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Outdoor classroom a place of prayer, learning at St. Mary School in Kickapoo

By: Jennifer Willems - August 28, 2019 - Featured Article Father Dondanville, Josette Baumann, Kickapoo, outdoor garden, St. Mary School

Kindergartner Owen Schaub gives a good drink of water to the newly planted flowers in the outdoor classroom at St. Mary School in Kickapoo. The students were guided by Owen's grandmother, master gardener Anne Schaub. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

KICKAPOO — Over the summer, a new classroom was added to St. Mary School here. Don’t look for it inside the building, however. The spacious new learning center is located behind the school on a large lot that had plenty of grass but wasn’t used for anything — until kindergarten teacher Josette Baumann received a […]

St. Mary’s, Kickapoo, makes special guests part of their ‘Little Mermaid Jr.’ world

By: The Catholic Post - April 10, 2019 - News Article Bartonville, Kickapoo, Little Mermaid, musical, Proctor Home, St. Mary

St. Mary School in Kickapoo invites students from Bartonville Grade School and residents from Proctor Home in Peoria to be their guests at dress rehearsal each year. Here, Ariel (Ella Rolig) visits with audience members at a reception after the preview. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

KICKAPOO — To find the students at St. Mary School on March 15, you had to look “Under the Sea” as they presented their dress rehearsal of “The Little Mermaid Jr.” for residents from Proctor Home in Peoria and students with special needs from Bartonville Grade School. It was their first time performing the show […]

Safety assessments coming to diocesan schools for emergency preparedness

By: Jennifer Willems - October 4, 2017 - Featured Article emergency plan, Kickapoo, preparedness, Schools

During a recent drill, the 19 students in Kathy Mazander's class at St. Mary School in Kickapoo were quietly huddled behind a desk with the lights off and the door locked within seconds. They didn't respond, even when principal Rick Pantages knocked on the door and rattled the handle. That's the goal, he said. In addition, reflective film has been placed on all the windows, so a potential intruder would not be able to look into the classrooms from the outside. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

Every Catholic school in the Diocese of Peoria is expected to have an emergency preparedness plan in place and hold drills for a variety of situations, including if there is an active assailant in the building, tornadoes, fires, and even earthquakes. To make certain the schools have everything they need, consultants have been hired to […]

Awards bestowed as Mass, luncheon with principals closes school year in diocese

By: Jennifer Willems - May 31, 2017 - Featured Article Anita Kobilsek, Catholic schools, Champaign, Distinguished, Father William Miller, Galesburg, Kickapoo, Krista Hinkley, Mendota, Pastor, principal, Sally Martin, Teacher

Among those recognized by the Office of Catholic Schools at its year-end Mass and luncheon with principals were, from left: Krista Hinkley of The High School of Saint Thomas More, Distinguished Teacher; Anita Kobilsek of Holy Cross School in Mendota, Distinguished Principal; Father William Miller of Costa Catholic Academy in Galesburg, Distinguished Pastor, and Sally Martin of St. Mary School in Kickapoo, Distinguished Teacher. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

Encouraging the principals of Catholic schools around the Diocese of Peoria to savor every moment of their summer vacation, Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, said he looked forward to seeing them rested and “all charged up” in the fall. At the Mass marking the end of the school year, which was held in the Our […]

St. Mary, Kickapoo, ‘the place for me,’ says one of diocese’s ‘Distinguished Teachers’

By: Jennifer Willems - December 14, 2016 - Featured Article Catholic schools, Distinguished Teacher, Kickapoo, Sally Martin

Sally Martin enjoys the playfulness of "my 10 little men" at St. Mary School in Kickapoo. "They're my energy," she said. (The Catholic Post/Jennifer Willems)

KICKAPOO — Walking into a classroom of 52 third-graders might seem like a daunting task, but for Sally Martin it was a defining moment in a career that has spanned five decades. Another came this month when Martin, who teaches a combined class of third- and fourth-graders at St. Mary School, was named one of […]