Greetings!  I am a firm believer in Catholic education, especially the many benefits provided by our school, numerous programs, and an exceptional staff.  I am the canonical administrator of St. Peter’s School and the pastor of Crucifixion parish and school.  Growing up in Fargo, North Dakota, I graduated from North Dakota State University in Education and then studied theology at The St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota.  Before my time in the bluff region, I served twelve years as a chaplain at Mayo Clinic Hospitals in Rochester.  It is a blessing for me to be a part of St. Peter's School and the children, families, and staff that make it a great place to grow.

Welcome to St. Peter's Catholic School!  I am married to Dr. Judy Harpenau and we have 3 children.  I spent 10 years as a computer programmer and Assistant Vice President at a Fortune 100 company.  Then I taught computers for 20 years as a college professor at Western Technical College.   I started working at St. Peter's School in fall, 2018.   I have an associate's degree from Western Iowa Technical College in computers, bachelor's degree in business from the University of Iowa, and a master's degree from St. Mary's in Education and Leadership.  I have loved being principal of St. Peter's School and I have been blessed to have been granted this opportunity.

Hello! My name is Camille Withrow, and I am the St. Peter Church and School Secretary. I am so excited to be at St. Peter’s and be surrounded by such wonderful staff and children!

I graduated from Minnesota State-Mankato with a degree in psychology and participated in years of undergraduate research with the College of Education.  

I have been passionate about living and sharing my faith since becoming Catholic a little over 10 years ago. I married my RCIA sponsor, Grant and we now have 4 amazing children, Eliana, Gianna, Cormac, and Roman.  

I have loved getting to know the families in the Hokah community, so please feel free to stop by and say hello!

Hello, My Name is Rachel DeJarlais.  I am the 3K, 4K, and Kindergarten teacher here at Saint Peter’s Catholic School.  This is my 11th year teaching at Saint Peter’s. It has been a joy for me to be able to watch the students as they begin school and grow and mature over the years.  I went to Saint Peter’s as a child and I promised Father Breza that I would come back and teach someday and that is just what I did. I Graduated from Saint Mary’s University in Winona, MN in 2008.  I have a wonderful family. I live with my wonderful husband and 3 children. I am so happy to be able to teach at a school where I can share Jesus with others. This is truly a special place that feels like home to so many.

My name is Linda Lewis and I currently teach 1st/2nd grade at St. Peter's Catholic School.  I have loved teaching at St. Peter’s School since 1989.  I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Teaching with a minor in Business from Winona State University.  I feel blessed to be teaching at this wonderful school because of the staff, parents, and children are like family.  My daughters are grateful for the opportunity to attend St. Peter’s  School with teachers who truly cared about their lives and education.  And the food is amazing!

Hello!  My name is Mrs. Meghan Von Arx.  My degree is in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education.  I graduated from Winona State University with a bachelor of science degree and then I taught in Caledonia, MN at St. Mary’s Catholic School for 3 years.  After being a stay at home mom to our 3 kids for 8 years, I began at St. Peter’s School as a Kindergarten Teacher for the last 4 years.  This year I am happy to be in my fantastic position of 3rd & 4th grade! When our daughter started preschool here I was invited to my first Thanksgiving program at conferences, and from that moment I knew these are the doors I wanted our children to walk through each morning. I have been married to my husband Andy since 2004 who is a St. Peter’s graduate. We live outside of Hokah on a hobby farm where we built our home and raise sheep and pigs.  I am so happy that our children Mariah 13, Owen 11, and Lucas 8 and my students get to experience the wonderful family that St. Peter’s School is! I am blessed to pray, worship, and learn about Jesus with my students. Our golden rule in our classroom is “treat others how you want to be treated!”

Hello!  I am Theresa Von Arx, and I started working at St. Peter's in 2007 as the 5th/6th grade teacher.  In 2009, I chose to stay home and take care of my babies, but I returned in 2015 to teach 3rd/4th.  In 2019, I took the opportunity to switch to 5th/6th, and it was my first year serving as the Assistant Principal.  That year, I also started teaching the 7th and 8th grade Math program.  St. Peter's is a very special place to me as I attended school here, and I am a 5th generation member of this parish.  I received my Elementary Education degree from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.  After college, I taught 3rd/4th grade at St. Mary's Ridge Catholic School outside Cashton, Wisconsin, from 2005-2007.  I have been married  to my husband Tim since 2006, and live on the family farm.  We have four children: James is in 9th grade in Caledonia, and Annie is in 7th, Jared is in 4th, and Maddie is in K here at St. Peter's.  I feel very blessed to be able to share God's love with my students and help them grow academically, spiritually, and emotionally.  

Hello!  I am excited to be teaching at St. Peter’s as the 7th and 8th grade teacher.  I graduated from University of Nebraska Omaha with my bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education.  I am blessed to be given the opportunity to serve God by guiding the next generation of Catholics.  I am excited to be able to instill new knowledge of academics and God’s work into the students at St. Peter’s.

I have been a Physical Education Teacher at St. Peter’s since 2008.  Since physical activity and nutrition are very important to me, I naturally pass this on to my students; inspiring and educating ways to make healthy food choices. We even made up a game called The Food Game: a tag + cross-curriculum spelling and math game.

I introduced and incorporated the TOWER GARDEN (a vertical indoor/outdoor garden that grows only with water + nutrients) into the lunch program that saves money and helps make the students aware of the importance of leafy greens/vegetables. They have planted the seeds, watched the fresh produce grow + enjoy tasting it during their lunches.

I am very passionate about offering families healthy solutions (fruits + veggies) to create healthy habits for a lifetime by eating more plant foods.

On other news, I am married, have one daughter that is a senior in high school, we have two adorable dogs, and I love to make people laugh!