Advancement Board

“Love follows knowledge.” —St. Thomas Aquinas

Students who receive a Catholic education are better equipped to persevere through life’s challenges. It is within the Catholic school environment that students are nurtured to become successful in navigating these challenges while simultaneously fulfilling the Church’s mission to bring a passion to their Catholic faith and freely sharing it with others.

We are soon launching our 2022–2023 Annual Appeal to support the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School endowment fund. There are three endowments: Tuition Assistance, Teachers' Supplemental Income, and Capital Improvements. This year’s funds will be used to ensure the longevity of our Teachers’ Supplemental Income Plan. Our goal is to raise $120,000. Thanks to supporters like you, we believe it’s possible. Will you help us?

Great teachers are key in keeping our Catholic schools prevalent in our communities and a viable option for Preschool through 8th-grade education for families. We invite you to rally around our Saints Peter and Paul teachers to safeguard the SSPP Teachers’ Endowment Fund and honor our teachers for their dedication to the faithful work they do each day.

What is the Teachers’ Supplemental Income Plan?
The annual compensation of our teachers is set by the Diocese of Joliet Catholic Schools Office. There is a
significant gap in pay between our teachers’ diocesan Catholic school salaries and those of the local school
district. Our Teachers’ Endowment allows us to decrease this gap with a bonus based on their individual years of experience and education level. To illustrate, we are able to reduce the gap by approximately 8% for first-year teachers (bachelor's level education).

How does it impact our students now?
Funds raised through the Annual Appeal affords Saints Peter and Paul the ability to retain high-caliber teaching
staff and provide our students a rigorous faith-based education with personalized support.

Please prayerfully consider your ability to make a tax-deductible gift to this worthy cause today. 
Thank you for supporting our parish school.  
LETTERFLYERDONATE NOW

Thank you to alumni who were involved with the golf outing—from golfers and donations to in-kind tickets and sponsorship, your support is greatly appreciated!

See you next year!

Fr. Brad Inducts Frank Glowaty into the Saints Peter and Paul Grade School Hall of Honors

In 2014, after serving for thirty‐nine years as Principal at Saints Peter and Paul School, Frank Glowaty retired. As you are well aware, in the 2019‐20 school year, in a critical one in the life of our grade school, Mr. Glowaty graciously returned as Interim Principal making his tenure as Principal a perfect forty years.

For the past seven years, Frank has continued to serve our school in a part time capacity as Advancement Director. This June, following forty‐six years of dedicated service to our grade school community, Mr. Glowaty will retire from his part time role as Advancement Director.

Mr. Glowaty communicated to me that he was very well celebrated and honored when he retired from the grade school as Principal seven years ago. At this time, he told me that he just wanted to turn in his keys and walk into the sunset. Well, I have to respect Frank’s wishes, but not without extending to Frank an honor that is long overdue.

During Frank’s tenure at our school, he established our school’s Hall of Honors to recognize individuals who have done extraordinary service on behalf of our school. Well, I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of such an honor. During Frank’s leadership as Principal, our school experienced the pinnacle of its enrollment and achieved the distinction of being awarded Blue Ribbon School status in 2012. Mr. Glowaty was also the primary mover behind the establishment of our grade school’s three endowment funds, which will continue to serve generations of teachers and students for years to come.

Mr. Glowaty will forever by synonymous with the tradition of spiritual and academic excellence that is Saints Peter and Paul School. And it is my honor to induct Mr. Glowaty into our school’s Hall of Honors in recognition of his forty‐six years of vision, service, and leadership to Saints Peter and Paul School.

IN NOMINE MEO AWARD NOMINATIONS SOUGHT

Each spring Saints Peter & Paul School recognizes former school parents who made an immeasurable impact on our school during the years their children were students. Through their ongoing volunteer efforts, these parents displayed leadership, dedication, and service to our school.  Because of their efforts, our school and children benefited greatly.

The In Nomine Meo award is named in honor of Harold and Margaret Moser who left the school a major bequest as part of their ongoing commitment to helping Saints Peter & Paul School maintain a quality faith-filled education to our parish children.

IN NOMINE MEO NOMINATING FORM

IN NOMINE MEO AWARD PREVIOUS HONOREES

Our school has been blessed with many school families who have been extremely generous and supportive of helping our school by devoting tremendous amounts of their time and talent.  None, however, has a stronger resume than Mike Simmons.

