St. James School
CHALLENGING MINDS, CHERISHING FAMILIES, CULTIVATING SOULS
CHALLENGING MINDS, CHERISHING FAMILIES, CULTIVATING SOULS
Principal
Mrs. Bartholomew and her family have lived in Gouverneur for 14 years. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work and enjoys working with families. She has worked in education for the past 6 years and has been a parent at St. James school for 11 years. She and her family live on their off-grid homestead, caring for the land and striving to raise much of their food themselves. Her favorite pastimes are biking, hiking, reading and cooking for her family.
PreK Teacher and Vice Principal
Mrs. Barr was born and raised here in Gouverneur. She has a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and a Master's in Curriculum and Education. She is NYS certified in Early Childhood as well as Elementary Education. In 2021, Mrs. Barr was appointed the Vice Principal of St. James School. Her youngest daughter attends St. James School.
Pre-School
Chantel Blair is a former student of St.James School. Chantel graduated from Gouverneur High School in 2008 and studied Early Childhood Education at South West Tech. She has been an active volunteer and a substitute teacher for St.James School.
Kindergarten
Mrs. Ferrick lives in Gouverneur. All three of her children attended St. James School. She worked as an aide
in the UPK program and has been a long-term Mrs. Ferrick lives in Gouverneur.
All three of her children attended St. James School. She worked as an aide in
the UPK program and has been a long-term sub at St. James School. Mrs. Ferrick
was a past president of our FAITH group. Her grandson, Jaylen, currently
attends St. James preschool. She enjoys snowmobiling in the winter and boating
in the summer.
Third Grade
Mrs. Sochia resides in Gouverneur with her family. She joined the St. James family in 2022 and is very excited to be teaching third grade. Mrs. Sochia received her elementary education degree from SUNY Oswego where she figure skated on the Synchronized Skating Team. In the fall, she coaches the Gouverneur Girls Modified Soccer Team and can be found attending many sports events watching her children. Mrs. Sochia loves spending time in the Adirondacks or reading a book on her back porch.
Fourth Grade
Mr. Gates grew up in Gouverneur, NY. He went to SUNY Oswego and earned his bachelor's degree in education, with a concentration in mathematics. Mr. Gates is an Air Force veteran, and taught middle school math in Maryland before returning home to New York. He has two children who both attend St. James School.
First Grade
Ms. Lisa Bercier began teaching first grade at St. James in 2019. She came to us with several years of experience teaching at the primary level. She resides in Gouverneur and recently was confirmed in St. James Church.
Second Grade
Mrs. Nicole Moore resides in Morristown, New York. She
enjoys reading, swimming, and spending time with family, especially her son,
and her 3 cats. Mrs. Moore possesses a masters degree in literacy from Suny
Potsdam and a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education also from Suny Potsdam
.
Mrs. Moore began teaching fourth grade at Saint James in 2019, then transferred
to the second grade classroom in 2021. “I just love Saint James and what our
school is all about. God has blessed me to give me the opportunity to teach
here! “
Religion Teacher
Mrs. Leader is a parishioner of St. James Church and lives in Gouverneur with her husband, Deacon Henry, who have eight children, a son in law, a daughter in law, and four grandchildren. Mrs. Leader earned a Bachelor of Science in K-12 Health Education from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Master’s in Elementary Education from Potsdam State. After teaching in Indian River Schools, she became a stay-at-home mom for twenty years, and enjoyed volunteering at St. James School where her children attended. During that time, Mrs. Leader was active in parish and diocesan ministries and became a Certified Catechist. She became an Associate in the Family Life Office for the Diocese of Ogdensburg and is Director of Family Guggenheim, a family retreat program with the Diocese. Ministering in St. James Parish as Director of Religious Education and Youth and Family Ministries, and especially Religion Teacher at St. James School is her dream come true. Mrs. Leader enjoys nothing more than sharing the love of God with our students.
Counselor
Mrs. Campanaro started her role as the School Counselor in March 2021. Mrs. Campanaro has worked closely with children her entire life. In 2017, she graduated from Alfred University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, where she had the opportunity to provide counseling services under the supervision of her professor. She also worked at a Montessori School in Alfred, NY and learned about the Montessori method, as well as child development. Following graduation, she began working within the Foster Care system. She completed the Core/Foundations Training for Caseworkers in 2017. She also completed the GPSII/MAPP training, which allowed Mrs. Campanaro to facilitate a ten week training on the roles and responsibilities of becoming a Foster Parent. She most recently completed the” Rainbows for all Children” facilitator training and facilitates a support group for children who have experienced loss in their lives. She works with groups and provides individual counseling services. Mrs. Campanaro is originally from Gouverneur and is a parishioner of St. James Church.
AIS Teacher
Mrs. Tomford began as our Academic Intervention Service teacher in 2020. She provides extra support in the area of math and ELA. She resides in Gouverneur with her family.
Music Director
Director of Music for St. James School and Parish, Mrs. Beth Johnson has served our Parish and school music ministry since 1970. Mrs. Johnson was inducted into the Three M’s Music Honor Society and shares her musical talents with many community organizations and provides private lessons.
Art Teacher
Mrs. Dale began brought her talent and creativity to St. James School in 2019 as our art teacher. She resides in Gouverneur with her husband and children.
Physical Education Teacher
Mrs. Hartle is St. James School's physical education instructor. She provides a wide variety of stimulating and physically challenging activities for St. James students.
Librarian
Ms. Mullin is a retired librarian who volunteers as our school librarian. She is also a Nanny to several of our SJS students.
School Secretary
Mrs. Gates has lived in Fowler with her family since 2014. She is originally from Hannibal, NY. After attending college in Albany and Oswego, Mrs. Gates taught first grade in Maryland before settling in the Gouverneur area. She was previously a second grade teacher at St. James School and has now transitioned into the role of school secretary.
Kitchen Manager
Mrs. Maloy is the Director of St. James School Food Services. She was a volunteer while her three children attended St. James School and still plans and serves during our many fundraising events, like Fish Fry Dinners and our Harvest Dinner.
