The Tradition May 2015 Family, Faith, For You...For Life!

2014-15

Academic &

Student

Successes

2-9

Faculty Awards 10-15

Student News 16-17

Benefit Auction

Cheers to

50 Years!

18-20

Scrip Program 22-23

Giving to

Saint Albert

24-25

Alumni

Open House

26

Class of 2015 100% of our seniors graduated.

96% will pursue higher education.

The top 10% of our senior class has

earned an average ACT score of 31.

The 54 members of our senior class

earned over $2.9 million in collegiate

scholarships and 94% of the collegiate

scholarships earned were awarded to

our students based on their academic

performance.

3,000+ service hours performed by the

members of this class throughout their

high school careers.

50% of the Class of 2015 participated

in a KAIROS retreat.

30% of the senior class participated in

the World Mission Project.

Page 2 The Tradition

Saint Albert prepares students for college, life by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Three graduating seniors credit their experience at

Saint Albert in preparing them for the next step in

their lives, despite the different directions they have

in mind.

Manny Onate is heading to Creighton University to

earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater in a

program that’s been picking up national recognition

recently.

Cody Goeser, the youngest of three children who

went through Saint Albert, is heading to Simpson

College in Indianola as an undecided major because

he likes the small-campus feel.

Tessa Punteney is traveling to the University of Ari-

zona to double major in anthropology and Spanish,

with the goal of going into forensic anthropology.

Each student found their Saint Albert experience

rewarding and each shared stories about how the

school had left an impression on their lives.

For Onate, teachers at Saint Albert helped him pre-

pare for auditions for schools, and he was able to

get into musical theater as an upperclassman—

including landing a leading role as Horton in

“Seussical” this year after having a primarily speak-

ing role as the Wizard of Oz in the eponymous pro-

duction.

“Saint Albert really offered a chance to go out and

try these things,” he said, adding that he wasn’t

really involved as a freshman or sophomore. He

said it would have been harder at another school

where more students were competing for opportuni-

ties. “Thankfully, junior year, I tried the musical

and I loved it.”

For Goeser, Saint Albert’s small-school culture

made Simpson appealing and he plans to leverage

the college credits he earned at Saint Albert to let

him explore options for a major. He is considering

physics after taking nearly every math and science

offering at his high school.

“I’m going to take a little bit of everything and see

what I enjoy,” he said, adding that he does believe

he will end up somewhere in a science field. He

said he hopes to pass the Advanced Placement

macro-and micro-economic tests to boost his in-

coming credits even further. “I should be able to

walk in as a sophomore; it just depends on how the

classes fall.”

For Punteney, watching television shows like

“CSI,” “Criminal Minds” and especially “Bones”

with her mom sparked an interest in a future career.

She said her dream job would be working for the

Department of Defense’s Joint POW/MIA Account-

ing Command, which works on identifying the re-

mains of fallen soldiers.

“It is really cool because you can go and uncover

Pictured: Cody Goeser participates as a member of

the Science Bowl team (top). Manny Onate plays

Horton in the 2014 Fall production Seussical the

Musical.

the past and figure out what happened,” she said, add-

ing that Arizona has an accelerated master’s program

and one of the top anthropology departments in the

country, helping her get a jump start on earning a

Ph.D. “With certain jobs you can find in that field,

you can go and help people and take their remains

home to their families.”

The seniors noted the benefits of Saint Albert’s four

pillars: spirituality, academics, service and enrich-

ment. Exploring extracurricular and co-curricular op-

portunities gave Onate the spark he needed to find his

passion, while strong academics helped set up Goeser

and Penteney for their future plans as well.

Service and faith were both infused in a recent mis-

sion trip the three students took along with a group of

their peers to the Dominion Republic, where they

helped impoverished residents build latrines and pour

floors as well as play with children trapped without

citizenship in limbo between Haiti and the Dominican

Republic, the two governments of Hispaniola.

Goeser said his takeaway from the trip was how im-

portant it is to be hospitable, because even in an area

where people had few possessions, they were always

willing to share and give to others.

“They’re a lot happier than about most people back

here in America,” he said.

Language was also a barriers for some students.

Goeser said he doesn’t know any Spanish but was

able to communicate “through hugs” and body lan-

guage. But Punteney’s background with a mom

who teachers English language learners at Thomas

Jefferson High School paid dividends.

“You could sort of communicate with the families,”

she said of learning a lot about the culture and rela-

tionships between the two countries. “I just took

away a great appreciation for the generosity of

people.”

Pictured: Tessa Punteney, Cody Goeser, Manny Onate, and the 2015 World Mission group, who traveled to the

Dominican Republic to build latrines for families in need.

The Tradition Page 3

The Tradition

Page 6 The Tradition

Tessa Punteney, a senior at St. Albert Catholic

High School, received a $2,500 award from the

National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

She was one of 2,500 Merit Scholars chosen from

a pool of 15,000 finalists as part of the 2015 Na-

tional Merit Scholarship Program for the awards

it makes directly. The winners are those judged

by the scholarship organization “to have the

strongest combination of accomplishments, skills,

and potential for success in rigorous college stud-

ies,” according to a press release.

