Neuner has been teaching for 50 years at S.H. Rich Fountain

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“Today, we raise our hearts in gratitude and admiration for a remarkable woman who has devoted 50 years to shaping minds, nurturing spirits, and leaving an indelible mark on the community of Sacred Heart School, Rich Fountain,” stated a Nov. 4 social media post written by Linda Neuner’s fellow educators at Sacred Heart School.

Students and colleagues gathered that day to celebrate the golden anniversary of teaching for the long-time teacher and former principal of the school.

“All right here in her home parish!” said Father William Debo, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Rich Fountain and Holy Family Parish in Freeburg.

“Ms. Neuner, you are the very heart of this school,” her colleagues stated. “As both principal and teacher, you’ve not only educated generations of students, but you’ve also inspired, guided and loved them as they navigated their paths to becoming the individuals they are today.

“Your influence stretches far beyond the classroom walls — you’ve helped raise and nurture an entire community,” they said.

Ms. Neuner’s commitment to Catholic education reflects her appreciation for all she received as a student at Sacred Heart.

She holds fond memories of her own elementary years there.

“We were like an extended family,” she stated. 

The teachers were School Sisters of Notre Dame, who taught their students by word and example about the Catholic faith and the “3 Rs” — “reading, writing and ’rithmetic.”

Eight of Ms. Neuner’s brothers and her three sisters also graduated from Sacred Heart.

“I always had a brother in the classroom with me — sometimes two — as Grades 3-5 and 6-8 were in triple-grade classrooms,” she recalled.

Her interest in teaching likely started with her brother Joe, who never was able to attend school because of his special needs.

During Ms. Neuner’s junior high and early high school summers, she helped out at Head Start in Linn, which was attended by some of her younger siblings.

“Those teachers encouraged me, and during my senior year at Fatima High School, I was able to help in one of the elementary classrooms,” said Ms. Neuner.

Mr. Martin, the guidance counselor, also advised her to attend the College of the Ozarks, where all the students attend classes year-round on a work-study program which allows students to graduate without any debt.

During the summer of 1974, the pastor of Sacred Heart parish received word from the School Sisters of Notre Dame that only two sisters instead of three would be assigned to Sacred Heart School.

“Father approached my dad shortly after that and asked him how far along I was in college,” Ms. Neuner recalled. “Dad told him I was to begin student-teaching that fall at Branson Elementary.”

The next time Ms. Neuner was home, she interviewed with Sister Flavia and was hired.

Her first day on the Sacred Heart faculty was Nov. 4, 1974.

That year, she had 40 students in her fifth- and sixth-grade class — 20 students in each grade.

Sister Mary Christopher and Sister Flavia were two of her earliest mentors at Sacred Heart.

Some early advice she received from other teachers was: “Put it in God’s hands,” and “There are three sides to every story: yours, mine, and the real one.”

Another helpful tidbit was: “Don’t stop learning until your hair stops growing.”

“A few years ago at a parishioner’s funeral, I heard his wise saying, ‘It’s not that hard to be nice,’ and I repeat that when needed,” she said.

Big, happy family

Ms. Neuner became Sacred Heart School’s first lay principal and seventh- and eighth-grade teacher in September 1981.

“After forty plus years as principal, I returned to the classroom as a full-time teacher,” she said.

She is grateful to Fr. Debo and to  Debbie Reinkemeyer, the current principal, for their support during this transition.

“I now work part-time, beginning at 6:30 with early-morning duty,” she said. “This is when I get to be with the youngest students, and I am learning lots from them!”

This year, she’s teaching fourth- through eighth-grade math, seventh- and eighth-grade science, and seventh- and eighth-grade religion.

“I have a wonderful group of students, and I’m in a classroom in the new building, next door to our dear quilters, and across the hall from our PS-PK and K-1 classrooms,” she noted.

She has taught five of her younger siblings, and all but two of her current students are children of former students. One is a grandchild of a former student.

“There are numerous students in the lower grades who are grandchildren of my first students at SHS,” she noted.

Her other teaching experiences include summer school at Fatima Elementary and Skyline Elementary near Urbana, and serving as a camp counselor for the Christian Appalachian Project in Martin, Kentucky, and the Salvation Army in Jefferson City.

She also spent a summer teaching at St. Michael’s School in Window Rock, Arizona, working with Navajo children with special needs.

Mrs. Neuner said she’s been fortunate to work with many excellent teachers through the years.

“I marvel at their faith, caring, patience, problem-solving abilities, and the list goes on,” she said.

Among the many are fellow educators who taught at Sacred Heart for 20 or more years: Peg Brune, Jackie Prenger and Annette Poettgen.

There were also wonderful secretaries, including the late Rosella Bax, Julie Siegler and Mary Lea Reinkemeyer.

“They also served as nurse, teacher, and assisted with many other duties for numerous years when I was principal,” Ms. Neuner noted.

Amazing community

Another benefit Ms. Neuner has received is growth in her faith.

“Every day, I hear and see examples of faith and love in the students and staff,” she said.

Among the changes she’s witnessed over the years are the technology now used every day, and the access students have to find information with just one click.

She recalled how the Sacred Heart School Advisory Board and the local Home and School Association were organized in the 1980s.

The school now has a pre-school and kindergarten, early-morning care, and an afterschool program.

“The generosity of our parents, other parishioners, alumni and friends continues to astound me as we were able to raise over a million dollars in a very short time, and this fall we began a new era with the addition of the St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Annex,” Ms. Neuner stated.

She feels blessed to have had family, friends, present and former students, pastors, teachers and staff, fellow principals, the Diocesan School Office, and an awesome parish community who have helped and supported her through the years.

“The generous donations of our Quilting Ladies, St. Anne’s Sodality, and the Knights of Columbus are phenomenal,” she stated. “Every day, I thank God for the blessings I have received here at Sacred Heart.”

During this Catholic Schools Week, she asks for prayers for Sacred Heart School to grow and flourish as a “rich fountain” of faith for years to come.

“May God bless all our endeavors!”

Powerful legacy

“From teaching the children of your former students to offering wisdom and kindness to all who cross your path, your legacy lives on in each of us,” Ms. Neuner’s colleagues stated on Nov. 4.

“The lessons you’ve imparted — both academic and life lessons — are felt every day in the hearts and minds of those fortunate enough to have been your students,” they said. “You are truly a living testament to the power of education, passion and love.”

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