ST. MARY'S RECALL - St. Mary's School

ST. MARY’S RECALL
A NEWSLETTER FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF ST. MARY‟S SCHOOL, SLEEPY EYE, MN � VOLUME 24 � NUMBER 2 � SUMMER 2009
Summer at St. Mary‟s Catholic School
The bell rings on the last day of school and St. Mary‟s shuts down for the summer, right? Not at all! Lots of interesting and important events occur
during the summer months as many, many people utilize the school grounds and building and work hard to prepare them for the upcoming school
year. Here is just a “snapshot” of what summer at St. Mary‟s looks like...
Judd Walter („98) of Sleepy Eye Electric installs
new electrical panels in the high school.
Many of the teachers attended a two day workshop
on “Right to Intervention” (RtI), always looking to
better help their students succeed.
Community Theater uses the auditorium each summer
to awe audiences with their productions. Pictured:
Amy Surprenant („09) and Jared Schwab
(„00). Ann (Broich „81) LaCourse also starred
in “Web of Murder” this year.
The Knights keep their basketball skills sharp all
summer long!
Cody Gilliland, son of Lori (Mertz ‟83) and Rick,
was one of many students who took summer band lessons
from instructor Rachel Moldan.
The St. Mary’s Catholic School float travels to area
parades to promote the school throughout the summer
months!
The elementary hallway got a new look this summer
with a brand new tile floor!
The school has to shine when the kids return in
September...and it will because of the fabulous work
crew!
Perry Pietig („73), Greg Gangelhoff („78),
Mickey Fischer, and Melissa Miller care for the
flowers at St. Mary’s! Thanks to Cathy Haala
(„74) who donated many flowers to keep the grounds
beautiful all summer.

Spring Sports Update
The Knights baseball team continued their winning tradition with a 20-8 record for the year and a
conference record of 11-5! Under the direction of head coach Bruce Woitas, the Knights were the Section
runner-up, losing to a tough New Ulm Cathedral team. The Knights have played in eleven straight section finals.
Receiving honors for the Knights were All Conference Players John Cook, son of Jane (Moran „76) and the late
Jeff Cook („76) and Jake Mangen, son of Neil („76) and Rose (Kuebler „79) with Honorable Mention All
Conference going to Alan Huiras, son of Greg and Sue (Windschitl „82) and Scott Salfer, son of Ron and
Kim. The Academic All Conference award winners were David Krzmarzick, son of Pat („78) and Jacque
(Ladd „83) and Brett Ubl, son of Bill and Wanda (Moldan „78). Cook, Ubl, Huiras, and Kyle
Krzmarzick, son of Leon (‟81) and Kim (Hoffmann ‟82), were named to the All Section Team with Cook
also being named to the All State Team. The team awards given included Huiras as Most Improved; Cook as
MVP; and Pete Schwartz, son of John („74) and Rose for Leadership. Said Coach Woitas, “We have seven
Junior Madeline Schmitz, seniors who will be missed next season; they are Cook, Mangen, Bryan Windschitl (son of Clem and Suzy
daughter of Tony („82) and (Sellner „75)), Schwartz, Casey Davidson (nephew of Dave and Kristi Domm), Jared Gilliland (son of
Lisa (Mages „84), earned a Rick and Lori (Mertz „83)), and David Krzmarzick. We will have a good group of guys back to fill the losses
trip to the State Track Meet
of our seniors and our JV and Jr. High teams also had really good years. Brian Mathiowetz („88) and Dustin
Mangen („02) do a great job of teaching the game to our younger kids.”
