Administration
Fr. Olin Mayfield
Priest Administrator
Fr. Olin Mayfield was born and raised in the Santa Clarita Valley. He is a product of twelve years of
Catholic education: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grade School in Newhall and Bishop Alemany High
School in Mission Hills. He received his BA in General Literature from USC in 1991 and immediately
entered St John’s Seminary. After being Ordained in 1996, he spent his first four years of priesthood at
St Denis Church in Diamond Bar and then two years at Holy Angels in Arcadia. In 2002, Cardinal Mahony
allowed him to become a Navy Chaplain. It was there that he served at Chaplain to the USS Wasp (LHD-
1) and Third Battalion Twelfth Marines. After returning to the Archdiocese, he was assigned to St Peter
Claver parish in Simi Valley. From 2008 until 2022, Fr Olin was the pastor of St Clare of Assisi in Santa
Clarita. He has been part of the Holy Redeemer / St James team since July 1 and looks forward to
getting to know the parishes and the people of this community.
Dr. John Wick
Principal
Dr. Wick has served in Catholic education for over 16 years. He was the founding principal for Christ Cathedral Academy in the Diocese of Orange. Dr. Wick is a Google Certified Innovator as well as a Google Level 2 Educator. Innovation and revitalizing Catholic schools are his expertise. He has taught every grade level from K-8 and has served as a professor at Vanguard University's School of Graduate Education. He holds the following degrees: AA: Social and Behavioral Science; BA: Human Development; MA: Education; and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership with a specialization in teaching and learning. Dr. Wick also holds Catholic School Leadership Certification from Loyola Marymount University. In his spare time, he loves to create art, cook, and enjoys fishing. Dr. Wick Lives with his wife and three cats in Long Beach, California.
Ms. Starbuck
Director of Development
and Enrollment
Yearbook Teacher
Ms Starbuck received her B.A. in Communications from The Pennsylvania State University. She began her career focusing on advertising and magazine publishing and through a variety of different turns, began program planning and marketing for youth-focused, non-profit organizations. Her work and family have taken her all over the globe, living in Columbus, Boston, New York City, The United Kingdom, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. When not sifting through cookbooks or dining out, Ms. Starbuck can be found traveling abroad, exploring cities, and spending time in the outdoors with her family.
Mrs. Ledis
Front Office
Ms Ledis was born and raised in London, England. She began her career with a focus in banking and high net worth clients. Her family brought her to the US, initially New York City, where she broadened her involvement in volunteer work and has continued her involvement with the relocation to Los Angeles. She is fluent in Greek and has the desire to learn other languages. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, baking, reading, and personal fitness. Ms Ledis enjoys working at HRSJ and looks to make a difference each and every day.
Faculty and Staff
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Mrs. Cardenas
Teacher
TK/K
Mrs Cardenas was born and raised in the Crescenta-Canada area. She grew up attending catholic schools and realized the positive impact her teachers had on her. This inspired her love and passion for education. Mrs Cardenas received her Bachelor’s degree in Dance from Texas Christian University. She has over 10 years of experience working with children and 5 years teaching in Catholic schools. Mrs Cardenas loves teaching TK/K because she is able to introduce school as a fun, loving learning environment where they can explore who God created them to be. Her favorite part of teaching is incorporating arts into the classroom where she can help students explore their creativity!
Ms. Ayers is excited to be teaching at Holy Redeemer - St. James School. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies with a minor in Psychology from Cal State University Long Beach. Ms. Ayers has over 35 years teaching elementary education in the private and public sector. She specializes in elementary reading intervention after training at Linda Mood Bell for The Los Alamitos Unified School District in Orange County. Her goal is to provide cross curriculum teaching to bring life to all subjects.
Mrs. Grigoryan
Red Wing Master Teacher
2nd and 3rd Grade
From a young age, Mrs Grigoryan has always been passionate about teaching. She believes that it is truly rewarding and a privilege to assist in guiding the next generation of children as they search for knowledge and find their uniquely designed God-given purpose. Mrs. Grigoryan earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from California State University of Northridge, and has been teaching for 22 years at various private schools in the area. In her classroom, the goal has always been to create a safe and loving environment, where students enjoy and thrive as they learn.
