Families value Catholic school education for generations

By JoAnn Ammann, Globe Intern
Jan. 25, 2007

With a total of 28 Catholic elementary and high schools in the Sioux City Diocese, there have been many families to pass through and now many families are planning to continue Catholic education in their families.

Kendra Schroeder of Remsen is the youngest of 13 children and is part of a multi-generational Catholic education family. She and her husband, Joe Schroeder, have chosen to continue that tradition by having their children attend Catholic school.

"We feel that a Catholic education is more of values and morals, which we feel is important," said Schroeder. "We know that our kids aren't going to be perfect, but if they hit some tough spots in life, they can go back to what they learned in school and be able to handle those situations because of that."

While some people are only able to attend Catholic grade school or junior high, Patty Schott of Pocahontas was able to go through 12 years of Catholic education.

"When I was a senior in high school, our school was closed and it was just devastating to me at the time," Schott said. "When we were able to put our five children through Catholic education, there was just no other way of doing it, we wanted to do it."

Schott went on to add she and her husband are happy to be able to help assist the school for future generations.

"We are just so happy to have a school in our area and to be able to support it so other families like ours can enjoy it," Schott said.

With Catholic education, students are often times taught different outlooks on various things and situations. According to Schott, the different outlook is being able to recognize it with her children.

"It is the Christian and Catholic look we have on everything, whether it's news or this and that, or even how you treat other people in the lunch line," Schott said. "That's what is so important about being in a Catholic school or Christian environment."

As part of a four generation Catholic education family, Schott said that sometimes the mix of religion and standard teaching is what is important.

"We get to feel more part of the community," said Schott. "I don't know if you really realize it when you are going through the system but after you are adults, married and have other children, you really realize how important it is to get the religion mixed in with the reading, writing and arithmetic."

Another multi-generational family, the Risenbergs of West Bend, also strongly believe in Catholic education and passing it through their family.

"It's very important to us to pass on our faith and I feel this is the best way to pass it on," said Lisa Risenberg. "I feel this is the best way to pass it on to our children. They are given academic education as well as spiritual education. If we are a parent and don't pass it on, I'm afraid it will be harder for them to pick the religion up."

Risenberg also mentioned that she is constantly learning. It is her children who reinforce her faith.

"We never stop learning. When my kids come home I say either I remember or don't remember something," Risenberg. "It reinforces it all together and you just never stop. I love my Catholic school and hope it's here for the next generation."

Amy Seuntjens of Danbury who is part of a three-generation family, commented on how important it is to have children learn Catholic values.

"I think it's important for the values Catholic education instills in the children and the one-on-one education they receive, discipline and amount of respect they are taught is important," said Seuntjens.

As a Catholic school student once herself, she recognized what it has done for her own faith to grow.

"It taught me so much more than what I would have gotten if I didn't go to a Catholic school," Suentjens said. "It taught me the importance of family and the Catholic church in our lives."

Mary VerMulm is not only part of a multi-generational family; she has chosen to continue her belief in Catholic education by becoming a teacher at Sacred Heart in Spencer.

"I think that this Catholic education is one of the top the kids will get because it's not only academic, it's also faith centered and that's really important," said VerMulm. "I feel that my kids here at Sacred Heart are learning more than just their academics. They are learning things about working in the real world, working with other kids and learning to rely on their faith to make decisions about their future. I just really believe a Catholic education helps kids in the future. It focuses on those important things when they are out there in the world working with other people."

VerMulm also said that as a teacher as well as parent, she is able to involve her faith in education.

"I think the most important thing as a parent and a teacher, is when I'm teaching if we have some discipline problem or we have kids that need a little extra attention we can rely on our faith to help them make good decisions, we can tell them to pray about things, and to rely on God to help them because if they were in a public school you would just be able to tell them this would be a good decision but maybe not why it is," said VerMulm. "I think we get a bigger, broader aspect on things that are going on in the child's life."

VerMulm's large family has also allowed her to continue growing with her Catholic faith.

"I have my mom and her family of eight that were in Catholic education, lots of cousins, myself who teaches, and two other cousins children who teach at a Catholic school. When we meet for family get-togethers we always make a point of having a special Mass for the family," said VerMulm. "It's just a real center of the focus of the family. The kids participate and the cousins also, it's very obvious we are based on Catholic education and a Catholic family. It's even a basis for us getting together."

VerMulm added her feelings as to why Catholic education is such an important opportunity for children.

"I like that I can bring my faith into what I teach and by being able to see my kids going through what I went through, it helped me work with other people and understand those differences," said VerMulm. "I help at the church with different things and I think my kids seeing me do that will hopefully stick with them and become part of the church, I think that's really important."