Green Bay Catholic Education (GRACE) Receives Significant Donation

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From St. Norbert College, May 4, 2022
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has announced a generous donation titled “Invest in Teacher Excellence.” The intention of this gift is unprecedented and was made possible through an anonymous benefactor’s strong belief in Catholic education and the professional development of GRACE teachers.

The “Invest in Teacher Excellence” program will serve GRACE teachers in two capacities, offering a GRACE Educator Master’s Degree Path Program through St. Norbert College and initiating a Top Teacher Talent Award that will recognize exceptional teachers and provide a stipend to support continued teaching success.

The GRACE Master’s Degree Path Program, developed through a collaboration with St. Norbert College, gives GRACE teachers the opportunity to apply for one of 19 fully-funded scholarships for a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies at St. Norbert College https://www.snc.edu/mls/.

The scholarship will cover the cost of tuition, books and fees of the master’s degree. GRACE teachers will apply to the graduate program, and the coursework will be conducted in a cohort model, giving teachers the opportunity to learn together.

The Top Teacher Talent Award, centered on rewarding and reinforcing exemplary teaching in the GRACE system, will award $1,000 to 20 classroom teachers who demonstrate strong classroom results in the areas of engagement, leadership and instruction through an essay application and portfolio of examples.

GRACE President Kimberly Desotell said, “We are thrilled to announce this during Teacher Appreciation Week and are completely humbled by the generosity of this benefactor. Their faith in GRACE teachers reinforces our commitment to our educators, giving them the tools needed for continued excellence. This is an innovative and unprecedented opportunity to recognize high-quality teaching and learning in our GRACE schools.”

“Our mission at St. Norbert College calls us to provide a high-caliber Catholic education for our local and global communities,” said Jennifer Hockenbery, dean of humanities and professor of philosophy at St. Norbert. “That commitment extends beyond our campus to our area K-12 schools. This initiative will help grow Catholic education in our region,” added Hockenbery.

Eligible GRACE teachers are encouraged to apply by May 23 for these Teacher Excellence Awards through GRACE Human Resources.

For further inquiries, contact Madeline Janssen, GRACE Director of Marketing & Communications at mjanssen@gracesystem.org, 920-499-7330 ext. 1017, or Mike Counter, St. Norbert College Director of Media Relations at mike.counter@snc.edu, 920-403-3089.



About GRACE

GRACE stands for Green Bay Area Catholic Education and is a nine-school system that provides excellence in preschool through high school education and serves 23 Catholic parishes within the Greater Green Bay community. GRACE schools range in offerings and locations, and each has its own distinct history, focus and parish connections. GRACE is among the largest Catholic school systems in the state of Wisconsin. To learn more, visit http://gracesystem.org.

About St. Norbert College

Founded in 1898, St. Norbert College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college located in De Pere, Wisconsin, just outside of Green Bay. St. Norbert is ranked in the top 10 of national liberal arts colleges in the country. Recent years have seen record enrollments and unprecedented investments in the St. Norbert College campus. The academic excellence and character-building qualities of the college are nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Princeton Review and others. St. Norbert College is home to the Medical College of Wisconsin-Green Bay. http://snc.edu.

About CatholicLink

GRACE and St. Norbert College are members of CatholicLink, an innovative preschool-through-college partnership with the mission of attaining world-class Catholic education in the greater Green Bay area.