By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
The Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Lifelong Formation and Education — one of the agencies sponsored by the Catholic Services Appeal — honored 222 Catholic educators at a luncheon Nov. 6.
The event honored educators who have served 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years.
Leisa Schulz, the superintendent of schools, told the teachers that the recognition lunch, held at The Olmsted, 3701 Frankfort Avenue, was a chance to celebrate “your dedication to Catholic school ministry within the Archdiocese of Louisville.”
“You truly exemplify the mission of disciples called to witness,” Schulz said.
In his remarks to the teachers, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz noted his recent participation in the Synod on the Family last month in Rome.
“You, as teachers and administrators, are key in promoting and engaging with the families in the school,” the archbishop said.
Archbishop Kurtz also commended the commitment of pastors and principals in making Catholic school education more accessible to a greater numbers of people.
Earlier in the day, the archbishop, along with Schulz and Richard A. Lechleiter, president of the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), announced an archdiocesan plan to double in the coming year the amount of tuition assistance available to families who wish to send their children to Catholic schools.
“Pope Francis calls us to give special attention to those in need,” the archbishop said, referring to a new effort to expand the CEF’s tuition assistance plan, and a plan to create an archdiocesan tuition voucher fund for families.
One educator was honored for 45 years of service — Tom Zehnder, of Trinity High School. And nine educators were recognized for 40 years of service. They were: Clarice Casper, St. Agnes School, Michael Glaser, St. Xavier High School; Carolyn Hayden, St. Martha School; Alan Huelsman, St. Xavier; Michael Johnson, St. Xavier; Margi Johnstone, St. Agnes; Marty Minogue, Trinity; Mary Jane Spaulding, St. Dominic School in Springfield, Ky.; and Barbara Wine, Presentation Academy.
Nine high school teachers — one from each high school in the archdiocese — received the Catholic Education Foundation Teaching Award. The educators were nominated by their principals for the honor.
This award, administered by the CEF, was established by the Dan Ulmer family in 2004 “to recognize excellent and dedicated Catholic educators who consistently surpass expectations.”
The winners were: Kelly Kirwan, Assumption High School; Patricia Harrison, Bethlehem High School; Wanda Trigg, DeSales High School; Bryan Tincher, Holy Cross High School; Jim Protenic, Mercy Academy; Paula Samuels, Presentation Academy; Aida Batiste, Sacred Heart Academy; Nathan Durbin, St. Xavier; and Frank Ward, Trinity High School.
Following is a list of all those honored for milestone years of service:
45 years
Tom Zehnder, Trinity High School
40 years
Clarice Casper, St. Agnes School
Cindy Christensen, Presentation Academy
Michael Glaser, St. Xavier
Carolyn Hayden, St. Martha School
Alan Huelsman, St. Xavier
Michael Johnson, St. Xavier
Margi Johnstone, St. Agnes
Marty Minogue, Trinity
Mary Jane Spaulding, St. Dominic School in Springfield, Ky.
Barbara Wine, Presentation
35 years
Elaine Bachman, Notre Dame Academy
Valerie Barr, St. Michael School
Carol Bissmeyer, Holy Trinity School
Orline Briney, St. Catherine Academy, New Haven, Ky.
Joe Bryant, Trinity
Steve Finch, St. Nicholas Academy
Joseph Hall, St. Xavier
Vicki Johnston, St. Andrew Academy
Sandy Maxted, Assumption High School
Bernadette Porter, St. Dominic
John Price, St. Xavier
Joyce Riggs, Trinity
Bernice Scherr, Notre Dame
Greg Sysol, Trinity
30 years
Rick Blackwell, Mercy Academy
Kevin Brever, St. Paul School
Gary Gruneisen, St. Xavier
Martha Hartman, St. Stephen Martyr School
Lois Hunn, St. Agnes
Ruth Kelly, Sacred Heart
Betsy Kramer, Sacred Heart
Carolyn Louderback, St. Bernard School
Mary Lee McCoy, Sacred Heart
Judy Ribar, Assumption
Mary Pat Sexton, Assumption
Susan Singer, St. Aloysius School, Pewee Valley, Ky.