The Lady Knights softball team ended their season` with a 7-13 overall record and a 5-11 conference record. Liz Tauer, daughter of Dan
and Mary, was named to the All Conference team with Nevada Helget, daughter of Jeanne (Haala ‟72), as Honorable Mention All
Conference. Chelsi Kuebler, daughter of Glen Kuebler („80) and Chris Pelzel („88), was named to the All Section team. Kuebler, Kelsey
Sellner, daughter of Mike (‟74) and Judy, Megan Gilliland, daughter of Rick and Lori (Mertz ‟83), and Molly Moldan, daughter of
Fred and LuAnn (Helget „74), all earned Academic All Conference honors. Team awards included Helget as Team MVP, Mandee
Heiderscheidt, daughter of Todd („83) and Maureen (Berkner ‟85), as Most Improved, and Kailey Seifert, daughter of Mike (‟69) and
Linda (Schroepfer „69), for Leadership. Seniors on the team were Liz Seidl, daughter of Myron („73) and Cathy and Cortnie Wahl,
daughter of Merlin and Lisa (Tauer „81). According to head coach Wendy Owens, “The Lady Knights were a very young and inexperienced
team this year. At times we played well and other times we showed our lack of experience. The section proved to be as competitive as ever and we
lost to a very good McLeod West team. We ended our season earlier but the returning players are hungry for a more competitive season next
year! Good luck to our seniors and the Lady Knights thanks the parents, family, and friends and the community of Sleepy Eye for their support.”
The Sleepy Eye United Track Team (a combined effort between St. Mary‟s and Sleepy Eye Public School) had a very good season considering
how young they were. The team qualified 16 athletes for the section meet with Madeline Schmitz, daughter of Tony (‟82) and Lisa
(Mages „84), moving on to State in the 200 meter dash. Highlights include the girls winning the Tomahawk Conference title and placing third in
the Subsection meet in Sleepy Eye. Said coach Jerry Neubauer, “We are proud of our seniors who led our younger athletes this past year and
want to wish them the best in their future. We are also encouraged by our returning athletes and look forward to working with them next year.”
The 2009 boys and girls golf seasons were very successful considering the small number of players. There were eleven boys in grades 7-12
and their varsity record of 26-17 was good enough for fourth place in the Tomahawk Conference. They finished a respectable third in subsections.
The five girls, who had one victory in 2008, finished with a 13-16-1 record, tied for fifth in the Tomahawk Conference and fourth overall in
subsections. Qualifying for sections were Alexa Van Sickle, daughter of Jay and Kelly, Serena Rubey, daughter of Dave („76) and Judy,
Nate Schutz, son of Shannon and Sue, Mikail Sellner, son of Brian („76) and Connie (Seifert „81), and CJ Windschitl, son of Dale
and Gina (Roiger „84). The team says “good bye” to seniors Nate Ziegler, son of Frank and Desiree, Matt Helget, son of Lorin („76) and
Denise (Stoneberg „77), and an outstanding #1 player, Nick Rubey, son of Dave („76) and Judy. Congratulations to the award winners:
Boys‟ MVP: Rubey; Girls‟ MVP: Regina Van Sickle, daughter of Jay and Kelly; Boys‟ MIP: Windschitl; Girls‟ MIP: Annie Sellner,
daughter of Martin and Kris (Proell „85); Boys‟ Leadership: Rubey; Girls‟ Leadership: Alexa Van Sickle. The team was coached by Tom
Larson („69) and Tim Milliard.
CONGRATS JESSIE!
Many of you remember Jessie Pelzel who
helped lead the Lady Knights to many victories
on the softball field. As a college sophomore,
she was a member of the Gustavus
Adolphus Golden Gusties who earned a third
place title in the NCAA Softball Championship
this year! This was the Gusties‟ first 40win
campaign as they ended the year with a
record of 42-9. Their very successful season
was ended in a close 4-2 loss to Coe College
played in Montclair, New Jersey. Jessie, a 2007 graduate of St. Mary‟s,
played infield for the team. She is the daughter of Steve (‟78) and
Lynnae Pelzel.
Visit our website for regular update on St. Mary‟s :
www.sesmschool.com
1984 STATE SOFTBALL REUNION!
The 1984 State Softball Champions held their 25-year reunion at the
Railway Bar and Grill in Sleepy Eye on Sunday, July 12. Pictured: Sue
(Riebel '84) Lueck, Nancy (Reiniger '84) Reed, Coach Candy
Siewert, Maureen (Berkner '85) Heiderscheidt, and Karen
(Sellner '84) Schneider.

Congratulations Lillian Stimpert!
Congratulations Lillian (Haala „51) Stimpert, the winner
of this year‟s Mike Maurer Award! This annual award is given to a
St. Mary‟s employee who exemplifies Christian values, dedication
and loyalty to St. Mary‟s and a love for education and the mission
of the school and parish. The recipient is nominated and voted on
by the staff of St. Mary‟s.
