Faculty & Staff

Hana Abbott is a creative leader who has experience in Catholic education, public school education, and in the nonprofit sector. Hana (pronounced Hawn-ah) earned a Bachelor’s Degree [TC1] in Education from Wayne State College, a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Doane College, and a Master’s Degree in Education Administration from Midland University. She has taught in Millard Public Schools, Omaha Home for Boys, and Jesuit Academy. She comes to Gross Catholic from the CUES School System where she directed the STEAM program and worked as an academic manager at NorthStar Foundation. Hana was previously Assistant Principal and was promoted to Principal in March of 2024.

Sandy Antoniak is the school receptionist in the main office. She has been at Gross Catholic since 1996. She has 2 adult sons and three grandchildren.

Mrs. Brousek is one of our outstanding Theology teachers. Her husband, Bob, is a Gross graduate.

Mrs. Joy Clark is our Media Specialist. She also teaches a technology course entitled, “Introduction to Technology.”

Julie is an Advancement team member as the liaison between Advancement, the Business office, and the Board of Directors. She also is the Varsity Volleyball Coach.

Freddie Cougar, our beloved mascot, was magically born out of an abundance of school spirit the day the first student entered our hallowed halls on September the 3rd, 1968. Freddie is the embodiment of our mission and our spirit. Freddie IS the Cougar Family.

Mrs. Emily Dorcey was born and raised in Tampa, FL and moved to Omaha in 2019, where her husband is originally from. She and her husband have a daughter. Mrs. Dorcey has previously taught high school Theology and middle school religion.

Ms. Eckery has been a Math teacher since 2009. She is a dog owner who is very involved in various dog sports, particularly scent work.

Mr. Steve Eubanks is our Head of School. Eubanks earned a Bachelor of Science in biology education with a minor in physical science and coaching from the University of South Dakota, a Master of Arts in educational administration and supervision from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and is a certified athletic administrator. He has spent most of his educational career in the Omaha Public Schools District, having served as a science teacher, coach, student assistance team coordinator, assistant principal, director of athletics, principal and director of curriculum instruction and support. He previously was principal at GC and was elevated to Head of School in March of 2024.

Kristen Ewing is one of our English teachers. She also coordinates the yearbook program and coaches the Cheer Squad.

Michelle (Kokotajlo) Ginn, who graduated from Gross Catholic in 1991, is the school receptionist in the front office. She has been working at Gross Catholic since 2022. She is married and her children have attended Catholic schools.

Mr. Conde Groski is our Facilities Manager. He was born and raised in South O and graduated from Bryan High School. Groski has two daughters who both are graduates of Gross Catholic. The oldest graduated from Doane University with a degree in graphic design and currently resides in California. The youngest daughter currently attends Northwest Missouri State. Mr. Groski is a parishioner of St. Bernadette parish and an active member of both the Men’s Club and KOC. He loves to golf, go to Polka dances, travel, and attend Husker football games. GBR! He is engaged to be married at the end of 2023.

Mr. Stephen Hamersky holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with areas of specialization in mathematics, physics, and computer science, and holds a certification in network management from Cisco Systems. He has served on many advisory boards and writing teams, including the Nebraska Association of Teachers of Mathematics, the Nebraska State Mathematics and Science Frameworks, the Nebraska Mathematics and Science Coalition, and the Education Council of the Nebraska Technology Commission. He has sponsored many academic teams including robotics team, chess, physics, computer programming, and engineering team. He is the assistant technology director and has helped Catholic elementary schools develop their technology programs through teacher training workshops and consultation. He has taught on-campus and online courses in mathematics, science, education, and computer technology for Creighton University, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Metropolitan Community College, and Iowa Western Community College. He has been married to Kitt Hamersky since 1975 and they have three daughters.

Mrs. Tricia (Riha) Hughes has been a member of the Gross Catholic faculty since 1996. After her graduation from Gross Catholic in 1992, she earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and her master’s degree from Peru State College. Currently, Mrs. Hughes teaches mathematics and is the Math Department Chair. In addition, Mrs. Hughes was the Cheerleading coach and the Girls Golf Coach. Mrs. Hughes is married to a Gross Catholic grad (Mark ’83) and they are the parents of three children who have attended Catholic school.

