Specials & Support Staff

Ann Cannon

Ann Cannon, first grade teacher at our school for nine years, will staff the newest position at our school as director of curriculum and professional development, sixth grade reading teacher, and ALPHA teacher. She has three children currently attending IC School.

Ann has a great enthusiasm for learning and is always exploring creative and research-based methods to facilitate student learning. She loves learning new technologies and exploring the educational possibilities with her students.

Malis Dahlem

Email: mdahlem@icschoolfs.org

Malis Dahlem, Spanish, teaches Kindergarten through 6th grade students the beginning skills of speaking Spanish. She joined our IC family in 1998. Mrs. Dahlem was born in Mexico City and raised in Irapuato, Guanajuato. She attended 1-12 grades in a Catholic School. She attended University at the Technologic Institute of Superior Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) where she received a D.S. Bachelors Degree in B.A. in 1991.

She has always loved to travel. In 1996 she came to Fort Smith, met her husband and joined IC Parish. Her husband, Donnie, and their 3 children have attended IC School.

She was a member of the Hispanic Board of BancorpSouth for 4 years; she is active in PRE and RCIA in our parish. Mrs. Dahlem is an advanced blue belt in Tae Kwon Do and loves to read, listen to music, taking pictures, working on her computer and is very passionate about all kinds of animals. Her favorite quote is from The Lord's Prayer, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Heidi Dougherty

Email: hdougherty@icschoolfs.org

Heidi Dougherty joined our faculty in 2000 and teaches art to grades K - 3. Mrs. Dougherty has 2 sons: one that has graduated from IC and one currently attending our school.

Sr. Mary Sarto Gaffney

Email: sgaffney@icschoolfs.org

Sr. Mary Sarto Gaffney, Library, was born and raised in Ireland. She has three brothers and three sisters. She was educated in the National Public Elementary School System in Ireland and was taught by the Sisters of Mercy at Immaculate Conception Secondary School.

She taught for fourteen years in Mississippi before coming to IC School in 1979. Sister Mary Sarto holds a Master's Standard 10 year Elementary 1-6; Librarian K-12 and she studied Spanish for two years in 2001-03.

Sister Mary Sarto is a member of the Board of Advisors at St. Edward's Mercy Medical Center, a member of National Catholic Education Association and On The Border Reading Council. She serves as a lector and extraordinary minister of the Eucharist and enjoys knitting and reading. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 is her favorite verse.

Debbie Jarboe

Email: djarboe@icschoolfs.org

Debbie Jarboe, started working at IC School in 1989 in the Cafeteria. The next year she became a Kindergarten Aide then 2nd Grade Aide for several years. She now is the 3rd Grade Aide, Title 1 Coordinator and is involved in our After School Care Program.

Her favorite quote is "It's easier to build a child, than to repair an adult." Mrs. Jarboe has been married since 1973 and has 3 daughters and a son. She loves to shop, 4-wheel in the Fall and Spring, but her favorite hobby is spending time with her grandchildren.

She was involved with Church League Baseball for 12 years, where she was over the concession stand for about 4 of those years. Mrs. Jarboe greets our students in the morning with a chipper "Good Morning" as she carries out her duties guiding our crossing guards.

Becky Johnson

Email: bjohnson@icschoolfs.org

Becky Johnson, 3-6 Art, Mrs. Johnson also teaches 7-9 grade Art at Trinity Junior High and was the sponsor for Cheer and/or Drill Teams at Trinity since 1995. She grew up and was educated at St. Boniface Elementary School, attended St. Scholastica until it closed, then attended her Senior year and graduated from St. Anne's Academy in 1969.

She attended Westark for 1 year, then graduated from University of Central Arkansas with a B.S.E. Degree, Art/English. She taught high school Art and English for 6 1/2 years in Clarendon, Arkansas before being hired at IC in 1983. Mrs. Johnson was awarded the Arkansas Secondary Art Educator of the Year Award, the Arkansas Art Educator's Distinguished Service Award and sees many of her students win awards every year.

She is a member of Arkansas Art Educators, National Art Education Association, and National Catholic Educators Association. She has two children who attended IC School and enjoys calligraphy, baking breads, and motorcycle rides. Mrs. Johnson says "I can't imagine a better place than the Immaculate Conception/Trinity Junior High community to work and spend my days."

Dian Ketter

Email: dketter@icschoolfs.org

Dian Ketter is our resident "Computer Lady." When a computer has a glitch, she's on the job. She teaches computer skills to grades K-6. The children learn everything from the parts of a computer, keyboarding skills, how to work in Word, Paint, all the way up to producing a PowerPoint presentation.

Mrs. Ketter is involved in many class projects, research papers - anything involving computers. She started working at IC in 1988 as a Kindergarten teacher and taught 1st and 3rd grades before moving to the Computer Lab. She has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Arkansas Tech, K-6 with Middle School Social Studies, plus 28 hours in IT from University of Arkansas, Fort Smith. She is married and has 2 sons and 2 daughters.