The award is more meaningful for Punteney be-

cause it will offer her a full-tuition scholarship to

the University of Arizona. She said she already

had an offer for half-tuition before she was told of

the award last month.

“I’m really excited,” she said, pumping her arms

up and saying “yeah” when told about the award

by a school official. “I thought it was a huge

honor.”

Punteney said she plans to double major in an-

thropology and Spanish when she goes to Arizona

this fall.

She wants to go into forensic anthropology.

The National Merit Scholarship competition is

based on the results of the October 2013 admini-

stration of the Preliminary SAT/National Merit

Scholarship Qualifying Test to more than 1.4 mil-

lion juniors in about 22,000 high schools across

the country.

In February, Lewis Central High School senior

Hayley Dunlop was surprised by Iowa Sen. Mike

Gronstal with the announcement she was also

named a National Merit Scholar.

Nationally, about 4,100 college-sponsored Merit

Scholarship winners will be announced May 27

and July 13. About 7,600 students across the

country will earn a National Merit Scholarship,

with values totaling about $34 million.

Tess Punteney (‘15) announced as National Merit Scholar by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Pictured: Tessa Punteney poses for a senior portrait (left); plays a part in Seussical the Musical (middle);

visits the Dominican Republic on a mission trip (right).

For the 2015-16 school year, CTO

increased the maximum grant to

75% of the tuition.

See if your family qualifies!

apply at www.fairapp.com

visit Saint Albert’s cradle to college campus

receive notification of your financial assistance award for 2nd round consideration in September decide if your family will attend Saint Albert

SAINT ALBERT CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

helping make a Catholic education more affordable

invest in your child’s future

financial assistance

Family Size Maximum Income Family Size Maximum Income

Two $47,790 Five $85,230

Three $60,270 Six $97,710

Four $72,750 ***Seven $110,190

***For each additional dependent, add $12,480 to the maximum income.

Family size includes parent(s)/guardian(s) plus total number of dependents claimed on 2014 tax return.

Page 8 The Tradition

Saint Albert student to spend summer coding, writing in Iowa City by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Zoe Trager has a resume that would sparkle for a

high-school senior, but she’s only in eighth grade.

The St. Albert Middle School student has been ac-

cepted into two programs through the University of

Iowa this summer, which will have her travel to Iowa

City on back-to-back weeks to learn how to develop

applications for mobile devices and to improve her

creative writing in a course modeled after the univer-

sity’s world-renowned writer’s workshop program.

Trager was accepted into the Junior Scholars Institute

for the app design class and the Blank Scholars Insti-

tute for the creative writing course. Both programs

are competitive, requiring essays and nominations to

be accepted.

“I used to have a blog,” she said. “I don’t do it any-

more, but I had it for about a year and a half.”

Blogging helped hone Trager’s writing skills, she

said, although she is still nervous for the critiques

awaiting her at the Belin-Blank Center. Only one

student can be nominated from each school, accord-

ing to her teacher.

Going into the app design class, Trager has no experience with coding, she said, although she was part of

St. Albert’s First Lego League teams, which has some programming and design as students build robots

for a competition.

“I just always thought it was interesting,” she said. “I’m not coming with any ideas of what to make. I’m

expecting them to take us through all of it.”

Her father works with databases, she said, traveling across Iowa and Nebraska for sales pitches, which

has inspired her to want to have her own business someday. She said she enjoys being challenged and

controlling her schedule.

“I know I want to own my own business when I get older,” she said. “I have a lot of things I like to do.

So there are plenty of options.”

Pictured: Zoe Trager completes a writing exercise

for 8th grade Honors Language Arts.

The Tradition Page 9

One possibility is baking, which she en-

joys doing — and often she can be found

with cupcakes, her specialty, for her class-

mates at St. Albert. She said her grand-

mother bakes but her mom is more of a

cook.

Reading is another one of Trager’s hob-

bies. She is participating today in the mid-

dle school Battle of the Books contest, for

which she’s read more than half of the 20

book reading list.

“I got stuck reading a lot of historical fic-

tion and informational (texts), which I

don’t really like, so it was a struggle for

me,” she said. “I read a lot. I like realistic

fiction.”

Among her favorites are John Green and

Rainbow Rowell, she said. Teacher Michelle Kavars said Trager has a special interest in reading banned or

challenged books.

“My goal is to read all the 100 most banned books of the last decade,” Trager said. “They’re banned for a rea-

son. I want to see why they’re banned, because obviously they have to have some sort of message that people

don’t want.”

Some of the best books – including works like “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Eleanor & Park” – have been

banned, she said.

At St. Albert, Trager also participates in basketball and track, and she has been cast in the high school musi-

cals. She is involved with a newly formed debate club, and she also competed in Math Counts and the Diocese

of Des Moines Science Bowl.

A musician, too, she was named to the Southwest Iowa Honor Band and the Southwest Iowa Honors Choir,

she said. Both are audition-based, Kavars said, and an impressive feat on top of her other accolades.

Through Kavars’ high-ability learner program, Trager also takes an online high school psychology course,

which she will continue as an Advanced Placement course as a freshman next year.

Additionally, Trager just found out she was accepted into a fashion sewing camp offered through Iowa State

University modeled on “Project Runway.”

