Gesu Staff

Mrs. Laurin

Mrs. Laurin obtained her undergraduate education at the University of Illinois, where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 1980. Upon her graduation, she immediately proceeded to Valparaiso University School of Law and graduated with a Jurist Doctor degree in 1983. Mrs. Laurin practiced law as a Prosecuting Attorney, LaPorte County, Indiana and also in private practice specializing in real estate law.

Not giving up her passion for education, Mrs. Laurin taught middle school (5th - 8th Grades) at St. Aloysius Catholic Elementary School. She also trained as a school administrator with the Archdiocese of Detroit and The Skillman Foundation at Christ the King and St. Luke/St. Brigid Catholic Elementary Schools. In 2005, Mrs. Laurin earned a Master's degree in School Administration from Madonna University. She has Teaching Certifications in the States of Michigan and Illinois. Mrs. Laurin joined Gesu Catholic School as the Assistant Principal in 2006 and enjoys working with parents and students. She is married with two wonderful children.

Mr. Farrugia

Keith Farrugia is the Youth Minister for Gesu Church and School. He was born and raised in Corktown, in Detroit and is a parishioner of Most Holy Trinity Parish. He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. His time spent at Loyola was very unique, to say the least. After being there for four days, Hurricane Katrina had made landfall and he headed north hopping from state to state. Upon returning to Loyola University he started to reexamine what was important in life and changed his major. He went from majoring in Forensic Science to obtaining a Religious Studies Degree. Quickly after graduation, Detroit began to call him home. He volunteered a year of his time at U of D Jesuit High School and Academy. During which, he worked with Parishioners of Gesu who knew that Gesu was looking for a youth minister. After talking with Gesu’s pastor it was immediately clear to him that Gesu is where he needed to be. His hope is that during his time at Gesu he is able to develop the youth’s relationship with the parish as well as aid adult groups with understanding where it is the youth are coming from.

Ms. Bell

Ms. Bell has been a Teaching Assistant at Gesu's Pre-School program since August 1993. She has undergone a Two-year course of study in Child Psychology at Wayne State University. Ms. Bell also attended Henry Ford Community College. She enjoys working with children and collaborating with their parents.

Mrs. Montbriand

Mrs. Montbriand has taught Kindergarten at Gesu Catholic School since August 1990. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Education from Kent State University in Ohio, and a Master's degree in Reading and Language Arts from Oakland University.

She loves working with her students and knows that they have helped pull her through the “empty nest” syndrome, as her three children are out of college and on their own. Mrs. Montbriand students bring her great joy and continuing delight in their achievements. She is committed to helping her students develop a lifelong love of school and of learning.

Mrs. Piotrowski

Mrs. Piotrowski has been teaching at Gesu Catholic School since August 1992, as the first grade teacher for all but one of those years. She loves teaching First grade because she finds it incredibly rewarding to see students learn to read, write, and add and subtract numbers. Mrs. Piotrowski's proudest professional moment was attending the U of D Jesuit High School Graduation of a student she taught in her very first year as a Kindergarten teacher.

When not teaching, Mrs. Piotrowski enjoys spending time with her husband and son, and their two cats and a dog. She also sings in her Church Choir at St. Matthew Church in Detroit.

Ms. Schick

Ms. Schick has a Master's degree in Elementary Education and an endorsement in Early Childhood Education. She has taught at Gesu Catholic School since 1994. Ms. Schick has taught Kindergarten and the 2nd grade. She has coached the Girls Volleyball for the 4th through the 8th grades. She currently teaches 2nd grade and was selected by her peers as a member of the school wide Response to Intervention team.

Ms. Doyle

Ms. Doyle has been teaching at Gesu Catholic School since June of 1990. Through the years, she has taught the Kindergartners, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. For most of those years, Ms. Doyle taught the 3rd grade. She includes a lot of physical activities, the arts, and friendly competition in motivating students to learn. She loves teaching at Gesu, and working as a team with all the wonderful families at Gesu Catholic School!

Ms. Hall-Pavlak

Ms. Hall-Pavlak graduated from Wayne State University with a BA in Elementary Education. She majored in Mathematics and minored in Integrated Science. She joined the Gesu faculty in August of 2011. She is teaching 5th grade Math and Science and 6th grade Math, Science, Social Studies and Religion. Ms. Pavlak’s love of numbers and logical reasoning has made it her mission to find ways of bringing out the math lover in all of her students. She is very excited to watch her students grow into exceptional young men and women. In her spare time Ms. Hall loves to spend time with her 3 young children and her family.

Mrs. Howard

Mrs. Howard has earned a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction form the University of Detroit, Mercy and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Eastern Michigan University. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree from the University of Detroit, Mercy in Educational Administration. She joined the Gesu faculty in August of 2011. Mrs. Howard specializes in the areas of Mathematics and Social Studies. She taught Math and Science to 7th and 8th grade students for two years at St. Fabian Catholic School. She has been teaching in the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2006 and is excited to be joining the Gesu Catholic School family.

Ms. Kuzniar

Ms. Kuzniar has a Bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University and a Master's degree from Wayne State University. Ms. Kuzniar joined the Gesu faculty in July of 2004. She teaches 7th and 8th grade Language Arts and Literature. Ms. Kuzniar is a life-long Detroiter and lived on an Island in Southeastern Alaska for 10 years. Ms. Kuzniar graduated form Gesu Catholic School in 1977. She considers herself lucky to work with the students and parents here at Gesu Catholic School.

Ms. Sevier

Anita Sevier is the volunteer coordinator for Gesu Catholic School. She has a Master's degree in Urban Planning from Columbia University in New York City and an Undergraduate degree in Economics from the Catholic University in Washington DC. A native of Colorado, Ms. Sevier has lived in Detroit with her husband Terry and 3 children since 1989.

Ms. Sevier supervises Work-Study students from the University of Detroit, Mercy and Marygrove College. She also coordinates Gesu's largest fundraiser. Her favorite project is the Gesu Community Green which she started in 2001 and continues to improve. The Green project has received numerous recognitions and provides a unique opportunity for collaboration in the community.

Mrs. Brown

A 29 year veteran of Ameritech, Mrs Brown joined Gesu School upon her retirement in 1995. She started as a volunteer and then in 2000, became the Tuition Coordinator. Her volunteer efforts included the Hot Lunch Program and volunteering as a Lunch Mother. Mrs. Brown was also a Gesu Parent, whose son graduated in 2002.

Mrs. Fuller

Mrs. Fuller is a passionate Genealogist and a one time delegate to the Girls' Scout National Convention. A native Detroiter, Mrs Fuller has been a part of the Gesu Community for several years volunteering in School and Church programs. Four of her children and one grandchild passed through Gesu Catholic School. She is currently the Coordinator of the School Lunch Program and also serves as the School Activist.