Sacred Heart School Celebrates Its 90th Birthday This Week
Let’s all say Happy 90th Birthday to Sacred Heart Catholic School. Sacred Heart Catholic School opened its doors today on September 8, 1930, as a two-teacher school teaching six grades with 35 pupils.
No one could have known how educationally, spiritually, and fulfilling this school would play a part in our community for many, many years to come. Sacred Heart Catholic School has truly overcome the toils of time and has shown their community a labor of hope, love, and faith.
A Catholic Dream Come True
Sacred Heart Catholic School was the dream of Msgr. Zientek, who announced the establishment of a parochial school as one of his goals when he arrived in July 1928. The first parish rectory would then be converted into the classrooms and living quarters for the Sisters of the Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament of Victoria. The first two sisters were Sister Florence and Sister Paul. The following year, a third teacher and seventh grade were added to the school.
In 1937 the upcoming golden anniversary of the parish, which was first established on May 8, 1888, brought up the great determination of past parishioners for the need for a new school and Sisters’ home. On September 5, 1937, the dream was fulfilled, along with a new auditorium.
In 1940 when Texas public schools expanded to a 12-grade system, with elementary grades established as one through five and the junior high from six through eight, Sacred Heart Catholic School complied, and with that enrollment and faculty grew. With the increase of more students, a new lunch program was introduced and the auditorium had to be converted into the cafeteria. Also, the outreach of children from rural areas in 1952 leads to the purchase of the school’s first school bus.
Over time new additions were being considerably added to the school as enrollment reached 136 students in 1960. The auditorium became too small to be a cafeteria, so a new dining hall, along with a modern kitchen was added to the west side of the building. Two classrooms were added to the east side and the library was enlarged.
Under New Leadership
Sadly on July 29, 1966, the dedicated Msgr. Zientek passed away. In June of 1967 Father Harry Mazurkiewicz, who came to the parish in 1956 as an assistant pastor, became the pastor. Msgr. Mazurkiewicz kept the school’s goal of growing until his retirement in 2006. That same year the school was accredited by the state. The school does not discriminate against race, color, religion, or sex when accepting students or hiring teachers.
In 1969, through the hard work of Father Harry, who wanted to give all Sacred Heart students every advantage of learning, Sacred Heart and the La Grange Independent School District worked together to create a program for the junior high school students to attend the La Grange Junior High for physical education and science. These classes needed special equipment which was too costly for a small school. Following the increase in requirements for the school in 1972, the Sacred Heart Parent Teachers Association became the Parent Teachers Club or P.T.C., and the first school board was formed. Also to keep up with modern times air conditioning was installed in four rooms that same year.
Continuous Growth
Over the years Sacred Heart Catholic School continued to hit milestones of growth. Students from surrounding parishes would attend, including students from Hostyn Parish. In 1976 a sports program was started and another classroom was added to handle the growth. The first kindergarten class was started in 1978 and finally, in 1979 the cafeteria and kitchen were at last air-conditioned. That same year the school newspaper “Spotlight” was printed.
During this time the parishioners were able to provide a school with no tuition, however in 1982, with the rising cost of materials and operations, the decision was made to start charging tuition. Also that year, the Sacred Heart Center was built, which is now known as the Msgr. Harry Mazurkiewicz Sacred Heart Center and is used for P.E. classes, after school care, meetings, and various functions.
Several new and important steps for the school were taken in 1985. The first lay principal, Mrs. Sandra Stoever, was appointed for the 1985-86 school term. Also that year in the fall a pre-school program was started. In 1995 the school added on a pre-kindergarten annex behind the main building. The preschool program has continued to be a huge success even now. Additionally, the parish advisory board and the finance board decided to authorize the building of a new Educational Center. The new Educational Center was completed in 1987, which is the current one. It replaced the 48-year-old school building.