Chris Johanek Boro has been at Gross Catholic since 1980, but she likes to tell her students she was here “when the earth was cooling.” A proud graduate of Gross Catholic class of ’76, she earned her bachelor’s degree from UNL with majors in English and reading, and her master’s degree from UNO, with a graduate endorsement in Teaching the Gifted and Talented. She has taught all levels of English, most recently sophomores and seniors, as well as creative writing. During the 2007 – 2008 school year, she was a member of the Nebraska Department of Education Reading and Writing Standards Revision Committee. Prior to that, she served the Archdiocese of Omaha in a similar capacity, writing and revising Language Arts Standards and Assessments for grades K – 12. Ms. Johanek Boro has lived in Omaha her entire life, and has been married to Craig Boro since 1998. They are parishioners of Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, where both she and Craig are choir members, lectors, and volunteers for parish activities. They are also active in Global Catholic Outreach, an exchange student program that sponsors students from former Communist countries.

Mrs. CaSandra Johnson has been at Gross Catholic since August of 2000. She is visual arts teacher, as well as moderator of the Art Club and Knitting Club. Previously, Mrs. Johnson has taught art for The Boys and Girls Clubs of Omaha, Girls Inc., El Museo Latino, and currently at the Joslyn Art Museum. She is graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a B.S. in K-12 art education, and is an alumnus of The Art Institute of Chicago’s TICA program. She and her husband Doug are members of St. Bernadette Parish. They have 2 sons.

Joe Kmiecik graduated from Creighton University with a degree in English in 2007, and from Emerson College (Boston) in 2009 with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. He has taught composition, rhetoric, creative writing, and other communications classes at Emerson College, Newbury College, and Southern New Hampshire University. He has also spent several years working as a copywriter and editor for an Atlanta-based home repair magazine. Joe is a proud graduate of St. Bernadette and South Omaha Boy. He and his wife have three children.

Mr. Ryan Larson comes to us from more than a decade of recruitment experience at the college level. Most recently, he was Assistant Registrar for the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He has served in admissions leadership roles at Buena Vista University, Iowa Western Community College, and the University of South Dakota – where he recruited primarily from the Omaha metro area.

Mr. Larson and wife Samantha reside in Council Bluffs with their dog Molly. In his free time, he enjoys woodworking, watching sports, traveling, photography and spending time with family.

Mrs. Lizzie Mason attended Mercy High school and then Wayne State College where she graduated in 2019 with a degree in Social Studies Education.

Mrs. Mason spends her free time listening to podcasts, crafting, and traveling with her husband. She is also an avid board gamer player and collector.

Mrs. Kim Matzen is a 1994 a graduate of Gross Catholic, and has been teaching at Gross Catholic since 2000. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the College of Saint Mary. Matzen teaches Theology, is a LIFE Moderator, the chair of the MIT team, is a Social Sciences teacher, a site supervisor, and is an assistant coach for girls soccer. Mrs. Matzen and her husband have two children.

Mark McNamara, proud member of the class of 1990, is married to Julie Reed McNamara, class of 1991 and current school counselor here at Gross. Their four children are also proud Gross Catholic alums, Victoria (2014), Casslyn, (2017), Jillian (2020), and Andrew (2022). The Cougar Family is truly something special.

He received a finance degree from Creighton University in 1994 and an MBA from UNO in 1999. After graduating from Creighton, he worked in commercial real estate originating mortgage loans and analyzing acquisition targets.

His career took a turn eight years ago when he began working in development as a campaign manager for Steier Group raising money for parishes and schools. This led to his most recent position as the Director of Development at Saint Cecilia Cathedral. Through his efforts, he’s secured several foundation grants, established legacy gifts, and grown annual giving.

Quote from Mark McNamara: “I am excited to join the team at Gross Catholic. It’s an honor to invite others to join in our mission to educate in the Marianist tradition as we create more positive outcomes for our students.”

