Sacred Heart welcomes new principal

     Sacred Heart Catholic School in Monticello welcomed a new principal to in July. Susan Hucker of Hopkinton took over the position upon Laura Herbers stepping down.

     “I’ve heard such good things about Sacred Heart,” praised Hucker.

     She has heard very positive comments especially regarding how the school reaches out to the community and businesses during Catholic Schools Week.

     “This speaks to the strong traditions here at Sacred Heart,” she said.

     Hucker said this professional move for a good fit for herself and her family. She has a son who recently moved to Monticello with his young family, allowing her to now be much closer to her first grandchild.

     “I love being a grandma,” Hucker proudly boasted.

     She also has a strong tradition of her own within Sacred Heart. Hucker’s mom graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1964. Her grandfather was a long-time custodian for the church and school as well. Hucker said she memories of coming to the church with her grandfather around the Christmas holiday season as he set up and placed the Nativity on the altar.

     In 1976 when the United States celebrated its bicentennial, church bells all across the country chimed at the exact same time. Hucker said her grandfather was in charge of pulling the rope so the church bell tolled. She was lucky enough to get to pull the rope as well.

     “So I feel at home here,” she said.

     Before coming to Sacred Heart, Hucker was the principal at La Salle Catholic School in Holy Cross, Iowa, for seven years. Prior to that, she was the “head of the school” at a private, independent school in Iowa City, Willowwind.

     Hucker’s career in education also included working in early literacy for 13 years with a company called Breakthrough to Literacy.

     She started her career as a teacher in Cedar Rapids.

     “I always saw a career in education,” she said. “It has a lot of variety, and I’ve always enjoyed working with students.”

     Both of Hucker’s grandmothers were teachers (in Olin and Maquoketa Valley), and were very influential in her life.

     “I hope to continue the strong tradition here and look at new ways to offer community service, which only impacts the parish and the town,” she said. “I want to help strengthen our Catholic identity. This school offers a great education for its students and that foundation needs to continue.”

     Hucker said she is looking forward to getting to know the students and families of Sacred Heart. An open house is planned for Thursday, Aug. 19 from 2-6:30 p.m.

     Hucker said she brings a strong sense of faith, and experience in curriculum, reading, and language arts as she starts her new venture at Sacred Heart.

     Sacred Heart has been working to hire new fourth- and sixth-grade teachers with the start of school fast approaching (Aug. 23). Hucker said she is confident they will have two candidates hired in time to meet the needs of the school.

     “I’ll have some information to share with our parents early next week,” she offered.

     Hucker said as with anything, there seems to be a cyclical trend right now when it comes to teachers.

     “COVID didn’t help,” she said of the demands placed on educators the last two school years. “We’re seeing a need right now everywhere.”

     Enrollment at Sacred Heart for the 2021-22 school year is also looking good.

     Hucker said brand new interactive Promethean boards have been installed in every classroom, replacing outdated Smartboards. These new boards allow for more content sharing for educational purposes.

     Sacred Heart plans to return to full-time in-person learning in a couple of weeks.

     “We’ll adapt and adjust as we need to,” Hucker warned of public health measures. “We’ll do what we need to with plenty of handwashing and making sure kids stay home if they’re ill. We’ll spread the kids out as we can.”