While an annual luncheon to celebrate teachers who have achieved milestone years of service had to be tabled because of the pandemic, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz used the opportunity to highlight the extraordinary service of educators.
“This is the year you have been sacrificial heroes,” he told the Archdiocese of Louisville’s 1,600 educators in a video message.
Together, they have faced “twin challenges” since school resumed amid the pandemic, Archbishop Kurtz noted.
First, “that you remain safe and those you teach and love remain safe,” he said. And second, “that those whom you teach continue to grow, develop and be formed as they mature to adulthood in the faith.”
“Thank you, thank you for the special stresses and challenges you have had to experience.”
Noting that 180 educators are being honored this year for reaching a special milestone in their service, he added, “Whether it’s 5 years or 50 years, I want to acknowledge the special commitment you have made. Thank you for being, again, heroes for all of us.”
“My prayer would be that we will always be grateful for the way that you have inspired others, and most especially those whom you teach. And my prayer is that what drew you to become teachers years ago continues to be rekindled, you continue to be inspired by the work that you do, by the vocation of being a good teacher.”
Awards were distributed to educators who have served for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years in Catholic schools in the archdiocese. These teachers serve nearly 19,000 students in 49 Catholic schools located in seven counties of the archdiocese.
In a message to educators, Leisa Schulz, superintendent of Catholic schools, lauded the teachers’ “witness and dedication to Catholic school education.”
“Our church is enriched by your gifts, and your most precious gifts, your students, will continue to enrich our community for years to come,” she said.
Following are teachers who were honored for 50, 45, 40, 35 and 30 years of service.
50 Years
Tom McAnally, DeSales High School
45 Years
Connie Byers, St. Edward School
40 Years
David Aberli, Trinity High School
Mike Chancellor, Trinity
Deborah Jenkins, St. Martha School
Joseph White, St. Xavier High School
35 Years
Bill Bornschein, St. Xavier
Mary Dyar, St. Athanasius School
Betsy Kramer, Sacred Heart Academy
Sheryl Kremer, St. Gabriel School
Angela Lincoln, Assumption High School
Denise Ritchie, St. Nicholas Academy
Diane Whoberry, St. Stephen Martyr School
Michelle Young, St. Edward
30 Years
Patricia Barnett, Sacred Heart Academy
Shawn Bond, St. Joseph School
Ellen Burkhardt, St. Athanasius
Denise Chancellor, St. Gabriel
Mike Magre, Trinity
Chuck Medley, St. Xavier
Sue Morgan, St. Xavier
Lisa Murray, St. Andrew Academy
Catherine Reynolds, St. Xavier
Lisa Seidt, St. Nicholas
Charlie Shircliff, St. Edward
Jim Stairs, St. Xavier
Mary Waskevich, St. Stephen Martyr
Cara Westman, St. Aloysius School
25 Years
Cindy Bland, St. Augustine
Paige Fitzhugh, St. Bernard
Peggy Gray, Holy Trinity
Kelly Hartman, Presentation Academy
Rick Heim, Sacred Heart Academy
Barbara Lutmer, Assumption
Keith Rapp, Trinity
Stacy Sauer, St. Patrick
Karen Snapp, St. James
Robert Wheatley, Sacred Heart Academy
20 Years
Dr. Nathalie Barber, Bethlehem High School
Bob Beatty, Trinity
Jeff Becker, Trinity
Kimberly Boyd, St. Gabriel
Jennifer Browning, Trinity
Audrey Carney, St. Joseph
Jennie Condra, St. Raphael
Heather Culton, St. Edward
Julianna Daly, St. Agnes
Taffie Duckworth, St. Martha
Erin Gary, Assumption
Donna Greenwell, St. Athanasius
Melanie Hagan, St. Margaret Mary
Michelle Hartlage, Holy Trinity
Joe Henning, Trinity
Jed Hilbert, St. Xavier
