Continuing a tradition of inspiring the individual best from every student through a Christ-centered drive for excellence in academics, athletics and arts.
Empowering Future Leaders
We are committed to forming and strengthening each student’s relationship with Jesus Christ and seeks to provide an authentically Catholic educational experience where students learn, love and live their faith in service to others.
Every Student is Successful
Pacelli Catholic Schools offers a rigorous and well-rounded curriculum to designed for our students to become successful in all subject areas. Students and staff have access to the best technology tools to support our teaching and learning goals.
Our Vision
Pacelli Catholic Schools is an environment that fosters the unique gifts of each student to grow as disciples of the faith and leaders for the world.
Opportunity & Development
We promote spiritual, cognitive, and physical development so each child has the opportunity to engage in activities that are geared to their interests while challenging them at their individual ability level.
Why Pacelli
Pacelli Catholic Schools offer a top-tier education where students celebrate their Catholic faith as an integral part of their daily school experience. The strength and effectiveness of a PCS education rests on our commitment to excellence in academics, faith development, and co-curricular activities.
Connecting Our Community
PCS offers a variety of special events and fundraisers throughout the year, including an annual golf outing, silent auction and dinner, and the famous Panacea. We encourage you to volunteer, participate or simply enjoy one of our many events.
Support Us
Your generous gifts to Pacelli Catholic Schools enable us to continually develop innovative curriculum and ensure a sustainable future of shaping students' lives for years to come.
Always a Cardinal
Graduates of Pacelli Catholic Schools become leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers and provide service to others, and are an important piece of our proud tradition.
Our Mission
Pacelli Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family dedicated to service, academic excellence, and meaningful experiences.
Every Student is Successful
PCHS offers a rigourous and well-rounded curriculum, designed to prepare all students to achieve post-high school goals. We are a leader in technology, with SMART interactive white boards in all classrooms and a Chromebook for each student, to support our teaching and learning goals.
#PacelliPride
Pacelli students benefit from a rich academic and social life. Students can choose from an array of co-curricular activities including athletics, arts, performance, subject-area clubs, social responsibility and service organizations, and more.
Home of the Cardinals
More than 75% of Pacelli students participate in at least one athletic activity. A number of our teams finish in the top of the conference and have success at the postseason level, including State Champtionships.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to Pacelli Catholic High School and are one of the reasons for our school’s continued success. Parents are encouraged to participate in Home & School and get involved with various school and projects, committees, and groups.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic High School and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
Our Mission
Pacelli Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family dedicated to service, academic excellence, and meaningful experiences.
Every Student is Successful
PCMS offers a rigourous and well-round curriculum, designed to prepare all students to achieve post-high school goals. We are a leader in technology, with a dedicated SmartLab for project-based learning, and an iPad or chromebook for each student, to support our teaching and learning goals.
Opportunity & Excellence
Students at PCMS benefit from a rich academic and social life. Students can choose from an array of co-curricular activities including athletics, arts, performance, subject-area clubs, social responsibility and service organizations, and more.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to Pacelli Catholic Middle School and are one of the reasons for our school’s continued success. Parents are encouraged to participate in Home & School and get involved with various school and projects, committees, and groups.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic Middle School and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
Our Mission
Continuing a tradition of inspiring the individual best from every student through a Christ-centered drive for excellence in academics, athletics and arts.
Every Student is Successful
We work to ensure that all students become successful, high-level readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. The curriculum focuses on research-based methods and utilizing the best technology.
Opportunity & Excellence
Students at St. Stanislaus Elementary have the opportunity to participate in an array of co-curricular opportunities, ranging from orchestra, chorus, and band to drama, science, and art clubs. There really is something for every student.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to St. Stanislaus Elementary, and are one of the reasons for our school’s continued success. Parents are encouraged to participate in Home & School and get involved with various school and system projects, committees, and events.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic Schools and St. Stanislaus Elementary and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
Our Mission
Pacelli Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family dedicated to service, academic excellence, and meaningful experiences.
