The tales & traditions of St. Peter alumni

Angie Dillon (Volunteer, Class of ‘71) & Paula Nestor (Finance Manager, Class of ‘70)

Many were students alongside one another, like Angie Dillon (Class of 1971, retired and volunteering) and Paula Nestor (Finance Manager, Class of 1970). 

During basketball games held in the Bob Frye, students like Dillon and Nestor participated in the “Rumble Section,” cheering players on and wearing white gloves while sitting in specific seats to form a big “S” representing the school. 

As they spoke of their days as students, an onlooker could simply see them as such; two good friends with pride in their education, faith, traditions, and fellow classmates.

Dillon has taken on many roles throughout her years at St. Peter, but in her Junior year of high school, Monsignor Dunn had put out an announcement seeking Saturday volunteers to help document the Organ Fund. Both Dillon and Nestor signed up to help. Soon, her involvement grew bigger and bigger, running for Parish Council and serving as Secretary, as well as Chairperson of The Liturgy Committee for 11 years.

“All of these things began to mesh. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher, my grandmother was a teacher. I went to Ohio State and received a degree in education. I taught for four years at St. Mary’s. Every year, I applied at St. Peter. I ended up teaching here for 38 years,” Dillon said.

Nestor has been working at St. Peter for the past five years, having been asked to help bill tuition and later changing to Finance Manager. Her children were the fourth generation in her family to attend the school. One of the stained glass windows in the church was placed by the Straub family, whom both Nestor and Dillon are both related to.

“Our connection to St. Peter’s goes back a long time. When I had an opportunity to come back here, I didn’t even have to think about it,” Nestor said.

Bob Keller (Title One Tutor, Class of ‘81) & Kathleen Keller (4th Grade Teacher, Class of ‘11)

Family is a huge part of St. Peter. Bob Keller, Class of 1981, and his daughter, Kathleen Keller, Class of 2011, both work for the school.

Bob graduated mid-semester and began substitute teaching at Lucas and Madison. Bob Kelly, principal of St. Peter at that time, invited Keller to come back and teach full time.

“I felt comfortable, I felt supported,” Bob Keller said.

Although retired from full time teaching, he now tutors in the elementary. Kathleen has taught many various elementary ages, but is now teaching 4th grade. She’s been teaching at St. Peter for eight years now.

“There’s so much movement with the openings, but I’ve been staying because of the staff, the teachers I work with, the principal, the students. I’ve had students when I taught second grade and now they’re in my fourth grade class. The community and relationships with families you get here, you don’t get at a public school,” Kathleen said.

“It’s the little things that make a big difference. It’s nice coming back and seeing people that I’ve worked with in the past, people I knew many years ago and went to school with,” Bob Keller said.

Bob Keller mentions the immense amount of mentorship the staff provides to students, including the late Father Tony’s favorite phrase, “Many hands make light work.”

AnnMarie Hill (English Teacher, Class of ‘17)

AnnMarie Hill, Class of 2017, and former student of Bob Keller, had acquired his old position in the past. Now, she teaches English.

“I just think it’s so crazy,” she said to Keller. “I saw you were going to work in the elementary school, and I thought to myself…’Aw, he was my seventh and eighth grade reading teacher.’ And then I stopped for a second, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m the seventh and eighth grade reading teacher,” Hill said.

Hill said she was always going to attend St. Peter. Her grandparents had moved from Northern Ireland to the United States due to political unrest when her mother was a child, and Mansfield was one of the first places they ended up.

“I never really had a choice to go anywhere else for school, but I really loved it,” Hill said.

Audrey Ralph (Secretary, Class of ‘85)

“We’re not as big as we used to be, but that’s typical everywhere,” Ralph said.

“When someone comes here, you’re accepted as part of the family. It’s up to you if you want to stay apart of that, but there’s a lot of value coming here,”

Roy Shoulders (Dean of Students, Class of ‘83)

After Roy Shoulders, Dean of Students, graduated in 1983, he began college and aimed for a career in the Navy. However, mentor and former basketball coach Joe Guilfoyle saw Shoulders’ ability to work with and teach children, and there was a job opportunity available soon at the school. Eventually, he found himself taking education courses.

“I’ve always told people this is a great place to raise a family. You’re surrounded by people who care about each child on a personal level. When you look at this place, I think we can offer things that other schools can’t. At the end of the day, whether you’re Catholic or not, if you want to send your kid to a school that is faith based, it’s an environment where they will be surrounded by people that truly care about children.”

And it’s a place where we can be a great assistance with the morals and values that you’re teaching in your home,” Shoulders said.