They have devoted their professional lives to modeling and teaching the values of their faith, teaching thousands of children they are good and challenging them to be even better.

Jeanette Holmes

Catholic education is in Jeanette Holmes’ very bones.

Holmes has worked as a Catholic school educator for 36 years, receiving her first taste of Catholic education as a kindergarten student.

“I have been immersed in Catholic education,” said Holmes, who retires as principal of Holy Trinity School in El Dorado Hills on June 30.

“The bonding that took place, the community aspect built into the all-girls high school I went to…has become an integral part of my life,” she said.

For a large part of Holmes’ experience as a Catholic educator she has worked simultaneously in school, parish and diocesan ministry.

Following graduation from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., Holmes’ first position in Sacramento was in the mid-1960s as a religious education teacher at Presentation School and at St. Ignatius Parish, while working as a teacher in the San Juan Unified School District.

In subsequent years, Holmes served in the Diocese of Oakland as a parish religious education teacher, Catholic elementary school teacher, and as diocesan director of catechetical ministry.

When St. Theresa School opened in South Lake Tahoe in 1994, Holmes served as the school’s first principal, a position she held for seven years.

One of her gifts is being able to relate to students, with whom she has built many long-term friendships.

“I think they know I accept them for who they are,” said Holmes, who frequently attends the graduations and weddings of former students. “My students are my best spiritual directors. They always keep me thinking and putting things into perspective.”

In 2003, Holmes was appointed associate superintendent for religion, curriculum and catechist formation for the Diocese of Sacramento.

She said one of her “greatest joys” has been adult faith formation, which she incorporated into assignments as principal at St. Theresa and during her assignment at Holy Trinity.

“One of my greatest joys is working with seeking adults,” she noted.

What does the Catholic educator plan for the next chapter of her life?

“I will be taking a road trip across the United States,” Holmes said. “It will be a kind of sentimental journey.”

The trip will include a stop in Concord to visit her daughter, then visits to former home towns in Chicago, Milwaukee and the state of New York to see her son and four-year-old granddaughter.

The last stop will be in northern Virginia, where she plans to relocate near family members. There will also be time to pick up on quilting, reading and more travel.

“Do you want your life settled?” Holmes quipped. “I like adventure.”

Barbara O’Donnell

Just about the only thing Barbara O’Donnell likes better than writing for and about children is teaching them.

For the past 30 years she has worked as a Catholic school teacher and administrator in the diocese.

O’Donnell started her career teaching English at St. Veronica School in South San Francisco in the mid-1970s after having worked as a community college teacher in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Ukiah, Calif., and South Lake Tahoe.

Her first assignment in the diocese was as a teacher at the former Bishop Manoque High School in Sacramento, serving from 1980 to 1984. O’Donnell was then appointed principal of St. Francis of Assisi School in Sacramento, a position she has held for 22 years.

She said her twin passions for writing and Catholic education converged more than 30 years ago when she walked into a Catholic elementary school classroom in Ukiah to make a presentation on children’s literature.

“I couldn’t believe the kids. They were so polite,” said O’Donnell, who soon discovered some other distinguishing features of Catholic schools. “I saw I could set my own creative agenda. Every year you look at the kids and your resources and design your program around it.”

One of O’Donnell’s greatest challenges and most significant accomplishments came when she arrived at St. Francis in 1984. One of the oldest elementary schools in Sacramento, the 110-year-old school was facing a “pretty grim” budget and declining enrollment issues, she said.

“Textbooks were 40 years old if there were textbooks, math books were pre-World War II and there were classrooms that hadn’t been opened for years. It was insane,” she said.

O’Donnell credits creative teachers and staff with increasing enrollment in one year from 140 to 240 students.

A team of teachers and staff turned a school on life support to one that has a significantly-improved physical plant, an innovative extension day care program and computer science curriculum, and “one of the best writing programs in the diocese,” she said.

“We’re rebels without a cause, people who don’t fit inside a box. We don’t even know there is a box,” O’Donnell said. “If we hadn’t been, we wouldn’t have pulled it off.”

An adjunct professor of English at California State University, Sacramento, O’Donnell has personally become involved with St. Francis student writing through the St. Francis Book Project. The collaborative effort teams up author O’Donnell with student artists who illustrate the books.

When asked what she plans to do next, O’Donnell’s list is long. She will continue writing, teaching at CSUS and hopes to mentor both teachers and students in writing.

“You have to be constantly learning,” she said. “That’s number one.”

Colleen Waugh

Colleen Waugh has a mind for numbers.

Accounting was the career she had selected for herself when she enrolled as a student at California State University, Chico. But instead of crunching numbers and talking statistics, Waugh has dedicated the past 35 years of her life to Catholic education.

“I enjoy people much more than numbers,” said Waugh, who retired this month as principal of Notre Dame School in Chico where she served the past 10 years. “I simply enjoy working with children, helping them succeed.”

She said her commitment to Catholic schools began during her childhood when she attended Old Mission School in San Luis Obispo. “I learned about my faith and enjoyed the camaraderie and the community feeling of attending Catholic school,” Waugh said.

Her first assignment in the diocese from 1971 to 1973 was as a teacher at St. Thomas More School in Paradise. She also taught in the Diocese of Monterey at St. Rose School in Paso Robles from 1974 to 1976.

Subsequent positions were as a teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Oroville from 1978 to 1980 and as principal from 1980 to 1985.

During her tenure from 1985 to 1996 as principal at St. Thomas More School, Waugh played a major role in keeping the school open. The school subsequently closed last year.

“The school enrollment was down to 95 students,” she said. “Every day we were talking about the possibility of closing.”

Given three years to turn things around, she enlisted the support of parents, teachers and the school board in making some changes.

Seventh and eighth grades, which had been eliminated, were reinstated, and students were given the opportunity to choose electives. The enrollment shot up to 237.

“We put forth our best effort,” Waugh said. “Someone in the community told me we were the best thing since sliced bread.”

She said while teaching gave her great joy, working as an administrator for 26 years was a comfortable fit.

“I think God had a plan for me,” Waugh said. “My vision for Catholic education was about being pro-active, sharing your faith, building and improving your program.”

Now ready to open the next chapter of her life, Waugh plans to spend more time with her two grandchildren, ages five and three months, who live in Santa Rosa.

She also hopes to explore the West Coast with her husband Dale in their fifth-wheel trailer, and make a trip to Ireland.

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