Fall 2017 St. Mary’s School Alumni Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

Christmas Caroling: Sunday, December 2

Catholic Schools Week: January 28-Feb. 3

Alumni Mass: Sunday, February 25

SMS Mission: “To provide a Catholic education

that nurtures students’ hearts and minds to become servant leaders

in an ever-changing world.”

Message from Fr. Del Lape, Pastor of St. Mary’s

Contact Information: School

903 W. Mission Avenue Bellevue, NE 68005

402-291-1694 stmarysschoolbellevue.com

School Principal

Dr. Trish Wallinger 402-291-1694, ext. 8

trish.wallinger@ stmarysbellevue.com

Parish Pastor

Fr. Del Lape 402-291-1350

frdellape@ stmarysbellevue.com

Business Manager

Collette Borland 402-291-1350

collette.borland@ stmarysbellevue.com

Alumni Mailbox

alumni@stmarysbellevue.com

SMS Alumni News—Page 1

Alumni Relations Coordinator Farewell

Caroling Reminder!

Calling all alumni!

Join us for Christmas Car-

oling on December 2nd! 1:00-2:00 pm at Hillcrest

Shadow Lake. 1507 E Gold Coast Rd.,

Papillion, NE 68046

We’d love to see you

there!

1. What teacher wore the Quiet Hat? 2. Which teacher’s favorite authors are E.B.

White & Beverly Cleary? 3. Which teacher has the largest collection of

penguins? 4. What teacher was born in New York and

lived in Germany? 5. Which teacher greets the students in differ-

ent languages? 6. Which teacher now owns a winery and wine

tasting room? 7. Which teacher turned the classroom into The

Great Hall at Ellis Island? 8. Which teacher donned a lab coat and safety

goggles? 9. What teacher often wore a birthday hat at

assemblies? 10. Which 5th grade teacher originally started

the Veterans Assemblies at St. Mary’s? 11. Which sisters were seen sledding down

Calhoun in their habits?

2017-2018 School Statistics

Enrollment: 206

Capacity: 84%

Male/Female Ratio:

54% / 46%

9% Alumni Families

Your continued involvement and support of St. Mary’s School is essential. I want to thank you for all that you do for your “Alma Mater.” Your support of your old grade school ex-presses your gratitude—you are a thankful person. And so to your generosity I say “Thank you” in return. Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of Christ

and the Church will be entering into this holy time the beginning of De-cember. Let’s pray that people will take this opportunity to return to the regular practice of their faith—a sort of “coming home for the Holidays.” Most of all let us pray and look forward to Our Blessed Lord’s return. The whole world needs peace that only Christ can provide. God Bless, Father Del Lape

“Which Teacher Did That” Challenge

Each of us has that special teacher that im-pacted our education. Here’s a collection of some of those teachers unique styles about who they were...do any ring a bell? Answers: page 4.

Fall 2017

SMS Alumni News—Page 2

Alumni with Current Students at St. Mary’s

School: 22 alumni with 28 children/grandchildren are at St.

Mary’s! Alumni choosing St. Mary’s for their child/

grandchild sends a powerful message. Have someone

you’d like to attend St. Mary’s? Call the school

today for information (402-291-1694)!

-Dane’ (Huck) Ames ’86: 4 -Bonnie (Kouba) Roos ‘90: 1 -Sean Giles ’04: 2 -Suzy (Peters) Godwin ’99: 1 -Hannah (Menzel) Clark ‘02:1 -Rachel(Tyner)Ruleaux ’96:1 -Patrick Kettleson ’95: 1* (Debbie(Cook) Kettleson ‘69) -Breanna Koch ’04: 1 -Patrick Kouba ’77: 2 -Joanna (Jungers) Lee ’89: 3* (Dean Jungers ’56) -Christina (Hascall) Legner ‘91: 3* (Dean Hascall ’68) -Jackie (Hascall) Lizarraga ‘97: 2 (Dean Hascall ‘68) -Sarah (Roth) Mlnarik ‘92: 1 -Patti (Ferrante) Nastase ‘61: 1* -Alan Swiecicki ‘89: 2 -Willie Wessling ’87: 3* (Ken Wessling ‘53) -Janet (Jungers) Yale ’91: 1* (Dean Jungers ’56) -Kim (Schreiber) Zieno ‘97 & Angelo Zieno ‘95: 2 -Heather (Zurcher) Kinsey ‘88: 1

* = Grandchild of Alumni Italics = Graduation year listed, but did not attend through graduation

Honoring Deceased Alumni St. Mary’s now has an “Our Lady of Seven Sorrows”

Memorial Prayer Garden and on St. Mark’s east side the

names of those remembered/honored by Prayer Garden

donors. Interested in having a St. Mary’s alum honored or

remembered? Contact the

parish secretary for more

information (402) 291-

1350.

