Here’s a look at the new teachers at Prep:

Mrs. Madeline Braukmann – Dean’s Office:

Favorite movie- “Moulin Rogue and Pride and Prejudice”

Favorite food- “Thai food and croissants.”

Hobbies- “I love to run, bike, read, and do yoga.”

Pets- “I don’t (have any) but I have my eye on a corgi puppy who will hopefully be coming home with me fairly soon.”

Excited about prep- “I’m so excited to get to know the students and staff and see and experience firsthand the amazing Prep community I’ve heard so much about.”

Ms. Haley Briggs -Math:

Favorite movie- “One of my favorite movies is Up.”

Favorite food- “One of my favorite foods is sweet potato fries.”

Hobbies- “A couple of my hobbies are reading, coaching softball, and playing with my dogs. “

Pets- “I have two dogs. I have a one-year old corgi, named Tank, and I have an 8 week old chocolate lab, named Rory.”

Excited about Prep- “I am most excited about being a part of the Prep community.”

Dr. Kurt Brueske – Science:

Favorite movie- “The Godfather”

Favorite food- “Middle Eastern Food (Schwarma, Falafel, Humus, etc.)”

Hobbies- “Automotive restoration (Old Cars), Reading, Gardening”

Pets- “An Abyssinian cat “Kona.”  I bought Kona while stationed in Hawaii in 2008.  He’s very personable and intelligent.”

Most excited about Prep- “(I) Enjoy working with students and being back in the classroom.”

Ms. Katie Corrigan – School Nurse:

Favorite Movie- “The Notebook – yes it’s a love story!”

Favorite food- “Cheese and anything with it”

Hobbies- “I love planning events- I help plan retreats and events at my parish. I also love to read, swim , and pretty much anything that has to do with my kids!”

Pets- “I have a 2 year old fluffy Keeshond named Meeko.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am excited to be the first ever nurse here at Prep!  and I went to Marian so I kind of always wanted to come hang out for a day.”

Mrs. Aurora Driscoll Barker – HSO (Admissions):

Favorite movie- “Too many to pick, but I might settle on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Favorite Food- “Probably anything potato: French fries, baked potato, mashed potatoes, you name it.”

Hobbies- “I enjoy exploring new places, hiking and sewing. My sister and I have an Etsy shop where we make a bunch of different things.”

Pets- “I have a German Shepherd-Pitbull mix named Atlas. He is a rescue so he’s very shy around other people but he loves his Kongs and being outside.”

Ms. Amber Emanuel – English:

Favorite movie- “Either Pitch Perfect or The Goonies”

Favorite food- “Anything with cheese”

Hobbies- “I’m a writer, but I also love knitting. I’m just about finished with my first cardigan!”

Pets- “I have two cats that live back home with my parents. One is a 12-year-old crabby long-hair named Millie and the other,Toothless, is a black outdoor cat who lost a front tooth in a fight (hence the name).”

Most excited about Prep- “I’m most excited to see the Prep community in action, and to learn about the attentive, fantastic staff and students who make things happen.”

Mrs. Cody Everett- HSO (Front Desk):

Favorite movie- “Life is Beautiful”

Favorite food- “Anything Mexican or spicy”

Hobbies- “Puzzles in the winter, and watching my sons play baseball in the spring and summer.”

Pets- “Lefty is our 7yr old Golden-doodle.  We named him Lefty because he had a patch of white fur on his back-left paw”

Most excited about Prep- “To see my 2 sons excel at being Men for Others and Christmas in the Cage…I hope this can still happen this year!”

Mrs. Rachael Gandossy  – Student Support Services (Counselor):

Favorite Movie- “Probably Step Brothers”

Favorite Food- “Pasta. All types all shapes all pasta”

Hobbies- “cooking, reading, traveling (when COVID is not happening), and going to baseball games.”

Pets- “I have a 1 year-old Long-Haired German Shepherd. He is the least protective German Shepherd of all times, loves to lay down to play with toys, and absolutely loves car rides.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am most excited about the positive atmosphere Prep has. They are an extremely welcoming community and up to some awesome initiatives using their voice for positive change to reflect what our world is going through.”

Mr. John Jenkins  – World Language (Spanish):

Favorite movie- “My favorite movie is Pale Rider.”

Favorite food- “My favorite food is steak.”

Hobbies- “Some of my hobbies are hiking, camping, skiing/snowboarding, whitewater kayaking, playing the drums, sports, and traveling.”

Pets- “I have a dog named Finley, a beagle/bulldog/terrier mix who eats anything and everything.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am most excited to be part of Prep’s rich tradition and strong reputation, and to further the Jesuit mission through my work.”

Mr. Erin Kast, SJ – Science: 

Favorite movie- “Tough question!  For comedy, The Blues Brothers is up there; for action, Pulp Fiction is up there; for suspense, The Usual Suspects is up there.  So there you go.”

