Welcome Mr. Bret Sherfinski!

St. Ambrose Academy is excited to welcome Bret to the faculty as our new Calculus II teacher. A Madison native and graduate of Edgewood High School, he earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s in mathematics from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is an instructor at Madison College and finds great joy in the elegance of mathematics and the search for truth and how the world is ordered, seeing it as a reflection of divine order, “the language of God that is eternal.”

When he’s not teaching, Bret enjoys spending time with his wife Svitlana and their young son, Bret James on their peaceful country property. An avid hiker, he loves exploring local trails including the Devil’s Lake and Indian Lake areas, has hiked internationally in the Alps, and dreams of hiking the Rockies one day.

A parishioner at St. Maria Goretti and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Bret is grateful for the opportunity to integrate faith into the learning experience through this role. As his own son was getting closer to school age, Bret was motivated to look more deeply into educational options for his future and first heard of St. Ambrose Academy through a member of the parish.

Bret began substitute teaching at the Academy, being particularly struck by how students pray at the beginning of every class, that “God is a part of the educational process, and I think that’s vital.” Having taught mathematics in secular settings for many years, Bret looks forward to being “immersed in an environment where the Catholic faith is central not only with the faculty but with the students.”

Having taken similar classes at the same age as his students, he looks forward to connecting with them intellectually and spiritually, helping them grow in both knowledge and faith.