In the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, in a little city called Carbondale, our beloved Kindergarten teacher, Sr. Doreen Willis, was born. Raised in a family of seven, two brothers, two sisters (one is her identical twin), mom and dad, Sister Doreen had a wonderful and chaotic life. One of her favorite childhood memories is of the Sunday afternoons after church in which the entire family would take a drive to get ice cream. Those were the great days of her youth, surrounded by love, family and faith.

Sr. Doreen was educated at St. Rose of Lima School until the 12th grade. After entering the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on September 8, 1966, she began her advanced education to become a teacher. From there she attended Marywood College in Scranton, PA. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education, with a minor in Special Education, she decided to further her educational training by obtaining a Masters of Science in Reading, with a Reading Specialist Certificate.

Most of Sr. Doreen’s teaching career was as a 1st grade teacher. She taught all over the East, from New York to North Carolina to Pennsylvania to Maryland. She truly believes that being a part of the IHM community has helped her believe in herself and in the gifts she can share. Eight years ago, Sister Doreen joined the staff of St. John the Evangelist School as our Kindergarten Teacher and remains so today. How fortunate we are to have such an accomplished and experienced teacher sharing her love of learning with our children as they begin their education.

This past year, I have had the unique privilege of working as an Aide to Sister Doreen in her classroom. For twelve years, I attended catholic school and lived in awe of the Sisters who taught me. I was intimidated by many, close to a few, but always as a student and not as a friend. When I first started as an Aide, I was nervous and anxious, just like the children in the beginning of the school year. I never imagined that the year would be as wonderful and rewarding as it has been. Sister Doreen is an amazing person, IHM Sister, Teacher and, dare I say, friend.

I would like to share a few of my experiences over this past year so as to enlighten you about the treasure we have in our Kindergarten classroom. There are so many words I could use to describe Sister Doreen, but “amazing” constantly pops into my head. She truly loves the children and becomes so excited when they learn something new. “The way their eyes light up when they begin to read...their sense of awe when we talk about God and His love for us” are just a couple of things Sister Doreen loves about Kindergarteners. She marvels in seeing the change in each child from the first moment in her classroom to the graduation day celebration. She is a calm and constant force, continually challenging the children and making them believe they can accomplish anything. When the school year ends, she breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that they are ready for 1st grade.

An avid sports fan, Sister Doreen enjoys basketball, football and baseball. You’ll often find her following the college teams of UNC, Notre Dame and Syracuse or the Pro teams of the Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Nationals and yes, of course, the Yankees! She has taken this love of sports and passed it along to many children of our Parish by coaching CYO basketball for 1st grade. Even when she is not coaching, you will often find Sister Doreen cheering from the sidelines, offering encouragement and support to our littlest athletes.

When asked about her eight years at St. John’s School, Sister gets a little emotional. She considers herself blessed to be a part of such a vibrant parish. In particular, she gets very excited talking about her first class at SJE. In the fall, these children will be in 8th grade. She still sees them as 5 year-olds, even though they are now teenagers. As these young adults greet her in the hallways of school, she takes great pride in observing that they have all done so well. In some ways, she feels like a parent watching through loving eyes as her children grow and mature, full of love, knowledge and faith. She was there in the beginning and remembers those early days fondly.

“This is the day the Lord had made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” According to Sister Doreen Willis, each day is precious and a gift from God.

When I sat down to write this article, I struggled to come up with some catchy phrase or quote that would help you to see the Sister Doreen that I, as well as all of her students have come to know and admire. My mind kept going back to the following scripture passage:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Sister Doreen is Love.