Gross Catholic Head of School, Mr. Steve Eubanks, expressed their enthusiasm about the new hire: “Mark McNamara knows and understands the Gross Catholic community and has a wealth of experience in Development. We are excited to welcome Mark ’90 back to the Cougar family.”

Julie McNamara (class of 1991) began her career at Gross in 2009. Prior to working at Gross she taught at Bryan High school from 1995 – 1999. She obtained her education degree from UNO in 1995 with an endorsement in math. She obtained her masters degree in Preventive Mental Health and High School Counseling from Creighton University in 2017 and currently works with the Cougar family as the junior/senior guidance counselor. She and Mark (class of 1990) married in 1995 and they have been blessed with 4 children.

Colleen Mimick has been employed at Gross Catholic High School since 2013. She manages the Cougar On Site Spirit Store as well as the online Sideline Spirit Store. Her husband, Jeff is a 1979 Gross graduate. They have two children that also graduated from Gross Catholic.

Mr. Moore began teaching at Gross Catholic in 2016 after working in biomedical research labs at Creighton and UNMC for more than a decade. He holds a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Education degree in Secondary Teaching from Creighton. He and his wife, Dalia, have two daughters.

Mrs. Suzanne Nano has been at Gross Catholic since 1990. She has a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degreee and teaching endorsement from UNO. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois. She teachs PE classes and is also the Cerified Athletic Trainer at Gross Catholic.

Sydney Nickerson is the school’s Athletic Trainer. She also graduated from Gross Catholic in  2018.

After graduating from Indiana University in 2008 with her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and English, Ms. Novotny moved to Omaha to obtain her master’s in Education from Creighton. Since moving, she has worked in the elementary, middle and high school levels teaching Spanish and Art. She currently teaches Spanish II and Spanish III. Ms. (McGuan) Novotny grew up in the Northwest Indiana and Chicago area and still travels back often to visit. Ms. Novotny joined the Cougar family in August of 2011 and is married to Nate Novotny, who is a Gross Catholic graduate and also taught at Gross for a number of years. They have two children.

Terry O’Donnell, our Athletic Director and Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, attended St. Joan of Arc Elementary and Middle School in Westgate and attended Gross Cath0lic. While at Gross, he was a multi-sport athlete: football, basketball, baseball, and track. After high school, he entered Bellevue University to study business and play basketball. After deciding to become a teacher, he transferred to the University of Nebraska, Omaha to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education. While at UNO, he helped coach Bellevue University’s basketball team.

Terrence has held several positions in his professional career. He spent a year in South America teaching middle and high school English in Cali, Colombia. He returned stateside to teach social studies at Omaha South High School. There he coached Freshman and JV boys’ basketball. Subsequently, O’Donnell moved to Bryan High School where for nine years he taught history and sociology and was the Varsity boys’ basketball coach.

Terrence has deep ties to the South Omaha community and has been influential in athletic communities throughout the city. He was the co-founder and Director of Basketball Development for the girls’ basketball team Mid-City Mambas. Also, O’Donnell has volunteered with Completely Kids and Police Athletics for Community Engagement (PACE). Finally, he is active with the Dual Language Home and School Association and serves on the school board at St. Joan of Arc.

Terrence is married to Gross alumna, Rosa Valencia ’00, and they have three children. They are parishioners at St. Joan of Arc. Notably, Terrence enjoys triathlon training and mountain biking, practices mindfulness and yoga, and is an avid adventure traveler.

Mrs. Cathie Pajnigar is the school nurse at Gross Catholic. She is a 1995 Gross gradaute. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Creighton University in 1999. After getting married, Cathie and her husband moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa where she was a school nurse for five years. They chose to move back to Omaha in 2007 to be closer to family. She is also currently a registered nurse with CHI Health Bergan Mercy in the Hematology/Oncology Clinic. Dr. and Mrs. Pajnigar have four children who all attend Catholic school.

Mr. Matt Placek has been at Gross Catholic since 2019. He has two bachelor’s degrees – one from Peru State College and the other from Western Governors University. While Matt has been involved in education for a long time, this is his first full-time teaching assignment! He had been a substitute teacher for many public schools in the Omaha metropolitan area. He also managed Sylvan Learning Center in Papillion. Matt lives in Council Bluffs, IA with his wife Courtney. They have two children – a boy and a girl.

