St. Gerard Society Announces Scholarship in Honor of Longtime Nouvel Catholic Central Elementary Principal Sister Ann deGuise
Sister Ann deGuise has been involved in Catholic education all her life. Now a scholarship in her honor, administered by the St. Gerard Society (SGS), will continue her legacy of helping students achieve their academic and religious potential.
The Sister Ann deGuise Scholarship will provide tuition assistance to families and students of all faiths who wish to attend Nouvel Catholic Central Schools, where Sister Ann spent 28 years as a teacher and principal. “I am truly honored and humbled to have a scholarship established in my name,” Sister Ann said. ”I believe that with the help of the St. Gerard Society, students who may not have had the opportunity to get a Catholic education will become responsible, faith-filled adults and in turn, contribute to make this world a better place.”
“I am truly honored and humbled to have a scholarship established in my name,” Sister Ann said. ”I believe that with the help of the St. Gerard Society, students who may not have had the opportunity to get a Catholic education will become responsible, faith-filled adults and in turn, contribute to make this world a better place.”
Sister Ann said the scholarship also honors the Bernardine Franciscan sisters who came before her at the school, including former principal Sister Maria Christine Keller and former sixth grade teacher Sister Marianita Wierkowski.
Born and raised in Dearborn, Sister Ann attended Divine Child Elementary School before going to Alvernia High School in Reading, Pennsylvania. There, she was taught by the Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, the congregation she entered as a high school senior in 1962. Sister Ann pursued a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Alvernia University, followed by a master’s degree in administration from Dayton University.
“The Bernardine Franciscan Sisters’ charism was educating children and caring for the sick,” Sister Ann said. “I had always loved working with children. It just seemed natural that I would choose teaching as a ministry. Little did I know at that time how much I would love it.”
That love blossomed into 54 years as a teacher and administrator, first teaching elementary grades in Roseville before coming to Saginaw in 1990. She taught primarily math and religion to seventh and eighth graders at St. Thomas Aquinas
School, now Nouvel Catholic Central Elementary School, before becoming principal in 1994. “She helped build that school into what it is today,” said Karen Boswell, a retired administrative assistant from NCCE. “She gives it her all.”
Sister Ann spent 10 to 12 hours a day at the school, which she viewed as her primary mission, said Father Randy Kelly, former pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Her contributions included bringing Catechesis of the Good Shepherd curriculum to the school. On a personal level, she also knew each student by name. Many parents would visit her simply to talk through what was going on in their lives. “She was not only an educator, but she was also pastoral minister,” Father Kelly said. Sister Ann retired in 2018 and was inducted into the Nouvel Catholic Central Hall of Fame.
“Going to work each day and never knowing what will happen has been exciting and challenging,” Sister Ann said. “One of the most rewarding things for me was being with the students. I was able to expose them to the wonders of learning not only the academics, but what it means to be a Catholic and how to live out that faith. I watched them grow into young adults and then become parents themselves. Nothing is better than seeing in the eyes of a child a smile that says ‘thank you,’ followed by a genuine hug.” Through the scholarship in her honor, students will continue to experience the wonders of learning both academics and our Catholic faith.
“Many parents she taught now bring their children to (Nouvel),” said Donna Trombley, a retired reading specialist from NCCE. She believes parents saw Sister Ann as a positive role model. “She is a faith-filled person. She has dedicated her life to Catholic education, and she has touched the lives of numerous children and their parents,” Trombley added. “What people like about her is she’s genuine, kind-hearted, fun to be around and has a great sense of humor. People just enjoy her presence.” Boswell, the retired administrative assistant, agrees. “Ann is the most selfless person I know. Whatever you
need, no matter what, Ann will move mountains for you,” she said. “The scholarship is our way of recognizing her as an exceptional, saintly, holy person,” said Father Kelly. “It’s the community’s way of recognizing an individual as a life that we should model, a life of service.” Father Kelly added it honors the Franciscans who established St. Thomas Aquinas parish and the adjoining school. “I hope it’s a way of preserving not just (Sister Ann’s) legacy, but the Franciscan legacy and Catholic heritage. When people hear that name, at least for the next two generations, they’re going to understand what Catholic education means, because she was the face of Catholic education in Saginaw,” he said.
The SGS awarded $75,000 in renewable tuition assistance scholarships, including the Sister Ann deGuise Scholarship, to 62 deserving students from 40 families, representing 12 percent of the students attending NCCS, according to President Pete Ramah. “SGS is having a positive effect on stabilizing and increasing enrollment at NCC schools,” he said.
The Sister Ann deGuise Scholarship will be part of the St. Gerard Society Scholarship Program, designated as long-term with endowment provisions. Interest from the fund will accumulate and be distributed each year into the general scholarship awards made by the St. Gerard Society.
For more information, or if you would like to donate to this worthwhile scholarship, please visit stgerardsociety.org or contact Pete Ramah at pete@stgerardsociety.org or (989) 928-1990. Each donation helps deserving children of all faiths attend Nouvel Catholic Central Schools and obtain a Christ-centered education.
Why is my donation important?
1. In the words of Pope Francis: Educating is an act of love; it is like giving life.
2. Catholic school graduates are more civically engaged, more tolerant of diverse views and more committed to service as adults than their public school peers.
3. The poorer and more at-risk a student is, the greater the achievement gains in Catholic schools.
4. Students with multiple disadvantages benefit most from Catholic schools.
5. The achievement gap between students of different racial and/or socioeconomic backgrounds is significantly smaller in Catholic schools.
6. Latino and African American students in Catholic schools are more likely to graduate from high school and college.
How is My Donation Used?
> One hundred percent of every donation goes directly to tuition assistance.
> The Saint Gerard Society maintains all donated funds in an investment account.
> Saint Gerard Society disburses scholarships directly to Nouvel Catholic central Schools on behalf of scholarship recipients.
Who Receives Donations?
When finances are a barrier to new Nouvel Catholic Central Schools students, the school admissions and finance directors collaboratively secure scholarship funding. Scholarship amounts range from $500 up to half of the tuition cost, based on third-party verification of need.
What is required of scholarship recipients?
Students must adhere to the school Code of Conduct, which outlines minimum academic performance and exemplary behavior. Families and students are asked to fully participate in their Catholic education experience and to help others as their own financial situations allow.
Please help transform a child’s future by providing an academically rigorous, Christ-centered education.
Dr. Michael Wolohan, Scholarship Angel
“There’s nothing greater than forming a child in Christ and helping a child to learn to be like Jesus both as a child and then as an adult. That’s an incredible, wonderful gift.”
