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Feb.
2004 |
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Family
grateful for Catholic school values |
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Holzmanns
believe FACES provides academic excellence, sense of
stewardship |
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| SCHOOL SUPPORTERS
— Terry and Jennie Holzmann of Fond du Lac
are pictured with their children Isaac, left, Hannah,
Emma and Luke. The Holzmanns credit Fond du Lac
Area Catholic Education System with helping their
children connect faith with everyday life. (Submitted
photo) |
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FOND DU LAC — When 8-year-old Hannah
Holzmann wanted a new look last Christmas, and had her
almost waist-long hair cut back to just below her ears,
the Fond du Lac second grader donated her clipped hair
to the Locks of Love program. The program provides hairpieces
for children suffering from medical hair loss.
Her parents believe this sense of stewardship and concern
for others did not develop in Hannah by chance. Its seeds
were planted at home, and are now carefully cultivated
by her teachers who weave faith-based values into the
lives of their students at Fond du Lac Area Catholic Education
System (FACES).
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FACES is the pre-school through eighth grade Catholic
school system supported by Fond du Lac’s Holy Family
Parish and Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Parish in
North Fond du Lac. It’s composed of 500 students
from 350 families from Fond du Lac, North Fond du Lac,
Malone and surrounding communities.
“I have a good feeling when I drop my kids off for
school,” said Hannah’s father, Terry, general
manager of WFDL and WTCX Radio in Fond du Lac. Two of
Hannah’s siblings also attend FACES Primary Campus
— 5-year-old Luke is an all-day kindergartner, and
two days a week, 3-year-old Isaac is in preschool. Emma,
almost 2, will soon follow in their footsteps.
Their mother, Jennie, grew up in Fond du Lac and attended
the school her children now attend. “I went to school
in the same building,” she said. “I even had
some of the same teachers.” In fact, she said, the
daughter of one of her teachers is now a teacher herself
at FACES, alongside her mother. “It’s a testament
to (the teachers’) belief in Catholic education.
They could go anywhere to teach, but they chose a Catholic
school,” she said.
FACES
finds ways to make
education affordable
‘Foster-a-Student-Program’ is one
such effort |
Students at Fond du Lac
Area Catholic Education System (FACES) come from
all lifestyles and income levels. Annual tuition
rates are slightly more than $1,600, about $8.21
per day. Yet for many, this is an unaffordable amount.
FACES strives to serve all Fond du Lac area residents
who want a Catholic education for their children,
and through the generosity and stewardship of parishes,
alumni, families, and friends, distributed $108,655
in grants and scholarships to over 150 FACES families
for the 2003-4 school year.
In addition, $36,426 in tuition credits from the
SCRIP program were earned by FACES families and
friends. This program sells gift certificates to
be used as payment on everyday purchases such as
food, gas, and clothing. FACES buys these certificates
at a discount and sells them at face value, earning
a profit on the difference. When using SCRIP certificates,
which are actual store certificates, the purchase
is paid for with certificates instead of cash, check,
or credit card.
New for the 2003-4 school year is FACES “Foster-a-Student
Program.” Sponsors choose a specific child
or family they’d like to help financially,
or they have the school choose a family in need
of assistance for them. The gift is made as a one
time contribution, or a pledge to contribute a set
amount every month/week for one school year. While
the gift can be any amount, a chart is provided
indicating the cost of tuition per year ($1,642),
per half year ($821), per month ($164.20), and per
week ($41.05). The “foster parent” also
has the option to have their name included in their
student’s daily prayer intentions.
According to FACES development director Terry Letvinchuck,
the “Foster-a-Student Program” has 14
donors giving a total of $8,652, with individual
donations ranging from $5 to $5,000. Twenty-four
students from 13 different families are being assisted
by this program in the 2003-2004 school year.
For more information on the “Foster-a-Student
Program,” contact FACES Development Office
at (920) 922-3364.
— Karen Girard |
The Holzmann household is a flurry of activity. Four children
under age 9 — and one dog — add up to a lot
of constant motion. Toss in Scouts, sports, additional
jobs held by the parents (Jennie does the booking for
Record Entertainments, a mobile disc jockey service run
by the family, and Terry, a.k.a. Terry Davis, is an afternoon
announcer at one of the stations he manages), and there’s
not much time left over to make up for missed opportunities
to connect faith with everyday life. The Holzmanns count
on these connections being made in every aspect of their
children’s day at school.
“I just don’t know how it gets done,”
said Jennie, referring to the challenge of passing on
the Catholic faith to children without the help of their
school. She said there’s not enough time outside
of school hours to teach all the dimensions of faith,
if these lessons are not taking place in the children’s
daily school experience.
The children sometimes come home with lessons for their
parents, Terry said. Hannah learned about the Epiphany
of the Lord at school and insisted her family celebrate
the feast at home, too. The family acted out the story,
with Hannah as director and lead musician. “We had
costumes, props, and everything,” said Terry, who
played Joseph.
Jennie played the part of Mary, Luke was a wise man, and
Isaac, a shepherd. “Isaac was the best,” Hannah
said, “because he was quiet and kneeled and watched
for a long time.” Until he started poking people
with his staff, she said, but he’s only 3.
Hannah played the angel, although she explained she wasn’t
in the procession because she played piano during it.
Last fall, Terry wrote an essay for the Holy Family bulletin,
detailing his experiences with FACES. He wanted to reach
out to parents who are in the process of choosing a school
for their child, he said, and let them know that scholastic
excellence is only a starting point at FACES. In addition
to meeting or exceeding academic standards, he said, the
teachers are committed to the faith formation of their
students. “These teachers are on a mission from
God,” Terry said. “It’s not the money
that keeps them there — they are on a mission to
instill Catholic values into future generations.”
He pointed out that the teachers are more than qualified;
with their credentials, they could easily earn more teaching
somewhere else. But their motivation is the calling they
have to the ministry of Catholic education, he said. It
gives him a positive feeling to leave his children under
the guidance and care of FACES faculty and staff.
For Jennie and Terry, FACES’ vision — to raise
up young people who will be moral leaders in their community,
faith and family — falls in line with what they
envision for their children, and the assistance the school
gives them in raising their children is well worth the
relatively low tuition.
For Hannah, it’s all about community. “I like
my school because of the friends I have there, and that
I see them in school, and in church. And we pray together,
and play together,” she added. |
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