Dear Alumni and Friends of St. Bernard’s,

It’s time. After 109 years of underpaying our teachers, it is time to pay St. Bernard’s teachers what they deserve. 

I need your help to make it happen! We are our teachers. Right now we have phenomenal human beings at St. Bernard’s who are making a difference for our students each and every day. 

Historically, St. Bernard’s has had some of the best teachers to ever lead a classroom. Two of my best teachers passed away this year: Mrs. Vivienne LaMont and Mr. Gene Feist. I made more money my first year teaching for Stockton Unified than Mrs. LaMont made the year she retired.

Let’s pay their successors. Let’s keep our great teachers at SB for their entire career.

We have made gains toward market rate the last five years, but I want to push us up and over the public school salary scale. I want our teachers to know that we appreciate their sacrifice and dedication. 

In this season of Thanksgiving, I’m asking you to reach deep into your memory and honor those teachers who made a difference for you. I’m asking you to help me fulfill my pledge to our teachers that we will pay them what they deserve.

Donors have made facility upgrades possible this year: new roof, windows, paint, carpet, technology, textbooks, and gym/weight room. Enrollment is up. We will graduate over 50 students this June. We have Crusaders at Yale, Berkeley, Montana, Auburn, UC San Diego, HSU, UC Davis, UCLA, NYU, West Point, Purdue, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Champions: Girls Soccer won league and the NCS title this fall. Volleyball won league and qualified for the NorCal Tournament. Football beat Eureka High and Fortuna High TWICE this year. Boys basketball is predicted to win state. Baseball is predicted to win state and is sending senior Nick Dugan to STANFORD on scholarship. We are SB!

Let’s work together to thank our teachers. Reach deep – the same way our former teachers did for us. Add a zero to your check. Add two zeroes. Add three. Let’s get to seven figures.

Let’s go!

Paul Shanahan

Class of 1990