Welcome New Staff and Faculty

August 23, 2017

The school year began with several new faces at CDH. Join us in welcome these new faculty and staff members:

Phil Archer’99 is the Athletic Director. Archer graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Science degree with a Kinesiology. Archer's past experiences include being part of the football coaching staff at Macalester College and working at C.H. Robinson. Archer had the opportunity to play NFL Europe for the Amsterdam Admirals and in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers. Archer loved the CDH community as a student and is excited to contribute to what CDH has to offer families moving forward. In his spare time, Archer loves to spend time with his wife and children and travel.

Bob Bichler joins the Science department as a Science teacher. Bichler will be teaching ninth grade STEM and Honors Physics. Bichler has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters in Science Education from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He brings over 20 years of teaching experience to CDH, most recently from Spring Lake Park High School. He is excited about the opportunity to contribute to CDH's continued commitment to helping young people develop academically, socially, and morally. Outside of teaching, he enjoys listening to and playing music, reading, and playing with his dog.

Sue Cranston joins the Fine Arts department as a Studio Arts teacher specializing in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking. Cranston has a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Certification in Art Education from the university as well. Prior to CDH, she taught in the Fine Arts department at Hill-Murray School and Mahtomedi Middle School. Cranston is thrilled to be working at CDH this year! She is looking forward to working with the exceptional staff, exploring art, and diving into some really exciting art projects with her students. In her spare time, she is a practicing artist participating in exhibits in Western Wisconsin and Minnesota and enjoys spending time with her family.

Our new school nurse is Tara Kaup. Kaup's services are provided by the Saint Paul Public School district.

Isaac Lovdahl has joined CDH as the Choir Director. Lovdahl graduated from Concordia College with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Education. His past experiences include being the high school Choir Director and middle school general music teacher in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District. Lovdahl also served as the Choir Director at Celebration Lutheran Church and Grace United Methodist Church. He was drawn to CDH because of the reputation of excellence that the school upholds year after year. Just like any teacher, he sincerely enjoys working with passionate, devoted students, and there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of them here at CDH! He is beyond excited to be working in a supportive, faith-based community that is dedicated to student success.

Sophie Mongoven joins CDH as a St. Joseph Worker. She graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History of Art with a minor in Gender Studies. She has internship experience with several museums in the Twin Cities and Philadelphia. She loves to read, travel, and everything arts and museum related. She is excited to spend her year of service getting to know the students at CDH and learning from and with them through Campus Ministry.

Carolyn Osdoba joins CDH's math department as a new math teacher. Osdoba graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Secondary Education and Mathematics. She is excited to start her teaching career at CDH and be part of an awesome community. She looks forward to meeting her students and being a role model for them. In her free time, she enjoys playing softball, basketball, swimming, and tennis. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Josh Peltier'06 joins the CDH Business department as a new business teacher. Peltier graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Business Marketing major. Peltier will finish his master's degree this school year from Bethel University. His past experiences include working at Concur Technologies with various roles in marketing, sales, and operations. Most recently, Peltier taught at Totino-Grace High School as a business teacher. In addition to teaching, Peltier is the head boys basketball coach at Eagan High School. In his free time, he enjoys being outside (in the summer), spending time with his wife and their dog. The people and community are what drew Peltier back to CDH. He is excited to work in a place where he learned so many life lessons as a student and to share his experiences with the students like so many of his teachers did with him. 

Rebecca Strauss comes to CDH as the new Library Director. Strauss graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and continued her education at St. Catherine University with a Masters of Library and Information Science. Prior to CDH, Strauss was the Library Media Specialist at Richfield Middle School and Oak Ridge Elementary School. Strauss lives in Saint Paul, so she is eager to work in the same community she lives in. She has had friends and former colleagues who attended CDH and have only good things to say. Strauss is excited to support CDH students and prepare them for the world beyond high school. Outside of the library, she enjoys reading, gardening, baking, and traveling.

Ali Weiss’11 joins us as the new Webmaster and Digital Content Specialist. Weiss graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in marketing management and a minor in communication and journalism. Ali previously worked as a Marketing Project Manager at Thomson Reuters managing online marketing solutions for small law firms. The sense of community is what drew Ali to CDH. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, planning a wedding with her soon-to-be husband and helping run their family business at the Minnesota State Fair.

Jane Young joins the Guidance and Counseling staff as a new counselor. Young serves the students with last names Gai-Lew. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a Bachelors of Arts in Youth Studies, Spanish, and Child Psychology. Young also has a Masters Degree in Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Young brings 14 years of counseling experience to CDH from the Saint Paul Public Schools She is so excited to be working within this community. She is looking forward to meeting students, making connections, and contributing to the strength of the school. Her hobbies include reading, running and working in her yard.