Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre spoke to Catholic educators celebrating milestone anniversaries during a luncheon Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Amy Nall, superintendent of schools, spoke to Catholic educators celebrating milestone anniversaries during a luncheon Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Catholic school educators shared in conversation at a teacher appreciation luncheon hosted by the Office of Catholic Schools Oct. 30. The office recognized 174 educators celebrating milestone years of service. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Catholic school educators shared in conversation at a teacher appreciation luncheon hosted by the Office of Catholic Schools Oct. 30. The office recognized 174 educators celebrating milestone years of service. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Julie Davis of St. Michael School and Father Peter Do shared in conversation during the luncheon Oct. 30. Davis is celebrating 30 years of service to the archdiocese. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Dr. Daniel McCue, principal of St. Xavier High School, smiled as he engaged in conversation at the annual teacher appreciation luncheon Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Joseph Dawson, a teacher at DeSales High School, shook hands with Father Jeffrey Shooner, vicar general, during the teacher appreciation luncheon Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Educators with milestone years of service in Catholic education received awards during the teacher appreciation luncheon on Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Educators with milestone years of service in Catholic education received awards during the teacher appreciation luncheon on Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen) 
Teachers looked on during the annual teacher appreciation luncheon Oct. 30. (Record Photo by Olivia Castlen)
Catholic educators celebrating milestone anniversaries were told they are “educators of hope” Oct. 30.
The Office of Catholic Schools recognized 174 educators celebrating milestone years of service to Catholic schools at its annual teacher appreciation luncheon.
At the event, Amy Nall, superintendent of schools, reminded the teachers of Pope Leo’s words in his Oct. 28 apostolic letter on Catholic education, titled “Drawing New Maps of Hope.”
“To educate is an act of hope,” the pope stated in the document.
“This mission cannot be captured in test scores or enrollment figures or in championship banners. True transformation of hearts, of minds and of lives — those unfold quietly, over time. Sometimes you never know.”
— Amy Nall, superintendent of schools
Nall told the educators, “You know that faith and hope are essential to Catholic education.”
“This mission cannot be captured in test scores or enrollment figures or in championship banners,” she said. “True transformation of hearts, of minds and of lives — those unfold quietly, over time. Sometimes you never know.”
Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre also spoke to the educators, reminding them that, in the ministry of Catholic education, Jesus also ministers to the teachers themselves.
“Hopefully we, too, are changed by this ministry. … Jesus Christ also ministers to us through that ministry that we offer to others,” he said.
The archbishop briefly told the teachers about his first-grade teacher — Sister Rosetta, a Sister of the Holy Ghost — who recently died.
“She was one of those teachers that was no nonsense. She was one of those teachers that corrected you. She was one of those teachers that kind of just looked at you and you would stop in your tracks, whatever you were doing,” he said with a laugh.
But, she “had a profound effect” on his life because she “made it her task to form us into disciples of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Liesl Minneci, a teacher at Holy Spirit School who is celebrating five years of service to the archdiocese, said in an interview following the luncheon that she has experienced spiritual growth through her ministry with students.
“As I’m giving them information and we’re talking about the faith, I learn things that I’ve forgotten or haven’t noticed before,” she said. “They energize me. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Charles (Charlie) Gonzalez, a teacher at St. Patrick School celebrating five years as an educator, said his ministry has given him purpose.
“What we do on an everyday basis and over time can make a difference,” he said.
Educators honored for their service are:
40 years
Mary Dyar, St. Athanasius School
Angela Lincoln, Assumption High School
Michelle Young, St. Edward School
35 years
Shawn Bond, St. Joseph School
Ellen Burkhardt, St. Athanasius
Denise Chancellor, St. Gabriel School
Kevin Kramer, Mercy Academy
Mike Magre, Trinity High School
Sue Morgan, St. Xavier High School
Lisa Murray, St. Andrew Academy
Catherine Reynolds, St. Xavier
Lisa Seidt, St. Nicholas Academy
Jim Stairs, St. Xavier
Cara Westman, St. Aloysius School
30 years
Cindy Bland, St. Augustine School
Julie Davis, St. Michael School
Paige Fitzhugh, St. Bernard School
Peggy Gray, Holy Trinity School
Kelly Hartman, Presentation Academy
Keith Rapp, Trinity
Stacy Sauer, St. Patrick School
Jill Schurman, Sacred Heart Academy
Karen Snapp, St. James School, Louisville
Robert Wheatley, Sacred Heart
25 years
Dr. Nathalie Barber, Bethlehem High School
Jeff Becker, Trinity
Kimberly Boyd, St. Gabriel
Jennifer Browning, Holy Trinity
Patricia Butler, St. Joseph
Audrey Carney, St. James School, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Heather Culton, St. Edward
Taffie Duckworth, St. Martha School
Erin Gary, Assumption
Melanie Hagan, St. Margaret Mary School
Michelle Hartlage, Holy Trinity
Joe Henning, Trinity
Jed Hilbert, St. Xavier
Colleen Murphy, Assumption
Suzanne Penezic, St. Raphael School
Shea Rutledge, St. Edward
Linda Schork, St. Xavier
Libba Schuhmann, Holy Trinity
Jennifer Shirley, Assumption
Stephen Smith, St. Xavier
Steven Straub, Assumption
Karen Woo, St. Martha
John Wood, Holy Cross High School
Kyle Yochum, St. Xavier
20 years
Gina Bierne, Assumption
Sunny Bowen, Our Lady of Lourdes School
Debbie Cunningham, Sacred Heart Model School
Nathan Durbin, St. Xavier
Tracy Edgerton, DeSales High School
Jill Elder, Assumption
Kelly Fiepke, St. James, Elizabethtown, Ky.
