Aquinas teacher to receive St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award
Southern Nebraska Register
Rachel Wisnieski, a teacher at Aquinas Elementary in David City, has spent 32 years guiding children in both academics and faith formation – 26 of those years within the Aquinas Catholic Schools system.
Wisnieski described her path to teaching as both natural and divinely inspired.
“My mom was a teacher, and she was this amazing person who had great relationships with her students,” she explained. “I saw that, and I wanted that, too. But I didn’t know if I could be that good of a teacher. It took me a couple of years in college to finally decide that teaching was my calling. Once I made that decision, everything fell into place.”
Her career began in a small rural school in Colfax County, then continued at a Catholic school in Omaha, where she taught for three years before marrying and moving to Schuyler with her husband. Determined her children would receive a Catholic education, she applied at St. Mary in David City, where she has taught ever since.
For Wisnieski, Catholic education is more than a career choice; it is a mission.
“Kids need to know God because they need to know there’s something bigger in the universe than themselves,” she said. “They need to know that God loves them, wants what’s best for them, and is always there – even when they’re naughty, even when they disappoint people. God loves them unconditionally. Catholic education allows children to build that relationship with Him.”
She said she believes that if more people understood that truth, the world would be transformed.
“The world would be so much of a better place if everybody knew they weren’t the center of the universe – that God is,” she said.
This conviction guides her teaching philosophy. As a pre-kindergarten teacher, Wisnieski said she sees children arrive full of uncertainty, sometimes timid, sometimes headstrong, and often still learning the basics of how to listen and follow directions. But by the end of the year, she witnesses remarkable transformation.
“They come in so dependent, lacking confidence,” she explained. “By the end of the year, they can do so many things. I love seeing them later, when they’re older – reading petitions at church, playing basketball, or just living their best lives. Watching them grow into independent, confident young people makes me so proud.”
One of the joys of her career has been encountering former students years later.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was getting my Diet Mountain Dew, and three young men were standing in line,” she recalled. “They had been in my pre-K class years ago. Now they were heading off to work. I looked at them and thought, ‘these little kids who once needed so much help are now productive young men.’ I was just so proud of them.”
The cycle of education has even come full circle within Aquinas Catholic Schools: several former students are now teachers themselves, passing on the same faith and values they once learned in her classroom.
“That’s incredible to me,” Wisnieski said. “To see kids I once taught come back here to teach others about God – it just fills me with joy.”
Beyond milestones and achievements, Wisnieski said she finds joy in the everyday moments of connection with her students.
She laughed when recalling how some children run up to her in public to share stories about their families, or even their pets.
“One little boy used to talk constantly about his cat, Deborah,” she said with a smile. For the longest time, she thought Deborah was human.
“Then one day he told me, ‘Deborah had her babies on the couch.’ That’s when I realized Deborah was the cat! Those little things make teaching so much fun.”
For Wisnieski, it is these relationships – seeing children grow in confidence, faith, and character – that validate her calling as a teacher.
She said being selected to receive the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award leaves her both honored and humbled.
“There are so many amazing teachers out there who give their time, talent, and heart to teach children about God,” she said. “I’m just so honored that I was chosen.”
She credited her family for being her strongest support system – her mother, who inspired her vocation; her father, a man of deep faith; her husband, who she said is always ready to help—even if it means shelving an outdoor classroom shed without being asked; and her children, who often pitched in with cutting, gluing, and stapling for classroom projects.
“My family has always been so supportive,” she said. “This award is possible because of them, my teaching colleagues, and my principals – both past and present. I am so thankful.”
As she reflected on more than three decades in the classroom, Wisnieski said she continues to look ahead with energy and hope. Projects like the outdoor classroom and new religious formation programs excite her, but at the heart of it all remains her simple conviction: that children need to know they are loved by God.
“Seeing them grow up confident, faithful, and ready to live out God’s plan for them,” she said, “that’s the greatest gift of all.”
Wisnieski will receive her award Oct. 12 at the third annual “Saints & Scholars” dinner to celebrate Catholic schools, educators and benefactors in the Diocese of Lincoln. All are welcome to attend. See www.goodshepherdscholarship.com for more details.
