Father Granito has been the pastor of Holy Child Catholic Parish in Tijeras for many years. He was present for the founding of the school in 2008 and has been a staunch advocate throughout its existence. His side passion is baking and his splendid bakes have placed in the State Fair. Students enjoy his quirky sense of humor and his love of all things good, true, and beautiful.  

Janice has been a Catholic school teacher for twenty seven years, teaching elementary, middle and high school throughout the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. This will be her eighth year as the Holy Child Catholic School Principal. She has spent the last fifteen years developing and teaching a classical curriculum and she truly believes classical learning is the solution to many of the problems facing education today. Janice has also conducted historical research in archives in Europe and was a graduate teaching assistant at the University of New Mexico. She has one B.A. in French Literature and another B.A. in Education. Moreover, she has an M.A. in Modern European History from the University of New Mexico and a Master’s in Theology from Catholic Distance University.  Janice received her principal's license from the University of Dayton.  Janice is a graduate student at the University of Dallas working on a Master of Arts in Humanities with a focus on Classical Education 

Amanda (Mandy) has her Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Akron in Ohio. She has worked as an Administrative Assistant for the Pastoral office for Catechesis in the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. It was there she took Theology Courses through St. Joseph's college as part of the Ecclesial Lay ministry program and has experience in the Strengthsfinder program and the Spiritual gifts inventory for working with teams.

Her other work experience includes: Management in the food retail industry, coaching college students through career management at The University of Akron, librarian and certified Coffee Master.

Amanda has been actively volunteering for the Parish and School since she and her husband Jeff moved here in 2016. Her most active role has been her involvement in creating, launching, and coordinating the F.I.A.T. ministry. All three of her children attend Holy Child Catholic School. 

Della Tapia comes to us with many years of experience in customer service and leadership roles. She is excited and eager to start giving a helping hand to HCCS.

Della and her husband, Ray, have two daughters and son-in-laws. They have four grandchildren/two of which attend HCCS and one attending Our Lady of Assumption.

Della is a member of Estancia Valley Catholic Parish where she is currently involved in several ministries at San Antonio church in Tajique.

Colette is a product of Catholic education from kindergarten through high school. She graduated from UNM in 1990 with a degree in Elementary Education. Colette taught elementary school for two years with Albuquerque Public Schools and the Moriarty-Edgewood schools before taking a 14-year break to stay home and raise her kids. Colette, her husband, Josh, and their five children are members of Holy Child Parish. 

Patricia graduated from UNM with a degree in Art and helps Mrs. McCleave with preschool classes. A resident of Edgewood with her husband, Patricia has three sons, her oldest graduating HCCS in 2016, and her twin boys in 2021.  Her sons have then gone on to East Mountain High School.  Her joyful, helpful spirit is such a gift as she helps with everything from recess duty to substitute teaching. 

Ann Cathy Coffey was born and raised in Albuquerque and now presides in the NE Heights with her husband. She received her BS in Education from William Jewell College and MS in Education from Walden University. Mrs. Coffey is a seasoned teacher of the primary grades. She began teaching in 1977 and after 6 years took a break before returning to teaching in 2000. She taught for 16 years at Route 66 Elementary, near Edgewood. Her last teaching position was 4 years at Our Lady of Fatima.

Both she and her husband are parishioners at Our Lady of Assumption where she teaches CCD classes and is also a Eucharistic minister.

Mrs. Valerie Talley was raised in a large Catholic family in Albuquerque. Her parents were parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo and sacrificed much to send all six children to Catholic schools. This act of love ignited an intense love of learning in young Mrs. Talley which burns brightly to this day. Mrs. Talley triple majored in Theology, Special Education, and Elementary Education at Benedictine College, and she was endorsed by the Kansas State Board of Education in Adaptive K-12 Special Education, and as an Early Late Childhood Generalist with Core Content: Math, English, History Comprehensive for grades K-6.

