Meet our Teachers – St. Joseph Pewamo

Teacher Biographies

Mr. Ryan Weber – Principal

– Ryan is married to Nicole Weber and they have four children. He has been teaching in Catholic Schools for 14 years and with St. Joseph School for the last 5. He enjoys hanging out with his family, playing sports, and being outdoors. He has his teaching certificate from Central Michigan University.

Mrs. Kerri Hafner

– I’m Kerri Hafner. I grew up in Westphalia . I graduated from P-W High School and attended GVSU to receive a Bachelors of Arts and then transferred to Aquinas for elementary teacher certification and a reading minor. I married Jarrod in 1998 and then moved to Pewamo and joined St. Joseph Church and together we have 3 daughters, Gabrielle, Lily and Katie. I taught for 5 years at Saints Peter and Paul in Ionia and this is my 19th year of teaching at St. Joseph School. In my free time I enjoy golfing and spending time with my family.

Mrs. Brianne Henning

Brie is married to Todd Henning. They have 5 children; Ace, Duke, Olive, Berkeley and Dash. She graduated from PW High School, and then went on to graduate from Central Michigan and Michigan State University with Special Education degrees. This is her 6th year teaching in a Catholic school. Teaching the faith to the students is such a joy and the best part about teaching. Brie loves to spend time with her family hiking in the UP, reading a good book, chasing around her kids and drinking coffee on the porch with Todd.

Mrs. Alison Klein

– Alison is married to Nathan Klein. They have four children, Sam and Eli are in 2nd grade, Leo is in Kindergarten, and Penny is a year and a half. She grew up in Hillsdale, MI and graduated from Hillsdale College with a degree in English and Elementary Education. She coaches 8th grade volleyball at PW. She loves being active and being involved in sports as well as spending lots of time at the lake with her family!

Miss Kelly Kowatch

– Kelly is our Parish librarian. she is the second oldest of seven children. She has had the privilege of attending St. Joseph. She was born in Pewamo and have lived here her whole life. She is the second oldest of seven children. She grew up in the country and she loves all sorts of animals. (bunnies are her favorite) Some of her hobbies include baking, playing cards, & playing with her nieces & nephews. She attended St. Joseph School in 3rd grade and graduated in 8th grade. After graduating High School in 1996 she began working here and she absolutely loves it!

Mrs. Morgan Mowatt

Mrs. Mowatt grew up in Westphalia and obtained a Certification in Human Services at LCC and then graduated at Spring Arbor University with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and moved to Pewamo with her husband, Ned, and two kids, Reegan & Jackstyn. In her spare time,she like to be with her family and friends, travel, be outdoors and hang out at my families’ cottages.

Miss Gina Nowland

Gina is teaching 2nd and 3rd grade at St. Joseph. She received her degree in integrated science and elementary education at Aquinas College. In the year 2022, Gina completed her student teaching at St. Joseph’s and was awarded Michigan Student Teacher of the Year. This is her 1st year of teaching. Gina believes in hands-on learning in the classroom and loves to come up with different projects in which her students can gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Outside of school, Gina loves to garden, read a good mystery, hike, paint, and watch classic movies with her sister.

Mrs. Kim Pung

– Kim attended Michigan State University and has a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Mathematics with 6-12 Michigan Teaching Certification in Mathematics and Biology. She has taught at Lansing Catholic High School and St. Johns High School and Middle School mostly teaching math and biology classes. She is currently teaching Algebra 1 at St. Joseph’s. She loves teaching and working with students and she loves being back! She lives in Pewamo with her husband and three kids; Allison, Olivia, and Louis.

Mrs. Beth Thelen

– Beth is the Young Fives teacher at St. Joseph School. She also volunteers to teach faith formation to the second grade class for St. Joseph School and Faith Formation on Tuesday mornings as they prepare for their First Sacraments. Beth, and her husband Fran, have been members of St. Joseph Parish for fifteen years. They have two children, Ella and Sam, who attend St. Joseph School. Beth feels very blessed to be able to work in a Catholic School with such strong, deeply held Catholic beliefs. She enjoys spending her time with her family playing sports, cards, and board games. She also enjoys attending her children’s sporting events.

Mrs. Debra Thelen

– Mary, along with her husband live in Fowler. They have three children and five grandchildren. Before her teaching career, she did daycare in her home for fifteen years. She graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor’s Degree In Elementary Education. and has been teaching at St. Joseph School for the last fifteen years.

Mrs. Catherine Weber

Catherine Weber has been married to my husband David Weber for over 40 years. They have 4 children: Jeremy, Joshua, Carrie and Ashley. They also have 7 grandchildren. She has been a church musician at St. Joseph in Pewamo since 1987. She has also taught piano privately since 1987. She was a musician at St. Bernadette in Stanton and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Ionia for several years. She received a Bachelor of Music degree from CMU in 1998.