INSTRUCTIONAL TEAM
Middle School Team
Simona Blasco, Small Group Instructor
Ms. Blasco is super excited to begin her new teaching journey with the Catalyst team and looks forward to meeting each member of the community.
Simona was born and raised in a small village in the South of Italy, in a region called Puglia. She moved to Bremerton with her family in the Fall of 2021. Since she was a child, she nourished a deep interest in learning foreign languages and finding out more about different cultures. This passion led her to pursue a career as an Interpreter and Translator after obtaining a Bachelors Degree in Foreign Languages and Literature and a
Masters in Interpreting and Translating Skills. She worked for a while as an Interpreter andTranslator for Wine Companies, traveling to different wine exhibitions.
After Simona got married, her career path started to head in a different direction. She had an opportunity to work as an Italian teacher in a military installation in the North of Italy (Aviano AB). Her job was to teach the Italian language and culture to the military American families stationed there. She
had started to become passionate about teaching since then, and when her children started school she decided to switch her career.
She started working as a Substitute Teacher for different
school districts, covering K-12 positions, and when we were stationed in Germany she covered long-term assignments as a Spanish Teacher and as a Special Education Aide, working for DoDEA schools. After moving to NC, she enrolled in a Teaching Preparation Program and
received a teaching certification after completing a Masters in Education K-6 at Elizabeth City State University.
Ms. Blasco believes every child has the potential to succeed at school and in life, and our job as a teacher is to create a safe environment and multiple opportunities that can fit each child's needs. She believe
teachers need to work hard to keep each child motivated in their learning, help them discover their passions, and build their confidence, so they can all reach their full potential.
During her free time, she loves to explore with her family (her husband and two children, 14 and 12) the beauties of Washington State and the rest of the Pacific North West with its stunning views. They generally hike through the forests to see the beautiful waterfalls. She enjoys cooking, taking yoga
classes, and taking pictures of the gorgeous places they visit.
She is still partial to her beach and town in Italy, which is a place she looks forward to going back to every summer and to see family and friends and enjoying time with them.
Lindsay Brady - Lead Teacher
My name is Lindsay Brady. I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I moved to Florida after graduation where I met my now husband. He is a Corpsman in the Navy and we are so lucky to now be stationed here in Washington. I am going into my sixth year of teaching. My passions as an educator include trauma-responsive teaching and positive behavior management systems. In my free time, I love to hike, read, create art, and do Crossfit. I am so excited to be a member of Catalyst.
Abigail Breeding, Teaching Fellow
Ms. Breeding joins Catalyst Public Schools as a Teaching Fellow. She is the mother of two young boys and has worked with children for most of her teenage and adult life. Ms. Breeding has enjoyed babysitting, volunteering at local elementary schools, and ABA therapy, working with children on the Autism spectrum to coaching youths in tennis and soccer. I was first introduced to Catalyst Public Schools as I was trying to figure out all the options for my eldest son, who will be starting kindergarten in the fall. The message of community, inclusivity and leadership mindset of Catalyst was refreshing and the exact pathway I would like to guide my own son on. I knew immediately I wanted to be involved with this new program. I applied and accepted to be a Community Advisor and now as a Teaching Fellow, my son is enrolled to be a Catalyst Scholar.
Ms. Breeding's dad is retired from the Navy and that afforded her to live in Guam and Japan and finally settle here in the Kitsap area. She enjoys playing soccer with her family, being crafty with a sewing machine and binge watching all the anime she can get my hands on! Ms. Breeding can't wait to meet all the scholars and their families!
Jenny Dale - Small Group Instructor
This is Jenny Dale (they/them), and they are excited to meet everyone. Jenny grew up in Snohomish county, surrounded by the Cascades. They obtained their Associates degree from Everett Community College and then attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks for two years for their Bachelor in English Language and Literature. They got their Masters in Education through WGU online during the pandemic.
Jenny loves to read, write, garden, play video games, and watch movies to unwind. You may also find them watching the Seattle Kraken hockey team and attending their games (sometimes with their niece, Natalie as seen in the photo). For exercise, Jenny likes to take their cat Nova out for walks via her pet stroller. Traveling is a great passion of theirs, especially when it comes to trying new cuisine. They have been to Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Scotland.
Sarah Daly, Lead Teacher
Mrs. Daly is originally from Buffalo, NY and grew up in Phoenix, AZ. She joined the United States Navy at 19 years old and traveled the world. This is where she developed a love for serving others and her country. She enjoyed interacting with people from various cultures, witnessing their beautiful landscapes, and eating their delicious food. Mrs. Daly received her bachelor’s degree in communications, from Arizona State University and is currently working towards her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. After graduating college, she followed her husband to his hometown of Houston, TX. This is where she uncovered her calling to teach. Mrs. Daly has taught in Texas for four years and coached middle school softball. She has a passion for teaching and helping students achieve their goals.
