Mary Kolasa

First Grade Teacher

What do you love most about your work at St. Charles?

There are a lot of things I love about St. Charles. I love the positivity of the community, how supportive and welcoming the staff is, and how much the Catholic faith is supported. It is truly a blessing to be able to come to work every day knowing that I get to teach about my faith every day and watch as my students grow in theirs.

How does our faith-based environment affect what you accomplish with kids?

I teach about my faith in everything we do! I especially like to use my music background to integrate my faith into everything I teach. I play background music in my classroom very often and we use music in the mornings during prayer sometimes. I use this to encourage the kids to think how God is speaking to them through the songs we listen to. Every large group conversation we have I use my faith in God to explain why it’s important to treat one another with respect and kindness. Having the chance to share this with my students means the world to me, and I feel so blessed to be able to share it with my students at St. Charles!

Share a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Shoreview and attended St. Odilia Catholic school through grades K-5 before switching to the Mounds View Public School District. While I was there, I realized how much I missed having God at the center of my education. It was then that I decided that I wanted to be a teacher in a Catholic School. I recently graduated from the College of Saint Benedict with a BA in Elementary Education and a BA in Music Studies and Piano Performance and I completed my student teaching in Spring 2021 in the same grade and classroom I am teaching in today.

I love to play piano for Mass on Sundays at my home parish, St. Odilia. I enjoy accompanying the students at different school events such as the Advent Service. I love playing piano for my students during the Advent and Lenten seasons. In my free time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, cross stitching, and playing the piano.