D. Dee Hill, Holy Trinity
Elizabeth Hinkebein, St. Agnes School
Candace Kresse, Sacred Heart
Steve Mercer, Holy Spirit
Carol Murphy, St. Patrick
Edwin Noe, St. Xavier
Danika Peak, St. James, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Julie Perdue, St. Bernard
Jack Richards, St. Mary Academy
Kelly Scheikhart, St. Stephen Martyr School
Daniel Stuber, St. Xavier
Jessica Williams, Assumption
15 years
Suzanne Barnett, St. Martha
Shannon Barr, Trinity
E. Daniel Blaser, St. Xavier
Christina Brittian, St. Joseph
Kate Brockman, St. Xavier
Sarah Coomes, St. Albert School
Kim Crable, St. Aloysius
Erin Duckworth, St. Michael
Jessica Farrell, Holy Spirit
Katie Garrett, St. Joseph
Lisa Hague, St. Xavier
Rita Koontz, Bethlehem
Ron Koontz, Bethlehem
Matthew Lega, Assumption
Stacy Lohman, St. Aloysius
Blake Napper, Trinity
Dana Nicholson, St. Rita
Ann Patterson, St. Michael
Alison Riley, St. Gabriel
Scott Ross, Trinity
Laura Shircliff, St. Michael
Wendy Sims, St. Margaret Mary
Whitney Spencer, Pitt Academy
Connie Tutwiler, St. Aloysius
10 years
Trinity Bennett, Ascension School
Annie Boehlein, Assumption
Emily Brown, Our Lady of Lourdes
Cheri Bunch, St. Gabriel
Conor Carroll, Trinity
Tierney Coman, St. Albert
Melode Crabtree, Pitt
Laura Craig, Bethlehem
Angela Crowdis, St. Stephen Martyr
Betsy deGolian, Trinity
Olivia Dobson, St. Augustine
Teresa Doerr, St. Gregory
Emily Domhoff, Pitt
Alex Dotsey, Trinity
Sean Duggins, Trinity
Kelsey Dyar, St. Gabriel
Amelia Flynn, Presentation
Katie Ford, St. Paul Academy
Justin Fout, Immaculata Classical Academy
Michelle Hall, St. Catherine Academy
Kristen Herbert, Our Lady of Lourdes
Tiffany Horner, Holy Trinity
Elise Kenney, Mercy
Melanie Konshak, Holy Cross
LaToya Lee, St. Martha
Abigail Link, Pitt
Dione Luckett, St. Bernard
Joe McKay, St. Michael
Kitty Nowak, Sacred Heart
Caitlin Ousley, St. Agnes
Margie Reece, Holy Cross
Brian Reilly, DeSales
Jessie Robertson, St. Catherine
Jerry Salyer, Immaculata
Allie Seiler, Sacred Heart
Nathan Sturtzel, St. Patrick
Erin Sumner, St. Rita
Barbara Wagner, Ascension
Kristin Walter, St. Bernard
Steffan Weston, Mercy
Emily Wolz, St. Albert
Mark Wolz, St. Xavier
5 years
Danny Atkins, Presentation
John Barbagallo, Trinity
Alexandra Barnett, St. James, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Eliane Beam, St. Joseph
Nelson Bodenbender, St. Xavier
Kendra Chapman, Mercy
Aricka Cleasant, Assumption
Ashley Cronen, Our Lady of Lourdes
Amy Cundiff, Assumption
Joseph Dawson, DeSales
Jennifer Dickerson, St. Michael
Mae Durbin, St. Francis of Assisi School
Kate Flood, St. Augustine
Liz Foley, Assumption
Caroline Fowler, Sacred Heart
Michael Fox, Trinity
Beth Freeman, Mercy
Charles Gonzalez, St. Patrick
Alexis Harvey, Pitt
Tammy Heck, St. Aloysius
Rosalyn Howlett, St. Nicholas
Josh Huff, St. Raphael
Christina King, St. Xavier
Lexie Lynch, Sacred Heart
Caitlin Masterson, Sacred Heart
Liesl Minneci, Holy Spirit
Beth Mitchell, St. Mary
Judy Muth, Sacred Heart
Valeria Roisner, Our Lady of Lourdes
Gilly Simpson, Bethlehem
Andrea Snyder, Assumption
Samantha Spalding, Assumption
Laura Swessel, Sacred Heart
Terry Thorpe, St. Albert
Sara Thurmond, Bethlehem
Gina Vaccaro, St. Martha
Aijie Wang, Sacred Heart
Courtney Wayne, St. Aloysius
Victoria Wiech, St. Mary
Additionally, Rick Heim, who had 30 years of service at Sacred Heart and Tom McAnally, who had 55 years of service at DeSales, were posthumously recognized.
