Four teachers to be honored at Oct. 22 Bishop's Dinner

September 14, 2006

The Tenth Annual Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education will celebrate Catholic schools and recognize four excellent teachers. The teachers will receive The Bishop's Excellence in Education Award along with a $1,000 honorarium in recognition of their work in Catholic schools. The Oct. 22 dinner, to be held at the Sioux City Convention Center, will feature EWTN journalist and best selling author Raymond Arroyo.

This year's recipients are Terri Kimbell of Holy Cross School, Sioux City; Kay DeWall of Pocahontas Catholic School, Pocahontas; Barbara Lilly of St. Edmond Middle /High School, Fort Dodge; and Kathryn Braddy of Kuemper Catholic School in Carroll.

The Bishop's Excellence in Education Award was established in 1999 to recognize diocesan teachers who exemplify the teachings of Christ and excellence in education.

Recipients of this award must have been a teacher in the Diocese of Sioux City for at least five years. They are to have expressed a clear, integrated philosophy of Catholic education and be held in high regard by their peers, students and parents.

Terri Kimbell is a middle school mathematics teacher at Holy Cross School - Blessed Sacrament Center in Sioux City. Ms. Kimbell attended Catholic schools from grade school through college. She is a graduate of Epiphany and Blessed Sacrament grade schools, Bishop Heelan Catholic High School and Briar Cliff University, all of Sioux City. Terri Kimbell has taught in Catholic schools for twenty-seven years with her last 17 years at Blessed Sacrament Center.

"I have a passion to help each student realize that mathematics is not something they should fear," said Kimbell. "It is a privilege to pass my knowledge on to the children and to see the looks on their faces when they succeed in math."

Kimbell and her husband Steve are the parents of seven children - Ryan, Kristi, Laura, Craig, Mary, David, and Joseph. All of the Kimbell children are graduates of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School.

Kay DeWall teaches third and fourth grade at Pocahontas Catholic School. After one year on the faculty at Emmetsburg Catholic, she has spent the last 27 years of her teaching career at Pocahontas Catholic. She attended Pocahontas Catholic and graduated from the University of South Dakota. DeWall extended thanks to her teacher colleagues for making this award possible.

"I am able to teach because parents have entrusted me to help shape and mold their children. At Pocahontas Catholic, we have the backing of the entire community and parish because of the unified belief in the importance of Catholic education," she said.

DeWall and her husband John have two children, Carrie and Michael - both of whom are graduates of Pocahontas Catholic School.

Barbara Lilly is an art teacher at St. Edmond Middle and High Schools in Fort Dodge. She is a graduate of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Fonda and Iowa State University. Ms. Lilly has taught for eighteen years in Catholic schools including two years at St. Thomas Aquinas in Davis City, Nebraska, five years at Cathedral High School in Omaha and the last eleven years at St. Edmond's Middle and High Schools in Fort Dodge.

"I love to teach art and enjoy being with students who want to learn," said Lilly. "I enjoy working with the integration of the arts in the environment of the liturgy of the church."

Kathryn Braddy teaches speech and religion at Kuemper Catholic School in Carroll. The Kansas native attended and graduated from St. Patrick's Catholic School and Bishop Ward Catholic High School in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas Newman University in Wichita. Ms. Braddy has taught for 17 years in Catholic Schools with 5 years at St. Joseph's in Dedham, eight years at Holy Spirit Junior High in Carroll and the last four years at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll.

Kathryn was thrilled with being named one of the recipients of the Bishop's Excellence in Education Awards. "My colleagues at Kuemper share a common commitment to Catholic education," said Braddy. "My students daily share with me new insights as to how to grow as a teacher."

Braddy and her husband Glen have two sons, Jason and Nicholas, both of whom attended St. Lawrence Catholic School in Carroll.

The Bishop's Dinner also recognizes a top Catholic school administrator at the annual dinner. The recipient of the "Called to Service" administrator's award will be announced next week.

The Bishop's Dinner for Catholic Education supports more than 6,000 students who attend Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Sioux City. Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased by calling the Central Catholic office at 712-233-7524.