Catholic School principals, teachers react to an unexpected act of gratitude

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Teachers and staff members of Catholic schools throughout the Jefferson City diocese got a surprise message from Bishop W. Shawn McKnight this week.

It was an expression of gratitude.

“I know of your hard work,” he said in a video sent to all Catholic school faculty and staff members at the start of Catholic Schools Week. “I see all you do to keep your students safe and sound while still challenging them academically.

“I see you all fulfilling the mission of bringing children closer to God and forming them in the faith,” he said. “I see YOU, and I want you to know how much we all appreciate everything you do.”

He told them that thanks to the generous stewardship of others in the diocese who also see everything they do, each faculty and staff member would be receiving a special Catholic Schools Week bonus.

“Thank you for answering the call to fulfill our mission as a Church to educate and form our young people,” Bishop McKnight stated in the video. “We are all so blessed by your important ministry as teachers, staff and administrators in our Catholic schools.”

“Above and beyond”

Teachers from several schools said the bonus and the show of appreciation mean a lot, especially in these stressful times.

“It’s nice to be recognized for all of our hard work to make our Catholic schools a great environment to grow God’s children,” stated Kara Pabst, who teaches fourth grade at St. Francis Xavier School in Taos.

The bonus was a huge surprise for Renee Stockman. This is her first year teaching kindergarten at St. Francis Xavier School.

“For me, a bonus is just simply making a kid smile and their reaction when they finally get something they have been struggling with,” she said. “It is the excitement when they come into school and cannot wait to tell you about their weekend, or about a new toy they just got.”

She said the money will be a major help to buy things the students use every day, and maybe something a little more special.

“I am incredibly grateful to be working at a Catholic School with tons of loving people,” Miss Stockman stated.

St. Francis Xavier first-grade teacher Laura Kempker said she remembers every day that God is Who called her to be a teacher.

“I can’t think of a single teacher who answers this call in order to get rich, but when generous donors allow us to feel so appreciated and loved through such an amazing monetary donation, it really warms my heart,” she said.

St. Francis Xavier second-grade teacher Courtney Pleus said education is a rewarding job with many blessings, “and this bonus goes above and beyond.”

“I truly thank the donors who have given this bonus and have shown their support for all the educators, faculty, and staff of our diocese,” she said.

“So deserving”

Julie Clingman, principal of St. Martin School in St. Martins, has been working in Catholic schools in this diocese for 35 years.

“Throughout my tenure I have had the privilege of working alongside some of the most dedicated, joyful and faith-filled educators, and the staff of St. Martin Catholic School is no exception,” she said.

She said the educators there believe in giving students the spiritual, academic and emotional tools they need to get to heaven.

“They also believe that if you happen to love what you are doing and have fun along the way you are doubly blessed!” she said.

Mrs. Clingman said the teachers and staff at St. Martin School are “over the top excited” about the surprise bonus.

“It is heartwarming that their hard work and sacrifices are recognized by others outside those who are intimately entwined in the everyday happenings of the school,” she said.

Many of the school’s teachers and staff members are young mothers with children who are in school so to have a “little extra” to help the family is always a blessing.

“However, I hope my staff uses a little of the money to do something extra special just for themselves,” she said. “They are so deserving of every good thing God has planned for them.”

“We work together”

Rosemary Bardwell, the eighth-grade teacher at St. Martin School who has been teaching for 42 years, said she’s very grateful for the surprise bonus.

“We have been working very hard through this pandemic, and it gives us encouragement and hope to continue the Lord’s work,” she said.

She said she feels blessed to be a part of the St. Martin School community.

“Catholic education is very important to this community,” she said. “We work together to spread the love of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.”

Andrea Benne, who teaches pre-kindergarten at St. Martin School, said she was surprised to receive an email with a link to the video from Bishop McKnight.

“When I opened the email,” she said, “the bishop said we once again received a donor who had found it in their heart to show Catholic school teachers just how thankful they were for everything that we do for our students daily, the extra we do to not only educate children for them to be successful academically but the extra we do to help them grow in their faith and love of Christ.”

She said receiving such a gesture of gratitude two years in a row has been an extreme blessing in not only her personal life, but for her classroom as well.

She is awaiting the birth of her fifth child in July, and this will help support some of her maternity leave.

“Donations like this and the generosity of others who are willing to do anything they can to help fulfill the wants and needs of my classroom are what make being a part of this Catholic school community so wonderful,” she said.

With thanksgiving

Bishop McKnight said it’s a blessing to have such generous support for the mission of the Catholic schools and for the people who put that mission into action.

“Our schools are an intrinsic part of the evangelization of our Church,” he said. “The future of the Church, to a large degree, depends on the work done in our Catholic schools.”

He encouraged everyone in the parishes to remain true to their baptismal call to participate actively, gratefully and generously in the work of their parishes, including Catholic schools.

“This mission belongs to all of us,” he said. “There can be no weak links in answering the communal call to discipleship. Only by working together and giving to the best of our ability can we, with God’s assistance, accomplish everything He has planned for us.”

There are 6,981 students enrolled in the 37 Catholic grade schools and three Catholic high schools in the diocese.

A complete list of the schools can be found at:

diojeffcity.org/schools

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