Lillian attended St. Mary‟s from 1 st through 12 th grade, being
honored as the Homecoming Queen in 1950 and receiving the All
Catholic Award at her graduation in 1951. Knowing that her dream
was to be a teacher, she attended Mankato Teacher College and
earned her degree in education. Her first teaching appointment was
in a third grade classroom in Janesville, Minnesota where she taught
for four years. However, Lillian soon returned to her alma mater,
St. Mary‟s, a place where she remained (and continues to be) for the
next four decades!
With a total of 43 years as both a teacher and a teacher‟s aide at
St. Mary‟s, Lillian has impacted countless students with her deep
faith, her amazing creativity, her endless patience, and her true gift
for education. She really does teach as Jesus does and is a blessing to
all who know her. Currently, Lillian works primarily with St.
Mary‟s youngest students, the kindergarteners, helping to make their
introduction to school a warm and welcoming one. Lillian “equate(s)
teaching in a Catholic school to building. God is the architect; the
parents create the foundation. The teacher is the contractor, building
the temple for the Divine Architect!”
As an alumnus of St. Mary‟s, Lillian has an incredible impact on
the world. An amazing role model to the faculty and to the students,
Lillian truly lives the lessons of faith that she was taught during her
days as a student of St. Mary‟s. She is blessed with an artistic and
creative gift that she generously uses to make the world (and especially
the school and parish) a more beautiful place. Her displays and
bulletin boards are legendary! Lillian is dependable and generous,
always looking for ways to help others. She deeply loves her family
and all of the children she works with. She truly shows what it
means to be a woman of faith and is very deserving of this award.
Lillian and her late husband, Bud (‟50), have two children who
are both alumni of St. Mary‟s: Dean (‟75) and Cindee (Stimpert
„79) Schewe. She also has four grandchildren: Shaun, Molly (a
senior at St. Mary‟s), Crissi („09), and Clay (a junior at St.
Mary‟s). She is pictured with Msgr. Lozinski, superintendent
of St. Mary‟s School.
On behalf of St. Mary‟s School, we also offer a very special
thank you to Mike Maurer who so generously gives this
award each year. His commitment to Catholic education and
to St. Mary‟s should be an example to all of us. Thank you
Mike!
Dear Alumni and Friends of
St. Mary‟s School:
We recently changed the name of
the Board of Education to the
Evangelization and Catechesis
Committee. While this is a longer
title and may also sound awkward this
wasn‟t done without some serious
thought. While it had been suggested
by the diocese many years ago, it has
taken a while to be implemented. This
wasn‟t change for change sake. This
title describes more clearly our
ultimate goal in all of our educational
endeavors in the parish and thus our Catholic School. Our primary task is to
evangelize and catechize. Everything must converge on these two goals.
Evangelization and Catecheses are fundamental to the mission given to us by
Jesus. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28: 19-20, “Go, therefore, and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with
you always, until the end of the age.” We are to make known the
message of Jesus and teach people about Him. We are primarily
evangelizers. Pope Benedict, in a letter to all the bishops of the world sent
in March, said that the Church exists in order to make God known. He says
that in vast areas of the world God is obscured and therefore we must make
Him known. That is the goal of the parish, as well, of which the Catholic
School is one of its main missions.
The goal of making God present in the midst of a highly secularized
society is no easy task; it may seem so simple, but as we all know, sometimes
that which seems most easy results in being the most difficult. This goal
must engage all of our efforts. It is important that the whole staff as well as
the parents have a clear vision of making God present in our students‟ lives
and in each other‟s lives.
We have a treasure in our Catholic School. We have the possibility
of influencing our young people in a very positive manner by our
commitment to the faith here at St. Mary‟s. I will do all I can to insure that
we keep focused on our primary reason for existing, that of making God
known or in the words of our mission, “St. Mary‟s Catholic School
exists to assist the parents in passing on the Catholic faith while
providing a quality education.”