Favorite food- “When I was little I always said cinnamon toast.  But now corn tamales or dhal and rice.  (Clearly I’m an indecisive person).”

Hobbies- “Playing harmonica, hiking, cooking”

Pets – “Not as a Jesuit, but growing up my family had two dogs and parakeets.  In my room I always had a pair of gerbils and an 8-gallon tank of fish.  Dogs’ names?  Spirit and Bundles (and Chico when I was young).  Gerbils’ names?  Rocket and Thruster, Snip and Snap, Peanuts and Pistachio (a 4 year life-span means I had a few pairs).”

Most excited about Prep- “Getting to have fun in science with my students and to walk in faith with everyone at Prep.”

Mr. Brandon Kreikemeier  – Alumni Volunteer Corps:

Favorite movie- “My favorite movie is 8 seconds”

Favorite food- “My favorite food is a Ribeye Steak dinner, cooked medium rare because cooking it any other way is just disgraceful to the animal.”

Hobbies- “I am an outdoorsy guy, just like in High School I like to hunt and fish. I also enjoy playing Call of Duty in my freetime, and Xbox is my preferred platform.”

Pets- “I sadly don’t have any pets of my own but I have lived with a handful of dogs over the past couple years. My favorite dog is named Rio and he is a Catahoula Leopard Dog mix with the most stunning blue eyes.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am most excited to coach B-Team football and get some wins for the Bombers.”

Mrs. Abigail McCaslin – Science:

Favorite movie- “My favorite movie is Mr. Nobody”

Favorite food- “My favorite food is Stuffed Pepper Soup”

Hobbies- “A couple of my hobbies include: collecting houseplants (I have over 50!), quilting (sewing and stitching quilts with my machine and by hand), and I enjoy cooking with my husband.”

Pets- “The only pet I have is a dog, his name is Husker and he is a shorkie mix. I have had him for 8 years and he is still a little ball of energy for a dog that is so small.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am most excited to be able to make an impact on my students’ lives. I am extremely passionate about teaching and being able to be present and here for my students excites me. I am also excited for covid-19 to be over so I can attend games in person instead of streaming them on my laptop at home.”

Mr. Chris Saeli – English:

Favorite movie- “Spider Man 2”

Favorite food- “Steak”

Hobbies- “Playing guitar & table tennis”

Pets- “My parents have a poodle, Gracie.  She loves to play fetch.”

Most excited about Prep- “I am excited to moderate the Chess club this year!  I hope that I can improve my game against Prep’s best players.”

Mr. Nate Schimonitz – Alumni Volunteer Corps

Favorite movie- “Happy Gilmore”

Favorite Food- “Wings”

Hobbies- “Golf and Basketball”

Pets- “Chocolate lab named Sophie”

Most excited about Prep- “Ability to interact with students and learn from the current teachers that I am helping.”

Favorite Prep Memory- “Winning state championship in basketball my junior year.”

Mr. Tyson Smiley (Smile-ee) – Alumni Volunteer Corps:

Favorite food- “I’d have to say that my favorite food is pizza.”

Favorite Movie- “My favorite movie is for sure Glory Road”

Hobbies- “Basketball is one of my favorite hobbies of course, but outside of basketball, I enjoy playing video games like warzone and NBA2k.”

Pets- “I do have a dog, a black lab mix her name is Sassy and she is 10 months old. She enjoys being outside although she hasn’t quite figured out the whole fetch thing yet but we’re working on it.” 

Most excited about Prep- “I’m just excited to be back in the halls here at Prep. The atmosphere here is unmatched, once you leave it’s something you look forward to coming back too.”

Favorite Prep memory- “My favorite prep memory… my senior year we were playing Omaha South in the state championship game. We were up 3 points with 1.1 seconds left,  I had just been fouled and sent to the free throw line to seal the deal. It just so happened our basket was right in front of the birdcage at pinnacle bank arena. I approach the line to shoot the first shot and the birdcage was completely silent almost in a state of disbelief, knowing if I made the shot we surely had just won the game. I shoot the ball and make the free throw. The birdcage erupted, security guards ran to the front of the birdcage to prevent my peers from rushing the court as the buzzer sounded. All time Prep memory.”

Mrs. Liz Vokal – HSO (Admin Assistant):

Favorite Movie- “The Shawshank Redemption”

Favorite Food- “I’m Italian but I’ve never met an Mexican dish I didn’t like.”

Hobbies- “I enjoy reading, baking and trying new recipes.”

Pets- “two dogs, Charlie who is a 7 year old Wheaten Terrier mix and we recently adopted what I refer to as our pandemic puppy, Louie, who is 6 months old and is a Cavapoo (King Charles Cavalier/Poodle mix)”

Most excited for Prep- “I am excited to be a part of such an outstanding school with such rich traditions. My son is a freshman here and I’m excited for him as well.