She is member of National Catholic Educator Association and is active in our Parish Choir and Sigma Alpha Chi Honor Society. When she's not working on our computers Mrs. Ketter enjoys reading, playing with her grandchildren and listening to music. Her favorite quote is "Teachers make all other professions possible."

Patty O'Brien

Email: pobrien@icschoolfs.org

Patty O'Brien, has worn many hats since joining our family in 1980 - Day Care Director/Liaison, Bookkeeper/Secretary, 1st Grade & Kindergarten Aide before becoming our Religion Teacher in 2003. In the past she has also been our PTO President, served as School Board Secretary and Parish Council Secretary.

She has worked with R.C.I.A., is a Eucharistic Minister and helps with P.R.E. She has an Advanced Certificate in Religion and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology through St. Gregory's University. She has an A.A.R.T. from Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California and an A.A. from U.A.F.S.

She is married and has 2 children that graduated from IC School. She is a member of A.A.R.T. & C.A.R.T. and has supported our community through Junior League, Literacy Council, Girls Scouts, St. Edwards Auxiliary, Meals On Wheels, D.A.R. and Colonial Dames. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading, and photography. She is quoted saying, "Never hurry, never raise your voice; give everyone and every task your full attention."

Barbara Saxon

Email: bsaxon@icschoolfs.org

Barbara Saxon, became our Counselor in 1985 and also serves as counselor at Trinity Catholic Junior High. She is married with 3 children and enjoyed her years as a mother before becoming a teacher.

She has a B.S. in Education and a Masters in Education & Counseling. She taught for 2 years in Van Buren before joining our IC family. She is a member of the Northwest Arkansas School Counselors Association. When she is not at one of the schools, she enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time at the lake.

Susan Schulte

Email: sschulte@icschoolfs.org

Susan Schulte, Learning Lab, She began teaching 2nd grade at IC School in 1986. In 1998 she started our Learning Lab. She holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Hendrix College and a M.S. in Special Education, Mildly Handicapped K-12, from the University of Arkansas.

Before joining our IC School family she taught the Resource Room for 3 years at City Heights Elementary, Van Buren and 5 1/2 years at Raymond Orr Elementary, Fort Smith, and also taught learning disabled children in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children - LD Division.

Mrs. Schulte was given the Lula Malone Memorial Award for Outstanding Work in the field of Special Education, 1984; was put in the ACEI Hall of Excellence in 1997, and was awarded a Community Grant for her work with puppets.

She enjoys doing calligraphy, reading, and watching baseball. She also likes to cook and entertain. Mrs. Shulte's favorite quotes are "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right" and "There's always room at the top."

Larissa Sterling

Email: lsterling@icschoolfs.org

Larissa Sterling, Aide 4th, 5th & 6th Grade, Before & After School Care, is a busy lady. She began working at IC School in 2004 with the After School Care Program, then moved into the position of 4th, 5th and 6th grade Aide and took on the Before School Program as it started in 2005.

Mrs. Sterling was born and raised in Fort Smith and is a 2001 graduate of Southside High School. In 2002 she married Brandon and they have a sweet daughter, named Addison, attending IC School. She loves children and feels very blessed to get to work with such a great group of children. She loves going to the lake, spending time with her family, shopping, and singing with her daughter. Her favorite quote is "Blessed is he who speaks a kindness; thrice blessed is he who repeats it."

Sherry Scorby

Email: sscorby@icschoolfs.org

Sherry Scorby, Director of Advancement, joined our IC family in 2005. Mrs. Scorby is responsible, with the guidance and input of the Advancement Council, for developing programs and activities that will bring our IC families together. She works with volunteers to conduct an Annual Fund drive. Mrs. Scorby prepares grant requests, publishes the school newsletter, oversees the coordination of our marketing and public relations efforts at the school, oversees many fundraising activities at the school, coordinates the school’s Grandparents’ Days, serves on the endowment committee and school board, and works with the Alumni Committee to create an accurate data base that will grow as more contacts are made. She coordinates with the recruitment and enrollment committee, the Advancement administrative committee, and helps in the development of the school’s planned giving committee.

Sherry was born and raised in California and moved to Rudy, Arkansas in November of 2004. She graduated from Merced College with a degree in business. She has just completed a three year theology course through St. Gregory’s University in Oklahoma. She is currently the President for the Fort Smith Network of Executive Women.

In California she served as an instructor in adult education for the church for five years, youth RCIA instructor for five years and as assistant youth minister for three years. She currently serves as a lector and on the IC Stewardship Committee.

Mrs. Scorby has been married for 38 years and has one daughter, Jaime. She loves to travel, to cook, listen to music, help out at school and read. Her favorite hobby is spending time with family and friends. Her favorite quote is, “Whether you say you can or you say you can’t, you are right.”