We ask you, our alumni, to help as we strive to be faithful to this
mission. Your assistance, through prayer, sacrifice, encouragement or in
whatever way you choose, is vital and necessary. You are an important part
of our work here at St. Mary‟s.
I wish to thank you for your support and in particular for your generosity
to our Annual Alumni Appeal. Through your generosity we were able to
raise $28,713.67 This represents over 72% percent of our goal and a
substantial increase over last year. Most significantly over 100 more alumni
contributed to the appeal than last year. Your dedication and commitment
to St. Mary‟s is increasing and becoming more and more apparent. May God
bless you and may God continue to bless St. Mary‟s as we strive to become
more and more the educational institution that we are called to be by God
and His Holy Church.
Monsignor Eugene Lozinski
Pastor-Superintendent
St. Mary‟s Catholic School
St. Mary‟s Catholic School Mission Statement
St. Mary‟s Catholic School exists to assist the
parents in passing on the Catholic faith while
providing a quality education.

Congratulations Newlyweds!
Adam Armbruster („00) married Karlyn Halfaker on May 30, 2009.
Mitchell Hillesheim ('02) married Bridget Fuller on June 6, 2009.
Brianna Mages ('05) married Riley Jensen on June 13, 2009.
Brian Seidl ('02) married Carissa Pelzel ('05) on June 20, 2009.
Steven Tauer („01) married Angie Spermbaur on June 24, 2009.
Cole Helget ('04) married Kristi Hillesheim on June 27, 2009.
Lisa Moldaschel („98) married Jonathan Welle on July 11, 2009.
Mark Your Calendar– It‟s Reunion Time!
Class of 1994—15 year reunion to be held on Saturday, August 15,
2009 at the Servicemen‟s Club in Sleepy Eye.
Contact person: Ann (Sprenger) Andries
taandries@westtechwb.com
Class of 1999—10 year reunion to be held on Friday, November 27,
2009 at the Orchid Inn in Sleepy Eye. Look for invitations to be
mailed in September!
Contact people: Susie Eckstein (651-226-4437)
sceckstein@gmail.com
Naomi (Walter) Weiss (507-794-2497/507-227-5781)
ngberry1981@yahoo.com
The Knights of Olde will hold their next reunion on Friday, December
11, 2009 at the Lost Spur Country Club, 2750 Sibley Memorial
Highway, Eagan MN, 55121. The phone number is 651-454-2330.
St. Mary‟s Sixth Annual Hall of Fame
Join St. Mary‟s School in honoring our 2009 inductees
at our Hall of Fame banquet and awards ceremony
on November 21, 2009. To purchase tickets for this
event or for more information, please contact Chris
Heiderscheidt at the St. Mary‟s Parish Office at 507
-794-4171/cheiderscheidt@sesmschool.com. Tickets
can also be purchased at the St. Mary‟s Catholic
School office (507-794-4121). Ticket prices are $22
for adults and $12 for children and include the meal and awards
program. The evening begins with Mass at 5:30 p.m. and is followed
by a social hour, dinner and the awards ceremony in the St.
Mary‟s Social Room.
This year‟s recipients of the Distinguished Service Achievement
Award, awarded to alumni/teachers who have made significant
contributions to their community and society through service or
distinguished career while demonstrating character, citizenship and
faith, are Nicholas Mertz, Sr. (‟48) and Philip Sellner („74).
The Distinguished Athletic/Coaches Award recognizes alumni or
coaches with significant achievements at St. Mary‟s or after graduation
while demonstrating character, citizenship and faith. This
year‟s inductees are: Joe “Dutch” Schroepfer (‟48), Mark
Tauer („71), Glenn Sieve (‟75), and Janet (Schotzko ‟83)
Bolstad. Join us in honoring these six very deserving individuals at
the Sixth Annual Hall of Fame ceremony on November 21, 2009!
To see previous Hall of Fame inductees or to nominate a future inductee,
please visit our website at www.sesmschool.com and click on “Alumni”.