St. Mary’s Honors Veterans

St. Mary’s held it annual Veterans Day

assembly this November. We were

thrilled to see so many veterans and

family members as well as many guests

to honor and thank those who served

and those who continue to serve in our

military. This year we remembered the

entrance of the United States into

WW1. Though there are no living US

veterans from the Great War, we hon-

ored and remembered the Knights of

Columbus who established huts near

the front lines where men could attend

Mass or just relax from the rigors of

battle.

We were blessed to have four of our

local Council 6192 Knights in atten-

dance, two of whom were veterans

themselves. Dr. Ashton, our new arch-

diocese superintendent also attended

as did other special guests including 6

World War II veterans. This year we

were honored to have a Wounded War-

rior, who along with the WWII veterans

received a “Quilt of Valor”.

One of our military representatives was

Missy Walther (‘2012) who recently

enlisted in the national guard. Missy

shared with our organizers that she de-

Giving Back

Behind every good assembly is a group of dedicated individuals making it possible. At our recent veterans assembly, we were blessed to have two retired teach-ers leading the way: Becky Feagan who taught 4th grade at St. Mary's from 1994-2015 and Cheryl Shan-ker who taught Middle

School Social Studies, retiring in 2014.

Also, instrumental in the decorating for the assembly was Megan Kreps (Class of 2014).

cided to enter the

military because of

the Veterans as-

sembly she wit-

nessed as a stu-

dent at St Mary's.

We also saw other Alumni when the

Bellevue East High School Jr. ROTC

arrived for the assembly.

This assembly was truly a collaborative

event. From the 8th graders who led the

assembly to the 7th grade escorts/

greeters; the kindergarten, first and sec-

ond graders who prayed their own

special blessing over the veterans; the

students who made cards or colored the

booklet covers & all the students singing

with proud and strong voices.

We offer praise and thanksgiving to God

for the students, the volunteers &

parents who contributed to this assembly

to honor those who serve.

Fall 2017

SMS Alumni News—Page 3

Tell Us What’s Going on With You! We want to keep our data current and share achievements, weddings, births, deaths, milestones and whatever else you can think of. Don’t be bashful. Go to the Alumni page on the school website www.stmarysschoolbellevue.com to submit the Alumni Information Form with contact information updates or story leads!

Letter from Dr. Trish Wallinger, Principal

It is such a blessing to have an opportunity to tell our alumni and families about the current happenings at St. Mary’s. Our students continue the tradition of service to the community and living the Gos-pel message. We worship together, pray together, and play together in much the same ways you did when you were students at St. Mary’s. If you stop by for a visit, you may unexpectedly find an “Angel Card”. The first graders have been leaving messages of love and hope for us

to find. Once we read the card, we are encouraged to put it in a different place for someone else to find. These messages are a source of inspiration for all who find them. The cards have even been left on the playground. Student Council members just announced their annual Thanksgiving food drive. Cans and boxes of non-perishable items are pouring in. Students are excited to share their resources to feed the hungry in Bellevue. During Advent, we will have a prayer service each week, plan special service projects, and receive the sacrament of Rec-onciliation. Friends and family are included in many of these activities. Please watch the bulletin and the digital sign out front for dates and times. Thank you for sup-porting St. Mary’s School. Your prayers and donations, as well as, your gifts of time are greatly appreciated. It is our hope that you are richly blessed during the Thanks-giving and Advent seasons. - Dr. Trish Wallinger

Ms. Gaspers is our first grade teacher, but some Alumni may remember her better as our 6th teacher. She is currently pursuing her Graduate endorsement in Early Childhood with fel-low educator, Mrs. Lewis at the College of St. Mary. Ms. Gaspers began her teaching career at St. Mary's over twenty years ago. One parent shared with the principal, “Ms. Gaspers has the amazing ability to em-power her students to be the best version of themselves. From problem solving strategies to ways to be mindful of self and others, they learn to be self-sufficient contributors.” Ms. Gaspers when discussing her vocation shared this insight “I am blessed every year to share my faith journey with my students and equally blessed that they share their journey with each other and me." When not teaching, Ms. Gaspers enjoys reading, gardening, traveling, visiting the farm. - Ms. Gaspers

Teacher Spotlight

Mrs. Embury has been teaching third grade at St. Mary’s School for the past 28 years. I truly love the 3rd grade level and their excitement for learning. I have been influenced by many excellent teachers throughout the years. I am finding that learning never ends and teaching continues to become more exciting with the many changes in education and technology. I was able to participate in the College of St. Mary’s Science workshops during the past two years. We focused on incorpo-rating science inquiry activities for the classroom in the areas of physical and life sciences, as well as physics and engi-neering. It was inspiring to be sur-rounded by such enthusiastic fellow teachers from the Omaha area as we learned how to embed science in all we teach.

