Carroll honors Schnellers

Carroll College alumni Dr. James Schneller and Joan Schneller are the 2010 recipients of the Insignis Award, conferred by Carroll annually to recognize service that has benefited the college and the world community.

The Schnellers, of Tacoma, Wash., were chosen for their outreach to the sick and the poor in Vietnam and for support of C a r r o l l ’ s R o m a n Catholic identity and mission, according to the school. A hospital they established in Vietnam has treated HIV and AIDS patients. Nearby, the Schnellers established an orphanage and a kindergarten.

Their support of Carroll includes giving to the Sister Annette Moran Endowment for Servant Leadership and to the Campus Ministry Endowment. Additionally, the Schnellers established the Dr. James and Joan Schneller Endowed Professorship in Catholic Mission and Identity.

The Foundation for the Diocese of Helena Inc. includes an endowment established in 2006 with a gift from the Schnellers. That endowment may be used by tbe bishop to support seminarian education and training in the ways that he deems most beneficial.

Dr. Schneller graduated from Carroll in 1956. Joan Schneller graduated in 1957. The Insignis Award was presented at the Carroll President’s Dinner on Oct. 29.

And the honorees are...everyone

Eighth-grade students at St. Matthew Elementary School in Kalispell have something in common with the children in Lake Wobegon, Minn., humorist Garrison Keillor’s fictional hometown. All of the kids are above average.

Everyone in the eighth grade at St. Matthew qualified for the honor roll this fall. That’s 13 students in the class taught by Laura Jensen.

Principal Joanna Eichner told the Missoulian newspaper that in her 10 years at St. Matthew, this fall marked the first time that every student in the eighth grade was on the honor roll. Their grades averaged 3.87 on a scale of 4.0. A grade-point average of 3.33 is required for honor roll status at St. Matthew.

During Mass, Father Rod Ermatinger of St. Matthew Parish acknowledged the students’ achievement.

Paving a patio for campers

Want to make your mark at Lincoln House, the new building that is a gathering place for Legendary Lodge campers? Buy a patio paver and have it inscribed.

Personalized pavers will be installed early this summer if purchased by March 1, said Glenda Seipp, Stewardship Services director for the Diocese of Helena. Pavers 4 inches by 8 inches are available for $50 and can be inscribed with three lines of text. Pavers 8 inches by 8 inches cost $100 and are large enough for six lines.

Text suggestions include the name of the donor, names of loved ones or words about a treasured memory. The order form is on the diocesan website at www.diocesehelena.org.

Lincoln House was built with funds from the late Marias River landowner Charlie Lincoln and his mother, Anna. The building takes the place of Eagle’s Nest, the longtime gathering spot for campers at Legendary Lodge. Now, the first floor of Lincoln House is known as Eagle’s Nest.

The Lincolns’ gift will be acknowledged on a granite stone within the Lincoln House patio overlooking Salmon Lake.

More information is available from Seipp at gseipp@diocesehelena.org or 406- 442-5820.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 12, December 17, 2010.