My name is Lindsey Chipps and I’m excited to join the St Clare middle school team this year! I taught math and science at Parkrose Middle School in NE Portland and took time away from teaching full-time while my children were young. I am excited to be back in the classroom teaching full-time again.

I attended Southern Oregon University and earned a BS in Biology (with a minor in Chemistry) and attended Concordia University where I earned a Masters in the Art of Teaching. In my free time, I enjoy cheering on my children as they compete in athletics (baseball, soccer, basketball, and track), and vacationing with my husband and kids on the McKenzie River.   

I’m Paige Sturges, and this is my fifth year at St. Clare. As both the language arts teacher and seventh grade homeroom teacher, I happen to think I have the best position in the school. I hold both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in French literature from the University of Southern California. In addition, I earned a Master of Arts in education from Claremont Graduate University. I am fully credentialed to teach English and French, in both Oregon and California; I also hold a special endorsement for teaching English as a second language. This summer, I became a Google Certified Educator (Level One) in order to be a better online teacher. My mom is particularly proud of all this education because I’m the first woman in my extended family to earn a college degree.

Growing up in a small town in Georgia, I learned to appreciate lightning bugs and my grandma’s homemade biscuits. I love knitting (even though I’m not particularly good), genealogical research, trips to Paris, and watching Netflix. Oddly enough, I’ve been kissed on the cheek by both Kermit the Frog and Elton John. Not at the same time.

My great passion is for books. I love reading all genres—from autobiographies to young adult fiction. When I have time, I also write and hope to publish my own book one day. I’m married to a writer (of course). My best pal in the whole world is my faithful Sturgesian Field Hound, Georgie.

I’m Cathy Kollars and I’ve taught Catholic middle school for thirty-nine years, and twenty-one of those years have been at St. Clare School. I’m originally from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area, and have also lived in Missouri for seventeen years.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in American History (with a minor in English) from California State University, Sacramento and my Master of Education degree from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. I love history, reading, baseball (go St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A’s), and my husband, Randy Kollars, who is a religion teacher at St. Mary’s Academy. Together, we enjoy spending time at the Oregon Coast and traveling.

My philosophy of education is to help my students to find the joy of learning and to use stories to communicate facts and ideas. I set high expectations, but always try to find a way to help every student succeed. I love music and encouraging students to sing at school liturgies while accompanying them on my guitar.

I’m Cathy Wade and I’m delighted to teach middle school math at St. Clare. I earned undergraduate degrees from Portland State University in Education and German Language. Later, I earned a Master’s degree from Oregon State in Mathematics Education with an emphasis in STEM. I’m a native to Portland, Oregon, but began my teaching career in Seattle, Washington at St. John’s School. After moving back to Oregon, I continued teaching within PPS, at St. Thomas More, Christ the King, and for the past eleven years here at our beloved St. Clare.

My philosophy of education stems from the belief that there is a Mathematician (Scientist, Artist, and Creative soul) within each of us and that we are all naturally curious. I celebrate the AHA! moments in which students discover ideas, make connections, and work through puzzling problems. I believe disequilibrium is a sign of new knowledge, and the difference between not knowing and knowing may be a very fine line. I value the power of sitting with problems that cannot be solved immediately. Every student brings so much to the learning experience and we are richer for the contributions of all. Inspiration (and learning) comes from doing – building, experimenting, asking, getting messy, and making mistakes!

In my recreational time I love being with family, traveling, creating with calligraphy and book arts, hiking, dancing, reading historical fiction or a good mystery, and working my way through the New York Times crossword puzzles. My husband, Mark, and I have three awesome adult children and two amazing daughters-in-law. They continue to be our greatest blessings!