Holy Cross School currently has 43 students from Pre-K through sixth grade. The school has four full-time teachers, three part-time teachers, including one Barton (dyslexia) tutor, and four part-time staff, including a before-and-after-school-care provider.
For the past two-and-a-half years, Holy Cross School has functioned without a principal. Instead, Missy Johnson is a lead teacher and Jeana Meyer is the office administrator. Johnson has been there for nine years, and Meyer for five years. Both Johnson and Meyer answered these questions.
Q: What is a unique program, event or tradition at your school?
A: Holy Cross School has implemented tutoring for our dyslexic students during their school day. It is part of their tuition and also means parents don’t have to arrange to get to tutoring sessions after school hours.
Holy Cross School, in cooperation with the Pearl Lake Lodge, hosts one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the area. Last year, over 7,000 people flooded our town to see the “parade so nice, you get to see it twice.”
Q: Tell about a time when you witnessed or heard of a student (or students) who lived out their faith in action.
A: Last week, we had a parent who needed heart surgery. His children came to school, worried about the impending procedure. This father’s children first asked if his name could be added to prayer intentions at the children’s Mass that Friday. They also lit a candle for him after Mass. Then it was decided that, at the time that the surgery would begin, all of the students and staff would pray the rosary for him.
It brought great comfort to the kids to pray for their dad and it brought great pride to the other students, knowing they were helping their friends pray for a successful outcome to the surgery. In the end, the surgery went well and Dad is home and on the mend. God is good!
Q: What is an interesting anecdote or historical fact about your school?
A: This year is the end of an era. When sixth-grader Maria Haus graduates from Holy Cross School this spring, it will the 51st consecutive year that a Haus child has attended Holy Cross School. Three generations of Hauses have attended Holy Cross. Maria’s grandfather, Cyril Haus, attended Holy Cross School. All of Cyril’s children attended the school, including Maria’s dad, Al Haus. Maria is the youngest child of Al and Michele Haus.
Q: How has serving in a Catholic school made a difference in your faith life?
A: This isn’t just a school, it’s a family. We support each other like a family. When someone is struggling at school or at home, we’re here to help each other. If someone has done something remarkable, we’re here to celebrate with them.
Q: What is one prayer intention you’d like to have offered for your school?
A: We pray for our continued increase in enrollment, that we can serve our students and their families to the very best of our abilities. We pray our school community continues to be spiritually, mentally and physically healthy.
Q: What do you look forward to because of being a Catholic Community School?
A: We look forward to sharing resources with the other Catholic Community Schools. Those resources could come in the shape of people, supplies, other schools’ experiences and bringing our successes to the table to share with our fellow CCS schools. The sky is the limit on what these schools can do when we’re put together.