I can’t imagine not being a teacher. Maybe I would run a woolen needle stitchery shop or a garden nursery with an artsy gift shop, but then I would still be teaching in some respect. -Mrs. Embury

Remember When… Book reports were a fun way to practice our writing and oral communication. Below is a picture of the mobile book reports on display this past October, featuring two of our current third graders, Anna (daughter of Sara Roth Class of ‘92). Mobile book reports have pictures hung from a hanger that students use as an aid for their speech class.

Ms. Gaspers’ Saints parade is a fun tradition

for the past ten or so years. On November 1st, the students process to classrooms singing “Oh When the Saints go Marching in.”

Fall 2017

SMS Alumni News—

Page 4)

STUDYING IN ROME. Fr. Matthew Rolling, a 1996 alumni of St. Mary's School was home from Rome this summer visiting fam-ily and friends. He is studying Philosophy at the Pontifical Univer-sity of St. Thomas in Urbe (aka the Angelicum). He will complete the degree in June, 2020. He concelebrated the first all school Mass in August. He also visited the St. Mary's Cub Scout Pack Meeting on Sept. 19th to encourage the Cubs to work on earning their religious Scout awards as he did years ago as a Cub Scout in St. Mary's Pack. Fr. Matt also visited some classrooms during religion classes. He was a great inspiration to all who heard of his "calling".

A TRADITION OF SERVICE. This past August Becky Feagan and Mary Langhorst, two retired St. Mary’s teachers, visited Alaska. They visited many sights, but were especially blessed to enjoy several days in An-

chorage and a six hour tour of the Kenai Fjords National Park. While in Anchorage they met up with a former student and 2008 graduate, SSgt. Shawn Schaefer who is cur-rently stationed at Elmendorf AFB

in Anchorage. Following in his dad’s footsteps, he joined the Air Force four years later in 2012. After com-pleting basic military training, he was trained as an Aircraft Hydraulic Sys-tems Specialist at Sheppard AFB. SSgt Schaefer was also deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar in 2016. Be-fore their visit ended, Mrs. Feagan jokingly quizzed Shawn on some of the US states & capitals just as she did many years ago when teaching. (Shawn received an A+)

Tell Us What’s Going on With You! We want to keep our data current and share achievements, weddings, births, deaths, milestones and whatever else you can think of. Don’t be bashful. Go to the Alumni page on the school website (stmarysschoolbellevue. com) to submit the Alumni Information Form with contact information updates or story leads!

School & Current

Student Highlights Read these full stories and many others on the school website and Facebook page.

Durham Museum’s

National

Nanotechnology Day Challenge

Ice Cream Social

Kicks Off the New

School Year Arrows to Aerospace

Parade

Nebraska State

Winner

Answers (from quiz;

pg 1): 1. Susan Gold;

2. Diane Embury; 3.

Mrs. Lewis; 4. Mrs. So-

bilo; 5. Ms. Gaspers; 6 .

Mrs. Slattery; 7. Becky

Feagan; 8. Sid Ecker-

man; 9 Mrs. Sena

10. Mary Langhorst 11.

Sr. Rosalia, Sr. Irmina,

and Sr. Joan Miriam November 10, 2017, my big sister, Liz Connealy, arrived to speak to my 7th grade Religion class about her faith journey. Liz is an Alum of St. Mary’s School and graduated from college at Northwest Missouri State in 2013.

Soon after college graduation, Liz became a FOCUS Missionary at Wayne State and led bible studies and other activities. She helped stu-dents increase their faith. She par-ticipated in many mission trips while in FOCUS—a favorite was Rome!

Looking Up to My Big Sister

My sister was diagnosed with Addison’s disease her first year of FOCUS and has been dealing with it courageously. This is a very rare disease and when you have it you get very tired and experience black outs. Also, your skin turns very dark. Thankfully she is doing well and taking medicine everyday. My sister is now en-gaged to a man named Patrick Mueret. Liz works at Head Start and loves the kids there. My sister lives a very holy life. I am proud of her. Her message to my class was to trust in God’s plan and never lose hope. - Maria Connealy, Class of 2019

WITSCLASH. Recently, the St. Mary's WitsClash team traveled to Bryan High School to compete in the largest quiz bowl in Nebraska. Any sixth, seventh, or eighth grader can join the WitsClash team. At the Bryan tournament we did very well, with one of our teams seeded fourth in the bracket of over thirty teams. While we did-n't win any trophies, it was a really fun ex-perience for all of the teams.

