February 1, 2026 | Issue 4 | | |
Dear Cougar Family,
February may be the shortest month of the year, but it is full of moments that remind us of the strength of our school community. As we move through the heart of winter, our students continue to shine! This month’s newsletter highlights the achievements, events, and Cougar spirit that make our school such a special place to learn and grow as the second semester flies by.
With Cougar Pride,
The Advancement Department
Gross Catholic High School
advancement@gcgmail.org
| | Distinguished Alumni Award and NEW Cougar Spirit Award | |
This year, we are proud to continue our tradition of recognizing the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award at Celebration 42, and to additionally honor the recipient of the Cougar Spirit Award.
The Distinguished Alumni Award is an honor presented to graduates who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in their professional careers, outstanding service to their community, and continued commitment to the values and mission of Gross Catholic. Recipients embody leadership, excellence, and integrity while serving as role models who inspire current students and fellow alumni.
If you know of someone who exemplifies these qualities and is deserving of this recognition, please click below to submit your nomination.
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The Cougar Spirit Award recognizes those who consistently demonstrate exceptional school spirit, pride and enthusiasm for Gross Catholic. Recipients actively uplift the Cougar community through their support, engagement, and positive representation, embodying the traditions, values, and heart of Gross Catholic. AKA the person that bleeds ORANGE and BLUE! *It is not required that this person is an alum.
If you know of someone who exemplifies these qualities and is deserving of this recognition, please click below to submit your nomination.
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Reminder
The Amazon Wishlist is live and offers a great selection of items at various price points to accommodate every donor. This is a perfect way to check off this student-family contribution.
With gratitude,
Jennifer and Alex Tselentis
Silent Auction Chairs
Cortney and Doug Donaldson
Cathie and Arman Pajnigar
Katie and Jeff Fehrman
Silent Auction Committee
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NEW THIS YEAR!
Introducing Celebration 42 Boots & Benefactors Recognition! A brand new way to honor those who go above and beyond for Gross Catholic for this event! With a minimum cash donation of $250, your name will be proudly displayed in the Commons for the entire 2026–2027 school year, showcasing your commitment to our Cougar community.
This is more than recognition! It’s an investment in our students, our staff, and the future of Gross Catholic. Thank you for helping us continue to grow!
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Gold Cup Tickets are Back!
New prices and prizes for the raffle winners and students! Please share the link with family and friends to help our students hit their goal!
| | On Monday, we kicked off the week with a House Dance Off! Congratulations to the Middleton House for absolutely stealing the show! What a fun way to start Catholic Schools Week. | |
On Tuesday, the student's parents came to enjoy lunch with them and share the Gross Catholic experience. We were excited to welcome all of the new faces!
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On Wednesday, the Seniors celebrated their Retreat. This is a day of fun activities reminding our students what a great connection they have to their classmates and their faith.
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On Thursday, the students enjoyed lunch time games followed by an Ablaze Worship Service with Fr. Michael Voithofer including Silent Adoration.
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On Friday, the students and staff of both Gross Catholic and St. Bernadette celebrated Mass with Archbishop McGovern. This was truly a blessing and a meaningful experience for all. A small reception followed the Mass, featuring coffee and breakfast pastries, along with an opportunity for students and attendees to visit with Archbishop McGovern.
| | Alumni Mandy Visty (Schulte ’98) and Tom Visty ’98 Turn Grief Into Purpose, Creating a Lasting Legacy of Love | | |
Mandy Visty (Schulte ’98) is among the many outstanding Gross Catholic alumni. After the heartbreaking loss of her 15-year-old son, Will, in a tragic drowning accident on January 5, 2023, Mandy and her husband, Tommy Visty ’98, faced unimaginable grief. Through that loss, they chose to honor Will’s remarkable life by supporting the things he loved most.
Friendly, charismatic, and endlessly engaging, Will radiated joy through his humor, bright smile, and adventurous spirit. A strong swimmer who grew up on a lake and competed on a swim team, Will was like many kids who challenged himself to see how long he could hold his breath underwater and how many laps he could complete without surfacing. He was unaware of the hidden and deadly danger known as underwater hypoxic blackout. Will lost consciousness in four feet of water while his mother was in the house and his father was nearby. The tragedy was sudden, devastating, and forever life-shattering. In the face of profound loss, Mandy and Tommy transformed their grief into purpose, channeling their love for Will into the creation of a foundation that has already made a meaningful impact within their community and holds the potential to save countless lives.
Over the past two years, The Love, Will Foundation’s efforts have generated $80,000 in support of underwater hypoxic blackout education and prevention, the care and protection of endangered marine life, and expanded access to outdoor recreation and education. Mandy and Tommy’s dedication and leadership have left a lasting, positive impact on the entire GHS community and far beyond. The work of the Love, Will Foundation benefits young people and their families at Gross Catholic and across Nebraska. The Foundation recently purchased 75 copies of the book Take a Breath, Seth, which educates readers on the dangers of holding their breath too long underwater. These books were donated to local Catholic and area schools, as well as to organizations that provide lifeguard training and swim lessons.
The Foundation’s Board and supporters include dear friends and fellow Gross Catholic alumni. Its annual fundraising event, Will’s Beach Bash, invites students, alumni, and supporters of Gross Catholic to come together to celebrate Will’s life and legacy while raising awareness to help prevent future tragedies. In addition, the Foundation has advocated for safety signage at swimming facilities across the Midlands and has worked with swim teams and lifeguards to raise drowning-prevention awareness.