“I want to go with,” Kavars said when she heard the news. “Zoe’s interested in everything.”

Pictured: Zoe was selected to be a part of junior high Honor Band this

year. She has been selected for various Honor Band and Honor Choir

performances, and has been cast in the high school musicals.

Page 10 The Tradition

Saint Albert names campus minister its top teacher by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Cindy Assmann has spent her entire career at St. Albert

Catholic Schools, and she has no plans to go anywhere else.

The school’s campus minister was given its Teacher of the

Year award last Wednesday following a Mass for teacher

appreciation week. The award is based on excellence in

teaching, inspiring and enriching colleagues’ professional

lives and serving as a Christian role model at the school.

This year marks Assmann’s 32nd at St. Albert, including

10 years teaching fourth grade and 19 years at sixth grade.

“This is my only job that I’ve had,” she said. “I always tell

people I have the best job in the world here. I love my job.”

Assmann has served as the campus minister for the past

three years. She teaches sophomore and junior religion as

well as a campus ministry class that helps prepare for Mass,

organize service events and put up information on bulletin

boards throughout the liturgical year.

“They’re learning to be servant leaders and also draw forth from our study body that idea of serving others and

being excited about our faith,” she said.

The decision to go into education was made after she attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Earling through

eight grade and Harlan Community High School. (St. Joseph is now part of Shelby County Catholic School,

and she said no Catholic high school served the area when she grew up.)

She then went to the University of Northern Iowa. She had always liked school even if she didn’t get the best

grades, she said.

“I wasn’t the best student, and I wanted to be able to make a difference for students,” Assmann said. “I just

wanted to make learning fun for kids.”

She landed a job at St. Albert in part because she knew the principal for the intermediate school, and with

three decades behind her she’s become part of the building — partly in a literal sense.

As campus minister, she has helped grow the Kairos retreats, and students decorate a ceiling tile for her room

each session. Kairos means God’s time, she said, and she said it’s becoming part of the school’s fabric.

“Now we’re up to our fifth one,” Assmann said. “The excitement about that is growing, and it’s changing the

culture of our school.”

At the ceremony last week, she said she was moved by all the comments from people nominating her — kind

words from students, colleagues and parents. She said the award was thanks to St. Albert’s community,

though.

“I attribute my being successful to all of the people willing to say ‘yes,’” she said. “I have been working to-

ward this role my whole career.”

Pictured: Cindy Assmann celebrates her award

with her Christ’s Mission Continues class.

Dr. Luvern Gubbels dedicated his life - nearly 50

years of his career - attending to children, parents,

bishops and dioceses by working in and promoting

Catholic education.

After serving nearly a third of his career with the peo-

ple of the Diocese of Des Moines, the diocesan

Schools Superintendent Dr. Gubbels announced he

will retire at the end of the school year in June 2015.

"My first response to Dr. Gubbels, when he told me of

his retirement plans, was one of gratitude," said Bishop

Richard Pates. "He has served generously and capably

for19 years in the diocese and has helped to guide our

schools through many challenges. Our schools remain

strong with a solid Catholic identity and outstanding

academic achievement. Dr. Gubbels has played an in-

strumental role in reaching such a status."

Dr. Gubbels accomplished much during his years in

the Diocese of Des Moines. He facilitated the creation

of standards, benchmarks and grade/course level ex-

pectations for all curriculum areas, facilitated the crea-

tion and implementation of a standards-based reporting

system, created a schools marketing committee worked

with diocesan and local boards of education and school

boards, represented the accredited nonpublic school

administrators for Heartland AEA, served on the Polk

County Empowerment Board and was a member of the

Iowa Religious Media board of directors. He serves on

the board of Iowa Alliance for Choice in Education.

He has been a strong advocate for financial aid for

families that want to send their children to Catholic

schools. Dr. Gubbels has supported the financial aid

programs Project HOPE and the Catholic Tuition Or-

ganization, and has advocated for Iowa ACE, which

lobbies state legislators for funding for nonpublic

school families.

A product of Catholic schools, Dr. Gubbels followed

his passion for Catholic education. After graduating

from St. John Vianney Seminary in Elkhorn, Neb., he

earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Concep-

tion Seminary in Conception, Mo. and continued at the

seminary before discerning that priesthood was not his

vocation.

He began his career teaching at his hometown school

in Randolph, Nebraska at St. Francis de Chantel

Catholic Grade School. He also taught at Archbishop

Rummel High School in Omaha before earning a mas-

ter's degree in administration and a specialist degree in

education from the University of Nebraska - Omaha.

He earned his doctorate in administration, curriculum

and administration from the University of Nebraska,

Lincoln. He served as principal of Holy Name School

(pre-K- 12) and St. Robert Bellarmine Grade School,

then was the coordinator for Catholic Southwest

School, all in Omaha. He served as the director of

Catholic schools for the Diocese of Winona, Minn.

before coming to Des Moines.

In retirement, Dr. Gubbels plans to find ways to con-

tinue to serve in Catholic education on a voluntary ba-

sis in Omaha.