Every Student is Successful
We work to ensure that all students become successful, high-level readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. The curriculum focuses on research-based methods and utilizing the best technology.
Opportunity & Excellence
Students at Pacelli Catholic Elementary-St. Bronislava have the opportunity to participate in an array of leadership roles throughout the school year.
Opportunity & Development
By promoting spiritual, cognitive, and physical development each child has the opportunity to engage in activities that are geared to their interests while challenging them at their individual ability level.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to St. Bronislava Elementary, and are one of the reasons for our school’s continued success. Parents are encouraged to participate in Home & School and get involved with various school and system projects, committees, and events.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic Schools and Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Bronislava and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
Our Mission
Pacelli Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family dedicated to service, academic excellence, and meaningful experiences.
Every Student is Successful
We work to ensure that all students become successful, high-level readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. The curriculum focuses on research-based methods and utilizing the best technology.
Opportunity & Excellence
Students at Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Stephen have the opportunity to participate in an array of leadership roles throughout the school year.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to St. Stephen Elementary, and are one of the reasons for our school’s continued success. Parents are encouraged to participate in Home & School and get involved with various school and system projects, committees, and events.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic Schools and Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Stephen and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
Our Mission
Pacelli Catholic Schools is a Christ-centered family dedicated to service, academic excellence, and meaningful experiences.
Opportunity & Development
By promoting spiritual, cognitive, and physical development each child has the opportunity to engage in activities that are geared to their interests while challenging them at their individual ability level.
Family Engagement is Key
Parents and families are central to Pacelli Catholic Schools Tim Copps Early Childhood Center and are one of the reasons for our center's continued success. Parents are encouraged to get involved with various center and system projects, committees, and events.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with all that is happening at Pacelli Catholic Schools Tim Copps Early Childhood Center and learn how we are working hard to continue and expand our communication efforts.
For the first time since the pandemic hit, the Dream Flight USA STEM Shuttle took up its first mission. On Monday, students from both Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Stephen (PCES-St. Steve’s) and Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Bronislava (PCES-St. Bron’s) experienced the hands-on work stations on the unique coach bus resembling a space shuttle.
According to their website, stemshuttle.com, the stop at PCES-St. Steve’s was their first mission since November 2019. Boasting its 15th year of missions, the STEM Shuttle proudly bills itself as “the field trip that visits schools.”
The STEM Shuttle, manned by two veteran on board teachers, gives several small groups of students about an hour to be challenged by hands-on activities combining space travel and STEM education.
“It’s exciting to have the STEM Shuttle back up and running and we were thrilled to be their first mission this spring,” said Ellen Lopas, principal of PCES-St. Steve’s and Pacelli Catholic Middle School.”
The stop at PCES-St. Steve’s was one of many taking place throughout Central Wisconsin thanks to a donation from Connexus Credit Union’s Connexus Cares Committee to the Dream Flight USA Foundation. The STEM Shuttle will return to Stevens Point to visit grades 5-8 at Pacelli Catholic Middle School on May 20.
“We’re grateful to Connexus Credit Union and the Dream Flight USA Foundation for giving our students the opportunity to participate in some interactive, engaging space-related STEM activities outside of the classroom,” said Lopas.
Tuesday was a big day for Pacelli Catholic High School (PCHS) Spanish language teacher Catalina Cabello as she was honored with the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education. Presented at the Portage County Business Council’s Creative Excellence Awards Breakfast, Cabello was recognized for her innovation and creativity in bringing foreign language learning alive for her students.
Throughout her 5 years at PCHS, Cabello has taken her students beyond just learning the language, seeking to expand their knowledge of Hispanic and Latin cultures through special projects, like creating their own alebrijes, brightly colored folk art statues.
“Through these projects students experience the cultures of different countries, learn vocabulary that they might not encounter in class, practice their Spanish speaking and writing skills and get to be creative,” said Cabello’s colleague and PCHS math teacher Laurie Schroeder. “They get excited to talk about their work and the ‘trivia’ they learned in their research.”