Mandy and Tommy's dedication, during incomprehensible loss, is both an inspiration and a source of pride for the GHS community. Every morning at school drop-off, Mandy would call out to her son from the car window, “I love you, Will Visty,” in front of all his pre-teen St. Wenceslaus classmates. Will would unabashedly shout back, “I love you more, Mom.” Will’s beautiful life was defined by the people he brought together at the lake, on the soccer field, in school, and everywhere he went. The story of his love for his family, his friends, and his community lives on through their work and continues to strengthen the GHS community and beyond.
When Mandy was nominated for the Gross Catholic Distinguished Alumni Award in 2025, she accepted this nomination with the following words: "I must say I am deeply honored. This nomination is certainly not deserved but I greatly appreciate the gesture and you. As soon as I read it, I turned to my brother and said this is Jessie Slattery's doing. :) Of all that you wrote, I will say being a Proud Cougar resonates the most. Gross Catholic is the biggest little school and you can not go anywhere in this town without finding a Gross connection. My kids' school parking lot was a 'Gross High Reunion' every day at 3 pm by design. I am so grateful for the people we went to high school with. These are my lifelong friends and I don't know if other schools have the sense of community to create friendships like this. My high school friends went off to UNL together, lived together and I even married one, Tommy Visty."
- Mandy Visty
To learn more about the Love Will Foundation, please visit the website here.
| | | Photo: Left to right, Mandy, Will, Reese, Ella, Owen and Tommy. | | Meet Our New Facilites Management Team | |
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Welcome Ryan Shanahan!
I grew up in the Our Lady of Lourdes parish. My sister Katie is a 1995 grad from Gross. I graduated from Prep in 1993. I have 2 daughters who graduated from Gross. Outdoors is where my heart lies. I try to get out with my dogs as much as possible. I have been serving Gross for 15 years as the maintenance technician. I look forward to leading my team into the future.
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Welcome Tim Bowen!
I grew up in Brock, Nebraska and attended Johnson-Brock Schools. After graduation I attended and played football at Peru State College where I received a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education. I started my teaching career at Winnebago High School and coached Varsity Football, Junior High Basketball, Weightlifting, and Varsity Track. During my seven years at Winnebago I received a Master's Degree from Wayne State College in Secondary School Administration. This is also where I met my wife Lisa (Skradski) Bowen, who is a 1990 graduate of Gross Catholic. We recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and have three children Brooke (2015), Kailey (2017), and Jayden (2023), who graduated from Gross Catholic. During the last 25 years I have been teaching in the Papillion Lavista Schools and recently retired last spring. I would consider myself kind of a familiar face around Gross Catholic because I have been coaching football here since 2002 and had a stint coaching freshman girls basketball from 2001-2012. Receiving my current job at Gross Catholic was truly a blessing because it's close to home and there are so many great people in the building. My kids loved attending school here! In my spare time I watch sports, fish, judge/coordinate powerlifting meets, mentor, and spend time with my family, friends, and grand dogs Quinny and Mazie.
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Campus Safety Strengthened Through New Intercom System Upgrade
We are excited to announce the completion of our new intercom system, ensuring compliance with the federal legislative initiative known as Alyssa’s Law.
Student and staff safety remains our top priority. By integrating this new system into our broader communications infrastructure, we are confident in our ability to inform and respond quickly during both emergency and non-emergency situations.
Thanks to your generosity and our shared commitment to exceeding standard safety measures, we can say with confidence that our communication plan now goes beyond traditional intercom protocols and exceeds safety expectations.
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Please continue to keep our Vice President of Advancement, Mark McNamara, in your prayers. Mark recently underwent open-heart surgery and will need the continued support, prayers, and Cougar love from our entire community. May God guide and bless his recovery, restoring his strength and health, and bringing him back feeling stronger than ever.
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As a reminder, please keep Oliver Vilivaar, a junior at Cornerstone Christian and member of the Gross Catholic baseball program. Oliver was recently diagnosed with cancer.
He has one more chemo infusion next Friday. Later in February, he will have a chest CT and a brain MRI and hopefully surgery in early March.
Please join us in praying that the tumor continues to shrink for a successful surgery and continued road to recovery.
| | Continued Prayers for Alumnus Will DeLaet ’23. Will needs our prayers and support. Over the summer, he suffered a gymnastics-related accident that resulted in a C7 spinal cord injury, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. His life has changed dramatically, and he will require an accessible vehicle, a power-assist wheelchair, adaptive bathroom equipment, and a home ramp or lift. Please keep Will and his family in your prayers during this challenging time. | | |
How can we pray for you?
Please send us the names of any members of our Cougar Family who need our prayers.
Email:
kpovondra@gcgmail.org
| | | Alumni Business Directory | | |
Do you own a business? Do you work at a business? Are you looking to grow your customer base? Last year, we started the Alumni Business Directory as a way to support our fellow Cougars with the services and products we need every day. Our alumni built the strong foundation of Gross Catholic and this is an opportunity to expand that foundation throughout the community.
*The Alumni Business Directory is on our website and is available to all members of the Cougar community and anyone that visits our site.
| | | Did you get married, have a baby, or have news you want to share? Please send us your latest news and photos so we can share them with your classmates and the Cougar Family. These will be featured in the next Dux Esto Magazine. Send information to kpovondra@gcgmail.org | | If your email, phone number, and/or physical address have changed, please contact us with your latest information. You can submit the update HERE! | | |
Gross Catholic High School
7700 South 43rd Street, Bellevue, NE 68147
402-734-2000
grosscatholic.org
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