Category: General

GRACE is delighted to announce that Principal Molly Mares of Notre Dame of De Pere Catholic School has been appointed to the Wisconsin Early Literacy Curriculum Council (WELCC). This esteemed council, formed under Wisconsin’s Act 20, focuses on advancing early literacy education across the state. As a council member, Mrs. Mares will contribute her expertise and leadership to help evaluate and recommend evidence-based literacy curricula, furthering efforts to improve reading proficiency among young students in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Early Literacy Curriculum Council (WELCC), established under Wisconsin 2023 Act 20, focuses on improving literacy outcomes for students across the state, particularly those in Pre-K to third grade. The council reviews, evaluates, and recommends evidence-based literacy curricula that align with scientific research on reading. Principal Mares’ participation on this council not only highlights her significant contributions to literacy education but also underscores the exceptional talent and commitment within the GRACE system.

“We are proud to announce the prestigious appointment of Principal Mares, recognizing her leadership and expertise,” said Kimberly A. Desotell, President of GRACE. “Mrs. Mares will play a pivotal role at the state level in advancing reading instruction. This honor highlights not only her significant contributions but also the exceptional talent within the GRACE system.”

For more information about the Wisconsin Early Literacy Curriculum Council and its initiatives, please visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s website at dpi.wi.gov/wi-reads/elcc-info

Learn more about Notre Dame of De Pere Catholic School here.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

Today, we’d like to spotlight the outstanding principal from Holy Cross Catholic School, Mrs. Kari Peterson! Join us in thanking her for her commitment to Catholic Education at HCS!

Holy Cross Catholic School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8). The school has open enrollment and is located on the Northeast side of Green Bay near the Town of Scott and is near the Red Smith neighborhood and Wequiock Falls.

Holy Cross provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. Learn more about HCS on their website.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

As part of GRACE’s preparation for the school year, Director of Student Services James Cullen and several of our School Counselors met to discuss a presentation with information pertaining to supporting students; participate in a Cullen Coffee Chat podcast for GRACE staff covering School Counselor topics; Career Exploration discussion; and notes pertaining to a CESA 7 workshop titled Question, Persuade, and Refer. The team is scheduled to have quarterly meetings throughout the school year.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

The 2024 GRACE: Gold Summer Camp season concluded at the end of July with a total of 86 students participating in camp sessions! The camp was created in 2019 with the goal of offering children a faith-filled option for the summer months that also provided quality educational experiences to campers and families. This goal is accomplished each year through the hard work of the amazing team of GRACE teachers who dedicate their time to developing and leading successful camp sessions.

This year, GRACE: Gold was held at Holy Family Catholic School with the support of St. Agnes Parish. Camp sessions were open to children in Grades Preschool through 8 with the most popular camps occurring at the Kindergarten, Grades 1-2, and Grades 3-5 age levels. A number of new-to-GRACE students attended camp this year as well with the goal to make new friends and meet GRACE teachers before the school year even started! 

New classes are offered each year to ensure camp offerings appeal to each child’s unique interests and to focus on age appropriate themes and skills that students will be able to take back to the classroom. In addition, it is GRACE: Gold’s aim to keep numbers at 15-20 students per camp class, depending on the age level of the class. This helps provide smaller class sizes and also maintains lower teacher-to-student ratios, ensuring the best camp experience for students and teachers. 

The camp teachers are the rock stars of the program, diligently planning for and engaging students in fun and meaningful sessions. The “Book Cooks” class, taught by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School teacher, Jessica Johnson, was popular with students in particular. Cooking and baking classes are always a hit with students at any grade level! Other standout classes were “Pickleball Champs,” taught by Father Allouez Catholic School teacher Malynn Tarczewski, “Alphabet Fun,” taught by Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School teacher Kassandra Baeten, and “Tech Trek,” taught by GRACE Tech Team member, Samantha Skifton. In addition, Wisconsin Dairy Promotions came in each week on Fridays to provide a healthy dairy treat and to teach students about the dairy and farming industry in our state.

Next year, the goal is to host full-day camp sessions again for families. This means campers will have class options to choose from that run from 8 AM-3 PM each day. Camp Director, Laura Blicharz, also stated the goal is to return to a four-week camp schedule instead of the three weeks that occurred this year. With a full-day camp schedule, Before and After School Care will also be an option again for parents and families. GRACE plans to have an even higher enrollment number next year, so keep an eye out for information on GRACE: Gold camp registration in the Spring!