Students also benefit from immersive language instruction led by Cabello with trips to Madison to learn salsa and merengue dancing, ordering food in Spanish, and documenting their experiences by creating videos. Many of Cabello’s students have traveled to Spanish speaking countries, speaking fluently with natives, and continued their Spanish language studies after high school.
Cabello’s commitment doesn’t stop with her students in the classroom. She serves on the board of the Portage County Literacy Council, helping to implement strategies that promote the intellectual, cultural, and linguistic development of Latin and Hmong populations in Portage County. Cabello served as an interpreter with the public school district facilitating meetings between staff and Hispanic parents, translating school-related documents, and even coordinated “Hispanic Family Night” to promote reading at home every day. She also taught Faith Formation classes for 3rd and 5th graders at St. Bronislava Parish. Cabello is also a board member of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Wisconsin Chapter (AATSP-WI) and is a member of the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL).
Also honored at the Creative Excellence Awards Breakfast were two Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Education runners up – Pacelli Catholic Schools computer science teacher Dana LaMotte and Pacelli Catholic Middle School 5th grade teacher Tiffany Wittmus.
Per the Portage County Business Council a total of 15 nominations were submitted for the award, 12 of them being Pacelli Catholic Schools teachers. In addition to Cabello, LaMotte, and Wittmus, other nominees included Carol Bernas, Jeff Bushman, Annabel Maas, Jenifer Meronek, Greg Miller, Ann Molski, Amy Parks, Lisa Springob, and Joe Zawacki.
When my husband and I moved to Central Wisconsin 16 years ago, we were pregnant with our first child, had just finished a career with the military, and were relocating for work. We visited many towns in the Central Wisconsin area looking for just the right place to raise a family. There were many things we were looking for in our new town – a new home, office, shopping, dining, fishing spots, entertainment possibilities – but one thing was foremost in our minds, a Catholic education for our child(ren). We quickly became members of Pacelli at St Bronislava and have been blessed with that decision ever since.
My husband Edward and I have 4 children and all have had the pleasure of attending Pacelli Catholic Schools. Each year we are continually impressed with the quality of education our children receive, second only to the faith-filled atmosphere they are able to experience each day in Catholic schools. As a parent, there is comfort knowing that our morals and religious beliefs are mirrored in their daily life at school, and that their teachers serve as role models. This strong foundation in Catholic faith helps them develop a life-long relationship with Christ and the Catholic Church.
Catholic schools strive to help our children find value and reach their full potential, as well as create kind, knowledgeable, productive members of society. With God’s guidance, they receive academic, spiritual, social, and physical development. The high standards of quality teaching along with the standards of behavior and respect for others, are a part of daily Catholic school life. With higher academic achievement levels, higher math scores, higher graduation levels, and a low student to teacher ratio, it was an easy decision to continue our children’s education through the Catholic school system. The wide curriculum and strong academic reputation of Catholic schools serves our children well, helping them create a successful God-centered worthy life.
Having a Catholic identity helps our children become part of a Catholic culture that is grounded in academic excellence, faith formation, and service. Creating a school/church connection creates an atmosphere of comfort with our church family, and our children are able to find fellowship opportunities within. Belonging to a Catholic school and church allows us to get involved and feel the comforts of home when we have no other relatives in the area. In our ever-changing world, we are so blessed that we have the solid foundation of Catholic education and faith for our family.
Many blessings to you and yours.
Monica Grabiec Parent of Maxwell ’24, Samuel ’25, Vincent, & Ruby ’30
Life is messy. Sometimes it is tempting to look at other families or friends and think, “wow, I wish I was them,” or, “look how lucky they are,” or, “everything is perfect in their life, why can’t it be perfect in my life.”
The reality is there is no such thing as a perfect life; only a life that is perfect for you. Most of life isn’t something that just happens to us, although sometimes it is easier to use that as an excuse. The truth is that decision after decision, some small, some large, build upon each other and create the life that we have. Over the years, and through experience, I have come to believe more and more that it is our moral ground, our faith, and our belief system that determines which way we go on so many of those decisions. As a parent, not only do those decisions affect you personally, but they also impact those around you.
