Gulf High School Faculty

A - F | G - L | M - R | S - Z

Claire E. Gabay teaches Algebra I and Algebra II. She joined the Gulf faculty at the start of the 2004-2005 school year. She was previously a dropout prevention teacher at Zephyrhills High School for two years. She has a civil engineering degree from the University of South Florida. Before becoming a teacher, she worked for Xerox and Nielsen Media Research. She was born in Cartagena, Colombia, and came to the U. S. in 1981.

Rebecca Gedraitis teaches Drama. She has taught at both Gulf Middle and Gulf High for a combined 22 years. She has a B. A. in Speech/Drama from Cameron University in Oklahoma.

Paul Girardi teaches math and is the Athletic Director and Boys Golf Coach. He has been at Gulf since 1979. He previously taught at Hudson H. S. as well as Bayonet Point and Gulf Junior High Schools. Mr. Girardi obtained his B. S. degree at Slippery Rock State College in Pennsylvania and his Master's degree from the University of South Florida.

Susan Girardi is the School Nurse. She graduated in 1970 as a Registered Nurse from Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh, Pa. Prior to working as a school nurse her experience included intensive care and Home Health Nursing. Susan has been the nurse at GHS since 1982. She provides health education and wellness activities as well as counseling assessment and referrals for health-related issues.

Jeffrey Green teaches mathematics. He joined the Gulf faculty at the start of the 2004-2005 school year. He has a B. S. degree in mathematics from Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., and completed the teacher certification program at Dickinson College. He was born in Philadelphia and grew up there. He has lived there, and in Sicily, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Los Angeles. He previously taught in the Central Dauphin school district in Pennsylvania and the William S. Hart school district in Santa Clarita, California.

Steve Griffith joined the Gulf faculty at the start of the 2005-06 school year. He teaches math, mostly in the International Baccalaureate program. Before coming to Gulf, he taught for 16 years at Charlestown High School in Charlestown, Indiana. He is a graduate of Indiana University. He has two grown children who are both teachers and a stepdaughter who attends Gulf.

Teresa Herzog was in charge of the ISS program during the 2006-07 school year. She came to Gulf from Anclote Elementary School where she had five years experience in Parent Involvement, a Title I program. She grew up in Palm Harbor and has lived in Pasco County for the last 15 years. She has four children. In 2006-07, one attended Gulf High School, two were twins in the fourth grade at Anclote Elementary, and the other child was one year old.

Carol Hlad teaches Nutrition & Wellness, Food Preparation, and Child Development. She was selected as the Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year for Pasco County in 2002. She has taught at Gulf for six years and in Pasco county since 1980. She previously taught in Pittsburgh. Since moving to Florida in 1979 with her husband, Greg, she has worked as a food products demonstrator for Montgomery Ward, taught at Ridgewood High, ran the child care program at Land O'Lakes High, and was the child care training coordinator for the Pasco County School District. She has a daughter attending the University of Florida.

Craig Judy teaches Construction and Drafting. He has been a teacher in Pasco County for 17 years; 9 at Bayonet Point Middle School and the last 8 years at GHS. He has a B. S. in Industrial Arts Technology from VA Tech, and is presently working on his graduate degree in Educational Leadership at USF. Craig also has four years of experience in management at The Home Depot and one year of cabinetry in Georgia. To keep interests at peak levels, the projects in his classes change each year to facilitate optimal learning experiences. Over the years, projects have included: picnic tables for local parks, display cases, GHS sign in front of the school, podiums for teachers, bookshelves, Drafting desks and stools, computer tables, office and classroom remodels, spice racks, etc. Each school year brings about new and exciting opportunities.

Patti Keep joined the Gulf faculty in August 2005. She teaches Biology, Biology Honors, and Integrated Science. She formerly taught at Hudson High School for three years. She holds a B. A. degree in Biology from Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. Ms. Keep was born in Hastings, Michigan. She has five adopted children.

April Kelley is the guidance counselor assigned students whose last names begin with R through Z. She is a member of the High School Guidance District Committee. Ms. Kelley has a B. A. in Business Education and an M. A. in Guidance and Counseling from the University of South Florida. She has 21 years experience as a guidance counselor and six years experience as a business education teacher.

Bob Kennedy joined the GHS staff at the start of the 2007-08 school year. He is the ISS instructor.

Rossi Klompus teaches in the ESE inclusion program. Before joining the faculty of Gulf High School in August 2001, she taught at a middle school in Hillsborough County, and before that she taught for 17 years in Virginia.

Lina LaBarbara is a graduate of Gulf High School class of 1988. She earned her B.A. at the University of Texas at Arlington, in Arlington, Texas in 1996. She then taught 2 years in Cleburne, Texas (8th grade Science and 7th and 8th grade girl's volleyball, basketball and track coach.) She has been at Gulf High since 1999 teaching Drop Out Prevention (M.A.P.) and coached the cheerleaders for 2 years. She has 2 children. While going to college she worked in the in customer service and the fitness industries.

Troy LaBarbara joined the faculty at Gulf in September 1994 after having taught one year at Dowdell Junior High. He graduated from FSU and specializes in learning strategies and special education. Among his hobbies is weightlifting. He was a competitor in bodybuilding at FSU.

Joe Lampkin joined the Social Studies department at the start of the 2006-07 school year, teaching Word History. He had previously taught at River Ridge Middle School for one year. He is a retired army officer, having reach the rank of Major. He was in the business world for 12 years. He was in supply chain management and holds professional certifications from Georgia Tech. He was born in Morgan City, Louisiana. He attended high school at Robert E. Lee Senior High School in Houston. He has a B. A. degree in Social Studies Education from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. A daughter, Jessica, graduated from GHS in 2004.

Dean Lofton teaches Science. He is the Cross Country coach and has been teaching at Gulf for 10 years. He graduated from Hudson High School in 1978 and obtained his Science Ed. degree from USF.

Janice Long teaches in the science department and is adviser of the Ecology Club and Envirothon teams. She joined the Gulf faculty at the beginning of the 1980-81 school year. She was discharged from the Army Reserve after 19 years with the rank of Captain. She received her B.S. in biology and chemistry, M.S.C.T. in biology, and completed her Rank I in counselor education at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. She has been a member of the Cotee River Lions club since 1993 and a member of Our Lady Queen of Peace church since 1980. She was a Girl Scout brownie and junior leader for 7 years and has been a merit badge counselor for the Boy Scouts since 1990. Her twins graduated in 1998 - Jamie from Gulf High School; Janie from Ridgewood High School. Her younger daughter, Jennifer, graduated from Ridgewood in 2001 and UCF's Rosen School of Hospitality and Management in 2006.

Rosemarie Lowry-Christie teaches Health Occupations. She joined the Gulf faculty full-time at the start of the 2004-2005 school year, although she has substitute taught at Gulf since 1999. She also taught biology. She has a BSN from Saginaw Valley State University. She was born in Flint, Michigan, and grew up near there. She graduated from high school in Durand, Michigan. She has a son and daughter who are Gulf High graduates.