St. Margaret Mary's School

St. Margaret Mary's Catholic School is a kindergarten through eighth grade private school in Omaha Nebraska. It is part of the St. Margaret Mary's Parish, established in 1919. The church is located at 6116 Dodge St and has stood there since 1942. St. Margaret Mary's school first opened its doors in 1921 to only four grades and moved to the N. 61st location in 1951. Designed by Father Joseph Suneg and built by his own hands, some of Fr. Suneg's original hand-carved woodwork still stands after 70 years. Today the school educates approximately 550 students and is Cognia accredited. The current principal is Maureen Berg and the vice principal is Mary Simerly.

The first location of St. Margaret Mary's school was in two-rooms in a house located at 5002 California St. bought for the parish. Two sisters from the Sisters of Mercy taught a total of 40 pupils in that house. The next year the parish had completed a building for the church and parish at 608 50th St. The number of students had doubled to 80 that year.

When Joseph Suneg became associate pastor of the parish in 1923. In 1924, Fr. Leo Patrick was transferred and Fr. Suneg took over as first pastor. He also inherited the debt of the parish totalling $60,000. To eradicate the debt, Fr. Suneg lived quite frugally. He did not take on any associate priests and relied on part-time assistance. These came from Creighton University's Jesuits and then preists from Boys Town. When he left St. Margaret Mary's parish, Father Suneg had flipped $60,000 in debt to $100,000 in the bank. In 1957 he would be elevated to Monsignor. Fr. Josephy Suneg passed away in 1989 at 91 years of age. His legacy lasts in the parish to this day and a fellowship hall in the church was named in his honor.

The parish saw incredible growth in the first years of Fr. Suneg's tenure. In 1926 he aimed to buy land at 61st St. and Dodge, where the church now sits and the school below. The Bishop at the time, Josephy Rummell, did not allow the parish to go into debt so many wealthy parishoners bought and subsequently donated the land to the parish.Some of these parishoners were Albert Murphy (who ran a large automobile and truck agency), Adolph and Mary Storz (of Storz Brewing), and George and Mary Brandeis (President of J.L Brandeis and Sons as well as a king of Ak-Sar-Ben). In order to fund the construction of the school, a fashion gala was hosted at the Blackstone Hotel on March 27, 1950.

Construction of the current finished in 1951 consisting of eight classrooms, a gym, and an auditorium. Father Suneg asked Leo A. Daly to design the school but lended a hand in its erection. His handiwork is still present today to honor him. At the time of building, Fr. Suneg did not want to lay sidewalks until the children made their own natural paths.Sidewalks depicting these paths were not poured until 1952. Today the sidewalks on campus show where the first attendees of SMM walked on their trek to school each day. In 1954 the school added a second wing followed by a third in 1957. In the 1990s yet another addition occured. This time adding a library and computer lab as well as more office space.Nuns who taught at the school would live in an apartment space on the second floor of the school. In 2018, this was renovated into an art room as well as a teacher's lounge.

After opening in 1951, the enrollment at the school grew steadily, peaking at 650. The 2022-23 year sees 519 students grades K-8. The first layperson to be principal at the school was Mr. Kevin Ingemansen in 1982. Students at St. Margaret Mary's have the Catholic faith at the heart of their education. Their teachers prepare them for their first Reconciliation and Communion in 2nd grade and Confirmation in 8th grade. Each Friday the whole school gathers for Mass to start thier day. This is a time to come together as a body and honor their Faith.

Primary Source:

Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska), December 1, 1951: 5. NewsBank: Access World News – Historical and Current. https://infoweb-newsbank-com.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=image/v2%3A1106B5BBD4B623A8%40EANX-1377433F2685A3D5%402433982-136E18369D9798C9%404-136E18369D9798C9%40.

Secondary Sources:

Filipi, Aaron, Bob Ervin, Nick Manhart, and Kristine Gerber. Saint Margaret Mary Centennial 1919-2019. Omaha, NE: Omaha World-Herald Books, 2019.

Peters, David John. "The History of the Catholic Elementary Schools in Omaha, Nebraska, 1858–1999." Order No. 3055286, The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2002, https://login.leo.lib.unomaha.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdissertations-theses%2Fhistory-catholic-elementary-schools-omaha%2Fdocview%2F251610685%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D14692 (accessed October 15, 2022).