By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
The Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Catholic Schools recognized 213 teachers during the teacher appreciation luncheon Nov. 8.
The annual luncheon honors educators who have taught for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years in Catholic schools in the archdiocese. These teachers serve 19,452 students in 49 prekindergarten to 12th-grade Catholic schools located in seven counties of the archdiocese.
Opening the event, Leisa Schulz, superintendent of Catholic schools, called the teaching profession a “privilege” and an “adventure.”
“All of us truly exemplify as Catholic educators the theme of ‘missionary disciples.’ We go where God has called us to go — into the hearts and minds of children and young people in our Catholic schools,” she said.
Schulz also asked the teachers gathered to keep educators who have died “in our hearts and prayers.”
“Let’s certainly keep them in our hearts and prayers all those Catholic educators who have come before us and have dedicated their lives to this ministry,” she said.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz offered a few words and a blessing prior to the luncheon. Each day during his morning prayer, he said, he thanks God for his vocation and asks him to “please renew my original intent.”
“As we honor so many of you today for so many years of service … we want to say a word of thanks, not only for your service, but your ability to renew your original intent,” he said.
The archbishop asked the teachers, administrators and pastors gathered for their continued support for upcoming legislation in the Kentucky General Assembly that will propose a scholarship tax credit.
“We have to make sure that our Catholic schools, who have served so many people for so many generations, do not become simply for those that can afford it,” he said. “We need to find ways in which every family who turns to Catholic schools, that they have the capacity and support to do that.”
He noted the “great work” done by the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) and the scholarship programs at individual schools and urged those gathered to “be a student and an advocate for school choice.”
In past years, legislation has been proposed in the Kentucky General Assembly to grant scholarship tax credits to businesses that make contributions to scholarship-granting organizations, such as the CEF. The Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the public policy arm of the state’s four bishops, supports this measure.
45 YEARS
William Bradford, Trinity High School
Mary Ann Hall, Trinity High School
Marty Murphy, Holy Spirit School
40 YEARS
Kathy Blanton, St. Andrew Academy
Pam Boone, St. Albert the Great School
Terry Cook, St. Raphael School
Judy Erie, John Paul II Academy
Jan Fisch, St. Nicholas Academy
Jim Higgins, St. Xavier High School
Nan Murphy, Holy Trinity School
Eileen Soeder, Ascension School
Kathy Stivers, St. Gabriel School
Mary Wagner, St. Gabriel School
35 YEARS
Karen Blevins, Sacred Heart Model School
Elizabeth Ann Bryan, St. Catherine Academy
Connie Druien, Assumption High School
Sister Mary Ninette Manning, Bethlehem High School
Rob Mullen, Trinity High School
Carol Nord, Nativity Academy
Richard Reynolds, Holy Cross High School
Nancy Schroeder, St. Francis of Assisi School
Diane Whoberry, St. Stephen Martyr School
30 YEARS
Jennifer Fentress, Notre Dame Academy
Linda Lenahan, Sacred Heart Academy
Christy Perkins, St. Martha School
Rick Sorrels, St. Xavier High School
Fran Spaulding, Bethlehem High School
Jeanne Theiss, Holy Trinity School
Martha Troncone, St. Albert the Great School
Helen Walsh, St. Margaret Mary School
Beth Whelan, John Paul II Academy
Janet Zeller, Sacred Heart Academy
25 YEARS
Gina Carter, St. Augustine School, Lebanon
Frank Espinosa, St. Xavier High School
Tricia Forde, Sacred Heart Model School
Susan Gilbert, John Paul II Academy
Pat Hammer, Holy Trinity School
Kelly Hovekamp, Assumption High School
Walter Mata, Trinity High School
Anna Meade, St. Michael School
Maureen Miler, John Paul II Academy
Andy Porta, St. Xavier High School
Rebecca Reisert, St. Xavier High School
Becky Romero, St. Gabriel School
Mike Rouse, Assumption High School
Paula Samuels, Presentation Academy
Cindy Simmon, St. Raphael School
Ann Smith, Ascension School
Beth Strobel, St. Nicholas Academy
Julia Weaver, St. Athanasius
20 YEARS
Mike Budniak, Trinity High School
Todd Collard, Holy Trinity School
Jason Daniel, Trinity High School
Shirley Day, St. Michael School
Dan Dykstra, Assumption High School
Cheryl Feathers, Holy Cross High School
Daniel Hamm, Assumption High School
Jennifer Haycraft, St. Xavier High School
Mara Huston, Bethlehem High School
Debbie Judd, Assumption High School
Helene Kennedy, St. Bernard School
Kelly Kirwan, Assumption High School
Julie Knoop, Holy Spirit School
Nancy Leopold, St. Albert the Great School
Lucy Lorenz, St. Aloysius School, Pewee Valley
Gaynor McAnally, DeSales High School
Jonni Miller, Trinity High School
Jo Renee O’Bryan, St. Catherine Academy, New Haven
Gary Owens, Trinity High School
Charlotte Peake, St. Albert the Great School
Lisa Rohleder, St. Gabriel School
Luis Salomon, St. Xavier High School
