She was right about having new opportunities at Valley Catholic. “As a freshman, I was in choir, led by Sister Juliana Monti,” she said. “I had never been in choir before. But the program was set up so that someone with no experience in choir could join, be successful and enjoy it.”
class dressed as Queen Elizabeth,” she said. “It was so much fun. Because of what we were doing, I probably learned more about history – without really knowing that I was learning.” She continued her studies at Western Oregon University, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. “I went to Western Oregon University specifically for their teaching program,” she said. “After I finished my undergraduate degree, I got my teaching license. My first teaching job was at St. Vincent DePaul School in Salem. While I taught there, I worked toward my master’s degree in teaching with an endorsement in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). I then went to the University of Oregon to get my administrator’s license.”
While Sister Juliana led the choir, Sister John Therese Miller led the orchestra. “She and Sister Juliana guided us,” she said. “We traveled and performed. One year, we went to San Francisco. Another year, we went to Victoria. And we traveled together – boys and girls – because ours was the first coed class at Valley Catholic.” Krista Jacobson still sings in the choir at her church. She praises retired teacher Phil McQueen for bringing history to life. “He wanted us to fully experience what we were reading about,” she said. “His passion and excitement were contagious. As a senior, I audited his class as an elective, seeking more information and perspective about history.” She also remembers former SSMO Sister Pauline Rose, who taught religion. “She would come into our history
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