Do you ever look at your kids and beam with pride and think how blessed you are to be their mom or dad? Sometimes it can be the absolute simplest gesture your child makes. Maybe it is seeing the kid next to him at lunch not having much food to eat and he shares half of his sandwich. Maybe it is pausing when he is walking in a building to hold the door open for someone else and lets them go in ahead of them or seeing some litter on the sidewalk and picking it up and throwing it away.
You may wonder what all of this has to do with a Cathollic education and my answer to you would be everything.
Long before I took the position of president at Pacelli Catholic Schools I was an ardent supporter of Catholic education. My husband and I come from multi-generational families of Catholic school attendees. When our kids were ready to go to school, it wasn’t even a decision we consciously made; we just signed them up at St. Joe’s in Sturgeon Bay. But the reality is the reason it was a forgone conclusion in the minds of both my husband and myself was the grounding each of us received throughout our Catholic educations, even though we are 15 years apart in age and the Catholic education each of us experienced was very different. It was the same morals, same beliefs, and same faith that we wanted to give our kids to be able to draw upon when they were going to be faced with all of the decisions that life throws at oneself. We wanted to ensure that, even when we were not there by their side, they would have the resources internally to draw upon and make the best choices possible.
As we prepare to celebrate Catholic Schools Week the first week of February, I want to applaud those parents who made a commitment to their children’s future by enrolling them in a Catholic school. While finances should never be a barrier to a Catholic education, despite available help like tuition assistance, school choice, and scholarships, for many paying for Catholic school tuition is a sacrifice, and dare I say it a choice.
For those of you who make a decision to have your child become a part of our Pacelli Catholic Schools family, I want to assure you that we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that we are giving them the best education possible, in a safe and secure environment with the resources of faith and values to draw upon as they grow to become their individual best!
If you are interested in learning more about attending or supporting Pacelli Catholic Schools please feel free to reach out to me at any time. My number is 715.341.2445, you can email me at cweber@pacellicatholicschools.com, or come and visit me in our Central Office. I invite you to witness the difference of a Pacelli Catholic education in the life of your child. In my humble opinion, it may be the best choice you make.
Spot community updates or events? Share it with pacelli@pacellicatholicschools.com to include in the new Community Corner section of our e-newsletter and website.
See Pacelli in the news? Send it to pacelli@pacellicatholicschools.com for inclusion on our website, social media sites, or e-newsletters.
I want to take a quick moment to introduce myself and share with you how excited I am to be the new President of Pacelli Catholic Schools!
I have lived in Door County almost my entire life, except for attending Carroll University in Waukesha for four years. I ran our family business for more than 20 years, was Vice President of our YMCA for almost 10 years, and most recently was CEO of Sunshine House, an organization that meets the needs of seniors as well as intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals through personal care services. It also helps them to be successful by working on our manufacturing floor as well as through career development and so much more. I have served in leadership positions on more than a dozen boards and was part of the committee who worked to consolidate our Catholic schools in Door County.
I am passionate about Catholic education and the moral values and spiritual grounding we instill in our youth, all the while helping them reach academic excellence and individual success. In fact, our family has 4 generations of Catholic school attendance! We have so much to be proud about in the work we do and the impact we have! I am a huge believer in continuous improvement, and while Gregg Hansel has left big shoes to fill with his retirement and years of dedicated service to PCS, every new leader brings in new ideas, perspectives and expertise.
I want to personally thank Gregg for positioning our school well for continued success and growth and wish him a fulfilling retirement! Hopefully we can do a celebration of his service sometime this fall.
Starting a position like this in the middle of a pandemic is something I am sure no one would ever imagine having to do and I will share with you that it has been, and will be, all-consuming for the foreseeable future. Based on that, I apologize if I am not able to connect with each of you personally, face-to-face, as soon as I would like.
