Meet the World Languages Department
Mrs. Caroline Fiddes - Department Head
Caroline Fiddes attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a dual degree in Spanish and Information Technology with a certification in International Business. Her passion for Spanish was sparked by traveling the Spanish speaking world including attending the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile in 2000. She has been blessed to be a teacher at Charlotte Catholic since 2005 and has taught all different levels through the years. She currently teaches Spanish II.
Email: ccfiddes@charlottecatholic.org
Dr. Souhair El Fahsi - Co-Department Head
Dr. El Fahsi has been teaching at CCHS for 11 years and teaches all levels of French, including French I, French II, Honors French III, Honors French IV, and AP French Language and Culture. She is a North Carolina certified teacher and previously lived in both Morocco and France before moving to the United States.
She earned her PhD in Strategic Management as well as her master’s degree in business administration with concentration in Management from the University of Strasbourg in France. Born and raised in Morocco, she brings a strong Francophone background and an authentic cultural perspective to her teaching.
She is proud to be part of the CCHS community and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with her students. She values the opportunity to teach them new skills, broaden their perspectives, and make a meaningful impact in their lives while encouraging them to reach their full potential. She also serves as the advisor of the French National Honor Society.
Outside the classroom, Dr. El Fahsi enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She also loves traveling and exploring new places and cultures.
Ms. Elva Burnham
Hello, I'm Elva Burnham, and I teach Spanish I. I'm delighted to be in my second year at CCHS, but my journey in education spans many years, with experience in bilingual programs and Dual Language Immersion (DLI) dating back to 2004. I've had the privilege of teaching in various settings, including private and public schools in both Mexico and the USA. I'm proud to share that I earned my master's degree in education from UNCW. Teaching in a Catholic school has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. It provides a unique environment where values, ethics, and character development are integrated into the educational experience. This holistic approach to education fosters a sense of community and responsibility among students, and it's truly inspiring to be a part of it.
Mrs. Natacha Carrillo
Mrs. Carrillo is a member of the World Languages Department. She teaches Spanish II and AP Spanish Literature classes.
Email: nlcarrillo@charlottecatholic.org
Mrs. Suzanne Cona
Mrs. Suzanne Cona, a native of Evanston, Illinois, is in her thirty-third year of teaching, including two decades at Charlotte Catholic. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics (Greek and Latin) with a minor in Political Science from Millsaps College, and a Master of Arts in Classics with a minor in Roman archaeology from Florida State University. Mrs. Cona has taught Latin across all levels—middle school, high school, community college, and university—and has also taught Latin, literature, and writing in a local homeschool cooperative. At Charlotte Catholic, she has provided leadership through service on numerous committees and advisory councils and served for nine years as co-chair of the World Language Department. A former MACS parent, Mrs. Cona proudly graduated three children from Charlotte Catholic. She and her husband have been parishioners of St. Patrick Cathedral since 2003 and were longtime volunteers in the parish RCIA program. Mrs. Cona is a thirty-eight year convert to Catholicism and has many favorite Saints! A favorite quote comes from Saint Teresa of Calcutta: "How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."
Email: smcona@charlottecatholic.org
Mrs. Socky Davaz
Mrs. Socorro Davaz was born and raised in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and is a native Spanish speaker. She holds a BA in Architecture with minors in Education and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also holds a master’s from the Universidad de Granada in the Language and Culture of Spain. She is a certified North Carolina teacher and has taught elementary, middle-school, and high school in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools since 1999. In addition to her teaching duties, Mrs. Davaz is faculty adviser to the Spanish National Honor Society at Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School. She has two children, Mrs. Davaz is a member of St. Gabriel parish in Charlotte where she has lived for over thirty years.
Mrs. Carmen Garmilla
Carmen Garmilla has been teaching at Charlotte Catholic for 10 years. She teaches Academic Achievement Spanish 1 and AP Spanish Language and Culture. She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Mexico City in Human Communication Therapy, working with any kind of communication disorders, from speech therapy to learning disabilities and autism. Mrs. Garmilla also earned her Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from the University of Jaén in Spain. As a former MACS parent, she believes in the importance of not only preparing the students academically, but giving them opportunities to discover how much they are loved by God, and ways to keep trusting in His Mercy, discovering God's plan in their lives.
Mr. Andrew Hicks
Mr. Hicks is a member of the World Languages Department. He teaches Latin I, and Latin II
Email: alhicks@charlottecatholic.org
Mrs. Gabriela Palomino
Mrs. Palomino has more than 20 years of experience teaching in both college and high school settings. With a long family tradition of Catholic educators, including four aunt nuns, she is a native of Venezuela, married, and has three children—Ana, an alumna of CCHS, Alice at Holy Trinity, and Alejandro at St. Gabriel. A parishioner at St. Gabriel Church since 2006, she holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations with a minor in International Business, and three Master's degrees (International Relations, Latin American, and Spanish Literature). She strongly believes in a student-centered classroom where each individual owns their process, promoting growth and accountability. Along with Spanish classes, she also teaches Honors Latin American classes in the Social Studies Department.
Email: mgpalomino@charlottecatholic.org
Ms. Sabine Schmid-Rankin
Frau Schmid-Rankin is in her third year of teaching German at Charlotte Catholic HS and her 20th year in education. She taught German for 16 years in Gaston County. She earned her master's degree (musicology, history, and archeology) at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany and her teacher's license for German at UNC Charlotte. She loves teaching and finding creative ways to share her language and culture with her students.
Email: sischmid-rankin@charlottecatholic.org