By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
May 20, 2004

A religious sister served the Diocese of Sioux City with her years of experience in education.

Sister Virginia Meyerhofer, OSF, will retire at the end of this school year after being a sister for 60 years and having a career in education for 57 years.

She was born on a farm near Stacyville, Iowa, the middle child of 11 siblings. Sister Virginia received her bachelor's in education from Briar Cliff College and her master's in administration and supervision from Loras College in Dubuque.

Sister Virginia's first teaching assignment was at St. John the Baptist School in Bancroft as a fifth and sixth grade teacher. Also in the diocese, she served as a principal and junior high teacher at St. Catherine in Oyens and principal at Spalding Elementary in Granville.

"There have been many changes, of course, over the 57 years," said Sister Virginia. "When I first started teaching, we had desks on slats in straight rows, a room full of students, a textbook, paper, pencil and blackboard. That was about the extent of what was available for teaching tools. Now of course, it is wide open. Technology has made such a difference in the delivery system and in the learning opportunities that students have."

For the last 10 years, she has been the field supervisor for the department of education at Briar Cliff University. Sister Virginia has supervised over 700 practicum students and completed over 1,400 school visits.

According to Sister Virginia, she has encountered countless blessings in religious life and in her career in education. She explained that being able to touch so many lives and have many people enrich her life has been "tremendous and incredible."

"For that I am very grateful and give thanks to God for the many gifts and blessings that I have received and the opportunities that were given to me," said Sister Virginia.

Other places she has contributed to with her education experience include Fillmore, Iowa; Crescent City, Calif.; Holy Cross, Iowa and Dyersville, Iowa.

On May 11, a retirement reception was held for Sister Virginia in the Stark Student Center on the Briar Cliff campus. At the reception, there were table tents around the room that listed her years of service, her background and a quote, so people would know a little bit more about her. The quote was, "If you want to stay young, associate with the young... If you want to get old, just try to keep up with them."

Sister Virginia will also be honored with a scholarship, for future BCU students, in her name. It will be the "Sister Virginia Meyerhofer Education Scholarship."

"It is a great honor," said Sister Virginia. "It's a wonderful way to continue the efforts and the mission that we are all about here in the education department. I am so pleased and so honored to think that this will be offered to future students to continue their career."

Sister Virginia will move to Mount Saint Francis in Dubuque in June to begin her retirement.

"I will have time, at least initially, to relax and decelerate and take life at a bit easier pace," said Sister Virginia. "There are many opportunities available, not only at the motherhouse, but in the area for many activities, cultural opportunities and concerts. In retirement years, I anticipate that I will have time to appreciate life and the blessings, have time to pray, relax and enjoy."

Some of the things that she enjoys are music, the outdoors, crocheting, bicycling and reading. She will have an opportunity to take part in more of these things in her retirement among other things.

Sister Virginia said that she would take with her "lots of beautiful memories and gratitude for the experiences, the gifts and blessings that I have experienced."