At Benedictine Mrs. Talley dove headfirst into the fullness of the Holy Catholic Church. She discovered the riches of its wisdom and surrendered herself to the intensity of the love of Christ. She found Saint Paul’s Outreach, an intentional community who needed the Lord, who knew true friendship, who loved her and were determined to grow in virtue together. After graduation, Mrs. Talley served as a missionary for SPO in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 2014, Mrs. Talley accepted a full-ride scholarship to attend the Augustine Institute in Denver. There she recognized her vocation to marriage, cultivated her gifts for working with children, and formed friendships with men and women who had studied the Liberal Arts. The encounter was essential to Mrs. Talley’s journey: these men and women were intelligent and impressively talented, yet full of piety and humility, they knew about complex things, yet possessed a simple peace. Mrs. Talley kept these friendships in her heart when she accepted a position as Reading Specialist and Resource Teacher in Denver. It was her greatest joy to care for the children alongside the Nashville Dominicans, who were also formed in the Liberal Arts. Mrs. Talley worked diligently with classroom teachers to help struggling readers learn, not only to read, but to fall in love with books. The Lord blessed the work of their hands. It allowed the children to flourish.

Mrs. Talley and her beloved husband, Mr. Talley, are grateful for the opportunity to continue their journey into the Liberal Arts at Holy Child. The Talley family has already been cared for by this community in ways they will never be able to repay. AMDG

Mrs. Monica Dominguez was born and raised in Albuquerque where she attended St. Mary’s, St. Charles, and Saint Pius X Catholic Schools where she developed her commitment to Catholic education. After high school, she earned a Business Degree with a concentration in Marketing from the University of New Mexico, and an Elementary Education degree from the College of Santa Fe.

She has taught for 16 years both in the Archdiocese of El Paso and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, teaching both 1st and 4th grade. During a 6 year period when she and her husband lived in Kentucky she was the Hispanic Ministry Coordinator for Immaculate Conception Parish in LaGrange, Kentucky,. She and her husband Daniel have two daughters and one granddaughter and they are parishioners at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center.

Michelle graduated from Idaho State University with a B.S. degree in Speech Pathology followed by a M.S. degree in Audiology. She worked as a professional audiologist until deciding to stay home and begin homeschooling her three children. She has been past president of Corpus Christi Home School Cooperative and has always taught a diverse, rich, classical curriculum with a focus on providing interventions for all types of learners. Michelle then built on that experience by completing her teaching licensure and she now holds a level II teaching license. 

Mrs. Jaramillo-Anaya was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM.  She attended the University of New Mexico receiving her B.A. in Psychology with a Minor in Criminology in 2002 and her M.A. in Elementary Education with Licensure K-8 in 2005.  

She is a lifelong parishioner of the Shrine of St. Bernadette's.  Jessica and her husband were married there in 2007 and their two children attend Religious Formation classes there as well.  

She was a First Grade teacher at Queen of Heaven School 2006-2007. She then had the privilege and honor of being a stay at home mom for twelve years.  

This will be Jessica's first year teaching P.E. part-time at Holy Child Catholic School.  

Mr. Talley was born in Albuquerque, raised in Louisiana, and has called Albuquerque his home (on and off) for 16 years now. In 2010 he became a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, earning a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from the Pontifical College Josephinum in 2013 and graduating summa cum laude. He spent a semester studying theology in Rome, where he discerned his vocation to married life. Mr. Talley returned to Albuquerque where he did propaedeutic work towards a master's in classics at UNM. Though he was accepted to UNM's graduate classics program, Mr. Talley chose to take a job teaching Latin, religion and literature at a Catholic middle school in Aurora, Colorado, where he could also be closer to his future wife. After three happy years of teaching he moved back to his hometown with his wife and newborn daughter. There he pursued a career in nursing. Four years, three daughters, and a few dozen science credits later, he is returning to his first love, teaching. Mr. Talley loves philosophy, Latin, good literature, good coffee and Byzantine liturgies. He is looking forward to a career at Holy Child. 

