The 2022 Distinguished Steward Award is presented to Jan Frayser in recognition of her extraordinary generosity in sharing her time, talent, and treasure with Pius X and our community.
Janice (Tiensvold) Frayser grew up in Rushville, Nebraska with her parents and nine brothers and sisters. She received a bachelor’s degree from Chadron State College and a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Northern Colorado. Jan taught music, theatre, English and speech in Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas. She was a Speech Coach and directed plays and musicals prior to joining the staff at Pius X High School in 1988. Jan and her husband, Steve, are members of St. Peter Catholic Church. Their children, Greg and Dave, both graduated from St. Peter School and Pius X. Jan and Steve are most proud of their children, their children’s spouses, Jaclyn and Stephanie, and their three grandchildren, Kerrigan, Willa and Thomas.
Jan has been actively involved as a servant leader and has been a model of our Catholic faith in action throughout our community. She is a lector at St. Peter Catholic Church and was one of the parish’s first female lectors. She is a member of St. Peter’s Parish Council of Catholic Women and volunteers to assist with funeral luncheons and other needs of the parish. Since 1995, Jan worked on many Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) retreats and has served on the TEC Core Committee for several years. Jan and her family served on a feeding team for many years at Matt Talbot Kitchen and Outreach (MTKO). She was on the MTKO Board of Directors for 10 years, and served as Board President for two of those years. Jan was also a past member of the Board of Directors for Paul VI Heights affordable housing. Jan served on the committee to develop and implement appropriate crisis response for the Diocese of Lincoln Catholic Schools. She trained many groups using the Question Persuade Refer method, a nationwide training that teaches people to respond effectively to those who are at risk of suicide. She was on the Lancaster County Suicide Coalition and is a member of the Leadership Board. Jan was on the city-wide School Community Intervention Program and served as the chairperson. She is the former chairperson for the Greater Nebraska College Fair and the Villa Marie School Board of Directors. Jan served on the Board of Directors for the Nebraska Department of Education Arts Frameworks Committee and the Board of Directors for the Lincoln Consortium for Children and Youth. She was the Chairperson for the Diocese of Lincoln Youth Task Force on Spirituality and served on the committee formed to establish the University of Nebraska, Lincoln Catholic fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta. Jan was invited to be on a committee of Nebraska counselors to help guide the University of Nebraska Admissions Office recruitment efforts. Steve and Jan also served as cochairs for the Diocesan Stewardship and Charity Appeal.
Jan was blessed to be the Pius X Director of Guidance and on the Administrative Team for 32 years. During this time, she developed a comprehensive high school counseling program that worked to meet the needs of all Pius X students. The department grew from one counselor to four, and has now also added a support staff of four. Prior to Mass being offered daily at Pius, Jan started the “8 at 8” prayer program where students and staff came to the Chapel to pray together for a few minutes prior to the school day beginning. To better serve struggling students, Jan developed the Acquiring and Building Learning Excellence (ABLE) program many years ago, to help students learn and study more effectively. Jan is very proud of the advocacy and additional support provided through the ABLE program. Years later, Jan developed the TLC program to help students who are behind in their schoolwork get back on track and move forward successfully. Seeing a need for all students to feel included, welcomed, and helped in time of need, Jan launched the Ambassadors student organization, which taught students how to effectively reach out to their classmates. The Ambassadors Club continues to help students become leaders in demonstrating Christian love for their classmates. In 2010, when Kohl’s Cares offered the opportunity for 20 U.S. schools receiving the most Facebook votes to receive $500,000 each, Jan was a tireless advocate to help Pius X win. She rallied a contingency of dedicated volunteers who were still garnering votes at Duffy’s Bar in downtown Lincoln as midnight approached on the final day of voting. Inspiring 150,000+ votes from every corner of our community, Jan helped Pius X finish in fourth place in the nationwide contest, securing $500,000 (of approximately $1.2M total) to help build the school’s first kitchen.
Jan loved watching Pius students excel in every endeavor from sports to academics to the arts, and all the other ways that students used their God-given gifts to the fullest. She loved working with and getting to know students and their families. When the need arose, Steve, Jan and their family also responded with extraordinary love and hospitality, welcoming Pius students into their home and family for weeks, months, or years. Jan personally impacted thousands of students’ and families’ lives through her many years of service at Pius X and throughout our community, and is a role model for her exemplary service and leadership, tireless advocacy, and extraordinary generosity in helping to “Restore all things in Christ.”
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