When Mrs. Daly is not at school, she is enjoying the outdoors with her husband, son, and two dogs. Mrs. Daly loves playing sports and participates in local recreation leagues with her friends. This will be Mrs. Daly’s first year living in Washington and she is very excited for all the new adventures to come. She also cannot wait to explore the multitude of coffee shops the state has to offer. Most importantly, she is thrilled to work at a school like Catalyst, where teacher and staff are dedicated to providing the very best education to all students.
Renee Hammel, Teaching Fellow
Born and raised in Iowa, Ms. Hammel's association with the Navy community brought her to Bremerton in 2005. This affiliation has taken her and her family around the world including Guam, Virginia, and Japan before returning to the Bremerton area in 2020.
After completing her Culinary Arts degree she held the position of Catering Coordinator at Olympic College. While in this position, Ms. Hammel successfully applied for and was awarded multiple grants allowing the program to maximize the efficiency of services provided by the catering staff. While not working Ms. Hammel enjoys spending time with her two children and husband performing outdoor activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking.
Ms. Hammel is excited to begin her teaching journey as a member of the Catalyst community. Here she is looking forward to instilling a sense of belonging and empowerment to its scholars. She is motivated to share her culinary knowledge to lead these scholars into making wise food-based decisions as well as teaching the skills they need to know to become independent in their own kitchens.
Michael Kinsey, Teacher
Mr. Kinsey is looking forward to sharing his passion for putting scholars at the center of their own learning.
He is currently finishing up his Teaching Degree and Certificate at Western Governor's University, with an emphasis in Middle School Mathematics and looks forward to learning from all the experience of the current faculty at Catalyst: Bremerton.
Mr. Kinsey is originally from Manchester, England and moved to the US in 2014. He has been married to his beautiful wife, Dominique, for 7 years and they welcomed their first child in November. Mr. Kinsey is an avid football( that’s soccer to you guys) fan, player and coach. He has been coaching for over 15 years and currently coaches in the local area for Bainbridge Island Youth Soccer Club. He also love watching movies, reading fantasy books, playing video games and playing with his dog, Penny!
Cathryn Larson - Lead Teacher
Cathryn was born in Bremerton and grew up in Bellingham, WA. She attended Western Washington University, where she earned her Bachelors in German Language Arts. Through her undergraduate studies, she fell in love with learning and travel; she has studied abroad in Germany, gone on safari through Tanzania and Kenya, cruised the Panama Canal, explored Mexico and Switzerland as a Girl Scout, and has enjoyed the blessings of being able to travel the world.
Returning to Bremerton in 2017 to care for family, Cathryn entered the world of public education. While she worked as a paraeducator, she went back to school to earn her Masters in Teaching Multilingual Learners from Moreland University. She most recently taught first grade, and is looking forward to joining the Catalyst school family.
When she’s not teaching, Cathryn enjoys spending time with her husband and two pets, Ruth the dog and Lucky the cat. She can be found walking the neighborhood and playing at Manette Park, with her nose in a good book, or planning her next adventure.
April Lindvold, Lead Teacher
Ms. Lindvold is originally from North Carolina but calls Washington home.
After graduating high school, she joined the United States Navy, where she got to travel the world, learn history, experience different cultures, and met her husband.
She graduated from Old Dominion University with her Bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to Catalyst she has worked as a 3 rd grade teacher, music teacher, and worked as asubstitute teacher.
Outside of school, she plays taxi driver to her three kiddos: 16, 14, and 8. She takes them to Scouts, swim lessons, and school activities. She also has a small zoo in her house consisting of 2 dogs, 2 cats, a bearded dragon, and a guinea pig.
Her hobbies include spending time with her family, traveling, playing Minecraft, and snugglingup with a great book.
Matthew Moran, Lead Teacher
Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr. Moran packed up his family and made the drive to Bremerton, Washington, just to be at Catalyst. Graduating from the University of Delaware, he worked as a Behavior Specialist and worked with students to create behavior plans and performed positive interventions. He then transitioned into teaching middle school Social Studies and Leadership programs.
He then made the leap into the world of Summer Camp at the Siegel Jewish Community Center, making the outdoors his classroom as he programmed activities for ages five to fifteen. In 2020 he began teaching at the Widener Partnership Charter School virtually, focusing on Science and Social Emotional Learning. During this time he began his Master's Program at Widener University, graduating in 2023 with a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology.
