ST. JOSEPH-ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON TEACHER EARNS FR. TOM AWARD

On September 24, 2005 Ms. Stephanie Boss received the Father Tom Award to honor her many years of stewardship. Ms. Boss is a fourth grade teacher at St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School and has been teaching all around the country for over 35 years.

The award was given to many people in the Fort Wayne community, who were recognized before for peace and justice issues, before the Hunger Walk.

Father Thomas O’Connor, for who the award is named after, was the priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church downtown -Fort Wayne where the soup kitchen and Matthew 25 Health Clinic originated. The Irishman died last year on Saint Patrick’s Day of an illness.

To Stephanie, the award is a reminder to live out the Gospel message. Her inspiration for life and teaching comes from growing up in her family, teaching school children, and the Sunday Gospels’ Breaking Open the Word (BOTW).

Ms. Boss graduated from the Mount Saint Agnes College in Baltimore, Maryland (now known as Loyola College). She has learned many things from her students, but she says the most important includes: to not be too serious, remember to have fun, keep trying when things get hard, and remember that tomorrow is a new day.

Also, she says, thank you to Miss Widner (the principal of St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth School) for nominating her for the award. She also would like to thank the other teachers of the school, because she felt like she was representing the school as a whole, which made her proud.