Kelly (Waring) Povondra graduated from Gross Catholic in 2000. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Kelly previously worked for the Lincoln Journal Star in their advertising department. Kelly and Dan ’00 have three children. 

Lexi is our Donor Relations Specialist. Previously, Lexi worked at Midland University where she was Assistant Director of Admissions for their graduate school programs.

Debbie Rice is our office manager. She is an ’86 graduate of Gross Catholic. Deb is married to Bill, also an ’86 grad. They have 9 children (additionally, she has 400+ adopted Gross Catholic children). Debbie received a bachelors degree in Elementary and Special Education from UNL. After staying home for 19 years to raise her children, she began working at Gross Catholic in 2015.

Nick Romero began his teaching career at Gross Catholic in 2010. He then went to teach at La Vista Middle School in 2016, and returned to Gross a few years ago. Mr. Romero performs often around the metro area and especially enjoys playing in the pit orchestra at the Omaha Community Playhouse. He and his wife Carrie have 4 kids.

Mr. Randy Schmitz joined Gross Catholic in 2008, but has been teaching science in Catholic high schools for many years. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from South Dakota State University, and a master’s degree in secondary education from Peru State College. He is a member of the varsity football coaching staff. He and his wife, Trixy, have lived in Bellevue for 10 years, and are members of St. Mary’s Parish in Bellevue. They have 6 children.

Ms. Schwartz is a science teacher and cross country/track and field coach. She came to Omaha as a part of the Magis Catholic Teacher Corps program at Creighton University, where she is currently pursuing her masters in education. Ms. Schwartz grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse with a degree in Biology in December of 2020. Outside of school, she enjoys running, biking, and hiking the National Parks with her family.

Ryan Shanahan is our building maintenance specialist.

Rick Sloup is a 1989 graduate of Daniel J. Gross Catholic High school and has taught mathematics at his alma mater since 1997.

Mr. Stanesick started at Gross in 2018 teaching Biology, Environmental science, and Earth Science. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s of Science in Education with an endorsement in Biology. Prior to teaching Mr. Stanesick served six years in the United States Air Force Security Forces most of which as a Training Instructor; he also deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in 2013. Mr. Stanesick is married and has a son.

Mrs. Michele Sweetmon has been teaching at Gross Catholic since 2000. She received her bachelor’s degree from Briar Cliff University and has continued her education in the area of on-line and distance learning through the University of South Georgia. Additionally, Sweetmon has Masters Degree from Concordia University as a Reading Specialist with an ESL endorsement. Mrs. Sweetmon’s is the Assistant Campus Minister. Mrs. Sweetmon is a graduate of Gross Catholic, and she and her husband have three children.

Mr. Shelby Sweetmon grew up in California, attended and played football at El Toro High School in Orange County. After playing lacrosse and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University in 1988, he moved to Omaha in 1992. He began his coaching career at Gross Catholic in 1996 and graduated with a second bachelor’s degree in education from UNO in 2000. After serving as the assistant business manager, bookstore manager, and recruiting director, Mr. Sweetmon moved to the classroom where he is a certified P.E. and business teacher. He has been a varsity football coach and has also served as the girls tennis coach and head track coach. Mr. Sweetmon married his wife in 2002 and they have three children.

Ms. Van Haute is a 2018 Gross Catholic Alum who is excited to be part of the Guidance Department.

Mr. Tom Van Haute is our Study Skills Teacher, PE Teacher as well as our Head Football Coach. He graduated from Hastings College in 2015 with a Master’s in Special Education. His undergraduate degree is in Physical Education.

Mrs. Vargas works at the front desk and is also the Latino Liason here at Gross Catholic.

Mrs. Wellwood has been teaching since 2009 and has served at four different Catholic schools. She is married with three children who are involved in basketball, baseball, and cheer.

Nancy Williams began working at Gross Catholic in 2023. She is the Senior Accountant in the Business Office.