Mrs. Hipolito
Gold Wing Master Teacher
4th and 5th Grade
Mrs. Hipolito grew up in Southern California. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music and a Masters degree in Education from Pacific Union College. After completing her degrees, Mrs. Hipolito began her teaching career in the Napa Unified School District. She moved back to Southern California with her husband to be closer to family. She enjoys hiking and camping with her husband and dog. Her hobbies include marathon running, film, photography, and music.
Mr. Aguilar
Religion
Athletics Director
Middle School
Mr. Aguilar attended Cal State Dominguez Hills earning a BA in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Physical Education. He also earned his Masters in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University. Mr. Aguilar has been involved in many athletic programs, serving all over the Los Angeles area for more than 7 years. He enjoys living an all around healthy lifestyle as he is an active member of CAHPERD and Shape America. Mr. Aguilar has also been involved as a catechist, serving his community of St Thomas the Apostle Church for more than 8 years. He enjoys all sports and loves going to live sport events with his family and community. His enjoys cooking for his family on the weekends and participating in special feast days in his parish.
Ms. Godin
Math / Science
Middle School
Ms. Godin grew up in the San Fernando Valley before recently moving to Santa Clarita. She attended UCLA where she earned her B.A. in sociology and went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Education from Alliant International University. Ms. Godin is thrilled to be teaching at a wonderful school like Holy Redeemer St. James where she can bring her excitement about Math and Science into her classroom, with the goal of instilling an enthusiasm for learning with her students. In her free time, Ms. Godin enjoys watching and playing sports and spending time outside.
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Ms. Lazar
ELA / History
Middle School
Maia Lazar grew up in Silver Lake, and studied history in graduate school in Poland. Since her return to L.A., she’s worked in special education and taught in Glendale, La Cañada, and West L.A. Her hobbies include hiking, chicken keeping, gardening, and cooking. She looks forward to sharing her love of literature, writing and respect for history with the students of HRSJ. She also teaches middle school Latin and Linguistics.
Mrs. Proulx
Educational Coach
TK/K
Mrs. Proulx received her undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education as well as her M.A. in Special Education from Providence College. Before moving to California, Mrs. Proulx taught Middle School and Elementary School Special Education in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and North Carolina. Mrs. Proulx loves working with the TK and Kindergarten students, bringing her joyful spirit and high energy to the classroom every day.
Mrs. Norman
Educational Coach
TK/K
Mrs. Norman was born and raised in Glendale, California. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from San Diego State University. Before having children she taught First Grade at Incarnation School and Holy Redeemer School. She stepped away from the classroom for a few years to raise her young children. She returned to Holy Redeemer-St. James School 10 years ago! This will be her 8th year as the TK/K Educational Coach and she just adores working with the little ones. When Mrs. Norman is not in the classroom, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, trips to the beach, and spending time with her family.
Mrs. Elhaj
Educational Coach
2nd and 3rd Grades
Mrs. Elhaj grew up in Southern California. She graduated with a Bachelors degree from Cal State Fullerton and a Masters Degree from University of La Verne. After completing her graduate work, Mrs. Elhaj stayed home to take care of her three young children. Now that her youngest has started school Mrs. Elhaj is excited to be in the workforce again and leverage her work experience and education to work with students. She enjoys eating out at restaurants, spending time with her family and going on long walks with her dog Rex.
Ms. Ceja
Educational Coach
4th and 5th Grade
Art
6th- 8th Grade
Ms. Ceja was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She has been a member of the Holy Redeemer - St. James Catholic Community for over 15 years. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from California State University Northridge and has been serving our school community for over 10 years. She has held various roles throughout her years at HRSJS. When she is not focusing on work and school, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and two dogs.
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Ms. Mahoney
After School Care
Ms. Mahoney moved to California from Las Vegas at age eleven to be closer to her extended family. Since then, she has provided childcare for her family and others. Before graduating from La Cañada High School, she attended Catholic school for eight years and is still a practicing Catholic. She is a focused culinary major with a minor in child care and plans to pursue one of these career paths when she graduates from college. When she has time to spare, she likes to spend it cooking, hiking, or reading.
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Ms. Valdez
After School Care
Ms. Valdez was born and raised in Glendale, CA. She has always had a passion for the educational system. She graduated half a year earlier than her class and was awarded congressional recognition from the Legislative branch as well as the mayor of Glendale for her academic achievements. She enjoys giving back to her community. In her free time she volunteers painting murals for different local schools. she also enjoys spending time with her three cats jimmy, Dwight and Micheal.
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