Peggy Hirsch was there since the beginning: the dream of a Catholic school in the south metro, the initial meetings and the collaboration of a tri-parish sponsorship from St. Thomas Becket and St. John Neumann, both in Eagan, and St. Peter in Mendota. They secured the perfect spot in Eagan nestled among 27 acres of woodlands and wetlands just off Yankee Doodle Road. And in 2000, Faithful Shepherd Catholic School opened.
The school is kicking off its 25th anniversary during Catholic Schools Week, beginning with a special Mass celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Hebda at St. John Neumann at noon on Jan. 26. It’s a sentimental milestone, said Hirsch, 59, a member of St. Peter and longtime Faithful Shepherd teacher who provides academic support to grades K-3 and facilitates worship.
Q) What do you remember about those early days?
A) I was a stay-at-home mom with a kindergarten son and a 2-year-old daughter. The prospect of a Catholic grade school in the southern suburbs really excited us. I was on a committee called the School Advisory Committee, and our job was to work with the newly hired principal before the school opened. We created a student handbook and explored all sorts of questions: What would it cost? Are we going to have busing? Half-day or full-day kindergarten?
Teachers came in the beginning of August and worked for the whole month to prepare. It didn’t look like a school yet but an office building. The hallways and cafeteria were filled with boxes that had been delivered. They were willing to do everything — unboxing, assembling desks, figuring out what went where. Parents came, too. They installed the playground. There was so much excitement. People were certain it would be a success.
Being new made us think out of the box. Interest was high for the lower grades, so we decided to open our first year as a K-6. The next year those kids went up to seventh grade, and the following year we were K-8.
Q) Do you think that willingness to think outside the box is still prevalent?
A) I do. We still think of ourselves as new, and everything isn’t written a certain way.
Q) Being a tri-parish school brings a spirit of collaboration. Priests of different ages from all three parishes regularly visit the students — to celebrate weekly Mass, to chat with kids during religion class, to bless students in the nurse’s office and even to jump in the gaga ball pit at recess.
A) Right! We bring our faith into all aspects of the school day. It’s such a welcoming and caring atmosphere. As a teacher, I receive so much support from my coworkers and from the administration — from planning and sharing ideas to encouragement if I’m struggling with something personally. My two kids attended Faithful Shepherd, and as a parent, I knew the smaller class sizes meant their teachers knew them well and they could make really good friends. They keep in contact with some still today.
Q) Your daughter is now a Catholic school teacher. That’s such a testament to the value of a Catholic school education. The proof is in the pudding!
A) She teaches at Divine Mercy Catholic School in Faribault. She and I love to swap stories and ideas. It’s great to see her share her faith with her students and help them learn and grow — and it stems back to what she learned at Faithful Shepherd.
Teaching is challenging and time consuming, but it’s very rewarding. Those rewards sometimes can be seen right away, like when a student figures something out after struggling and you see it click, or when you see their faith be sparked. But you don’t see all the benefits of your efforts. It’s like planting a seed, and that growth will come later in life. You never know how you’ve affected them academically, emotionally or spiritually.
Q) Does seeing what can happen in a single school year fill you with hope?
A) Yes! It’s amazing — look how much they grow in one year! I am very optimistic by nature.
Q) You’re also witnessing leaps and bounds made by your first grandchild, who just turned 1.
A) Being a grandparent is so exciting — and more relaxing than as a parent. You get to enjoy them more because you’re not worried about everything. Every time my granddaughter comes for a visit, we pull out a book called “Peek-A-Who?” and we read it over and over.
Q) You’re a native Minnesotan. How do you lean into winter?
A) I’m not a fan of the cold, but snow is beautiful. I love seeing it on the trees — its sparkle, its crunch. My husband, Paul, and I cross-country ski. We do it at a city or state park. When you’re skiing, you’re out enjoying what you’re seeing. You’re not thinking of it as exercise. We love being in the quiet. Things look different in the winter.
Q) It awakens your senses?
A) Yes! Things are asleep, renewing and resting. You have to be patient and wait for the beauty of spring to come, knowing that cold, dark winter makes that warm, colorful spring seem so much richer. It’s easy to see God’s hand in all of it.
We look forward to each season, and we do a lot of outdoor activities for exercise. Our vacations are almost always to a state or national park. Waterfalls are our favorite. We have to find a waterfall wherever we go. Sometimes we’ll drive up to Gooseberry Falls for the day. Nature helps me connect with God. It’s where I feel closest to him. He’s in the silence. Nature is his beauty. He made it to share with us.
Q) I hear you’re quite the biker.
A) Paul and I bike 400 to 500 miles every summer. Last year we did the Mesabi Trail along the Iron Range. We do smaller rides in the evening and then on the weekend, we’ll go someplace longer. We usually will bring a lunch — sandwiches, yogurt, something simple. One year my class bought me an odometer so I could keep track of the miles.
Q) There’s something satisfying about tracking it, isn’t there?
A) It encourages us to keep going if we’re not getting as many miles. I write it down. My husband would say that’s crazy, but I write down a lot of things. I just keep track of things. I’m a person who likes to do that. I have our mileage on a sheet of paper, and then I compare the different years. I have a journal I’ll keep of when we go on vacations, where we go, what we did. It’s a memory piece — I don’t want to forget. I like to look back and say, “Remember when we did this?”
Q What’s your favorite hymn?
A) I’m in the choir at our church. I love music! I listen to KTIS (radio). There are so many wonderful praise and worship songs. They just speak to me! If I had to pick a favorite, of late, it would be “How Great Is Our God” by Chris Tomlin. That captures how I feel about God and nature.
Q) What do you know for sure?
A) I love reading The Catholic Spirit. I read it from cover to cover. The Q&A is always interesting, and your last question is always, “What do you know for sure?” Every time I read those answers, I wonder, “What would I say?”
What I know for sure is that I’m a child of God, that I’m loved by him. I know he’s surrounded me with wonderful people who support and strengthen me. He is with me always, and he will continue to be.