Mike and his wife, Diane, sent three children through our school.  Between the time their eldest daughter, Katie, entered kindergarten in 1995 until their son, Jonathan, graduated in 2008, Mike amassed an amazing body of work in terms of the leadership he brought to our school.  All told, he served for six years each on both the School Board and Advancement Board, and was president for three years for each body.  Between those stints he spent a year on the Athletic Association.

Under Mike’s leadership there were many improvements to the physical plant including having the City of Naperville passing an ordinance that allows us to block Ellsworth St. to through traffic during school hours.  He also oversaw the transformation of the lower level of the elementary building from REO office space to a library and computer lab. His most notable achievement, however, was as the architect of the Professional Educators Benefit Plan (PEBP) renamed the Teachers Supplemental Income Plan in 2018.

The creation of the PEBP was an acknowledgment to the reality that we were going through a period in the late 1990’s when excellent teachers were resigning at an alarming rate.  Their exodus had nothing to do with lack of parent support, class size, or leadership.  Rather it was due to low salaries and teachers  being at the stage of their lives when they needed to begin preparing for upcoming college costs, provide for their retirement, and enjoy some of the creature comforts most take for granted.

Upon analyzing the situation, Mike informed his fellow School Board members that our teachers were earning, on average, only 60% of what they could earn in Naperville School District 203.  Our teachers were degreed, certified, and competent to be hired by any public school system but were being penalized for seeking to work in a faith-filled environment.  In essence, their low salaries were funding 40% of the true cost of educating our children.

As both a matter of social justice as well as a practical incentive to maintain a quality staff, Mike Simmons led the charge for the PEBP.  With a goal of bringing the teachers’ salaries, as an aggregate, to 80% of what they could make in D. 203, the bold plan he conceived supplements the diocesan based salaries and also builds in incentives for teachers to seek more education.

When Mike joined the Advancement Board, one of their main tasks was working with diocesan officials to rewrite the Trust Agreement which governs endowments for all school in the diocese.  The existing document at the time was so generic that it would leave all schools and parishes vulnerable to lawsuits.  Mike put together a team of knowledgeable finance people that served on our Board and who were also able to lead the diocese into a new trust document that not only protects assets, but also allows schools to do a three-year cost averaging of endowment balances as of December 31, thus ensuring that revenues will be available at all times, not just in the years when the stock market was strong.

For all of his efforts, Mike was inducted into our school’s Hall of Honors in 2012 at which time Advancement Director, Frank Glowaty, announced the creation of the Mike Simmons Good and Faithful Servant Award.  This award is presented annually at an all school Mass to a school parent who goes above and beyond in providing leadership for our school.
 

Mike Simmons Good and Faithful Servant Award Previous Honorees

2012 – Dave Fox
2013 –  Linda Griffith
2014 –  Shelly Jaros
2015 –  Jenny Knapp
2016 –  Denise Petty & John Scanlon
2017 – Jana Kubacki
2018 –  Brad Drendel
2019 - Kim McMahon
2020 -  Covid
2021 -  Tobias Schlueter
 

JEANNETTE GEHRS ‘89 

2021 NCEA DISTINGUISHED  GRADUATE

If you had to guess what kind of costume Jeannette DiGiovine Gehrs ’89 would be likely to wear on Halloween, you would be pretty accurate if you suggested the Energizer Bunny.

A dynamic individual, Jeannette has served our school community so faithfully and with such excellence over the years that she has been selected as the recipient of this year’s National Catholic Education Association’s Distinguished Graduate Award.

This annual honor, which has been a fixture since 1995, was bestowed upon Gehrs during the school 1:00 p.m. school Mass on Friday, April 16.

The mother of 4 alums, (David ’11, Daniel ’14, Isabella ’16, and Samuel ’20), she shows no signs of limiting her volunteering with Francesca (Gr.8), Carmen (Gr. 6), and Joseph (K) still in school.

When her oldest children were still in school, she helped out with the annual Auction by chairing Class Projects.  She was also a room mother and, since running was one of her passions, she began coaching cross country and track and continues to do so 8 years later. In 2018 she initiated the Mighty Trojans Run Club for our K-4 students who are ineligible to compete in interscholastic sports.

