Making a Difference in Holy Trinity’s family lives for over 40 years:  Irene Belusko, Holy Trinity’s first lay teacher.

   The phone rang in August of 1963 in my home.  On the other end was Fr. Anthony Gerace asking me if I would teach at the new Holy Trinity School which had just opened the previous December.  One of my first thoughts was, “But Catholic schools have so many pupils in a class”.  I had taught in the public schools formerly and resigned when I married.  God blessed my husband and me with our son, Vincent, and he was going be a first grader at holy Trinity.  If a I accepted I could choose from three positions—a first grade, a split second and third, or a split fourth and fifth.  Since I had taught first grade in Portland, I would have preferred the first grade.  However, I did not want to teach my own son.  I told Father I needed some time to consider the offer.

   In the meantime, Father had the Principal, Sister Irene, phone me.  She was most encouraging about the school, the new books, and the help the two sisters would give.  Later I went to meet the Sisters and agreed to accept the split second and third grades.  After I made my choice the Sisters told me they were hoping that I would make that choice because then they could each keep the grades they preferred.  The Sisters were indeed helpful.  We all worked to get the new room ready.  Sister Shannon had a “trunkful” of bulletin board ideas.

   Thirty-nine pupils arrived that first day of school.  When a mother, Norma Reynolds, came after school looking for Cathy’s lost sweater, I did not know which child she was talking about since I had not memorized all the names and faces the first day.  You can be sure I did not tell Norma that I could not remember which of the thirty-nine pupils was hers.  I could not have her lose confidence the first day.

   Most of the children attended 8:00 am mass before classes began.  This practice made it easy to make the nine first Fridays.

   Father asked that the Sisters teach all the religion classes.  So in exchange I taught Sister Irene’s Science class and Sister Shannon’s music class.  Each teacher taught her own physical education class.

   For music I often used a xylogrand to enhance the pitch.  One day as I was teaching Sister Shannon’s first grade class, I was bust reading the music notes, tapping out the tune, and leading the singing.  When I looked up, I was aware of a little pupil standing in front of the teacher’s desk waiting to be recognized.  Imagine my surprise when I took a second glance to see the pupil was my son.  He announced, “Mrs. Belusko, you sang the wrong words”.

   Mothers came to prefect daily at noon.  Before the cafeteria was finished, the children ate at their desks in silenced while a mother read a story.  The desks were the type fastened on runners in long rows.  When I questioned the eating in silence rule, I was told that after a few children turned around to visit with friends and spilled their mil, I would appreciate the rule.

   The next year the first and second grades were combined in Sister Shannon’s class.  So my “old” second and third graders then became my “new” third and fourth graders.  Sister Irene had a combined fifth and sixth grade class.  The school added one grade a year until there were eight grades.

   After the third full year the lower level classrooms and cafeteria were finished during the summer.  Some work was still being done in the Autumn when school started.  The fourth full year we had a straight first, a straight second, a split third and fourth, a split fifth and sixth, and a split seventh and eighth.  I had forty-five in the third and fourth grades.

   Since I remained on the staff four years, I taught my own son in the third and fourth grades.  By the way I had plenty of time to really match Cathy’s face and name.  She was in my second, third, and fourth grade classes.  She is now also a teacher.  Recently I had the honor of attending her wedding to Randal Mock.  I never tired of the children I had three years and hope they felt the same about me.

   My years at the Holy Trinity School were fruitful years.  The cooperation of the Priests, Sisters, faculty, parents, and pupils was most rewarding.  The big plus in a Catholic School is the freedom of the pupils and teacher to bring God into the classroom.  After four years at Holy Trinity School, I returned to the public school system happy to have had the opportunity to serve my parish school.

                                                                                                  Irene T. Belusko

Saturday: 5:30 pm
Sunday: 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am
T, Th, Fr: 8:15 main the chapel
W: 8:45 am school mass in the church

Holy Days: 9:00 am, 7:00 pm

Reconciliation
saturday: 4-5 pm