Dear friends,
I married into the Pius family. I didn’t even really know what that meant at the time, though I can remember some early warning signs. Even though our courtship took place over 400 miles away in Fort Collins, Colo., it was clear that my wife (Jill Noel ’83 Korta) based her identity in large part on being a Thunderbolt. She used to talk about some guy named George O’Boyle who was her track and cross country coach and some lady named Lois Mayo who so inspired her in biology class that she pursued a career in health sciences. At her family gatherings, I started to recognize the repeat family names that came up when her siblings reminisced about their time at Pius, spanning thirteen years from 1974 – 1987. I heard stories about classmates and teammates, about experiences in band with Mr. Rush, about Homecoming courts and Sr. Anne and Fr. Christensen.
To me, this was all foreign. I came from a public high school in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I don’t know that my siblings and I EVER mention classmates, family names, or old teachers when we get together, even though we collectively attended Greendale High School for twelve years from 1979 – 1990. I bet my wife couldn’t name a single teacher of mine, nor more than three of my classmates. She would have no idea who MY cross-country and track coaches were.
There is something different at Pius. It wasn’t until I officially became a family member by my own right (when I was hired in 1994) that I started to understand what Jill and her family were talking about. Suddenly I was introduced to George O’Boyle, who was our school’s Athletic Director while still coaching cross country and track. I met Lois Mayo, and even had the privilege of co-teaching a class with her. I was able to see from a colleague’s perspective how true it was that Mrs. Mayo was an extraordinary educator. Two of the six teachers who were joining the staff that year were Pius grads (Kara Foster ’88 and Tracy Neumayer ’90 Chapelle). This trend of alumni returning to teach at Pius was one that I was going to see repeated over and over again. My first class rosters had siblings, nieces and nephews of those classmates that would come up in Jill’s family gatherings. In fact, when I first started at Pius, it was easier for me to introduce myself as Tom Noel instead of Tom Korta just so I could get some credibility and connection within the Pius family.
There is something different at Pius. If you haven’t seen anything else, you might not even realize how special it is. It might be easy to assume that the strong sense of community that exists not only within these walls but also years and years after graduation might exist in every school. It does not. As I have been able to observe this phenomenon of the Pius family through the lens of husband, coach, teacher, administrator and parent, I have come to the conclusion that the “secret sauce” is in our shared faith and our shared ownership.
St. Paul might well be speaking of the Pius family when he writes, “…though all its parts are many, they form one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). We have been blessed with such a rich and diverse array of talents and gifts within our students and our employees for more than 65 years; yet, we are one body in Christ. The fact that we belong to one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church unites us in a supernatural way. This school, which is a critical ministry of the Lincoln Diocese, is “owned” by so many people. Ownership is shared by the late Bishop Kucera, who first envisioned Pius X as a central Catholic high school in Lincoln. It is shared by the many pastors, parishioners, and generous benefactors that have provided for our material needs. It is shared by the students, families, faculty and staff who have sacrificed so heroically for belief in the mission of our school.
There is something different at Pius. I am grateful that you are part of the Pius family. I hope you enjoy catching up on all that is going on in OUR school as you read this issue of Connections! May God continue to bless you and the entire Pius family.
God bless,
Tom Korta
