Faculty Spotlight: Ms. Schuerger

May 19, 2022

Junior theology teacher Ms. Katie Schuerger is in her fourth year as a member of the HN faculty. She earned degrees in catechetics and theology with a concentration in youth ministry from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Ms. Schuerger puts her background with youth ministry into practice every day at HN through her involvement in Campus Ministry and Music Ministry. She is also in her first year as Junior Class Moderator.

Describing her journey to becoming a teacher as a “winding path,” Ms. Schuerger draws on her diverse pre-teaching experiences to inform her interactions with students in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. Before becoming a teacher, Ms. Schuerger served as a youth minister, worked in ministry in China, and worked at a construction association in education and marketing. All the while, she was discerning whether or not to enter religious life.

Ultimately, Ms. Schuerger decided to become a teacher because, she says, “I realized that I would be able to go deeper with students by working with them every day vs. once or twice a week like I did in youth ministry. It has been a great life choice!”

She loves teaching theology because it allows her and her students to discuss “the most important things in life: God’s love for us, God’s plan for us, and our relationships with God, others, and ourselves.” She says, “It's all about love—loving God, loving others, and loving yourself—and knowing why we believe what we do. I always tell the students, ‘Don't turn off your brain when it comes to our faith! Don't be afraid to ask questions, and don't be afraid to be honest with God.’”

Her favorite lessons to teach are those that allow her to remind her students that they are created good and loved by God and that he has a plan for them. She also looks forward to class time spent praying in the chapel.

Ms. Schuerger expresses gratitude to her fellow teachers for sharing many her favorite lessons with her. These include lessons where her classes hold a papal conclave and elect a pope, those where they conduct mock Baptisms, and lessons where students write letters to their future selves, which she returns to them at the end of their senior year.

While the Catholic faith stretches back more than 2,000 years, Ms. Schuerger is always mindful of ways to incorporate 21^st century technology in the classroom. This includes Kahoot, Quizlet, Gimkit, and Blooket, which help her to gamify her students’ learning. She also has many Spotify playlists with praise and worship music for her classes’ time in the chapel. Finally, she loves using video resources on the Catholic faith, especially those from Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson.

For Ms. Schuerger, Holy Name is the perfect place to pursue her passion for teaching and ministering to students. She says, “I love the people at Holy Name—my students and coworkers! On any given day, I'm guaranteed to talk with coworkers who will make my day better and students who will make me laugh. I am so grateful that I landed here.” She also notes that her favorite HN memories are “too many to count!”

Outside of school, Ms. Schuerger enjoys reading, singing in the choir at church, playing musical instruments, hiking, cooking, taking in musicals at Playhouse Square, and hosting family and friends at her new home.

In their own relationships with family, friends, and themselves, Ms. Schuerger urges her students to remember “how God sees you: You are good, you are loved. Spend a few minutes in quiet with him each day,” she says. “Tell him honestly what's on your heart and mind, and let yourself be loved.”