Planning for the Future - 30 Years Ago

At the end of the 1982-83 academic year, Fr. Steinhausen, Principal Bob Bob Voboril and DRE Mary Schumacker RSCJ put out a 30 page report on the Parish's Educational Programs. They reported on the past and were planning for the future as Fr. Steinhausen wrote, "Our Parish School is second to none in the complete education of your children. Our program for public school children in Religious Education is the envy of every parish in the Archdiocese."

Among the happenings of the year

• 120 children attended Summer Bible School
• Catechist's manuals were written
• 109 candidates were confirmed including three adults from St. Joseph parish
• 110 children received First Communion
• The Home-School Association sponsored an Opening Night Mass and Picnic to begin the 1982-83 school year. Attendance was over 400.
• 5 new record players; 7 tape recorders, and 6 new listening centers were purchased.
• The 2nd annual Science exhibit was held.
• Achievement scores were above the national and Archdiocesan average.
• A math committee spent a year studying math curriculum and textbooks.
• A $2,00 grant was received to implement a physical education program that can be directed by classroom teachers.
• Two school buses served over 90 students daily.
• The student council organized student volunteers to answer the telephone and run errands during the noon hour while the secretary was in the lunch room.
• The annual uniform controversy was resolved when the uniform committee decided all students would be in uniforms. [Not just girls.]
• The student council raised $464 fora new school sign

The school had Revenue of $233,795.61 and Expenditures of $232,783.50 making it 24% of the parish budget. 65% of the expenditures were Salaries and Personnel with the base teacher salary being $8,760. 

In April 1983, the St. Columbkille School Board approved a report entitled St. Columbkille School: 2000. The Year 2000: Guidelines included:

• Sarpy County and the Papillion/La Vista areas in particular will grow at an annual rate exceeding 1%.
• La Vista will grow faster than Papillion through the 80's; Papillion will grow faster from the late 80's on.
• After 1990 Papillion will again make up nearly a majority of the parish population.
• Catholic school teachers will be catechists first.
• Creativity and Problem-Solving will be the thrust of the customized curriculum of the year 2000.
• Infusion of my curriculum with moral values will be a must; not a possability;
• Technology will drastically change the face of education.
• Very likely, the classrooms will be the site of education no more than 50% of the time.
• Schools will have to be as energy conscious as we are labor conscious today.
• Electronic or portable instruction will replace the bus as the bus replaced the boarding school.

An interesting sidenote was that Joe Klassen (as well as Sr. Agnes Marie Glissman) received the Catholic School Service Award. Joe passed away last week and his funeral was yesterday.