From the Development Office…
By Jennifer Blick („98)
St. Mary‟s Catholic School has been incredibly blessed in recent years to have been joined by families from outside of our parish. Parents from Fairfax,
Redwood Falls, Morgan, Leavenworth, Springfield and St. James have all made the decision to give their children the incredible gift of a Catholic
education at St. Mary‟s. For many of these families (as well as for many of the families within our parish), this gift means great sacrifice...financial
sacrifice as they work to pay for the tuition and the sacrifice of time as they adjust schedules to transport their children to school and to their
extracurricular activities. However, these families believe that what St. Mary‟s has to offer is worth the sacrifice. A strong Catholic education provides
students with a firm foundation of faith that can help guide them throughout the course of their life. Our high quality academic program prepares our
students for whatever they opt to do with their lives and our variety of extracurricular activities allows our students to pursue their God-given talents.
Because we recognize the sacrifices that many parents do make, we do our best to assist them, by offering financial aid and even transportation to and
from other communities whenever possible. Much of our ability to provide this assistance is because of the generosity of our alumni, friends and
benefactors. As you can see from the insert in this RECALL, many, many people have been very, very generous with their gifts to our school. It is
because of you that we are able to continue to carry out our mission: to assist the parents in passing on the Catholic faith while providing a quality education!
With your help and God‟s grace, we will continue to do so for long into the future. For all that you do for St. Mary‟s Catholic School, thank you!
Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them…
Rose Schieffert, 81, passed away on August 26, 2008. A 1944 graduate of St. Mary‟s Catholic School, she is survived by her sister, Marie Wacker.
Loren “Lonnie” Mathiowetz, 58, died on January 7, 2009. He graduated from St. Mary‟s Catholic School in 1968. Loren is survived by his sons:
Lucas and Kyle and his sisters, Phyllis („59) and Ken Wenner, Janet („60) McCauley, and his brother Jerome (‟62) and Shirley Mathiowetz.
Veronica (Hauser) Hoffmann, 92, died on April 29, 2009. A 1935 graduate of St. Mary‟s Catholic School, she is survived by her son and daughterin-law,
Charles and Linda Hoffmann.
Raymond Tauer, 87, died on June 1, 2009. He is survived by his wife Adella and their children, Richard (‟65) (Kathi), Marie (‟68) (Richard) Raden,
Tom (‟69)(Pam), Dennis “Luke” (‟71), Cletus (‟71) (Patty), Marlys (‟72) (Larry) Decker, Marlin, Eileen, Douglas, Diane (Jim) Reed, Monica (Robert)
Farasyn, Pat (Linda), Wayne, and Gary.
Anna (Hoppe) Bertrand, 99, died on June 6, 2009. She is survived by her daughters, Janet Tauer (‟53), Bernice Schneider („55) and Sandra Runing
(‟59).
Willard “Shorty” Schmidt, 88, died on June 11, 2009. He is survived by his sons, Richard (‟73) (Jean) and Robert (‟70).
Donald Fischer, 68, died on June 14, 2009. A 1960 graduate of St. Mary‟s, he is survived by his wife, Carol (Gulbrandson ‟62) and their son, Derek
(Carrie) and their daughter, Holly.
Catherine (Guldan) Heymans, 84, died on April 20, 2009. She graduated in 1942. She is survived by her children, Mike (Kathleen), Patti Nowfel,
Jerry („74) (Lois) and M‟liss (Warren) Moon.
Lucella Pietrus, 103, died on June 9, 2009. Lucella is survived by her daughters, Jeanne („49) and Michael Schmid and Alice (‟53) and Dick Staab.
James Riebel, 73, died on July 13, 2009. He was a member of the class of 1955.

Remember When…
The history of St. Mary’s is an amazing story! Many changes have come and gone in the past 126 years, but the core values have never changed. Enjoy a jaunt down
“memory lane” as we “recall” some moments from St. Mary’s past...
� The boys played on one side of the school and the girls on the other side and there was an apple orchard on the girls‟
playground.
� The lake covered part of the football field.
� Basketball games were played in the cafeteria.
� There were no snow days because there were no buses.
� No hot lunches were served. Boys and girls brought their lunches in paper bags or
tin pails.
� The average high school class was fifteen to twenty students, mostly girls since
boys worked on the farms.
� All desks were nailed to the floor.
� Del Monte stored cases of peas and corn under the auditorium since they were
short of storage space.
� No bells were rung. Everyone knew when to leave class.