Longtime Diocesan Schools Superintendent Retiring By Anne Marie Cox, Office of Communications of the Diocese of Des Moines

Pictured: Dr. Luvern Gubbels being presented with the

Saint Albert Award at graduation by principal David

Schweitzer as Anne Rohling, Area Board president, and

Bishop Pates look on. This annual award recognizes an

individual who has supported Saint Albert Catholic

School through work as a Priest/Pastor, Administrator,

teacher, school staff, Board member, etc. Recipients

typically have served Saint Albert in various capacities

for over 25 years.

Page 12 The Tradition

Monahan’s office at St. Albert a reflection of his career by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Sitting in his office at St. Albert Catholic Schools on Monday af-

ternoon, the Rev. Paul Monahan is surrounded by mementoes. A

birthday card wishing him a happy 81st year is posted on a bulle-

tin board, and photos from his basketball coaching days are on his

desk.

Also on his desk is a hand-written calendar marked up with ap-

pointments to visit students, along with a small stack of gradua-

tion party invitations.

A drawing by former Mayor Tom Hanafan’s grandson hangs on

the wall, as does a signed poster from a heavyweight title fight

held May 25, 1972, at the Omaha Civic Auditorium between Joe

Fraizer and St. Albert’s own Ron Stander.

(An aside, not uncommon for the school’s senior chaplain, might

note that the fight between Smokin’ Joe and The Council Bluffs

Butcher ended with Stander losing by a technical knockout. Fra-

izer lost the heavyweight title at his next fight, which was Jan. 22, 1973, to George Foreman.)

One recent addition to Father Paul’s office, hanging proudly as of Monday, is the Freddie Falcon Award, recogniz-

ing those who have supported St. Albert through personal effort and leadership.

Monahan received the award Saturday during the school’s 34th annual benefit auction at the Mid-America Center.

He received a standing ovation for the honor, which he said Monday he felt he didn’t really deserve.

“I felt I was just doing my job,” he said. “I was doing what I felt the Lord called me to do, and I want to keep do-

ing that. That’s why I’m here right now.”

He said God wants him to imitate Jesus’ example and lifestyle, and his service to the students of St. Albert is part

of his purpose on earth.

“Other retired people could be doing other things,” he said. “I want to do what I felt God asked me to do as long as

I can. That’s the bottom line. “

Of the carefully selected pieces hanging in Monahan’s office, one notable absence is a word of the day, which was

once a fixture outside the office that, 50 years later, is the same office he had when he was first assigned to the

school as its dean of boys.

“If these walls could talk,” he said. “I started out in this office, and in my twilight years, if you will, I’m here in

the same office.”

Students who got in trouble, he said, had to copy the word posted on the bulletin board along with its dictionary

definition 25 times as punishment. Those who got in bigger trouble might have a visit with Monahan against a

locker for “discipline in the old-fashioned way.”

“It was an era where we could be a little bit more demanding,” he said. “That has changed a whole lot.”

Discipline in St. Albert is now something of a rarity, with only a handful of in-school suspensions doled out in a

given year, he said. Monahan said the school’s administration uses a lot of common sense, such as admonishing a

first offense for a uniform violation, building respect among the students.

“Kids are not grinding axes,” he said. “When you’ve got that going, then you have the parental support.”

Monahan was the junior varsity basketball coach, and he taught religion, Latin and once a section of American

literature. He then became principal of the school, which had by then dropped its segregation of boys and girls into

separate wings of the building.

Pictured: Fr. Monahan in his office on our

school’s campus.

Page 13 The Tradition

In 1975, his first year as principal, the bas-

ketball team won its first state tournament,

earning the first of the big trophies in the

school’s display case. When the team took

the exit off Interstate 80, it was greeted with

a line of cars two miles long on Highway 6

and was escorted onto two fire trucks for a

victory parade to Bayliss Park for a recep-

tion.

“That was something,” he said. “That mem-

ory sticks in the mind, especially of the ath-

letes.”

Another memory from that era was when the school first received buses from the

Council Bluffs schools with automatic transmissions, which weren’t powerful

enough to haul children up the hill to St. Albert.

“That’s why we’ve got the sidewalk out there,” Monahan said.

He also remembers the smell and flavors of chili and cinnamon rolls at the school, as well as the challenge of doing his

first schedule by hand, taking time to match each student with each teacher.

Iowa Western Community College helped the school switch to using a computer, which were large back then, he said.

That was one of his big accomplishments as principal, an office he held until 1978.

Monahan also tells of an early morning he had while principal, receiving a phone call around 2 a.m. Someone broke into

the school and stolen a bunch of meat from the freezers, the police told him on the phone.

“The police didn’t know that I lived in the school,” he said. “So I threw on a robe and I came out the door into the hall-

way just as a police officer went by.”

Within a split second, the situation changes: “I’m looking at a .38 right this far away from me,” Monahan says while

holding his hands together showing how huge the gun appeared.

“That certainly was a memory that has stuck with me for many years,” he said.

In 1979, Monahan was reassigned from St. Albert to be the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish in Avoca as part of the bishop’s

plan to rotate priests about every seven years.

Monahan said he wanted to go to Glenwood, but he didn’t hear back from Des Moines about a placement. He was vaca-

tioning in Hawaii when he got the call to go to Avoca, which he did for seven years.