Theresa Schuhmann, Assumption High School
Kathy Schum, Assumption High School
Bernie Schum, Trinity High School
Ann Sheehan, St. Raphael School
Lisa Stiff, St. Margaret Mary School
Shannon Tanner, St. Nicholas Academy
Barbara Voet, St. Margaret Mary School
Karen Wild, John Paul II Academy
Doug Young, Mercy Academy
15 YEARS
Amy Baker, Sacred Heart Academy
Rebecca Bear, Holy Angels Academy
Pam Breunig, St. Dominic School, Springfield
Bob Brown, Assumption High School
Amy Burch, St. Margaret Mary School
Suzanne Burton, Our Lady of Lourdes School
Andrew Coverdale, Trinity High School
Mary Emrich, Trinity High School
Maria Enderle, St. Edward School
Erin Fahriger, St. Bernard School
Rachel Fenwick, St. Dominic School, Springfield
Lisa Finely, St. Raphael School
Lucy Geerer, St. Albert the Great School
Carolyn Gnau, St. Margaret Mary School
Jeanna Gonzales, Trinity High School
Jane Hensley, St. Patrick School
Sharon Hernandez, St. James School, Elizabethtown
Craig Heuser, Sacred Heart Academy
Ann Horn, Corpus Christi Classical Academy
Chris Huelsman, St. Gabriel School
Becca Joaquin, Assumption High School
Susan Johnston, Holy Spirit School
Kim Koestel, St. Albert the Great School
Beth Long, Assumption High School
Patty Nevitt, Bethlehem High School
Emily Pearson, St. Stephen Martyr School
Shelly Pence, Holy Cross High School
Bambie Phelps, St. Andrew Academy
Samuel Picota, St. Xavier High School
Ginny Pratt, St. Mary Academy
Shannon Pritchett, St. Patrick School
Jean Schubert, Assumption High School
Rob Seng, Trinity High School
Marilyn Shanks, St. Francis of Assisi School
Lucia Simpson, Trinity High School
Mary Spalding, St. Joseph School, Bardstown
Aaron Striegel, St. James School, Elizabethtown
Kristy Stuecker, St. James School, Elizabethtown
Jody Thornsberry, Holy Cross High School
Martha Tribbey, St. Gabriel School
Mary Vanegas, Holy Spirit School
Christine Wettig, St. Leonard School
10 YEARS
Steven Ashby, St. Xavier High School
Nancy Ballard, St. Gregory School, Samuels
Kaye Belts, Presentation Academy
Jill Bowman, Presentation Academy
Kathleen Browning, Sacred Heart Model School
Bart Bruner, St. Xavier High School
Sister Kathy Cash, Trinity High School
Angela Castelli, Notre Dame Academy
Jan Church, Sacred Heart Model School
Pam Conway, Assumption High School
Julie Cook, St. Francis of Assisi School
Heather Cordero, St. Nicholas Academy
Amanda DeGrella, St. Raphael School
Diane DeWilde, Holy Cross High School
Sherry Downey, Holy Cross High School
Gil Downs, St. Xavier High School
Lori Driskell, St. Athanasius School
Trish Feltner, St. Mary Academy
Victoria Graham, St. Rita School
Inez Grider, St. Dominic School, Springfield
Shayne Hull, Trinity High School
David Iacovazzi, Sacred Heart Model School
Sarah Johnstone, Assumption High School
James Key, St. Martha School
Paula King, Assumption High School
Erin Maguire-Osting, DeSales High School
Joan Mattingly, St. Gregory School, Samuels
Edward McCabe, Pitt Academy
Oneida Mendia, St. Patrick School
William Moore, DeSales High School
Stephen Murphy, St. Xavier High School
Lisa Priest, St. Margaret Mary School
Jill Rowe, Sacred Heart Model School
Shari Schoen, Holy Spirit School
Bonnie Shellhamer, Holy Spirit School
John-Michael Sherrick, Holy Angels Academy
Ali Sparks, St. Joseph School, Bardstown
Stephanie Dierig Tebbe, St. Xavier High School
Kate Temple, Sacred Heart Academy
Bekcy Weilage, Notre Dame Academy
Michelle Williams, Pitt Academy
Chris Willman, St. Xavier High School
Laurel Wyatt, Mercy Academy
5 YEARS
Lindsey Ackerman Ascension School
Bernadette Ventrillo Acocella, Nativity Academy
Karen Allen, St. Joseph School, Bardstown
Abby Asfahl, Assumption High School
Katie Baker, Holy Trinity School
Courtney Ballard, St. James School, Elizabethtown
Sharon Bidwell, Sacred Heart Academy
Mary Jo Bird, St. Martha School
Lisa Brents, Nativity Academy
Beth Burks, St. Gregory School, Samuels
Megan Clark, St. Edward School
Sarah Dugan, John Paul II Academy
Caroline Elliott, Sacred Heart Model School
Brenda Franz, Sacred Heart Academy
Shelly Freeders, St. Margaret Mary School
Ann Carol Grant, Sacred Heart Model School
Rachel Hall, Holy Cross High School
Jessica Hammer, Sacred Heart Model School
April Hammond, St. Augustine School, Lebanon
Renae Hardy, Assumption High School
Roy Holiday, DeSales High School
Ginnie Hoover, Sacred Heart Model School
Heather Hunt, St. Gabriel School
Kyle Jones, Sacred Heart Academy
Isaac Knable, St. Xavier High School
Connie Kuebbing, Sacred Heart Academy
Josh Kusch, Trinity High School
Heather Lozon, Mercy Academy
Lisa Maguire, St. Martha School
Deanna McElroy, St. Dominic School, Springfield
Daniel McGeeney, Sacred Heart Academy
Aida Mercado, Sacred Heart Model School
Martha Moreno, St. Edward School
Diane Dauert, Notre Dame Academy
Stephanie Potter, St. Mary Academy
Efren Quirino, St. Xavier High School
Tyler Robertson, Nativity Academy
Ryan Susan, Holy Cross High School
Jennifer Shanks, Mercy Academy
Angela Simmons, St. Rita School
Mike Snyder, Trinity High School
Nikki Stillwell, Notre Dame Academy
Bill Strauss, Holy Cross High School
Brandy Jones Sutton, Nativity Academy
Daniel Vernon, St. Agnes School
Being Wangler, Trinity High School
Chris Wessling, St. Raphael School
Jamie Williams, Pitt Academy
