St. George School in Linn bestows six husbands with awards during Catholic Schools Week
The six men who received Distinguished Graduate Awards from St. George School in Linn this year have an unusually personal connection to the school.
Each is married to one of the teachers.
“The Sacrament of Marriage is a vocation,” Principal Lisa Grellner pointed out during a Catholic Schools Week award ceremony at the school. “Especially, if you marry a Catholic school teacher.”
She explained the rationale for honoring Kevin Grellner, Chris Jurd, Neil Loethen and Sam Reinkemeyer, who are St. George graduates, and Terry Johnson and Scott Wingrath, who were receiving honorary recognition.
Not only do all of them help pass the faith on to their own children, they also accept the sacrifices that come with having their wives teach in a Catholic school.
“They are also great examples of living out the call for stewardship,” said Mrs. Grellner, “which is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares these gifts in love of God and neighbor.”
Their work around the school is indispensable.
“These gentlemen get called upon to do a variety of things such as painting the school, cleaning classrooms, moving furniture, unclogging toilets, squeegeeing water out of a flooded science room (three or four times), cleaning gutters, fixing shelves, hanging flags and changing light bulbs,” Mrs. Grellner noted.
But even more important is the emotional support these men have provided to their wives, which has helped the school weather COVID shutdowns and other challenges.
“Teaching is changing and is a hard profession,” said Mrs. Grellner. “None of us could do our jobs if it were not for these gentlemen standing before us.
“They have supported their wives and are models for living out their vocation of married life,” she stated.
