Holy Trinity Catholic School. Estb Believe. Grow. Achieve.

Transcription

1 Holy Trinity Catholic School Estb Believe. Grow. Achieve.

2 A R e A C A T H o L I C S C H o o L S H I S T o R y Background information: Holy Trinity Catholic elementary School opened its doors in September, 1991, with the merger of the following Catholic schools: St. Michael s of Buckman, St. Joseph s of Pierz, and St. John Nepomuk of Lastrup. Although the Sisters of St. Benedict had been teaching in the Pierz area since 1871, a parochial school was not established until This Catholic school, known as St. edward s School, was located to the west of the present rectory in Pierz. This building lasted until 1914, when it burned to the ground. Immediate construction began on a bigger school called St. Joseph s School. It was located where the present Farmers and Merchants State Bank is situated. Since there was room on the second floor, a high school was started. This high school lasted from 1914 to After the high school closed, St. Joseph s School continued to educate children from grades one through eight. In 1952 to 1953, there was much commotion in Pierz over the building of Father Pierz Memorial High School. With the approval of the Bishop, construction began for a three story building located east of the church. Father Pierz Memorial High School opened in the Fall of 1952 for students of the four parishes: Pierz, Buckman, Lastrup, and Harding. A gymnasium was added in In 1962, Healy Junior High was built, and students from seventh and eighth grade then attended the public school. Father Pierz Memorial lasted until 1968 when a public high school was built. The original St. Joseph s Grade School was sold, and students in grades one through six moved into the Father Pierz Memorial building. In 1887, Sister Clara Billig, o.s.b., opened a parochial school in Buckman. Their first school was a small frame building which was located on a plot in the rear of what is now an implement building. After the building became outmoded, a two-room schoolhouse was built on the place where the church now stands. Sister Marina Casanova and Sister Joseph Victor were the pioneer teachers. In 1901, the pastor of Buckman, Father William Lange, wanted a church to be built where the school was then standing. To make this There are many reasons I would recommend Holy Trinity School to others. The small class sizes, the kind teachers, catholic environment. It feels like a family and that is very important to us.

3 A R e A C A T H o L I C S C H o o L S H I S T o R y possible, the school was moved across the highway east of the church. A four-room school building, erected by the district in 1910, replaced the two-room building which had become inadequate. In the 1950 s, the school received an addition of four classrooms and bathroom facilities. The building was torn down in 2010 for additional parking for the church. In the early 1900 s, a large settlement was flourishing to the north of Pierz in Lastrup. The St. John Nepomuk Church in Lastrup had its first mass on Christmas eve in The parish began accumulating funds to build its own parochial school. Four large classrooms and a cafeteria took up the biggest share of the building. The dedication ceremony took place in Benedictine nuns taught grades one through eight, although later just grades one through six were taught. Families from Holy Cross, Harding who wanted a Catholic school education, also attended the Lastrup school. With expenses climbing, the area birth rate declining, and the construction of a new public elementary school in Pierz, the parishes of St. Michael s in Buckman, St. Joseph s in Pierz, St. John Nepomuk s in Lastrup, and Holy Cross in Harding merged into one Catholic elementary school. In october of 1990, a task force was organized to look at the options available to maintain Catholic education in the area. Seven subcommittees were organized to compile information. In January, four options were presented to the people in each community: 1) remain as they are, 2)Pierz operate the area school, 3) create one unified school, K-3 in each location, with all of grades 4-6 in Pierz, or 4) create one unified school with grades K-6. The Parish Councils voted on an option. The end result was to create a unified school with grades K-6 in Pierz. During the month of February, the pastors and trustees of the four parishes met and organized a corporation, which set up by-laws and governing policies. each parish elected or appointed two people to serve on the school board. They elected officers, set length of terms, approved the constitution and policies, hired staff and administration, and approved the school name from ideas suggested by people in the communities. During the month of March, student registration was held and observations/interviews of teachers and support staff were completed. We have recommended Holy Trinity School to several people with younger children. We have been very happy with the school as a whole and love the family atmosphere. We believe that Holy Trinity School has helped us shape our children to the good citizens that they are growing up to be.