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

Father Adam Bradley is a relative newcomer to the St. Bernard Parish community; one of the 23 supporting GRACE parishes. He was selected by our Bishop to become the pastor of the parish and school about nine months ago. During this time, he has enjoyed sharing his faith within the many areas of his position, including his church life and the school, fostering a good working relationship between both.

A full schedule greets Father Adam every day! It starts with prayer and Mass. Then, meetings with parish departments and groups, and visiting nursing homes and hospitals. Leading other sacramental preparation appointments, offering adoration and confessions, and dropping by the school are also parts of his usual routine.

Father sees a good rapport between St. Bernard Parish and the school that is fostered through his regular meetings with St. Bernard Catholic School Principal, David Gusloff. He states, “Mr. Gusloff is a very dynamic man. He works well with everyone and helps develop that sense of that we are a Catholic school. We want to do right by the Catholic Church and he has a good vision for that.” 

Part of that vision includes ideas to bring the school and the church together. This year’s Spring Fling was designed as a school and parish event in which the entire community would participate. Another collaboration between parish and school is the sacramental preparation that is conducted within the school setting, rather than within the church.

Father Adam describes his life right now as “really awesome.” He reflects upon his vocational journey by saying that it began in college. 

“I realized the Lord was calling me to something – it might be priesthood. College seminary was the time when I realized this is what the Lord wanted for me; I would give my life to God in a unique way.”

He comments that working with his brotherhood of priests in parish life is a great gift and a life-changing experience. 

“It is the most fulfilling thing.” 

Read other stories in the new GRACE Spring 2024 newsletter by clicking the button below.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

By Matt Riebe, Director of Athletics and Activities, GRACE

I am honored to have been welcomed into the GRACE community since I started in my role in November 2023. This brand-new position to spearhead system-wide athletics and activities resulted from efforts involving key focus areas of the GRACE Strategic Plan. My role at GRACE is focused on helping communication and collaboration between GRACE Schools and to the greater community. GRACE is blessed with so many amazing individuals who give their time and talents to creating positive learning experiences to help our students grow and enjoy being a part of something bigger than themselves. To start, I have focused on identifying needs and supporting athletics programs, but my aim is to work on growing GRACE school activities in the near future.

My first weeks in my role revolved around ingraining myself at each GRACE school community. I met with the principals and athletic directors at each school to gather perspective on what extracurricular opportunities are currently available, common challenges faced by each school, and ideas to help build system-wide athletics at GRACE. My work has focused on creating avenues of communication for site athletic directors, booster clubs, and parish staff to work together and share knowledge between other GRACE schools and communicate effectively. 

The end goal is to find a way to communicate effectively and to cultivate environments that lead to positive experiences for students. We are working to increase participation in athletics at each school and building bridges across the system to open opportunities to play as many sports that may not be available at every school. We want to showcase the great things our schools are doing for students.

The connection with our CatholicLink partners, St. Norbert College and Notre Dame Academy, has opened up tremendous experiences for our students. We are creating amazing experiences for our students to interact and learn from high school and college student-athletes. Through this partnership, all GRACE students can attend St. Norbert College and Notre Dame Academy athletics events for free! Student-athletes from both schools are eager to give back and we are opening up opportunities for some great experiences for GRACE students.

I am very excited for the future of athletics and activities and I hope you join in on the fun!

Accomplishments

• Met with administrators at every level of athletics at each GRACE School to better understand the system, share knowledge, and provide support & guidance
• Hosted 7th and 8th grade basketball and track and field championships at St. Norbert College
• Formed a booster club at Chesterton Academy to help guide growing athletics programs and engage the school community
• Created a communication hub for all athletics seasons on gracesystem.org
• Established partnerships with area organization to supplement referee pools for games
• Met with CatholicLink partners to set up numerous collaborations such as volunteer programs, event passes to SNC/NDA games, and facility rentals
• Held an archery clinic for middle and high school students at St. John the Baptist, which included students from every GRACE school
• Guided the Holy Family Booster Club in filling their athletic director role and served as their interim athletic director to support the leadership transition

Future goals

• Growth of activity offerings and create collaborations between schools
• Introducing the GRACE Athletics Handbook to better communicate common policies and showcase opportunities for students in all sports
• Fostering athletics participation and forming independent teams at St. John Paul II and St. Thomas More
• Seek out opportunities to play other Catholic schools in our diocese

At Chesterton Academy, our Catholic Classical high school, athletics and activities have started to grow with boys and girls basketball and golf teams that finished their second seasons, as well as a chess team that finished in the top ten in the state this spring. We will be starting cross country and track & field programs starting next year, guided by the newly-created booster club to help build the necessary structure to support students and create strong high school programs.