� No dancing was allowed in St. Mary‟s School.
� We found live “angels” in the Christmas trees surrounding the crib.
� Bonfires were a part of Homecoming.
� Uniforms at St. Mary‟s meant “for girls only”.
� Students were dismissed at the end of the school day to a marching tune.
� Boys and girls had separate cloak rooms.
� The Franciscan Sisters sat in the front of church for Sunday Mass.
� Sister Grandma (Sister Michael) taught at St. Mary‟s.
� Students didn‟t drive to school.
� The Vested Boys Choir sang for special occasions.
� School started at 9 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.
All information taken from the St. Mary’s Centennial and 125th Anniversary books.
Amy (Steffl „84) Mages was recently
recognized for her 20 years in the Cedar
Mountain School District where she works as
a kindergarten teacher. Working in Cedar
Mountain was the “first and only job” that
Amy has had, but she feels that she is right
where she wants to be. Amy believes that
“each child has something special about them”
and that it is her job “as a teacher to find that
something and bring it out in them to help
them flourish”. Amy and her husband Mike
(„83) live in Sleepy Eye. They have three
children: Mikayla („09), Alex (a freshman at St. Mary‟s) and Bryant (an
eighth grader at St. Mary‟s). Congratulations Amy!
Jerry Neubauer was recently recognized in the
Prairie Catholic, the Diocese of New Ulm
newsletter, for his contributions to Catholic education.
Having served as principal of St. Mary‟s
Catholic School in Sleepy Eye for the past 30
years, it is difficult to imagine the number of lives
that Jerry has touched. Jerry is an amazing role
model for his students and faculty. He is a man of
deep faith who truly lives his beliefs in his life. As
one of his 2009 graduates said: “He is a great man
who is very committed to his faith and is a model to all his students”. Jerry
and his wife Julie have three children: Sean („95), Liz („97) and Kit („99).
Sister Michael...better known to her students as
“Sister Grandma”, a much loved teacher, pictured
with then-kindergartener, Nick Braun („04).
St. Mary‟s Alumni/Staff Recognized as Educators
Starla (Schnurrer „72) Pioske was recently named
Teacher of the Year at the Sibley East Public Schools.
Superintendent John Langenbrunner, left, and
Elementary Principal Mari Lu Martens, right, are also
pictured. She is a fifth grade teacher at Sibley East
Public School. Pioske was selected by a faculty vote
and went on to compete for Minnesota Teacher of the
Year. Congratulations Starla!
Currently, 18 of our faculty and staff are
alumni of St. Mary‟s (including elementary
principal Mary (Hoffmann „78) Gangelhoff).

St. Mary‟s Recall
St. Mary‟s High School
104 St. Mary‟s Street NW
Sleepy Eye, MN 56085
507-794-4841
www.sesmschool.com
sesm_dev@sleepyeyetel.net
SMILES FROM EAR TO EAR!
Chuck Spaeth („72), Mike Carr and Elizabeth Havemeier
(„08) were eager participants in the 2008 Corn Days celebration as
they took part in the popular corn eating contest! Corn Days is
Sleepy Eye‟s annual summer celebration, featuring a parade,
music, kiddie games, a flea market, delicious food and, of course,
free corn! Planned by the Sleepy Eye Area Chamber of Commerce
(including alumnus Kelly Blick („00)), Corn Days is a fabulous
celebration for the whole family and takes place on August 21 and
22! This year, St. Mary‟s will join in the fun by having our annual
fall garage sale during the Corn Days weekend. The garage sale,
held at the school bus garage, will take place on August 20 and 21.
Don‟t miss these two great events of summer that will certainly
make you “smile from ear to ear”!
Return Service Requested
Non-profit
Organization
U.s. postage
Paid
Permit no. 36
Sleepy eye, mn
St. Mary’s Alumni and
Friends Golf Tournament
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Sleepy Eye Golf Club
Three-Person Best Ball
10:00 a.m. Start
To register your team, contact Mike Schmid
(„74) at 507-794-6556, Jerry Neubauer at
507-794-4121 (St. Mary‟s School), or Bruce
Woitas (507-220-0410)
Entry Fee (includes golf
and lunch):
$40 per person