Holy Spirit Catholic School celebrates 70 years

Holy Spirit Catholic School class of 2020 on the steps of St. Anthony Church. (Courtesy Photo/Holy Spirit Catholic School)

The impact of a Catholic grade school education can last a lifetime.

There is no better illustration than the Brisbois family from Pocatello. Rose Marie Brisbois was a devoted wife and mother of students who attended St. Joseph’s and St. Anthony’s Catholic Schools in Pocatello. She was a lifelong supporter of Catholic education in the area, including volunteering in the school’s library.

In fact, as Holy Spirit Catholic School celebrates its 70th anniversary in Pocatello, the library there is named in Rose Marie Brisbois’ memory.

“Holy Spirit Catholic School will always hold a special place in our heart,” wrote Rose Marie’s son, Michael, in a letter containing his family’s annual gift to the school. “My seven surviving siblings and I carry a lifetime of wonderful memories of the time spent at what was then St. Joseph’s and St. Anthony’s Catholic School.”

Brisbois, who now lives in Colorado, is one of many graduates from Pocatello’s Catholic school system during the past 70 years, even as the schools that provided that foundation have evolved. As he noted in his letter, there were originally two Catholic grade schools – St. Joseph’s, the original school, and St. Anthony’s, in Pocatello. The school at St. Joe’s later closed and, as the three Catholic parishes in Pocatello merged into Holy Spirit Catholic Community, St. Anthony’s School, 540 N. 7th Ave., assumed the name of Holy Spirit Catholic School.

There were still more evolutions to come as the school expanded to include a middle school that used the former St. Joseph’s school building. After a few years, it was consolidated back to grade school. A sixth-grade component was added for a time, and now Holy Spirit Catholic School offers preschool through fifth grade again.

“I’ve seen this ebb and flow,” said Holy Spirit Catholic School Principal Margie Gabiola, who has been associated with the school for 28 years as a teacher and administrator. “We’re small—we’re big. We had 200 kids at one time; we have 62 right now. I’m a big believer that there are some ebb and flow times, and it’s okay.”

Several factors have contributed to the reduction in enrollment at Holy Spirit, not the least of which, Gabiola feels, is the rise of charter schools. Charter schools offer a private school feel but without the tuition cost associated with Catholic schools. What they don’t offer, however, is the spiritual foundation that Holy Spirit provides.

“The Catholic foundation is a really strong piece,” said Gabiola, whose three daughters were all Holy Spirit School students and are now attending college. “We have weekly Masses with our priests. We’re open to all faiths, but we are absolutely still going to be teaching the Catholic faith. The thing that makes that so rich is being able to bring God into everything…I think public school calls it character building. We call it virtues. I think a lot of people really like to see virtues being instilled in their kids.”

This month, Holy Spirit is featuring the virtue of courage: being brave when things get hard.

“That’s a really great skill to have in your kids – that’s a value,” said Gabiola.

Mark Dahlquist, another Pocatello Catholic school alum, feels his Catholic school education laid a spiritual foundation that made him who he is today.

“I felt like that was such a good basis for my spiritual formation,” said Dahlquist, 59, the executive director of NeighborWorks Pocatello, a non-profit community development agency focusing on affordable housing.

“There are so many things you look back on from that Catholic school education. It helped me stay involved in the church. I’m on the Finance Council now, and was on the building committee several years ago… I just feel like I’d be a really different person, and not have the level of faith and joy in my life if it hadn’t been for the education I got at the time at St. Anthony’s Catholic School.”

The bonds created in Catholic schools can also last a lifetime. Dahlquist said he recently attended a joint 40th high school reunion with his Pocatello and Highland School classmates. During the reunion, he reconnected with his former St. Anthony classmates, and they spent much of the event reliving their grade school days.

Dahlquist also stays connected to some of his former teachers from his St. Anthony days, particularly Sister Esther Velasquez, who is now retired and lives in Spokane.

“She was so special to me, and we still write to each other periodically,” said Dahlquist, who reconnected with Sister Esther when she was living at the monastery in Cottonwood several years ago. “We really clicked and stayed in contact over time.”