Read other stories in the new GRACE Spring 2024 newsletter by clicking the button below.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

The 2024-25 school year will be big for CatholicLeaders Academy (CLA). They are working closely with Becky Walker, the Diocese of Green Bay’s Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and her team to launch five cohorts within the Diocese of Green Bay. 

By the 2025-26 academic year, all schools in the Diocese of Green Bay will have been through CLA. With thanks to the Diocesan team, a pilot cohort in the Diocese of Madison is also launching this fall. This is the first launch of multiple cohorts and the first cohort outside of our Diocese. The CLA and Diocesan team members are working hard to ensure a successful scaled launch. Stay tuned for updates and outcomes!

CatholicLink is an innovative, preschool-through-college partnership of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) school system, Notre Dame Academy and St. Norbert College, with the mission of attaining world-class Catholic education in the greater Green Bay area. Learn more about the CatholicLink program here.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

It is with immense joy and a spirit of anticipation that we announce the appointment of Mr. Francis Dempsey as the new Principal of Father Allouez Catholic School, commencing July 1, 2024 before the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.

Mr. Dempsey brings with him a wealth of experience and a profound commitment to Catholic education. In recent years, he has served diligently as the principal of St. Dominic Catholic School in Brookfield, WI, under the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Prior to his principalship, he began his career right here at GRACE’s St. Thomas More Catholic School and St. Matthew’s Catholic School (now known as Father Allouez Catholic School) before he dedicated over seven years to teaching Social Studies in both public and Catholic schools in the Milwaukee area.

A proud alumnus of St. Norbert College, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in History and holds a Secondary Education Certification, Mr. Dempsey continued his academic journey at Marquette University, attaining a Masters of Education in Educational Policy and Leadership. His educational background, coupled with his devotion to Catholic values, makes him an exceptional choice to lead our Father Allouez Catholic School community.

Mr. Dempsey and his family are eager to return to the Green Bay area, bringing with them a renewed enthusiasm to serve our beloved GRACE community. A fun fact about Mr. Dempsey is that he also works with the National Football League as a Real-Time Entry (RTE) Statistician, providing real-time statistics from the field during Green Bay Packers home games!

GRACE President Desotell stated, “As distinguished principal Kay Franz retires after a long standing career of service, we are thrilled to announce Mr. Dempsey as our new principal. With his unwavering dedication to Catholic values, commitment to fostering academic excellence, and passion for nurturing a supportive school community, he possesses the foundational skills essential for guiding Father Allouez Catholic School into its next chapter.”

Mr. Dempsey shared, “I am overjoyed and humbled to (re)join the Father Allouez Catholic School Community after a few years away. I believe in a strong partnership between school families and our administration and teachers so that, ultimately, our students succeed. Together, I know that we will do wonderful things that will continue to make the FACS community strong and serve as an exemplar in GRACE and the greater Green Bay Area. I am looking forward to meeting you all and partnering together on this journey. God bless you all!”

As we embark on this new chapter together, let us extend a warm welcome to Mr. Francis Dempsey and his family. With faith as our guide and education as our mission, let us unite in prayerful support as we continue to nurture the hearts and minds of our students.

Read other stories in the new GRACE Spring 2024 newsletter by clicking the button below.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

By Samantha Skifton, Technology Integration Specialist, GRACE

Artificial Intelligence. If you read those words and immediately think that it can’t be good for the future of education, many would likely agree. Artificial Intelligence (AI) hit the world like a tidal wave in November of 2022 thanks to ChatGPT, a chat-based platform that can instantly generate text. There are a few common misconceptions we would like to clarify. First, AI is not a new creation. It has been part of the technological world since 1950, albeit in different forms. Second, you use AI almost daily and might not realize it. Do you ask Siri or Alexa to play your favorite songs or to schedule a reminder? Have you ever Googled something? Has your digital map recommended the shortest route? And don’t get me started on personalized ads! These daily tasks all use AI to some degree.

