Mrs. Nuñez joined St. Cecilia Catholic School in 2004. She has been the school’s Head Counselor since that time, and recently became St. Cecilia’s Director of Counseling and Support Services. Mrs. Nuñez is also the sponsor for the National Junior Honor Society. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Rachel, a native Houstonian, and her husband, Luis, have three daughters – Isabela, SCCS Class of 2022, Sofia, SCCS Class of 2026, and Mia, SCCS Class of 2027. She is a product of Catholic education from Kindergarten through college, and feels blessed to be part of such a caring community.

Mrs. Olson joined St. Cecilia Catholic School in 2009 as a Pre-K and Religion teacher. After taking some time to raise her young children, Mrs. Olson returned to the St. Cecilia faculty in 2021. She has over ten years of experience in teaching and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from Loyola University of Chicago. Maggie is passionate about the Catholic faith and enjoys integrating it wherever possible. She and her husband, Eric, have been married since 2011 and have four children. When not teaching, Maggie enjoys exploring other cultures through travel and food.

Cindy Orlando has been at St. Cecilia Catholic School since 2015 and the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation since 2021. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Arts from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and has dedicated her career to developing and implementing innovative and effective learning strategies that enhance student achievement and engagement. Outside of her professional life, Cindy resides in Houston with her husband, Matthew, and their two sons, Andrew (Class of 2028) and Jack (Class of 2031).

Ms. Ortiz started teaching at St. Cecilia Catholic School in 2016. Before joining St. Cecilia, Ms. Ortiz taught Head Start in CSISD. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas A&M University, whoop! In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family and friends.

Ms. Ortiz came to St. Cecilia in 2024 with eleven years of teaching experience. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Bilingual Education in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Houston-Downtown and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas-Arlington. She currently attends Liberty University, pursuing her doctorate in Christian Leadership with a focus in Ministry. She has experience as a Lay Missionary Teacher in Turks and Caicos and enjoys taking yearly pilgrimages. She’s attended every World Youth Day since 2005 and is inspired by St. John Paul II to invest in the youth, the future of the church.

Ms. Padilla joined the staff at St. Cecilia Catholic School in 2026. A Houston native, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Art with a minor in education and Art history, as well as a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Art Education from the University of Houston- Main Campus. Before joining St. Cecilia, she taught art in HISD for 12 years.

She loves spending time with her husband and her son, family, and friends. She also enjoys crocheting, anything creative, going for walks, and running. She is thrilled to join the St. Cecilia community and eager to nurture her students’ creativity.

Ms. Pavelka has been a member of the St. Cecilia Catholic School team since 2021, bringing 14 years of kindergarten teaching experience with her. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education from Texas A&M University. Outside the classroom, Ms. Pavelka loves spending quality time with family and friends and cheering on the Astros and her beloved Aggies!

Mrs. Phillips joined the staff of St. Cecilia in 2024. She has 20+ years of experience teaching Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st grade. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Texas A&M University and her Master’s in Developmental Psychology from the University of Houston. After homeschooling her daughter for several years, she decided to change career paths and go into education, where she uses her knowledge of child development every day. She is married with two adult children, has three cats (Oscar, Poofie, and Snowball), and enjoys painting glass in the style of stained glass, cooking, and doing DIY projects.

This is Mrs. Pichon’s first year at St. Cecilia. This year she is teaching 6th grade English Language Arts. Mrs. Pichon spent the past ten years teaching English Language Arts in middle school and upper elementary. Her passion is inspiring students to become lifelong readers and writers. Mrs. Pichon graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Louisiana State University. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their new baby girl.