​Mrs. Pamela Padilla grew up in Texas and received a B.S. in History from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor while volunteering in the collections and education departments of multiple museums and working as a substitute and after school teacher. She then received a M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma and began teaching Religious Education at her local Parish before moving to New Mexico in 2014. Since then, Pamela spent a few years working as a paralegal, but kept her love for education alive by volunteering through various outreach programs and Holy Child Parish. Pamela returned to teaching in 2020 and taught fifth grade at San Felipe de Neri, then came to teach at Holy Child in 2021, and loves her time in the classroom. She met her husband at Holy Child and their son has been a student since 2014 as well. 

Mrs. Sanchez has been teaching Math and Science in the Upper Grades at Holy Child Catholic School since 2012.  She is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of New Mexico earning a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (K-8) with a minor in Mathematics.  She currently holds a Level II teaching license in New Mexico with additional endorsements in both Language Arts and Middle School Science. The school first discovered Lisa when she was teaching Religious Education at the parish, where she has been a member since 1999.  Lisa brings into teaching a deep content knowledge as well as an efficient, no-nonsense approach toward learning.  She and her family resided in the East Mountains for over twenty years and she is the proud mother of three daughters. While she moved to Albuquerque last year, she is still committed and in love with the East Mountain community.  

Ruthanne Hamrick is the beloved Latin EA. She has lived in Cedar Crest since 1990.  She was the church pianist in 1997-2018  and has been teaching piano lessons since 1993.  She has a Bachelors degree from UNM in Fine Art and a Masters Degree from Trinity Theological Seminary in Biblical Counseling. She and her husband home-schooled their three children, using a classical approach. In so doing, she learned Latin, which she was then employed to teach at Rio Grande Enrichment Studies from 2008-2013. She taught women's Bible Study classes and was involved in counseling ministry in her church from 1997-2018. She is currently pursuing her masters in Art Therapy and Counseling. 

Mrs. Taryn Kubik was born and raised in Albuquerque, where she developed a love for art and engineering from a young age. She went on to attend the University of Notre Dame and earned a Bachelor’s Degree through the School of Architecture, which is uniquely rooted in the classical tradition. After graduation, she married a fellow “domer” and the two of them relocated to the Pacific Northwest for two years. The Holy Spirit nudged them back to New Mexico in the summer of 2019, shortly after the arrival of their first son. The couple welcomed their second son in the summer of 2021. They look forward to sending their children to HCCS and embracing the East Mountain community, at large. Taryn is humbled to learn under the guidance of Mrs. D and excited to work in a definitively Catholic setting for the first time in her life. She looks forward to getting to know the amazing students and staff at HCCS! 

Melissa Daugherty is extremely happy to be heading up the enrichment program at HCCS. She believes that art, art history, and music dovetail perfectly with a classical curriculum in that they give voice and vision to the subjects taught at HCCS. Melissa has taught drawing and art history to upwards of 250 children over the last eight years, and several of her former students are pursuing advanced training in studio art. Melissa is thrilled to able to bring the glories of the Catholic visual heritage to her own parish here at Holy Child. She and her husband Kevin are longtime members of Holy Child Catholic Parish and are the proud parents of four children. She also has five grandchildren with hopes of a lot more! 

While Mrs. Daugherty has ended her teaching tenure at HCCS, she will continue to offer Masterpiece Club after school and contribute to the art project the school is undergoing in the hallways.

Mrs. Kristin Daugherty, a native of Tijeras, is absolutely humbled and honored to join the devoted team at Holy Child Catholic School. A Masters level graduate in Cello Performance from SMU, Kristin has been teaching small groups and individuals in various musical avenues for just over 20 years. After falling more and more in love with the Classical Curriculum that is offered at HCCS, she is looking forward to discovering new and exciting ways to contribute to and enrich the music program. She has four adorable children with her equally adorable husband, Ross, and is likely to be found playing in the garden when she is not playing a musical instrument. 