His next stop was as pastor of Holy Family Parish in Council Bluffs, which he did for several years until a position

opened in the Holy Rosary Parish in Glenwood, where he finished out his last decade as a pastor.

“It’s a really nice place,” he said, adding that he returned to Council Bluffs in retirement to be around friends, although

he never went too far from the community after teaching at Dowling Catholic School in Des Moines after seminary in

Dubuque and orientation.

Monahan is originally from Portsmouth, where he attended St. Mary’s Catholic School. (His original parish is now a

feeder to Shelby County Catholic School in Harlan.) He celebrated 50 years of ordination in June 2010 with a special

Mass held at St. Albert.

His role today is as the school’s senior chaplain, guiding students with their faith and assisting with Mass and liturgies,

reconciliation and retreat days. Earlier Monday, he said, he met with a student whose boyfriend just broke up with her,

and he frequently texts former students to stay connected, using an old-school flip phone on his desk.

In preparation for a recent retreat for the school’s seniors, he sent texts to several former students he talks with, and he

received back five emails with advice for St. Albert’s graduating class.

“I read those to these kids,” he said. “We had talked about what to expect for next year.”

One thing they should expect, though, is that Monahan’s door will remain open to them, and his words of encourage-

ment will continue to live on as well.

Pictured: Fr. Monahan celebrates the

Eucharist at Saint Albert in the early

1970s (left) and celebrates Ash

Wednesday Mass in 2015 (right).

Saint Albert Catholic Schools’ president announced

he will step down next summer.

In about 13 months, Joe Connolly will step down as

president and Dave Schweitzer, St. Albert’s current

middle and high school principal, will be named the

Council Bluffs school’s new leader.

Connolly will remain at the school when the transi-

tion takes place, effective July 1, 2016, as president

emeritus of the school. The part-time role will report

to Schweitzer and will focus on development and

school improvement projects, according to an email

sent to the St. Albert community.

A search will begin immediately for a new middle

and high school principal, although the position

won’t be filled until July 1, 2016. Bishop Richard

Pates and the Council Bluffs Area Board of Catholic

Education have approved the plan, Connolly said,

along with input from the diocesan superintendent.

“In January, I met with Bishop Pates, and we discussed my personal plans for the future,” Connolly said

in the email. “He strongly encouraged me to develop a leadership succession plan so St. Albert Catholic

School would not lose the positive momentum and maintain continuity into the future when I retire from

the role of president.”

No immediate changes will take place, and the school does not have any other planned administrative

changes at this time. Connolly, a 1975 alumnus of the school, was appointed president on May 1, 2011.

Schweitzer, who served as principal of Kirn Middle School from 2002 to 2012, took his current position

at St. Albert on July 1, 2012. Connolly said he’s “been a part of the great things” happening at St. Albert

and has deep community connections.

“Join me in congratulating Mr. Schweitzer as he begins the transition to president over the next year,”

Connolly said. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the job.”

Pictured: Bishop Pates blesses President Joe Connolly

(‘75) in his induction ceremony on August 25, 2011.

The celebration occurred during the first all-school

mass of the 2011-2012 school year.

Leadership transition, effective July 2016

Page 14

With warm wishes for Dale Poole, Saint Albert Catholic

Schools is excited for him and his family to announce his

retirement after 20+ years of employee service and after 50+

years of involvement in our community.

Dale has been an active and dedicated member of the Saint

Albert community since the 1970s as first a parent and a

Queen of Apostles parishioner with his wife Mary Ann.

Dale and Mary Ann raised five children, all who attended

Saint Albert Catholic Schools and he has five grandchildren

who have or are currently attending Saint Albert.

In 1994, a year after his youngest son graduated from Saint

Albert, Dale was hired to run the maintenance program at

the Saint Albert Primary on 9th Ave and the Intermediate

building at Queen of Apostles. When the schools consoli-

dated in the late 1990s, he began working on our Gleason

Ave campus.

Elementary principal, Anne Jensen, says Dale has been a

mentor to her.

“Dale is very knowledgeable when it comes to the building

and maintenance,” Jensen says. “He loves this school and

our students, and we love him.”

To Dale, being around our students was always the high-

light of his job. In addition to his job, Dale volunteered his

time and talent to many different activities and events to

benefit our students. He always enjoyed watching the sporting events and served as a member of the chain

gang for the football games from 40+ years.

His wife and he volunteered their time and their boat to the annual Benefit Auction for many years. A fan

favorite at the auction, the “River Cruise with Captain Dale and his Crew” featured a day of fun in the sun

with waterskiing, tubing, food and drinks for the luckiest highest bidder and their friends.

At the 2004 Benefit Auction, Dale and Mary Ann were awarded one of the highest honors Saint Albert has to

offer: the Freddie Falcon Award. Nominated by the auction chairs and approved by the school’s president,

the Freddie Falcon are individuals who have supported the fundraising efforts of the school through leader-

ship and first person efforts of fundraising events and projects. This award acknowledges the hands-on ef-

forts required for successful fundraising along with financial support. Recipients typically have at least a

decade of service/support for Saint Albert fundraising efforts.