-Lindsey Wessling, Class of 2018 (Daughter of Willie (‘87) and Liz Wessling

24th Annual Benefit Auction, “Spring for the Children”

Moved to new venue this year

Fall 2017

SMS Alumni News—Page 5

We are gearing up for our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Spring for the Children Benefit Auction which will be held April 14, 2018. The auction be-gan in 1995 and most recently has been at the Live-stock Exchange Building. This year, we are excited to be celebrating at the Beardmore Even Center.

Why do we have an auction? The tuition parents pay does not cover all the expenses associated with running St. Mary’s School. The parish covers a ma-jority of the operational expenses and tuition covers a huge part, but there’s still a gap.

The Home & School Association (led by parents), addresses the gaps, as well as, helps fund both emergencies and enhancements that ensure St. Mary’s continues to be on the cutting edge of education. H&S has funded: roof repairs, carpet, field trips, laptops, projectors, Chromebooks, gym

Walk of Fame: Graduates Photo Gallery

I’m not an Alum of St. Mary’s, but I have the privilege of being its current school secretary. One of my favorite places to visit is the downstairs hall-way that showcases our graduating classes. I’m not alone. The students will seek and point out to friends the class picture that holds their mom or dad, an older sibling, grandparent, etc. This past summer, I gave a tour to a prospective pre-kindergarten family. While visiting, I discov-ered that mom was a former student. We found her picture much to the delight of her husband and child.

sound system, playground set, and so much more!

All of our Alumni are invited to join us for that night for delicious food and beverage, bidding, fel-lowship and more! Whether purchased that eve-ning or beforehand, take a chance and buy some raffle tickets ($10 each) with the top prize at $2,000.

If you would like to help, we are always thankful for donations from businesses (gift certificates or other auction items), some Alumni have donated an item or gift certificate for the silent auction or maybe you have a bigger ticket item that would be a good fit for the live auction (e.g., major sporting event tickets/boxes, time shares, travel vouchers, etc.). *All donations are tax-deductible.

Hope to see you there...

During another tour, the dad mentioned a memory that led me to believe he was an Alum. He said that his family moved and he didn’t graduate from St. Mary’s, but for fun, we found “his class.” While visiting with him, I asked him if he remembered the names of any students and two names he mentioned I

didn’t recognize. How-ever, when I looked at their picture, I discovered that I did know them —by their married name, not their maiden names—Hascall and Jungers.

I got a kick out of letting my guest know that the student who just passed us in the hallway was his former friend’s child.

He later shared that while he never graduated from St. Mary’s he recalled that when he did move and started at public school, they were doing work he had already mastered at St. Mary’s.

That memory stayed with him...that his educational experience at St. Mary’s was exceptional.

Fall 2017

Dominican Prayer:

(Recited daily at school) Dear loving God,

Thank you for Saint Mary’s

School and all of the

opportunities we will have

today. Help us all to make

wise choices, be kind, and

always strive to tell the

truth. We ask that you

watch over, protect, and

guide us through our day.

Please bless the

Dominican Sisters who

started our school in 1948.

In the name of Jesus we

pray.

Amen.

SMS Alumni News—Page 6

Alumni Giving - Sharing Blessings and Making an Impact

Thank You to all alumni who have generously given to St. Mary’s! Your support ensures a quality, faith-filled education for current students! Various opportunities are available for alumni giving,

Support is available through:

Education Endowment

Adopt-A-Student

Benefit Auction (April 14, 2018)

Omaha Gives

Capital Improvements and Special Projects

If you are interested in learning more about stewardship opportunities, please visit the school website and submit the form today! There are some programs that require you to spend nothing more than you are already and still make an impact to St. Mary’s: Amazon Smiles, Dillion’s [Baker’s] Community Rewards, Box Tops for Education, & Coke Rewards. Shop at Spartan Nash stores in 10 states (e.g., Family Fare) and send us your receipts ($150,000 in receipts = $1,000 for St. Mary’s School). Contact the school for more information (402) 291-1694. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few moments to submit the Alumni Information Form. Follow these quick and easy steps to access this document! 1. stmarysschoolbellevue.com/alumni 2. Click on “Alumni Information Form” 3. Fill out form and submit...you are now in our

system! If you are reading this digitally, click the link or use QR Code on your smart phone to be directed straight to the Google Form.

Alumni Form