Beth Turpin, Mercy
James Wagoner, St. Xavier
Debbie Zangari, St. Margaret Mary
25 years
Maureen Choate, Our Lady of Lourdes School
Michelle Cornwell, St. Gabriel School
Shannon Davison, Sacred Heart
Maggie DiPasquale, St. Nicholas
Lisa Duffy, Notre Dame
Becky Ehrhard, Our Lady of Lourdes
Judy Fieldhouse, Assumption
Mary French, Holy Trinity
John Jefferson, St. Xavier
Robert Jessop, John Paul II Academy and St. Stephen Martyr
Emily Johnson, Sacred Heart
Linda Kossmann, Sacred Heart
Julie LaRoque, Assumption
Emily McCarty, St. Athanasius School
Julie Motiff, Our Lady of Lourdes
Lisa Mullaney, Holy Spirit School
Ronald Newton, St. Xavier
Lynn Reid, St. Alber the Great School
Eddie Rudolph, Trinity
Kathy Thompson, St. Athanasius
Linda Weths, St. Paul
Marianne Winner, St. Michael
John Zickel, St. Xavier
20 years
Cathy Balbach, St. Gabriel
Cindy Bland, St. Augustine School, Lebanon, Ky.
Chris Bowles, St. Margaret Mary
Katie Caswell, Assumption
Charlotte Colley, St. Margaret Mary
Charlotte Colyer, St. Bernard
Dennis Comella, St. Stephen Martyr
Janice Cook, Mercy
Diane Darst, Assumption
Robin Davis, St. Andrew
Paul Diehl, Trinity
Mimi Dingman, St. Albert the Great
Sarah Felz, Holy Spirit
Debbie Green, St. Nicholas
Kathy Grisanti, Ascension School
Brenda Harrison, St. Margaret Mary
Mary Keele, John Paul II
Debby Klein, St. Agnes
James Kraeszig, St. Xavier
Matt Manning, Trinity
Helen Maxedon, St. Aloysius
Stasia Polston, Assumption
Laura Probus, Holy Trinity
Andy Schulten, St. Xavier
Dana Stucker, St. Bernard
Martha Tedesco, Assumption
Jill Welch, St. Patrick School
15 years
Debbie Abbott, St. Albert the Great
Karen Alpiger, Mercy
Deanna Askin, Our Lady of Lourdes
Cathie Astorino, Sacred Heart Model School
Lynn Barger, St. Albert the Great
Michael Bickett, St. Joseph School in Bardstown, Ky.
Bob Bowman, Mercy
Ann Brabec-Church, Our Lady of Lourdes
Mary Ellen Casey, St. Patrick
Patrick Chitwood, St. Xavier
Elizabeth Cowan, Sacred Heart
Kathy Deeds, Holy Trinity
Amy Elstone, Mercy
Jackie Eovino, St. Albert the Great
Doris Gast, Mercy
Carey Given, Holy Trinity
Lucy Hagman, St. James School, Louisville
Kellie Hood, St. Martha
Kathy Hoon, St. Nicholas
Mary Lou Hoss, Our Lady of Lourdes
Cheryl House, St. Agnes
Kim Hurt, Notre Dame
Susan Jaffe, St. Xavier
Benjamin Jankowski, St. Xavier
Catie Jones, St. Francis of Assisi School
Daivie Kay, Notre Dame
Kristi Kelly, St. Mary Academy
Shannon Lazas, St. Aloysius
Christina Malone, St. Margaret Mary
Jennifer Martin, St. Xavier
Sandra McCullum, Holy Cross High School
Barbara McDonough, Ascension
Michele Metcalfe, St. Xavier
Jody Miller, Holy Spirit
Patrick Miller, St. Joseph
Keith Monahan, St. Raphael School
Charley Moore, St. Xavier
Deana Padgett, Mercy
Kevin Payne, St. Xavier
Ellen Perry, Trinity
Lisa Platt, Our Lady of Lourdes
Caroline Putman, St. Bernard
Justine Rostel, Sacred Heart
Cathy Rueff, St. Margaret Mary
Alicia Sallee, St. Stephen Martyr
Jennifer Schulz, St. Gabriel
Susan Seabold, St. Patrick
Karen Spalding, St. Dominic
Gioconda Sparling, Sacred Heart Model School
Barry Swearingen, Trinity
Bryan Tincher, Holy Cross
Karen Torsky, St. Patrick
Judie Virant, St. Albert the Great
Danielle Wiegandt, Holy Cross
Mary Ann Zurlage, Holy Spirit
10 years
Aaron Abell, St. Xavier
Mary Heather Adam, St. Albert the Great
Donna Allen, St. Gregory School in Cox’s Creek, Ky.
