son, Ryan, who is a senior in high school, and a daughter, Brooke, who is married. She has three beautiful grandsons. Mrs. Vos enjoys this small knit community at St. Mary’s and values the Catholic faith. “Teaching the faith to my students is such a blessing to me in this busy world. I am very happy to be an important part of my student’s lives at St. Mary School.” Mrs. Vos and her husband, Greg, belong to Christ the King St. Francis de Sales Parish in Howard City, where she teaches faith formation as well. She loves to garden and enjoys water sports, hike, camp and being outside with her family. A graduate of Grand Valley State University, Mrs. Vos lives in Pierson on a small lake and loves everything outdoors! She loves bringing nature into her classroom too.

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