Prior to the 17-18 school year, Jeannette was elected Vice-President of the Home and School Association with the knowledge she would ascend to the Presidency the following year as that body’s Constitution stipulates. Because of the demands and responsibilities of the position, the term of both President and Vice-President are for only one year. However, circumstances led Fr. Brad to ask Jeannette to remain at the helm for two additional years. She, thus, has the distinction of working with three different principals----Karen Meskill, Frank Glowaty, and our current school leader, Tricia Weis.

“Jeanette's beautiful spirit, dedication, and humble leadership has truly made a difference at SSPP. I had great confidence knowing she was at the helm for HSA during my first year," noted the 1983 grad.

During the 2019-20 year, the inability to find an Auction chair meant the fundraiser fell to the parent organization. Jeannette readily pitched in not knowing what fate had in store for the Caddyshack themed event. One day prior to 350 parents gathering at Arrowhead Country Club to raise money for our school, the pandemic closed much of our society in turn causing Jeannette and her team to pivot away from an in-person fundraiser to a virtual one.

Rather than bemoan this predicament, she and her committee embraced it, worked tirelessly over the next 24 hours, and were still able to raise considerable money for her alma mater. “Our parents responded so enthusiastically in large fashion because of Jeannette,” noted Glowaty. “They knew how hard she had worked on the school’s behalf and wanted to support her efforts.” That virtual auction netted $113,500.

A restructuring of the four Leadership Boards last year also led to the Presidents of the Home & School, Advancement Board, and Athletic Association being appointed to a term on the School Board as voting members. Among Jeannette's newest responsibilities was helping the Board develop a new Strategic Plan for our school which included 35 impact action items.

With the Home and School committed to providing $85,000 to the school’s operational budget this year, and with the continued limitations on gatherings, Jeannette and her H&S officers again adjusted accordingly.

This fall saw the first-ever Trojan Stampede, a fun run, that netted $60,000. A mum sale brought in an additional $10,000, and another new offering, the Trojan Rally resulted in over $95,000 in profits. Besides meeting their financial obligation to the school, Jeannette and her Board approved allocating $39,000 toward the creation of a new Guided Reading Room and $10,000 to our new Pre-School which opens in August. This is on top of $10,000 they presented to Mrs. Weis last summer for various summer projects.

Lastly, Jeannette has also served the Naperville community with distinction. Years ago she was appointed my Mayor Pradel to the Transportation Advisory Board for which she served six years. She was also a member of the Bike Pedestrian Council. During her four years of service, BPAC expanded the DuPage River Trail from Cress Creek to Bolingbrook.

In recognition for her service to our school and Naperville community, we are proud to present the prestigious NCEA Distinguished Graduate Award to Jeannette Gehrs.
 

NCEA Distinguished Graduate Award Previous Honorees

Each year, during Catholic Schools Week, we recognize one of our successful alums by presenting the National Catholic Education Association’s Distinguished Graduate Award.

Previous inductees include:

2021     Jeannette DiGiovine Gehrs ‘89

2020     Bill Myers ‘93

2019     Phil Cabrera ‘67

2018      Tom Hayes ’80

2017       Kevin Neis ‘81

2016       Bill Hayes ‘84

2015       Bill Takahashi ‘88

2014       Lou Drendel ‘51

2013       Fr. Mark Mannion ‘78

2012       Marianne Lisson Kuhn ‘69

2011       Veronica Wohead Porter ‘72

2010       John Schmitt ‘63

2009       Ruthy Cooper O’Malley ‘85

2008       Jim Hayes ‘76

2007       Gary Baumgartner ‘64

2006       Mary Brahler Kuhn ‘74

2005       Dr. Tom DeLacey ‘74

2004       Judy Rechenmacher Chapleau ‘69

2003       Bill Esser ‘66

2002       Dave Rechenmacher ‘58

2001       Rob Koller ‘74

2000       John Case, Jr. ‘68

1999       Carolyn Lauing Finzer ‘61

1998       Sr. Suzanne Doolin ‘50

1997       Sr. Nancy Ulrich ‘52

1996       Jane Hein Moylan ‘64

1995       Teresa Doolin ‘52