SISTER DIANE TETREAULT
A JOURNEYof DEDICATION THROUGH EDUCATION
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Congratulations Sister Diane! I loved your freshman history class in 1972! I also recall your hospital visit when I was involved in a car accident the following summer. You and Sister Rita Rafferty were so kind to take the time to come and see me. I will never forget it. Thank you.” Mrs. Sally (Green) Cardetti, CHS ’76
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THROUGHOUT HER 49-YEAR MINISTRY in Catholic education at Pope Francis Preparatory School and Cathedral High School, Diane Tetreault, SSJ served thousands of students. Prior to her assignment at Cathedral in 1971, Sister Diane taught at St. Thomas the Apostle in West Springfield for one year and at St. Mary Morning Star School in Pittsfield for two years. Earlier this summer, following a period of prayer and discernment, Sister Diane made the difficult decision to retire from teaching. Sister Diane met her students each day, committed to the Pope Francis Prep mission to instill Gospel values, and also consistent with the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph to live and work that all people may be united with God and one another. Students who had Sister Diane as a teacher and mentor will be forever blessed. Before Sister Diane hurried away to retirement life, we had an opportunity to connect about her journey as a Sister of St. Joseph as well as her experiences as a teacher for more than 50 years. How and when did you know that you wanted to become a Sister of St. Joseph? What can you tell us about that discernment process?
I believe that God has given each individual person unique strengths and gifts with which they can make a positive contribution for the good of people. Understanding how I could best do that was important to me.
My sister Jane, my twin brother David, and I attended Holy Trinity School in Greenfield. Taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph, we received an excellent education. It was there in meeting these wonderful women that I was greatly influenced by their dedication to their teaching and the personal interest they took in each of their students. I knew I was interested in teaching, and as time went along, I felt
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God’s call to join the community. Conversations with my family and friends and exploration with teachers and mentors confirmed my prior personal reflection, leading me to the decision to enter the Sisters of St. Joseph. I graduated from Greenfield High School in 1963 and entered the community on September 15 that year. You have taught thousands of students over the years. What trends did you see from the 1970’s to today?
The trends across five decades of teaching have truly been remarkable! Technology would be the first thing that has changed. In the past, education was based on books, lectures and worksheets and students would have to spend hours in libraries using the Dewey Decimal System looking through books for a project or research. In the classroom then we were using the chalkboard, filmstrips, movie projector, overhead projector/transparencies, and a television/VCR on a three-tier cart so that it could be easily moved among the classes. In subsequent years we were going to the Computer Lab and mastering the use of the Smartboard. A key objective today is teaching how to use the internet, websites, the iPad, Smartphones, Surfaces, Google classroom and Zoom effectively. So many educational learning opportunities are available on the internet. The curriculum has expanded to having students working together in groups to develop their communication skills to discuss topics to increase their knowledge. There are always new ways to present information and integrate new technologies! Tell us about your colleagues throughout your time teaching.
When I started teaching there were seventytwo sisters living at the convent, and all were assigned to Cathedral High either as administrators or as teachers. The names of our sisters from our legacy schools are
beautifully etched in St. Joseph Chapel. There are too many colleagues for me to list in this space, but I am especially grateful for Sister Veronica Brown and Sister Mary James, who provided me with countless hours of mentoring and support with planning lessons and kept me apprised of all the details involved in teaching. Throughout the years they were always interested in teaching and provided me with topics and current event articles to use with my classes. Sister Denise Granger was a valuable colleague in the Social Studies department and provided supportive leadership and a clear vision as department chair and later as principal. She introduced me to computers and through many classes taught me many valuable skills. We created some wonderful memories while team teaching! Along with Leslie Perreault, Kevin McCarthy, Lynn Anne Leone, Diane Trela, Jane Davis, and Terry Ford, I believe our most thorough work was teaching global issues. We are indebted to Sister Annette McDermott for introducing us to the United Nations! Working together surely brought out the best in each person! Mrs. Frances Jensen was an inspiration to all of us with her knowledge of
political history and current events and her willingness to share her insights with her colleagues and students. Mrs. Shirley Pratt gave encouragement and support to everyone by being a good listener, along with her legacy of teaching many generations of students. What were some of the funniest experiences you had while teaching?
