Dear Parents-

We are overjoyed! Archbishop Hebda has signed our proxy and preparations are in the works for our groundbreaking celebration this fall. We are building our new Education Center, Administration Offices, and Social Hall! The hard work is far from over, but we have cleared a significant hurdle and are happy to move forward. Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please keep them coming as we work through the next two school years to build and prepare our project. Watch for more news as the planning committee gets information out about the groundbreaking. I hope all our families can be present to help celebrate this moment!

One more week remains before teacher workshops begin. Many have been in working in rooms already and the building is beginning to look ‘school ready’. I have been working on completing the hiring for our open positions. I am excited to say that as of this week, we are again fully staffed and ready to begin the school year. Our new staff are introduced below, but we also have some veteran staff taking on new roles this year. Tune in next week to hear about all the changes. We are looking forward to a great year ahead!

The next two weeks will be in fast forward as we orientate new staff and get everything ready to welcome our students and their families back on the 25^th for Back to School Night. Look for more information coming soon on the schedule of events, our speedy check out, and more! We are so looking forward to seeing you all.

God is Good!

Mrs. Ashley

My name is Amanda Fox. I am from Cannon Falls, and I have been teaching for three years.  For elementary school I attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton in Hastings.  I enjoyed my education there, and I am excited to be a part of the Catholic school community again.  I took a roundabout way into teaching, and have a BS in psychology, an MA in Human Services, and my K-6 teaching license. I am excited to join the first grade team at Divine Mercy, and I look forward to working with and meeting you all!

As a past student and a current parent, I'm so excited to be continuing my teaching career here at DMCS! My name is Hayley O'Connor and I will be one of the two Second Grade teachers. After graduating from Bethlehem Academy in 2010, I continued my education at Winona State University and graduated with my Elementary Eduction degree. Since then I've taught many ages levels from preschool to 6th grade. When I'm not teaching I enjoy traveling with my family, crafting, spending time outside and taking care of our various hobby farm animals.

My name is Stephanie Roughton and I am the new 4th grade teacher! I am very excited for the upcoming school year!
I grew up in Faribault and MANY years ago I walked these same halls as a student when it was CCS. I graduated from Bethlehem Academy in 1999. From there I attended college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where I graduated with a degree in Education. I also met the love of my life there. We resided in River Falls, WI and Hammond, WI. Once we became parents we decided to move back to Faribault to be close to my family. I was a Stay at Home mom to our son, Easton, for 5 years. Our world shattered last year when my husband passed away. It has been a very hard journey but we have been so very blessed as well. The love and support we received from the staff,  the families from Easton’s class and the DMCS community was overwhelming! I am proud to be a part of this community and now a member of the DMCS family.
My son, Easton, will be entering Kindergarten this year. He is very excited that I will be a teacher in the building and I am very excited to be working in the same school he attends. He keeps me busy and on my toes!

Angela Lehtinen will be a preschool para this year. Angela grew up on the shore of Lake Superior in Marquette, MI. After graduating Northern Michigan University, she moved around the US with her husband, Rob. From Arizona back to Michigan and ending in  Faribault Minnesota last year. They have two beautiful children Stella, 12 and Luc, 9. Angela’s hobbies include taking care her many pets and cheering on her kids and husband at their many sporting events.