4 H o L y T R I N I T y C A T H o L I C S C H o o L H I S T o R y In September, 1991, Holy Trinity Catholic School opened its doors to 271 students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Currently the school has 186 students, 12 teachers for grades PK-6, a music teacher, and a media specialist. The public school provides a physical education teacher, part time school nurse, part time speech, and Title 1/special education teacher. In 1998, Holy Trinity Catholic School established a pre-kindergarten program that met two times a week for two and half hours a day. This year there are 20 students enrolled in the program. In the school year , Holy Trinity Catholic School established a school age childcare program called HT Kids Place. All students from the Pierz school district are welcome. Families of our community have a safe place for their children to be before and after school hours, as well as during the summer months. St. Michael St. John Nepomak Father Pierz/St. Joseph Holy Trinity School is a positive, respectable environment and morals and values are practiced appropriately! It is always pleasant to come in contact with everyone including staff and students

5 H o L y T R I N I T y T o D A y Holy Trinity Catholic School (HTCS) is a Diocesan corporate school, a 501(c)3 organization and accredited in the State of Minnesota through MN Nonpublic Accrediting Association. HTCS provides a comprehensive faith and educational program for preschool through sixth grade children. enrollment averages 185 students. There are twenty-three professional and support staff employed by the school. HTCS provides daily opportunities for children to grow in faith and knowledge. Faith formation is part of the fabric of the school. Through daily experiences and religion curriculum, children come to believe in themselves and in God. From the first day of preschool to sixth grade graduation, children experience so much. The teachers and staff are dedicated to helping each child succeed. each grade covers appropriate curriculum, aligned with MN State standards. Annual formative test results indicate that students are excelling academically. Students struggling with reading are given one on one instruction to bring them to grade level. Beginning in fourth grade, students are introduced to robotics, engineering curriculum. Technology standards are implemented at all grade levels. Children develop learning habits and are given leadership opportunities to build confidence. The school administrator s vision for HTCS is to make a difference for children to learn to live life with livelihood, faith, and value the importance of local and global communities. This will be accomplished through the implementation of the school strategic plan developed by community members, school families, and staff. The strategic plan is available on the school website: The small class sizes are the single more important thing to us. I am amazed at how much the families give of their time and money. It's good to know the other parents share a similar set of values and care about providing the best education for their kids.

6 F I N A N C I A L S T A T e M e N T tuition increase Tuition alone does not cover the cost of educating a child at HTCS. Like most private schools, HTCS relies on fundraising other than tuition to help meet the yearly operating costs. Raising tuition to meet all costs would mean that many families would be unable to send their children to HTCS. parish funding reduction over time the parishes are reducing their financial contribution. This leaves Holy Trinity Catholic School with little room to grow without acquiring extra funds. HTCS created the Annual Campaign in order to be progressive as an education institution. My child doesn't like getting up early but when she gets home she can't wait to tell me everything about her day. That s enough for me to say she is having a great experience every day and worth every penny.

7 H o L y T R I N I T y F u T u R e Your support is needed The Holy Trinity Catholic School Annual Fund will run from January 1 to December 31 each year. Lifetime donation recognition levels will include: *$100, Holy Trinity Lifetime Supporters *$50,000 - Holy Trinity Visionaries *$25,000 - Holy Trinity Leaders *$10,000 - Holy Trinity Partners *Pledge to Pray Daily - Holy Trinity Prayer Supporters. Start on the road today becoming a Lifetime Supporter. you can donate to the operating Budget (Staffing, Curriculum, Building), the Scholarship Fund or to the endowment Fund. Holy Trinity school is a wonderful learning environment. Class sizes are perfect and the teachers care about the students and teaching.

8 Board of directors Rev. Kenneth Popp Fr. David Maciej Pastor of St. Joseph, Pierz Pastor of St. John s, Lastrup Pastor of St. Michael, Buckman Pastor of Holy Cross, Harding As one of the local pastors, I want to show my support of Holy Trinity's Annual Fund campaign. Through this annual campaign, we can all assist in keeping Holy Trinity a vibrant Catholic school in our area. I have always said that Catholic schools are a very important part of passing on the Catholic faith. I truly believe that if Holy Trinity would no longer be here in the Pierz and surrounding areas, this loss would have a huge impact on the Catholic presence in our area. Let us pray in thanksgiving for our Catholic heritage. Let us pray that we can keep our Catholic heritage in the future through our wonderful Catholic school, Holy Trinity. With all my heart, I endorse the effort being put forth in our Annual Fund Campaign for Holy Trinity Catholic School of Pierz! Since 1991 this school has been a beacon of faith in educating the hearts, minds and spirits of our children. Please help us to continue our dream of providing the same education and light of faith for our children in the future. And may God bless you for your concern and your generosity! Fr. Kenneth Popp Back row: Fr. Kenneth Popp, Tim Brisk, Jeff Jacobson, Dennis Zajac, Nathan Gruber front row: Ruth Virnig, Kim Rocheleau absent: Amber Woitalla, Kelli Diederich Fr. David Maciej Thank You JL Photography Jennifer Laura Klemish