Greetings!  My name is Cheryl Roybal and I have had the honor to be your 3 ^rd grade teacher here at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School augmented with St. Francis for 9 years.

I have always wanted to be a teacher since a small child of 5 years old which was my most favorite past time.  Even though I had limited skills, my whole heart was into inspiring my dog and cat to have a good quality of life which was sheer delight in my eyes since my first two students were already highly disciplined  and respectful in every way!  My childhood was enriched with two hard working parents giving their all, teaching us to always do your best no matter the challenge, and raising us in a very strong faith-based Methodist church.

I attended Northeastern State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science:  Major in elementary education and a Minor in learning disabilities.  My summer job included teaching junior and senior lifesaving, public/private swimming lessons, and lifeguarded at my local municipal swim center.  I continued my studies at Oklahoma State University in graduate work of 47 hours focusing on reading and learning disabilities.  This was coupled with 2 years of volunteer work with pre-school children in the Exceptional Child Clinic at OSU. While residing there, I was the YMCA day camp director for underprivileged kids through the summer months.

During my early teaching years in the Santa Fe Public Schools, I embarked upon an experience that I would like to share.  I discovered NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School).  I lived outdoors with 14 others for a 30 day course learning survival skills in the Grand Tetons, walking on glaciers, and our supplies were brought in by horseback.  This endeavor almost ate my lunch but I limped home in one piece with lessons hard learned but everlasting.

My memorable highlight of my life was being married to my husband and best friend of 33 years and having three children! They are now young adults with strong careers and are truly blessings. Their spontaneity and vivacious personalities bring smiles and laughter to even the lowest hearted. They carry with them a strength unimaginable which touches others around them.

Currently, I hold two level two professional licenses:  Pre K-12 Special Education and K-8 Elementary.  I have helped children engage in creating their classroom into a life like Rain Forest, a “Where the Sidewalk Ends” play, and musical skits were presented for Pod Night.

But most importantly, your children!  Why send them to a Catholic school?  Santo Nino has a strong foundation of nurturing your child in spirit, soul, and body. They are up girded with not only the deep Catholic roots, but interwoven with a strong academic program.  I have seen countless of times, children come in with a down trotted self-esteem and core subjects at low levels.  In time, the same children have excelled in these areas with a new hope in their lives.  We have a highly structured environment infused with words of praise, love, and lots of fun.  So many times, our students come back as teenagers thanking us for the best years that they have experienced and seeing them transformed into responsible individuals ready to help others do the same. Here at Santo Nino Regional Catholic School, it can’t get any better than that!