He enjoys writing in his spare time, as well as playing table top games like Dungeons and Dragons and Powered by the Apocalypse. Since moving to Washington, he has gone on adventures with his wife Megan and his son Asher. He'll gladly talk to any student about their favorite anime, their philosophy of life, or their favorite art movement.
Erinn Olson, Lead Teacher
Ms. Olson grew up in Salem, Oregon as an Oregon Ducks fan, competitive swimmer, and cello player. She always knew she wanted to be a science or math teacher.
Ms. Olson ended up getting her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Oregon State University. She majored in Behavioral sciences with an Education focus. She taught in Oregon for 4 years before moving to Washington. Ms. Olson spent the majority of her career teaching in Bremerton at Mountain View Middle School, teaching both Math and Science. Ms. Olson was also the Cross Country coach at Mountain View Middle for 2 years. Since leaving Mountain View, she has taught in Gig Harbor, Olympia, and for Washington Connection Academy. She is very excited to be back in Bremerton.
Outside of work, Ms. Olson spends most of her time with her family or her Scouts. She is the Scoutmaster for Troop 2019 in Silverdale, which is a scouts BSA troop for girls. One of her Scouts was the first female Eagle Scout in Kitsap County. Ms. Olson is proud of what her Scouts do and she loves watching them grow and learn.
Ms. Olson's daughter, Ash, is one of my Scouts, and her husband is on the Committee. They love camping, offroading, and being outdoors. She is also an avid reader of fantasy novels.
Ms. Olson's main goal in teaching and Scouts is to help grow better humans. She believes we are in a world that needs more upstanders, compassion, and kindness and that we need thinkers and doers and brave souls willing to take risks and do what's right. Ms. Olson is very excited to be working in a place that focuses on these same goals and can't wait to dig in!
Sara O’Neil - Lead Teacher
Sara is from Colorado and is someone who is making her dream of living in the Pacific Northwest come true by joining the Catalyst team. She studied English at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado and has taught elementary and middle school for the last 6 years.
Sara enjoys cooking, music, baking (pies and anything loaf related are my favorites), hiking, painting and hanging out with my two cats Roman and Pollo.
Alexandria Pacifico, Lead Teacher
Ms. Pacifico recently moved to the area and was born and raised in Colorado. She earned her BA in English and history and her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Denver. She has taught 6th grade English for 3 years in Denver and previous to that, taught English in Japan. She was also a preschool teacher throughout college. As a typical Colorado native, she enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing . . . all things outdoors! She also enjoys spending time with her dog and watching hockey. Ms. Pacifico is drawn to Catalyst because of the commitment to equity, closing gaps, and high quality academic and social and emotional instruction.
Miranda Schryver, Teaching Fellow
Miranda was born and raised in Washington and recently moved to Bremerton from the Olympic Peninsula. She has previously worked in public schools and is very excited to join the Catalyst family! In her free time she enjoys being outside, hanging out with her family and pets, and seeking the sunshine. She love to travel, her soul is the most quiet at the beach and in the mountains. She can't wait to meet everyone!
Keith Viridian, Small Group Instructor
Mr. Bañuelos was born and raised in Southern California in a city on the outskirts of Los Angeles County. Mr. Bañuelos and his fiancée decided to move to Washington and came across this lovely school. We were both very fortunate to be hired and he is thrilled to be able to teach at Catalyst alongside her. His journey into the classroom was long, but he finally felt that he was right where he belongs.
From first grade, all the way until his senior year of high school Mr. Bañuelos was in Cub Scouts then promoted to Boy Scouts of America where he received the highest honor of Eagle Scout. All throughout high school, he participated in sports such as Wrestling, Tennis, Cross Country, and Track and Field. During his senior year, his team won the State Championship for Division 3 in 2010.
After high school, Mr. Bañuelos attended Cerritos Community College taking courses in various subjects, not only to find a passion, but to educate himself and become a well-rounded person. While doing this he joined a band and played at places such as the House of Blues in Hollywood and the Whiskey a Go Go. He started coaching Cross Country and Track and Field a couple of years after the band separated. A few years later he transferred to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and received my Bachelor of Arts in Education Sciences.
Following graduation, Mr. Bañuelos worked at a middle school until he received my acceptance letter to Pepperdine University for their Masters of Arts in TeachingProgram. He taught in a first and fifth grade classroom and would later be hired as a first/second grade combo teacher. Now he is excited to start the next chapter of my life in Washington with my fiancée at Catalyst.