Attached you will find a letter from Bishop Callahan outlining his support of us opening this fall. We fully embrace his directive to open in as “normal” a fashion as possible, but unfortunately normal is not going to mean the same now as it did 6 months ago.
Over the next couple of months we will communicate as much as we can what our plan will be, with the understanding that there will be several variations and progressions based on current outbreaks and infection rate, increased knowledge, public perception and more.
I want to also thank each of you who took the time to fill out the family survey we sent last week – if you have not filled it out yet, you are still able to do so and we encourage you to share your perspective.
Based on the survey results to date as well as CDC, Public Health, and Diocesan Guidelines our number one priority is to provide face to face education in fall of 2020. Pending availability of equipment, we hope to offer remote access into our classrooms for those who cannot attend in person due to personal choice or whatever their individual situation may be day-to-day. We are working to put resources and training in place to help us not “skip a beat” whether in person or remote.
We are establishing cleaning protocols and putting plans in place to limit unnecessary interactions between multiple groups of students, all the while acknowledging the importance of socializing and mental health. Things like lunch and recess will look different.
We know we have families who fall on both ends of the spectrum in regards to items like wearing masks and whatever decisions we make will not satisfy everyone, but I want to personally assure each of you that we are spending hours and hours, doing the best we can to hear all perspectives and make what we feel are the best decisions at any given time.
This is going to take a team effort on all of our parts to be successful – from staying home if you are ill, trying to limit the exposure your children have to individuals who may be potentially positive, to everyone washing their hands more and covering their coughs.
We have a tremendous staff and administrative team in place who are doing their best to ensure the 2020-2021 school year will be as successful as possible.
Thank you for being a part of our Pacelli family and may God’s grace be with each and every one of you.
Pacelli Catholic Schools (PCS) is excited to announce the hiring of a new elementary school principal, Dr. Gregory Kaster, effective July 1, 2020. Kaster will serve as principal of both Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Bronislava (PCES-St. Bron’s) in Plover and Pacelli Catholic Elementary School-St. Stephen (PCES-St. Steve’s) in Stevens Point.
Kaster has vast experience in education over the past 33 years serving not only as a teacher, but a principal in public and private schools for 25 years. He served as principal for Madison Elementary School in the School District of Marshfield for 16 years and most recently as K-8 teaching principal at St. Joseph Catholic School in Stratford for the past three years.
Kaster earned his bachelor’s degree in school health education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, his master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and his doctorate in educational leadership from Edgewood College. He also holds certifications in the areas of curriculum and instruction and district administration.
Kaster replaces longtime PCS principal and administrator Gregg Hansel who is set to retire on June 30. PCS continues a national search for a school system president to replace some of Hansel’s duties, as well. Interested applicants should visit pacellicatholicschools.com/employment for more details on the position and how to apply.
Pointers, gear up for the annual Point Bock Run on March 7. While it’s sold out, be sure to show up to cheer on the runners and take part in the post-race festivities.
Head over to the Stevens Point Holiday Inn & Convention Center on March 28 to see the dalek invade at the 2020 EgoCon.
Friend or family member looking to relocate to a thriving city with a small-town feel? Send them to everythingpointshere.com to see all the reasons why Portage Co. is the place to be!
Longtime community sports journalist Don Friday, 83, recently passed away. Inducted as a special contributor into the Pacelli Catholic High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015, his passion for local sports could not be matched. Visitation for Don will take place on Friday and Saturday with the funeral following on Saturday at St. Peter Parish.
Stevens Point-based Gamber-Johnson received the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award.
The Village of Plover is discussing how to best use a nearly $400,000 EPA Wetland Development Grant to help enhance the flowage and health of the Little Plover River and its watershed system.
Spot community updates or events? Share it with pacelli@pacellicatholicschools.com to include in the new Community Corner section of our e-newsletter and website.
See Pacelli in the news? Send it to pacelli@pacellicatholicschools.com for inclusion on our website, social media sites, or e-newsletters.