Mr. Steven Woodbury has been a long-time professional church musician and is currently the Director of Liturgy and Music at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He has held that position for 25 years. He has also been the Liturgy and Choral teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas School. His Ministry in music began at St. Francis Xavier and The Immaculate Conception parishes in Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was just 12 years old. Working diligently, he was able to develop and fine tune the skills required to become an accomplished Classical Organist and Choral Director which paved the way for him to receive a music scholarship from the University of New Mexico College of Fine Arts in Music Education (B.M.E.) and Organ Pedagogy. After graduating, he was chosen to take part in a summer scholarship program. The Study Tour/Performance Summer Program for the Classical Organs of Europe provided the opportunity to study and perform in Holland, France, and England. Upon his return to Albuquerque, New Mexico, he began his career as an Educator by teaching Music and Religious Education at St. Mary's School. Throughout his time at St. Mary's, he was able to utilize the education he received as well as the experience he gained from his tour abroad to form an all-boys choir. In addition, he led the Latin Choir for the Tridentine Mass within The Immaculate Conception Parish. His passion for music and the appreciation for the fine arts led him to accept the position of Director of Theater and Arts (Teatro Consejo) for youth within the City of Albuquerque as part of the Youth Development Program(Y.D.I).

In addition, he serves the Archdiocese church music ministry as a canto/keyboard accompanist for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Weekly Television Mass for shut-ins as well as many Archdiocesan liturgies such as the Annual Rosary Rally and the ordination Masses at the Cathedral-Basilica in Santa Fe.  In these past few years, the opportunity to travel and assist in Church pilgrimages to Mexico, Rome, Israel, Turkey, and Greece, have continued to nourish the passion within him to inspire and nurture creativity for everyone, especially his students. 

Grace has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and hopes to open her own private Catholic counseling business one day.  She grew up in a Catholic

household and her faith continues to guide her through young adulthood. God remains at the center of her life as she is active in the Pro-Life movement and occasionally helps at the Fray Antonio Kitchen run by the San Juan Diego Friary. Her first job consisted of babysitting for her parish families seeking trustworthy childcare.

From her 5+ years of babysitting, she has developed a love for children and family relations.

Winnie Waltzer-Hackett attended Catholic schools in New Orleans for 13 years.

She taught in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe Catholic schools for 18 years along with

other years at different institutions. After teaching for 35 years, she retired from

her full-time teaching job. She has been a parishioner of Holy Child Parish since

1994 and joined the school as volunteer librarian in 2018. She and her husband

help run the STEM schole program.

Bio Coming Soon

Bio coming soon

Bio coming soon

Dr. Christella Mata-Hartshorn, (aka) ‘Dr. C’ has worked with youth in a private or after school setting for 18 years. She studied family studies at Texas Tech University, and counseling psychology at Adams State University; she received her terminal degree in counseling psychology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA. She taught higher education for 8 years, both in person and through remote learning platforms where she earned her new found name Dr. C. Her personal journey and found admiration for her Catholic faith coupled with a strong desire to more deeply understand God's heart for restoring children’s identity to wholeness, led her to seek out more hands on healing. In 2015, she opened her own private practice, and recently founded a non-profit reaching troubled youth i.e., (Youth Adventure Warriors: A St. Michael Institute). She holds a license in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico. Her largest referral source comes from the Diocese of Santa Fe and surrounding Catholic parishes. Christella and her husband, Scot, live in New Mexico where they continue to raise 3 out of 5 lovely children. As a family they love the outdoors and make a goal to go into the mountains every chance they get. Dr. C. has had various experiences with private and public school systems including homeschooling with a Catholic classical curriculum. She fell in love with this approach and recognizes the mission at HCCS is one she strongly believes our society and the future generations need. She hopes to support the HCCS and their mission by sharing her passion for the faith, children and the outdoors.