Local Principal Retires After 50 Years of Service

Sister Carolyn Sieg Set to Retire from St. Joan of Arc after 50 Years of Service (Lisle) - On June 6th 2015, Sister Carolyn Sieg, a member of the Benedictine Order of Nuns will retire as principal of St. Joan of Arc in Lisle after 50 years at its helm. She has been instrumental in the stability and growth of this wonderful school and has been considered a legend by many who have come through the hallways over the past five decades. On Saturday, June 6th at 4:00 pm a special mass will be served in her honor as well as a reception at 5:30 pm following in the gym for all who want to attend and wish Sister Carolyn the best in her future endeavors. Sister Carolyn is a native of Lisle, Illinois. She grew up in town here on Walnut Avenue, one of seven children of Joseph and Catherine Sieg. She was the baby of the family and her mother used to call her the “joy of my life”. Sister Carolyn attended the local elementary school, St. Joan of Arc, where she was taught by the Benedictine Sisters. She recalls from her childhood that the Sisters were such gentle, fun-loving, prayerful women and she fell in love with the order. She reflects now that these teachers from her youth were responsible for her vocation. Sister Carolyn’s family maintained a tradition of service. Young Carolyn found herself spending her free time at the parish, in the school and with the Benedictines. She attended Sacred Heart Academy and entered the community in her teens. She continued her education with an undergraduate degree in education from St. Mary of the Woods and a masters in Administration from St. Thomas in St. Paul. Sister Carolyn put her education studies to good use in elementary schools in Fort Worth-Texas, Chicago and Cicero, Illinois. She taught every grade from first through eighth with the exception of second grade. This training served her well when, after teaching at St. Joan for three years, she was called by her Prioress to accept the job of principal at her childhood elementary school. She was a mere 26 years old when she accepted the job to lead St. Joan of Arc. Sister Carolyn says she reflected on the opportunity, decided that St. Joan of Arc had gifted her with her vocation and she needed to give back to that beloved school. She took the job and has been there ever since – 47 years of leadership that has seen the school to reach over 750 students at any given time, preschool through 8th grade, and one that now offers extended daycare and summer school. Sister Carolyn loves her work and her school is her passion. She sees her life as continual journey. She likes to describe herself as a perpetual student, attending education and professional development opportunities every year, as she expects of her staff. Sister Carolyn coined the phrase, "Tradition with Vision - which has become an all-embracing statement by which both the Parish and School have come to live by. She has been a loving and generous source of compassion and leadership at St. Joan of Arc school, and will be sorely missed as she takes on new endeavors with the Diocese. # # #