Teacher Enrichment

St. Pius X Class of 1968 Memorial Fund

In 2008, the St. Pius X Catholic High School class of 1968 were celebrating their 40th reunion. A group of the ‘68 alumni saw the important need to support their beloved faculty members after a change in archdiocesan policy required all teachers to be certified. Previously, Catholic schools didn’t have this requirement and thus had more flexibility in hiring prospective teachers. In order to help their school in this transition, these alumni decided to come together and create an endowment fund that would support teacher enrichment at St. Pius. 

The class of 1968 set a goal of raising $50,000 for the fund, and were able to meet that goal five years later by their 45th reunion, thanks to the generous gifts of their classmates. 

Bill deGolian, one of the fund founders, said this fund benefits not just the teachers, but their class as well. “It gives classmates a focus to gather regularly, rather than once every five years, and provides opportunities for alumni to take a more active interest in the school, the faculty, and in their fellow classmates.” 

Since 2014, the amount the fund can distribute is steadily growing, and more and more teachers are benefitting and reaching their educational goals. For example, in 2018, nine educators at the school were working toward the completion of degrees or certifications, including master’s and doctoral degrees. The fund also helps fund professional development opportunities, such as sending former head librarian Robin Tanis to two conferences on online books and publications in 2017. 

The impact of this endowment is evident in former Dean of Students, Rachel Braham’s, life as she worked on her doctoral degree. Rachel once said that “Such an undertaking is a massive commitment emotionally, professionally, personally, and certainly financially.  I am doing this degree because I believe it will make me a better professional educator and person.  I believe this degree will help me make St. Pius X a better educational institution, and therefore help students be better prepared for their futures.” Rachel noted that without the support of St. Pius X both personally and financially, she would not have been able to accomplish this goal. “I sincerely appreciate that alums and other benefactors give financial help to us so that we can continue that service,” she said. 

This dedicated alumni class is not stopping here. When they celebrated their 50th reunion in October 2018, the goal was for the fund to reach $100,000 to continue impacting St. Pius X teachers, and through them their students, long into the future. The class reached the $100,000 by December of 2020. 

Give Now