Saint Albert is truly blessed to have Dale as a part of its community. The halls will not be the same without

Dale. His wonderful sense of humor makes everyone he meets a happier person.

“For the last 20 years, I have been able to call on Dale for just about anything- from a child being sick to the

water fountain not working. He truly cares about Saint Albert and all of the students,” says Mary Clouse,

colleague and friend for over 20 years.

“He will be terribly missed by all.”

Pictured: Dale Poole climbs a scaffold to install

four stained-glass window panels overlooking the

elementary entrance to the 2009 elementary and

daycare additions on the school’s Gleason cam-

pus. The stained glass had been part of the

school building at 29th Street and 9th Avenue,

where Saint Albert pre-kindergarten through

third grade children attended school.

Longtime supporter and employee Dale Poole retires Page 15

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students, and supporters who like us on Facebook!

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been published this month.

Search “St. Albert” to fan

us on Facebook.

Fan “St. Albert” on Facebook!

8th grade student, Emara Klein, en-

tered a poetry piece enti-

tled"Loneliness", which was chosen

to be published in the Lyrical Iowa

Poetry Magazine and entered in the

National Federation of State Poetry

Societies, Manningham Poetry Trust

Awards for 2015, from a pool of 257

submitted pieces. Emara's poem re-

ceived 5th Honorable Mention in the

2015 competition. Her poem was the

only Junior Division winner chosen

from Iowa! Congratulations Emara

on this great achievement!

May 22

Page 16 The Tradition

Our elementary and high school Stu-

dent Councils worked together to

create a Monarch Rescue Garden

funded by National Catholic Educa-

tion Association. Students also re-

ceived donations from Sherbondy's

Garden Center and several Saint Al-

bert grandparents.

The recipients of the 2014 NCEA

Monarch Rescue Schools Program

Grant will be researching, planning,

building, and maintaining the very

best monarch-friendly butterfly gar-

dens possible.

May 20

Congratulations to our junior high

Science Bowl Team, who placed 3rd

at the Diocesan science competition!

The team members (from left to

right) are Maggie King, Grace

Helton, Isaiah Moore, Zoe Trager,

and Gabby Burke.

May 1

14 of our students are currently tak-

ing the AP exam for English Litera-

ture and Composition. The final

exam score is reported on a scale of

1–5 and shows how well a student

has mastered the content of the

course. Students' scores are reported

to the college or university they

have designated on their answer

sheet.

May 6

Page 17 May 2015

New this year, Duct Tape Club

shows off its creativity by designing

an outfit made of duct tape! With

40+ enrichment and extracurricular

activities, Saint Albert offers some-

thing for everyone!

May 12

Page 18 The Tradition

The Saint Albert Catholic Schools’ 2015 Benefit

Auction grossed more than $200,000 in proceeds

for the school and its students.

The live auction brought in about $90,000, which

was more than had been raised in the past despite

the deliberate reduction in the number of items

from at least 70 to about 40. Most of the items

were donated.

A “band break” to raise money for the school’s

band brought in more than $13,000. Last year’s

technology break raised around $13,000 to launch

Project Lead the Way, the engineering program at

Saint Albert.

The décor of the Mid-America Center was a cross

between sophisticated and handmade, represent-

ing the juxtaposition of St. Albert Catholic

Schools’ family atmosphere and the community

support that has kept the school running strong

after five decades.

Saint Albert continued the celebration of its 50th

birthday – on a stage under lights spelling out

“Cheers to 50 Years” – during its 34th annual

Benefit Auction. Hundreds came out to support

the school, open their wallets and support scholar-

ships and other needs for the school.

Debbie Petersen, a Council Bluffs resident, said

she hadn’t attended in more than 20 years, but she

was invited by her friend Liz, mother of fourth-

grader Carley McKeever.

“We came out because her daughter is a student,

and she invited us,” Petersen said. “It’s a grand

night out and supports a good cause.”

A silent auction offered a variety of gifts for

school boosters, with the range including a wall

of gift certificates, “Frozen” memorabilia for the

children, portraits of the high school classes, art-

work made by each class of students, cutting

boards made from a 223-year-old oak tree do-

nated by the Munger family and a Bellini six-in-

one kitchen appliance.

The event also gave away an all-terrain vehicle,

and a super silent auction offered larger-ticket

items, such as free pizza for a year from Barley’s,

a horseback riding birthday party and an entire

outdoor dining table set. Bling boxes and wine

pulls offered a chance for big prizes as well.

The chair couple, Dr. Mark and Kim Otto,

thanked the army of volunteers who helped put on

the deck. Dr. Mark Otto also highlighted the

decorators, who left the MAC’s convention center

covered in enough glitter to put the average high

school prom celebration to shame.

The event also took a moment to recognize the

Rev. Paul Monahan, the honorary chair of the

auction and the recipient of this year’s Freddie

Auction marks golden year for Saint Albert by Scott Stewart, Nonpareil Education Reporter

Page 19 The Tradition

Falcon award winner. Monahan is the school’s sen-

ior chaplain and a former dean, teacher, counselor

and principal of Saint Albert.