John Baldwin, Trinity
Kathy Book, St. James School, Elizabethtown, Ky.
Benedictine Sister Karen Byerley, St. Stephen Martyr
Rhonda Canary, St. Aloysius
Jenee Chamberlain, St. Gabriel
William Clements, Bethlehem High School
Susan Delk, St. Margaret Mary
Tonya Dillon, Presentation
Margie Downs, St. Joseph, Bardstown, Ky.
Marcia Dunlap, Notre Dame
Carrie Foster, St. Xavier
Donna Franklin, St. Martha
David Goodlett, Bethlehem
Margaret Graves, Presentation
Stephanie Heitz, Mercy
Scott Holzknecht, Trinity
Dan McCue, St. Xavier
Elizabeth Morris, St. Raphael
Angie Moth, St. Margaret Mary
Tiffany Noe, St. Albert the Great
Jeff Noe, Trinity
Mary Parola, St. Leonard
Betty Carol Riley, St. Joseph, Bardstown, Ky.
Megan Rose, Assumption
Patricia Salem, St. Agnes
Jacob Schardein, St. Edward
Melissa Schoenbachler, Mercy
Robert Schweitzer, St. Xavier
Sandy Shirliff, St. Bernard
Lori Sklodoski, St. Raphael
Jennifer Snyder, St. Agnes
Sorin Spohn, St. Xavier
Tammy Thomson, Notre Dame
Patty Tobbe, St. Bernard
James Torra, Trinity
Debbie Tucker, St. Rita School
Amy Wheatley, Mercy
Gerard White, Mercy
Gina Wilkie, Nativity Academy at St. Boniface
5 years
Lou Armstrong, Presentation
Jennifer Ballard, Notre Dame
Aida Batiste, Sacred Heart
Amanda Brown, St. Athanasius
Pat Burton, Mercy
Kay Combs, Holy Cross
Donna Conrad, St. Athanasius
Meredith Cull, Sacred Heart Model School
Frances Dotson, Sacred Heart
Stephen Dougherty, Sacred Heart
Michael Drummond, Sacred Heart Model School
Donna Eichler, Mercy
Jeffrey Farmer, St. Xavier
Emily Griffin, Holy Trinity
Paul Houpt, DeSales High School
Amanda Hughes, Sacred Heart
Todd Larkin, St. Xaier
Ernesto Laspiur, Mercy
Shannon Lckhart, St. Agnes
Chris Luken, Trinity
Jennifer Martin, St. Patrick
Kelly Matz, St. Martha
Karen Meredith, St. Joseph, Bardstown, Ky.
Carey Ogburn, St. Raphael
Elizabeth Price, St. Stephen Martyr
Jaclyn Puntillo, Sacred Heart
Christine Rieth, Mercy
Johanna Schrage, Sacred Heart
Doug Sumey, Assumption
Stacy Tackett, St. Aloysius
Amy Thompson, Bethlehem
Ashley Titus, Notre Dame
Jessica Vivona, Mercy
Audry Voit, Holy Spirit
Shu-Wei Wu, St. Xavier
Kelly Young, Sacred Heart Model School
Amy Zuccaro, Trinity
