St. Peter Catholic School celebrates 50th anniversary
Peggy Gurbal of Geneva stood in front of several hundred children, teachers and parents in the gymnasium of St. Peter Catholic School in Geneva and recalled her time there as a first grader 50 years ago.
"The bonds that you make now will be with you a long time," she told the children.
Gurbal was in the first first-grade class when the school opened to 138 children Sept. 2, 1958. The school was later home to her four children.
Gurbal's sister Martha Sanchez of Elburn began school at St. Peter's four years after Gurbal started school. Now Sanchez has three grandchildren there.
Earlier this week, over 500 current students, along with clergy, teachers and parents, and some former teachers, gathered to celebrate 50 years.
Gurbal coordinated the efforts of over 50 volunteers who all baked a 9x13-inch cake which were frosted as one, with a time line and information about special events.
"I hope you all took the time to read about 50 years of our beautiful history," the Rev. Monsignor Joseph Jarmoluk told the gathering. He is senior pastor of St. Peter Catholic Church. "Each of you students is like a piece of this cake. All of you are sweet, and different."
"The teachers, parents and the children cooperated and took care of everything," said Mary Jaeger, who was one of the first teachers. She has retired from the Batavia school system and works at St. Peter School currently as a counselor. "We were the janitors, we took care of the sports. There was a great group of people who were deeply invested."
"I wish our parents could have been here," said Martha Sanchez. "They were on committees that got the new school going. And my mother worked for years at the St. Peter Thrift Store that supported the school."
After eating cake, the students went outside to pose for an all-school photo.
"This anniversary is a milestone," Jarmoluk said. "It's truly an accomplishment, something to be celebrated. I believe we are second to none in the Fox Valley, and we also provide an education that is wonderfully Christian and Catholic."