When the school’s doors were first opened in 1964,

Monahan was assigned to the school, and he’s been

connected to Saint Albert throughout its entire his-

tory, even after he officially retired in 2004. He re-

ceived a standing ovation from the crowd when

President Joe Connolly made the announcement,

calling him a light fixture “shining brightly on our

school.”

Bishop Richard Pates also recognized those who

have contributed to Saint Albert’s history as well as

those who have built the values of the Council

Bluffs community over the past five decades.

“We come tonight in a celebration of tremendous,

tremendous education here in Council Bluffs,” Pates

said. “The next 50 years will be stronger than ever.

The Catholic identity will be sustained and strength-

ened.”

Pictured: Chair couple Dr. Mark and Kim Otto thank the

crowd (top right). Emcee Matt Madsen and Fr. Monahan,

2015 Freddie Falcon recipient, draw the winning ticket for

the Arctic Cat Prowler raffle (middle). Kathy Bogus, grand-

parent to Saint Albert students, wins the 2014 Arctic Cat

Prowler (bottom right). Bishop Pates speaks to the crowd

about Catholic education and Saint Albert’s rich 50 year

history (bottom left). Photos by Rob Peters Photography.

The Saint Albert Foundation Board offers its sincere thanks to all individuals who contributed to making

this year’s annual Benefit Auction a HUGE success! The auction is the school’s primary fundraiser and

its proceeds are used to offset the operating costs of the school. This year’s auction grossed over $200,000

with the live auction grossing $90,000 with a reduced number of 39 items.

This event’s great success would not have been possible without the leadership and fresh ideas of Mark

and Kim Otto, the 2015 chair couple, and the school’s staff, including President Connolly.

Our school’s annual Benefit Auction provides for a great time to build our community by working to-

gether on various committees while supporting our school’s mission. Thank you to all the individuals

who served on committees, giving their time and talent, and supporting our chair couple in various ways.

We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices you had to make to serve our school.

The success of the auction also depends on the financial support provided by the donors of items for the

silent and oral auctions, generous bidders and attendees, auction sponsors, class parties, and many others

who have given so generously to our school.

Lastly, thank you to all of you who prayed for the success of the auction. Faith is what our school is built

on. With many hands, whether praying or using them to serve, our tradition of excellence continues.

Thank you for providing an opportunity to build our community as well as support our school!

Saint Albert Foundation Board

Jon Heisterkamp

Kim Kouri

John McHale

Matt Madsen, secretary

Tim Munger

Ed Noethe

Mike Romano

Ed Shada, treasurer

Marty Shudak, president

Shari Springman, vice president

Mary Jo Weihs

Page 20 The Tradition

Foundation Board thanks auction chairs and volunteers

Pictured: High

school cheerleaders

with the event’s co-

emcee Jen Brown

(top). Matt Madsen,

co-emcee and Presi-

dent Joe Connolly

listen to Fr. Paul

Monahan as he ac-

cepts the Freddie

Falcon Award and

tells stories of his

tenure at Saint Al-

bert (below). All

photos taken by Rob

Peters Photography.

Page 21 The Tradition

“Having exchange students in our home is a wonderful experience. It’s a chance

for us to learn about new cultures, as well as, add positive dynamics to our

family. I believe it has helped all family members to be more accepting of others

around the world. We will always think openly and more positively towards the

countries of origin of our exchange kids. We are thankful that we chose to

participate in this program!”

Kimberly Bowman

Hosting international students Dan and Anh

Page 22 The Tradition

Scrip Program saves YOU money on tuition!

Let’s start with a simple scenario—you buy the

following items weekly for your household:

Purchase Rebate

Grocery Store $200.00 $6.00

Gas BP $100.00 $1.50

Total: $300.00 $7.50

In one week, you earned $3.75 off your tuition

bill and $3.75 for the school. In one month, you

personally save $15 off your tuition, and in one

year, you personally save $200 off your tuition.

If you are not a current Scrip user, we encourage

you to sign up for the program! You could save

hundreds off your tuition bill (for a current or fu-

ture child) simply by purchasing gas and grocer-

ies each week.

“The Scrip program is a wonderful opportunity to

reduce your tuition bill and raise money! With a

minimal amount of planning you can make a BIG

difference to your tuition bill and help support SA

without selling or buying anything that you don't

already use (e.g. groceries, gas, clothes, prescrip-

tions & restaurants)!” TJ Pattermann, Saint Albert

parent and past president of the Saint Albert

Educational Foundation.

Mrs. Gronstal encourages all families to start sav-

ing on their tuition. Scrip is a gift certificate or

pre-paid card that can used just like cash at the

retailer named on the card. The cards are sold to

Saint Albert at a discounted rate. This discounted

rate is from 2% to 25%. Saint Albert sells them

to people, like you, at face value. Saint Albert

then splits the discount betweens the school’s op-

erating budget and wherever the person buying

the scrip designates on their registration form –for

a student’s tuition, parish or tuition assistance.

For example, if you purchase a $100 No Frills gift

card, which gives back 4%, $2 goes straight off

your tuition bill and $2 goes to the school. Imag-

ine how much you could save off your tuition if

you ordered just $100 for groceries weekly!