Angie Krish, St. Joseph
Jennifer Miller, St. Gabriel
Colleen Murphy, Assumption
Missy Oakes, Notre Dame Academy
Laurie Orkiese, Sacred Heart Model School
Suzanne Penezic, St. Raphael
Laura Pohlmann, DeSales
Shea Rutledge, St. Edward
Linda Schork, St. Xavier
Libba Schuhmann, Holy Trinity
Jennifer Shirley, Assumption
Stacie Short, St. Albert the Great
Stephen Smith, St. Xavier
Steven Straub, Assumption
Steven Tompkins, Trinity
Wanda Trigg, DeSales
Karen Woo, Nativity Academy
John Wood, Holy Cross High School
Kyle Yochumn, St. Xavier
Mike Zimmerman, St. Paul
15 Years
Gina Beirne, Assumption
Sunny Bowen, Our Lady of Lourdes
Grace Duckworth, St. Albert the Great
Nathan Durbin, St. Xavier
Tracy Edgerton, DeSales
Jill Elder, Assumption
Kelly Fiepke, St. James, Elizabethtown
Ann Garcia, Holy Spirit
Martha Gray, Holy Trinity
D. Dee Hill, Holy Trinity
Elizabeth Hinkebein, St. Agnes
Meredith Kilner, St. Gabriel
Candace Kresse, Sacred Heart Academy
Steve Mercer, Holy Spirit
Carol Murphy, St. Patrick
Edwin Noe, St. Xavier
Beatriz Pacheco, St. Xavier
Danika Peak, St. James, Elizabethtown
Ladislao Perez-Hernandez, St. Nicholas
Robert Saxton, Trinity
Kelly Scheikhart, St. Stephen Martyr
Jill Schurman, Sacred Heart Academy
Sunni Sosna-Kelty, St. Paul
Daniel Stuber, St. Xavier
Gina Wilkie, Sacred Heart Academy
Jessica Williams, Assumption
10 Years
Daniel Able, St. Xavier
Patrick Alexander, St. Xavier
Shannon Barr, Trinity
Nathan Bird, St. Xavier
Daniel E. Blaser, St. Xavier
Sarah Coomes, St. Patrick
Kim Crable, St. Aloysius
Debbie Cunningham, St. Mary Academy
Katie Daly, Sacred Heart Academy
Laurie Dant, Immaculata Classical Academy
Amy Decker, St. paul
Erin Duckworth, St. Michael
Katie Garrett, St. Joseph
Lisa Hague, St. Xavier
Elizabeth Heilman, St. Raphael
Lisa Iceman, St. Margaret Mary
Tim Jones, Trinity
Rita Koontz, Bethlehem
Ron Koontz, Bethlehem
Matthew Lega, Assumption
Stacy Lohman, St. Aloysius
Thomas Malewitz, St. Xavier
Jennifer Muller, Sacred Heart Academy
Blake Napper, Trinity
Dana Nicholson, St. Rita
Ann Patterson, St. Michael
Sarah Peace, Mercy Academy
Dianne Pickerill, Sacred Heart Academy
Scott Ross, Trinity
Andrea Ruley, St. Mary Academy
Laura Shircliff, Sacred Heart Model School
Wendy Sims, St. Margaret Mary
Whitney Spencer, Pitt Academy
Connie Tutwiler, St. Aloysius
Sara Voit, St. Margaret Mary
Jenn Watson, Mercy
5 Years
Tamara Barton, St. Patrick
Emily Brown, Our Lady of Lourdes
Conor Carroll, Trinity
Tierney Coman, St. Albert the Great
Nina Cornell, St. Michael
Laura Craig, Bethlehem
Tiffany Daugherty, Holy Trinity
Betsy deGolian, Trinity
Teresa Doerr, St. Gregory
Alex Dotsey, Trinity
Sean Duggins, Trinity
Kelsey Dyar, St. Gabriel
Amelia Flynn, St. Mary
Justin Fout, Immaculata
Erin Glaser, Mercy
Sarah Hellman, St. Agnes
Kristen Herbert, Our Lady of Lourdes
Kathryn Hilleary, Sacred Heart Academy
Elise Kenney, Mercy
Isabelle LaBarge, St. Aloysius
Opal LaVon, DeSales
LaToya Lee, St. Martha
Abigail LInk, Pitt Academy
Dione Luckett, St. Bernard
Mindy Masterson, Our Lady of Lourdes
Laura McGill, St. Margaret Mary
Risa Musto, St. Bernard
Kitty Nowak, Sacred Heart Academy
Caitlin Ousley, St. Margaret Mary
Jessica Parks, St. Gabriel
Staci Rampental, Sacred Heart Model School
John Rawlins, Holy Cross
Jessie Reed, St. Catherine Academy
Olivia Schum, Holy Cross
Kelly Shanks, Sacred Heart Academy
Trinity Shell, Ascension
Nathan Sturtzel, St. Patrick
Allie Teta, Sacred Heart Academy
Morgan Vihlidal, Holy Trinity
Barbara Wagner, Ascension
Emily Wolz, St. Albert the Great
Mark Wolz, St. Albert the Great
Meredith Worland, St. Aloysius
Lisa Wright, Pitt Academy
Celebrating Sara Voit and Mr. Tompkins, who we lost earlier this year.