After Father Alberto Carbajal recently resigned Father Brian Phillips from Bryan started as Sacred Heart’s new priest on September 1. Father Phillips is looking forward to meeting everyone and getting to know the in and outs of Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Love, Memories, Traditions
Some might say that just about everyone in Fayette County has some kind of connection, memory, or tradition to Sacred Heart Catholic School whether it be through the church, past or current family members, or even brand new students starting their first year there regardless of the connection the school holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts.
Karen (Schertz) Janda, who attended Sacred Heart Catholic School from the mid-late ’60s to 1973, has many strong memories of her days there. “My favorite part of the day was lunch because the meals were always delicious and homemade. I especially enjoyed the homemade pizza and “tea ring” dessert made with cherries, nuts, and cinnamon.” She added, “Mrs. Bernice Svrcek and Mrs. Alfred Michalsky worked in the cafeteria and were really good cooks. I remember if the students ate all their food they could go back in line and get peanut butter and honey sandwiches, which were a great treat.” Another thing that Janda enjoyed was playing for the Sacred Heart Stingers softball team which was a really good softball team. They would travel to other towns and play other teams. Janda also shared that there was a fire escape on the right side of the building which was a long, fast slide and all the kids always looked forward to having fire drills because it was fun to slide down. Janda’s daughter in law Katie Janda whose children now attend as well said, “Our daughter Sophie has expressed to me how special it is that they get to go to Mass and learn about Jesus. That’s so heartwarming to hear.”
The school’s principal and former teacher LaDonna Voelkel who has just started her fifth year as the principal said, “I love that while Sacred Heart is a Catholic School, we welcome students/families of all faiths into our school family. The lifelong friendships and unity that are created make our school special.” Speaking of unity, Voelkel said one of the school’s best traditions that brings everyone together is the annual Christmas program which includes the Nativity where all the children participate. “This has been held for longer than anyone can remember and many return to see long after they performed in it,” said Voelkel.
Another former teacher Regina Keilers said, “There are so many things that I love about Sacred Heart. The small classes and the family atmosphere are close to the top of the list, but I feel that having Christ as the center of all the activities of the school is what made me not only keep my kids there but continue teaching there for several years after my kids had moved on.”
One special memory that sticks out to her is the memory of each year helping the 6th graders host a dinner for the teachers during Catholic Schools Week. “I was very involved with the planning and execution of that dinner. A fun part of that dinner was the entertainment provided by the 6th graders themselves,” said Keilers. Keilers added “One year we did a travel back in time theme using music from 1940-1990. The students learned songs and dance routines from those periods. I don’t know who had more fun, me or the students.”
No matter what memory or tradition you remember, maybe its the fall and spring festivals, selling Sally Foster items, getting in trouble with the sisters, going to church, or just putting on the uniform cherish them because you were and still are apart of a 90th celebration.
Legacy Lives On
Sacred Heart’s 90th birthday is a huge milestone and a large celebration was planned at the KC Hall unfortunately with the pandemic those plans are now on hold. However, the school is planning an event that will follow protocols later this fall.
Since the opening of Sacred Heart Catholic School many students, sisters, teachers, aides, and volunteers have passed through its halls and are a part of what makes the school such a resounding part of our community now. The willingness of these individuals to continue to learn and to teach faith, love, and hope is what has kept the school growing and becoming what it is today.
Principal LaDonna Voelkel said, “It is with great pride that for 90 years the school has provided a valued education for students, giving them a start in life toward fulfilling their dreams.” Katie Janda added that “Today you can find many alumni of Sacred Heart who are active in our community through business, government, education, and other entities and they have a strong desire to better our community every day. They truly mean it when they say that one of the mottos of Sacred Heart Catholic School is ‘Enter to learn, exit to lead’”.
The impact and legacy of Sacred Heart Catholic School still speak volumes throughout our community and Principal Voelkel can see that.
“The legacy of this great institution lives on in its students through recalling the faith of their early beginnings which strengthens the faith that lives on in their present. The commitment of parishioners in continuing to provide religious education for their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren ensures that the school will continue to change, grow and serve the community for years to come,” said Principal Voelkel.