There are over 250 national retailers who sell

scrip to Saint Albert. In addition, we have close

to 30 local retailers that sell us gift cards. A com-

plete list of retailers can be found on the Scrip

page of the school’s website. There are no fees to

buy scrip. The scrip order form shows the

amount of the discount the retailer gives to the

school.

We welcome Mrs. Gronstal as the new Scrip Co-

ordinator and look forward to her ideas to help

the Scrip Program continue to grow.

“It’s exciting to see how the Scrip Program is

Page 23 The Tradition

Scrip Program Saves YOU Money on Tuition

keeping up with technology and people’s needs

by offering various ways for people to order and

receive their gift cards – such as Scrip Now,

Presto Pay, and now Mobile Apps.”

Look for more news from Mrs. Gronstal and

check out the program details on

www.saintalbertschools.org under the Scrip Pro-

gram tab.

Please feel free to contact our Scrip office with

any questions at scrip@saintalbertschools.org or

by phone at 712-329-9000, extension 3.

Join the program today and start saving money!

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Scrip generate revenue for Saint

Albert?

Participating retailers agree to sell gift certificates

to Saint Albert at a discount. Families buy the

certificates at Saint Albert and redeem the certifi-

cates for full face value. Saint Albert keeps the

difference in the revenue. The percentage of

profit returned to Saint Albert varies from 2 to 17

percent depending on the retailer.

How does my family benefit from Scrip?

The revenue returned to Saint Albert from the

retailers will be split between the school's general

operating budget and tuition for a student or stu-

dents specified by participating families.

How many retailers are involved in the Scrip

program?

More than 200 retailers are involved in the pro-

gram. A list of local retailers (Council Bluffs and

Omaha) will be provided to participating families

when they sign up, and a complete list of all par-

ticipating retailers is available on the Shop with

Scrip website at www.shopwithscrip.com

How do I sign up?

Families can sign up by completing the Scrip

Waiver Form and returning it to the Business Of-

fice. The Scrip Office is open Mondays from 8

AM to 2 PM and Thursdays from 8 AM to 5:30

PM.

How do I order Scrip?

You may place your order online at

www.shopwithscrip.com or contact Lisa Gron-

stal, the Scrip Coordinator, at (712) 329-9000.

Orders are due by 12 PM (noon) each Monday

and then available for pick up on Thursdays.

Your order can also be sent home with your

child. Note: If you have more than one child en-

rolled at Saint Albert, please specify which child

the Scrip should be sent home with.

Lisa Gronstal, Scrip Coordinator

scrip@saintalbertschools.org

(712) 329-9000, ext 3

www.saintalbertschools.org for summer hours

Saint Albert Catholic Schools is very fortunate to have tremendous financial support from our parents,

alumni, parishes, and the community. This support greatly enhances our ability to offer students an excep-

tional learning experience that instills religious and family values in our students.

If you are consider giving to Saint Albert, please remember that your gift goes to a wonderful cause: our

mission of fostering spiritual, intellectual and physical growth for students. We are grateful to our donors

who have invested in the education and future of our students.

Annual Giving: Gifts to our annual appeal, the Hilltop Fund, are the most effective way to improve the

student experience on our Gleason campus.

The 2014 appeal raised over $68,000! The first $20,000 raised for the general operating budget and to

maintain our facilities. All funds over $20,000 will be used to enhance our current campus-wide safety

and security system by upgrading building access protection and cameras.

Benefit Auction & Raffle: This annual event is the school's largest fundraiser, and its proceeds are used

to improve the school's general operating budget.

The 2015 Benefit Auction Cheers to 50 Years grossed over $200,000 on April 25, 2015, at the Mid-

America Center in Council Bluffs.

Catholic Tuition Organization Donation: Help provide low income families with the opportunity to

give their children a Catholic education by giving a financial contribution to the Catholic Tuition Organi-

zation. You'll also receive a tax credit on both your Iowa and federal taxes.

Planned Giving: Thoughtful, long-term gift planning helps secure the future of Saint Albert and the high-

quality education it provides. Remember Saint Albert in your will.

Here is a sample bequest wording for your will (please share with your attorney):“I, [your name] or [city,

state, zip] give and bequeath to the Saint Albert Catholic School Foundation, whose legal address is 400

Gleason Avenue, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503, the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate (or a specific

percentage); or the sum of ___ dollars; or the following described property: ____________ to support the

mission of Saint Albert Catholic School.

Scholarships and Tuition Assistance: Your financial support ensures that a Saint Albert education is

accessible to any student who desires it, regardless of their financial resources. Approximately 30% of our

students receive tuition assistance.

Scrip Program: Families purchase the gift cards at face value and a percentage of the purchase is applied

to the school's operating budget and a percentage is applied to a tuition bill or parish of the customer's

choosing.

For more information on these giving options, please visit the Giving to Saint Albert tab on our website or

contact us at (712) 329-9000.

Page 24 The Tradition

Give to Saint Albert Catholic Schools

Page 25 The Tradition

Page 26 The Tradition

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at “StAlbertSchools”

SAINT ALBERT

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

Family, Faith, For You...For Life!

Follow President Connolly on

Twitter at “SaintAlbertPrez”

Saint Albert

Catholic Schools

400 Gleason Ave

Council Bluffs, IA

(712) 329-9000

saintalbertschools.org