Sister Germaine giving up principalship after 27 years
Published 12:00 am Sunday, April 25, 1999
DEBORAH CORRAO / L’Observateur / April 25, 1999
“I have to watch my clothes on the days they eat spaghetti,” Sister Mary Germaine Roussel, regal in her pristine white habit, quips after receiving a spontaneous hug from 3-year-old Nathan Triche.
“Sister Germaine,” as she has become known to three generations of youngsters in the River Parishes, says she has always tried to walk in the footsteps of St. Germaine, the patron saint of patience, reigning over heryoung charges at St. Joan of Arc Catholic School in LaPlace with a velvetglove.
“It’s a joy just to be with the children,” says Sister Germaine, “to see them grow from age 3 to 14 – spiritually, physically, emotionally and academically.”After 27 years as principal at St. Joan of Arc, Sister Germaine will takeon a new role at the end of this school year when she will join the parish administrative staff as Parochial Associate for Education for the school.
Among her new duties will be the establishment of a St. Joan of ArcSchool Alumni Association and to serve as the contact person and promoter of grant writing for the school.
She will continue to serve as the director/principal of the school’s pre- kindergarten program in order to upgrade that program, but she won’t be the school’s principal any more.
It will be a bittersweet moment when she says her good-byes.
Her office has become much more than just a place to catch up on paperwork. Here hangs the odd assortment of souvenirs and memorabiliathat mark the half century or more that she has devoted to teaching. Ashelf near the office door holds an old statue of her patron – a constant reminder of her vows.
Among the pictures and letters and certificates are the tiny handmade articles, the gifts from students, thousands of whose footsteps echo through the halls of St. Joan of Arc and many of them now grown withchildren and grandchildren of their own attending the school.
Sister Germain says her door is always open and her office serves as a safe place for youngsters who may want to talk and a refuge for little ones who may be having a bad day.
“I love the kids,” she says. “They respect me. They’re not afraid of me. I’m very grateful I have their respect.”Born Earline Roussel in Paulina, Sister Germaine was raised as one of nine children of parents too poor to afford an education at Catholic schools for their offspring.
She attended public school along with her siblings, but it was the times at St. Joseph’s Church she remembers best – watching the Dominican sistersthere in prayer.
As her brothers prepared to go off to World War II, she turned to the sisters for her preparation for confirmation at the age of 16.
“Those sisters planted the seed in me to become a nun,” she says.
That same year she entered the Dominican Novitiate in Rosaryville, a young girl already committing herself to preaching and teaching and serving her Lord.
Sister Germaine began her career in education as a teacher at St. Peter’sSchool in Reserve and taught at several schools in New Orleans and Hammond before returning to St. Peter’s as principal, where she served forsix years. She was then assigned as supervisor of schools for the Dioceseof Baton Rouge and finally returned to the River Parishes in 1972 to take over the reins at St. Joan of Arc.Along the way she received a bachelor’s degree in education from St.
Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans and a master’s from Louisiana State University in 1960.
She has seen many changes since her days as a fledgling teacher.
“In those days we had 45-50 children in each classroom,” she says. “Nowour pupil/teacher ratio is 28 students per teacher.”But monitoring almost twice as many students in her classroom then was easier than now.
Many years ago, she says, parents and students were totally focused on school and teachers received 100 percent cooperation from parents.
“The biggest problem we have in education today is the breakdown of the family unit,” she says. “Nowadays there is more divorce, both parents maywork, parents and teachers are not on the same track as far as values are concerned.”Sister Germaine is especially frightened by the drug culture that has taken hold of many communities.
“Too much happens to children too soon,” she says.
She sees the anger exhibited by small children who can’t cope with instability at home and admits that many times her heart aches for them.
“The biggest disappointment in my career has been the inability to help every child in the school,” she says. “We have some children whosebehavior is such that we can’t reach them.”Since the beginning of her tenure as principal she has seen enrollment rise at St. Joan of Arc from about to 500 students to 800 today. The highestenrollment was almost 1,000 before Ascension of Our Lord opened its doors.
The beginning teacher’s salary has risen from $7,000 to $20,000, her annual budget has risen from about $400,000 to $2,000,000, and the physical facilities have increased from three buildings to seven.
One accomplishment she is especially proud of is the completion of the Father Pete Memorial Family Life Center, which houses the gym/auditorium, music room, four classrooms, a meeting room and offices.
Sister Germaine is also tackling the computer age with a vengeance. Herschool is now equipped with 170 computers.
In recognition of her efforts she was named the Distinguished Principal of the Southeastern States by the National Catholic Educational Association Department of Elementary Schools in 1997 and Nun of the Year by the Knights of Columbus Auxiliary of Louisiana for that same year.
Larry Bourgeois, who has served as her assistant principal for 20 years, has been assigned the position of principal beginning in July. And SisterGermaine will move the relics of almost three decades at the helm of St.
Joan of Arc to another building.
She will leave with no regrets.
She says she has never veered from her path and her commitment to education since she made her first vows, even during the turbulent times after Vatican II when many left the sisterhood.
Her rewards are the success stories of those who have graduated from St.
Joan of Arc and are now making their mark in the community.
Sister Germaine says she does not plan to retire.
“There is always something you can do,” she says. “Someone always needsyou.”Back to Top
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