St. Joseph School Lockport Principal to Receive Award

Miss Lynne Scheffler of St. Joseph School in Lockport, IL, will receive the 2016 Lead, Learn, and Proclaim Award from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for her dedication and commitment to excellence. The National Catholic Education Association is the professional organization which coordinates and assists the mission of all of the Catholic schools in our nation. As part of its role of promoting excellence in Catholic education, once a year the NCEA bestows awards which recognize the best educators to be found in our country’s Catholic schools, holding them up as an example and model “of excellence and distinguished service in Catholic school education.”

This March, Lynne Scheffler will be awarded the NCEA “Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award” in San Diego for her tireless quest for excellence as Principal of St. Joseph School. Only 32 Catholic educators in the entire country are to receive this award, and, of those 32, only eight are principals. Fr. Greg, pastor at St. Joseph finds this to be “a great honor for our school and what a testimony to Miss Scheffler’s 15 years of service to our children!” This award is given to recognize outstanding efforts, contributions, and achievements on behalf of Catholic school education. “Of course, for us at SJS, it is no surprise that Miss Scheffler has merited this award since we are all well aware of her tireless efforts to make SJS the best school it can possibly be. In 2010, when our school was awarded the US Department of Education Blue Ribbon of Excellence Award (one of only four schools in the Diocese of Joliet to receive such a distinction), we saw how her indefatigable dedication and quest for excellence bore fruit. This award confirms how much St. Joseph School benefits from her talents and drive.” shared Fr. Greg.

When Lynne Scheffler first learned of the honor of Lead, Learn, and Proclaim Award she shared, “Being chosen as a top principal in the nation by the NCEA took me completely by surprise and truly humbled me since I know that there are so many principals throughout the country who give so generously of their time and talent to guide and foster the work of Catholic education. To be honest, I am still in shock. To be recognized for simply the doing the work that I love and have been called to do is humbling. I am so grateful for the honor, but the true award goes to my staff. To build a great school….you need great teachers. I have them. I have dedicated families, parishioners, and alumni that assist in all of our endeavors to make St. Joseph a school of spiritual and academic excellence. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I am surrounded by the BEST of the BEST. I look forward to accepting the award on behalf of all the teachers, students, families, parishioners, and our alumni that helped me achieve this honor. There hasn’t been a day at St. Joseph that I haven’t experienced joy. I have never gone to “work.” I have always gone to school. The children make our school come alive each day, and our faithful environment enables me to give all the glory and praise to God St. Joseph School became home for me in 2000. I am surrounded by family. It really is the place for me to be. Receiving an award for doing what I love is just amazing me to me. I am so very grateful and thankful for the honor.”

This award marks the 3rd National Award in five years. To many of the SJS school families this comes as no surprise. Former school board president, Shawn Connors shared “The awards prove to me that my children are in the best hands every day. These are people who want to be there, share my values and put all of their heart into the education of my children.” Alumni parents Dave & Kathy Brightmore enjoyed 18 consecutive years at St. Joseph. As part of nomination process for the NCEA Lead, Learn, and Proclaim Award, the Brightmores explained, “Miss Lynne Scheffler has been a steadfast leader, a superior educator, and an outstanding role model for our children over the past 18 years. She has great vision, wisdom, and a unique ability to empower both adults and children to come together for the good of her St. Joseph mission. Her mission is simple. Provide a community that surrounds its children with Catholic values, educate these children in the best way possible, protect them at all costs, nurture them and love them like a parent. This of course is easier said than done, but somehow through her selfless dedication Miss Scheffler has done this for hundreds of families and students.” St. Joseph counts on the guidance and assistance of parent volunteers, Kate Michalski put it best when she shared, “It solidifies our choice to send our kids to SJS. It proves yet again that St. Joe’s has been paramount in teaching our children the values we hope to instill in them.”

As pastor for the past three years, Fr. Greg just marvels his experience. “What a gift we have in St. Joseph School! In just five years our little school has achieved three national awards for excellence: the Blue Ribbon, the Distinguished Pastor Award, and the Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award. There are such great things happening here at SJS; we hope to spread the word and invite more families to benefit from this “pearl of great price!”

About St. Joseph School

For almost 130 years, St. Joseph School has been successfully preparing children for their future with a strong Catholic faith, excellence in academics and commitment to the community and the world. Direct administration consists of the Pastor of the Parish, Fr. Gregory Rothfuchs and the Principal, Miss Lynne Scheffler. St. Joseph School is a Catholic School served dedicated lay teachers.

The mission of St. Joseph School, a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, is to build a Catholic environment that promotes excellence in learning and development of the whole person through the Gospel message. Together with parents, staff, and our parish community, we seek to form leaders by guiding our students to their highest levels of spiritual and academic potential. We offer an environment which encompasses a quality academic curriculum, mutual respect, intellectual curiosity, and service to others. For my information, visit: http://www.stjoeschool.com/.