GRACE’s Technology Services team was tasked with researching AI at the start of the school year. Immediately hundreds of questions posed threats to how we view education. Did students need to hand write essays? Was this something that students or staff should even use? The questions didn’t stop, and neither did we. We knew that AI couldn’t be brushed under the rug for another day. Our investigation started exactly where it should: with our faith. Pope Francis has been addressing AI since 2016, and throughout that time his opinion hasn’t changed: AI is a gift from God which needs to serve our human potential and will challenge our teaching methods, however we are called to use AI morally and ethically to promote critical thinking (Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the “Minerva Dialogues”, March 2023). 

Our focus became finding AI tools that were created specifically for educators. These tools save our teachers something precious: time. AI provides an almost instantaneous digital assistant to our teachers. The teacher who used to spend three hours creating review materials for students can now create a starting point in seconds. The first-year teacher who wants to create a project based on the novel Wonder has a multitude of ideas in minutes. The teacher who wants to give each student a personalized Christmas story can save hours of time creating them.

There are a few things we would like to affirm. We discourage teachers from distributing AI materials without first editing and making materials their own. AI is a starting point not the final draft. The use of ChatGPT is discouraged for all because, quite honestly, there are better tools available. As for students, the expectation is that their assigned work be original, not AI generated.  Blocking or banning use is almost impossible, instead the focus within the classroom is exhibiting academic honesty while demonstrating skill mastery.

We have before us a rare opportunity to pioneer an ethical and moral use of AI for education grounded in our GRACE mission. Our teachers will focus on utilizing AI to enhance academic rigor, professionalism, effectiveness, and evangelization while striving for excellence.

Read other stories in the new GRACE Spring 2024 newsletter by clicking the button below.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.

By Deacon Dan Gray, Middle School Teacher, Holy Family Catholic School

On the Sunday after Easter, we hear the familiar story of Jesus appearing to his disciples in the locked room. Thomas is not present and when he returns and is told of the encounter, he reacts with disbelief. He asks for proof. He wants to see and feel and hear it directly before he will buy the story. Later, when Jesus appears and invites Thomas to touch his wounds, Thomas’ heartfelt and humble response is “my Lord and My God!”. What powerful words! Thomas recognizes the real presence of Jesus in his midst. 

Thomas is often disparaged for his initial skepticism about the reality of Jesus fully and physically present. His name has become synonymous with disbelief: a “Doubting Thomas”. I find this a bit unfair, why should he have believed such a far fetched story? He knew Jesus was dead. He knew that he would never be able to encounter him again. And yet it happened. The real presence of Jesus Christ in front of him, body, blood, soul and divinity. How lucky Thomas was to have this encounter! This very personal physical encounter with the one that he now knew for sure was God present. How interesting it would have been to observe this encounter. To see the joy on the face of Thomas and to see the reaction of the other disciples. 

What does this story mean for us today? I think it is particularly appropriate to contemplate when we realize the struggle that many are having in recognizing that Jesus is physically present for them. We hear disturbing statistics about the number of Catholics who are having difficulty understanding the reality of Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. While it is not good to read these statistics, I think they give Catholic educators a unique opportunity. 

This summer, I will have the privilege of representing Catholic educators from the Green Bay Diocese and particularly GRACE at the National Eucharistic Revival in Indianapolis. It promises to be a time of learning and energizing and renewal. I am excited to be able to bring back to this Diocese what I encounter. I am excited to be a part of an event that is wholly focused on the reality of Christ present in the Eucharist, and I cannot wait for the opportunity to help others understand what Jesus has given us. I cannot wait to share this experience with our students, our faculty and staff, our supporters, and the members of my home parishes of St. James in Cooperstown and St. Joseph Kellenersville. 

In the end, my real hope is that when each of us encounters Christ’s present body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist, we not only say amen, yes I believe. I hope that we will also echo the words of Thomas: My Lord and My God.

Read other stories in the new GRACE Spring 2024 newsletter by clicking the button below.

The Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System consists of nine schools. We focus on the development of each student grounded in our foundation of Catholic faith for grades PK3-10.

Our mission continues to evolve in these unique times as we embrace new technologies, deliver innovative teaching and learning strategies, and hire exceptional faculty and staff dedicated to the vocation of education. Our current GRACE Strategic Plan outlines action steps in the areas of faith, academics, vitality and experience that have assisted us to enjoy enrollment growth over the past five years.

Please know you are always welcome to visit our schools to learn more about our offerings and the culture that makes each of our GRACE schools unique. The rewards of a Catholic education are endless. The gift of a Catholic education prepares your child and will remain with them throughout their life. Learn more about us here.