Families receive care and concern from Catholic school communities

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
Jan. 25, 2007

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City provide support for families with unique circumstances and students with special needs.

Tavis Atsma, son of Rick and De Atsma of Granville, is a sophomore at Spalding Catholic in Granville and has Aspergers (a mild form of autism). The couple also has a sixth grader, John, and a second grader, Atze, that attend school at Spalding Elementary.

"They (the school) have created an environment in which everybody is accepted for who they are. The biggest thing for Aspergers kids is to fit in socially," said De. "He (Daniel) has an absolutely wonderful class who allows him to be who he is and includes him in everything. That is what a Catholic school has been able to do for him."

De explained that the teachers have talked to the students and told them, "This is when Daniel is making a joke, and it is okay to laugh." His mother added that he has a dry sense of humor that took the students a while to understand.

"The nature of a Catholic school is inclusive and isn't a situation where you divide everybody up," said De. "When we put him in school to begin with, we checked public and Catholic schools to find the best one."

When Tavis started school, the family lived in California. He went to the Catholic school that De grew up in. When they wanted to move, De mentioned that finding a Catholic school was a must on their list of things to find.

"That was the right place for him, and we knew that," said De. "When my husband found a piece of property here, he visited the school. He said, 'this is a school that we can live with. This is a school that has the right attitude, the right spirit.' We have been very happy with the acceptance. That is not only with him (Tavis), it is with anyone."

She pointed out that the value of a Catholic education besides the educational part is "that it is an environment that brings God into your everyday life. It shows it in practical ways - in how we learn, how we play sports, how we accept others and how they are encouraged to be a part of the community at all times."

De thinks it has been a good experience for her son to accept him and include him in everything.

The Ludwig family of Le Mars has received and continues to receive support from Gehlen Catholic School as Donna, mother, battles cancer. Her husband's name is Joe and they have five children including Anna (sixth grade), triplets Jared, Jonathan and Katie (fourth grade) and Cari (first grade).

Donna is a substitute teacher and has taught in several different schools including Gehlen. The first day she substituted at Gehlen she knew that is where she wanted to send them to school.

"When I found out that it was cancer, I went and told the kids' teachers. I hadn't told the kids yet, and I wanted the teachers to know that the kids may act differently or they may be spacing out or something," said Donna. "I wanted to make sure I had the teachers support. They kept it so confidential."

According to Donna, Lorie Nussbaum, the grade school principal at Gehlen, made sure to wait until it was okay to tell the Gehlen community about her diagnosis.

"They were so supportive," said Donna. She added that she received about 100 cards from families expressing prayers and extending offers to help with her children. "I've had teachers come over in the evening when I had to go back to the ER."

Donna mentioned that she has experienced that the Catholic schoolteachers do not work just 8-4. After her surgeries, the Gehlen teachers set up to have meals brought to the family.

"The kids said, 'Mom, I know our teachers loved us, but I didn't know they loved us this much,'" said Donna. "Gehlen Catholic's teachers have been there for our family to baby-sit in a crisis, run kids to basketball practice and even ran Cari to Brownies in Hinton one weekend. I appreciate all the Gehlen Catholic family has offered. Their faith and love is beyond anything words can describe."

The students pray for Donna each day in school. She pointed out that if her children are having a hard day at school people are right there to support them - "it really helps the kids."

She was substituting until her oncologist told her she couldn't any more. Now if a student has a problem with reading, she has volunteered to help when she can. She volunteers wherever they need her. Donna added that she substituted at Holy Cross School in Sioux City as well and has received support and prayers from them.

"I can't imagine this much support anywhere else," she said. "It is overwhelming how giving they are. If I have a bad day, all I have to do is walk into the school. They are so positive. They are carrying me through this."

Donna starts treatment for her cancer in a few weeks and people at Gehlen have already offered to help with anything that she needs.

A family affiliated with Bishop Garrigan Schools has also experienced care and concern from their Catholic school family.

Daniel Krahenbuhl, son of Walt and Maureen Krahenbuhl of Algona, is in ninth grade at Bishop Garrigan High School and has autism and spina bifida. He also went to Seton Grade School in Algona.

"We work through the public school, too, so we receive services from them," said Maureen. "Right now the regular classes he is in are religion, physical education and science."

Maureen noted that pretty much anything that Daniel needs, the school tries to get for him. This is his first year at Garrigan and he is kind of nervous, she explained.

"They have a separate room for him for when he works one-on-one with his associate," said Maureen. "Because of the autism, he requires time to get away from it all and to be able to calm himself down."

She and her husband decided to send Daniel to Catholic school because their other children are in Catholic schools and Maureen went to a Catholic school. Walt and Maureen have a grown daughter that went through Garrigan and a daughter that is in eighth grade at Seton in Algona.

"It is important to us that, just as with our other kids, they be in an atmosphere where they can learn about our faith," said Maureen. "It has always been important to us that religion should be a part of our everyday life at all times of in life."