Dahlquist also reconnected with Sister Anne Glodoski, his third-grade teacher.

It’s been several decades since nuns taught at what is now Holy Spirit School, but several outstanding teachers have carried on the work. They include Debby Belcher, who is in her 35th year teaching at the school, Debby Newhouse, Deb Reams, and Nancy Kaiser. Nancy Corgiat, principal at Holy Spirit for many years, was a major contributor to the school’s growth and evolution.

Not only did the school’s staff and teachers form their students, but the school also imprinted on the community. Emma Frost, one of six siblings to attend what is now Holy Spirit Catholic School, remembers the impression she and her classmates made on the Pocatello community.

“I remember really being present in the community, going out as a group, and people noticing us,” said Frost, who later taught at Holy Spirit before moving to a public junior high in Pocatello. Frost explained that she and her classmates had school-sponsored community service opportunities that her neighborhood friends at public schools weren’t getting.

“We were a visible group; we would have our red sweaters, and they were commented on. We went to Mass together, which was unique among my peers.”

Frost and her classmates buried a time capsule in the front lawn of what is now the Holy Spirit campus, back when they were in fifth grade. When they all got together for a combined 20th reunion of the local high schools, “the kids from St. Anthony got together and said, ‘Hey, do you remember that time capsule?’” Frost said. “I guess we wrote little notes and letters to ourselves and maybe put a few popular items in. So, with the help of Mr. Berry (the school’s physical education instructor), we’re going to figure that out and hopefully dig it up.”

Gabiola, her staff, the priests at Holy Spirit, including the Pastor, Father Emil Parafiniuk, Parochial Vicars Father Aleksander Dembowski and Father Gabriel Morales, and the Holy Spirit school board are working to rebuild enrollment at the school. At one time, the school had two pre-school classes that fed the enrollment of the grade school. COVID impacted pre-school enrollment, but an effort is underway to rebuild those classes.

In the meantime, Holy Spirit appeals to students and parents with extracurricular activities, enhanced security and highly personalized instruction.

Holy Spirit Catholic School belongs to the local Charter School League, where its fourth and fifth-grade students compete in basketball, cross country, volleyball, and Lego robotics. Kaiser, a former Holy Spirit teacher who now teaches math at Century High School, comes to Holy Spirit after school to coach the robotics team, which has been highly successful.”

Principal Gabiola said the judges often comment that Holy Spirit kids are very well spoken. Students proclaim scripture at weekly Masses, she explained. Teachers make sure they read clearly and articulately.

“They get used to making sure those readings sound good. It’s intentional when the kids are reading, but we kind of take it for granted around here—that’s just something we do. That’s also something Holy Spirit has that not everybody else has.”

The smaller class sizes allow Holy Spirit’s outstanding teachers to work more closely with their students.

With the help of parishioners Kelly and Bruce Olenick, the school recently received a $148,000 federal grant to enhance safety and security.

The school and playground facilities are already well-secured, but the grant will allow for enhanced lighting and taller perimeter fencing.

Every year, Holy Spirit holds its annual Gala Dinner and Auction, the school’s major fundraiser. This year, in honor of the 70th anniversary, attendees are encouraged to wear 70s attire and prepare for a disco night. The event will be held March 1 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the ISU Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $45 each, $80 for a couple and $225 for a table of eight and can be purchased at holyspiritcs.com.

Father Parafiniuk noted that Holy Spirit Catholic School is an important part of the parish and the Pocatello community.

“Holy Spirit Catholic School is a cornerstone of our parish and a gift to the wider Pocatello community,” said Father Parafiniuk. “It is a place where faith and learning come together, shaping young hearts and minds to serve others with compassion, integrity and excellence. By welcoming Catholic and non-Catholic families, our school reflects Christ’s call to inclusivity and love, making it a beacon of hope and unity for all.”

Holy Spirit Catholic School Parent Teacher Committee officers celebrate the school’s 70th anniversary. (Courtesy Photo/Holy Spirit Catholic School)