Several of my funniest experiences involve mentoring Marie Mort, who was perhaps the most enjoyable person with whom to share ideas about teaching and creating lesson plans. She had a wonderful knack for working with students in the Home Economics and Bachelor Living classes, teaching them about recipes, menu planning, food preparation and baking. Together they created fantastic meals and wonderful aromas for the classrooms nearby! Her stories were without equal, and we should have kept notes for a best seller! On an annual basis, the Social Studies department planned an activity for faculty to dress up and students would guess which historical person we were portraying. Eleanor Roosevelt, who changed the lives of continued on page 4
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millions, is one of my favorite persons. That said, it took me countless days and hours to search out the proper dress, hat, and pocketbook! It was truly a fun day! Working with my fellow class advisors, our trips off campus with the Freshman class were fun — whether it was riding several of the “dangerous rides” at Riverside (Six Flags) or to try my skill at roller skating at the United Skates in Wilbraham! In between there were the Friday night dances and car washes to raise funds for the treasury that always had interesting stories connected with them. What parting message do you have for your friends and colleagues at PFPS?
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart Where do I begin to say thank you to the countless number of people who have supported me and have been a part of this wonderful decades-long journey? To my community, the Sisters of St. Joseph, my family and friends, the incredible students, parents, the past and present dedicated teachers, administration, Board of Directors, staff, coaches, and alumni, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude. I experienced the unfolding of my ministry of teaching through these amazing years and you have played a major role in our shared mission. I will continue to pray for you, your families, and the Pope Francis Preparatory school community, that “We live and work to bring all people into union with God and with one another” as we continue to navigate these unchartered waters during these unprecedented times. Go Cardinals! With appreciation, Sister Diane
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POPE FRANCIS PREPARATORY SCHOOL
S I S T E R S O F S T. J O S E P H
THAT ALL may be ONE THE HEART OF OUR CAMPUS IS THE SAINT JOSEPH CHAPEL. This sacred space is dedicated to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield to honor their legacy of service to our Catholic high schools for more than 130 years. Their commitment to Catholic education spanned from Sacred Heart High School, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary High School, St. Jerome High School, Holyoke Catholic High School, Cathedral High School, and Pope Francis Preparatory School. In all, more than 430 Sisters of St. Joseph (some of whom worked in multiple schools) collectively dedicated more than 4,700 sister-years of service to students in these Catholic high schools. With deep gratitude we thank the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, along with many other women religious, brothers, and priests for their faithful ministry in uniting young women and men with God through their commitment to Catholic education.
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The Sisters at Cathedral did more to shape me as a person, and shape my life than anyone apart from my parents. I can never forget those Sisters. They live in my heart.” William F. Moran CHS ’69
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Thank you for all of your years of service. My grammar and high school years were taught by the good sisters of Saint Joseph.” Laurette (Farina) Oppedisano, CHS ’63
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The teachings I received from the Sisters of St. Joseph helped put me on a path to continue to focus on the positive, and exemplify that teaching daily.” Barbara (Britton) Moran, HCHS ’63
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I was blessed to be educated by many of the Sisters of St. Joseph — congrats and thank you for so many years of dedicated service to our community!” Suzanne (Lavoie) Baker, CHS ’85
The Sisters of Saint Joseph were always very good to me in elementary school and high school, as many of my teachers at St. Stan’s and Holyoke Catholic were sisters. After I became a teacher, they were always very helpful colleagues who always put the needs of their students first. They are a wonderful group of women dedicated to service to God and to educating students.” Joseph Matte HCHS ’89
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