ADAMS -- Bruce Loeschen has sketched more than 250 montages, which have earned him a national reputation as an artist.

Now, he has sketched one more -- one that touches him more than others.

It is the montage commissioned for the centennial of Sacred Heart Catholic School at Adams.

The print was unveiled publicly Sunday morning in the fellowship hall, where a benefit breakfast to raise funds for the centennial was also held.

The artist was there to sign prints, hear former Sacred Heart students critique his work and talk about his craft.

"What they did was give me as many pictures as they could from the school archives," Loeschen said. "About 90 percent of them were group pictures. Because this is not like the other cityscapes -- for instance, Springfield, Ill., which I am doing now -- I really only had one building to work with and people.

"There were also things like the playground or the railroad tracks and bridge, but basically, there were pictures of people, so that's what dominates this montage."

Loeschen taught for 15 years in the Southland Public School District in Adams. His wife, Reilly, is a former kindergarten teacher at Sacred Heart. He now teaches art at Austin High School.

"What I discovered is that I knew a lot of the students, who later went to Southland and I had in art class," he said. "That started me to reminisce and then it became a personal thing. That's what makes this montage so different from the others."

That's what Shari Heimer likes about the montage. She went to school at Sacred Heart and is responsible for one part of the montage.

"We used to stuff the food we couldn't eat into our milk boxes, so it would look like we had cleaned our trays," Heimer said.

The former students also remembers the nearby railroad tracks

and the noise trains would create when they thundered by the school.

"There was a bridge over a creek and the boys always used to go over there and hide and do stuff," she said.

Also sharing memories Sunday morning were Katie Schneider and her sister, Sister Lucille Haff. The Haff sisters moved from Austin to Adams in 1943 and went to Sacred Heart school.

"I remember when we and Marcella Schaefer would help the custodian, Peter Goergen, after school. We would pound erasers or clean blackboards and do all sorts of jobs," Schneider said. "There was discipline at that time, but there was discipline in families back then, too. We had all nuns for our teachers. I think I got a good education there."

The Haff sisters were part of a family that included one boy and three girls.

"The old school only had four rooms, so the grades doubled-up," recalled Sr. Lucille Haff, a member of the Franciscan Order of Rochester. "Sacred Heart has always had Franciscan sisters here. We used to have recess at noon and whenever we were outside and the trains came by, we always had to run up and stand next to the wall of the schoolhouse."

Linda Schneider Allen, Rochester, a daughter of Katie Schneider, attended classes later when lay teachers joined nuns in the classroom.

"I was there when coed sports came and boys and girls competed," she said. "We always had good food in the cafeteria. Angie Morgan and Alvina Lewison were the cooks in those days."

Today, Shari Heimer and Katie Schneider are among the graduates helping to promote the centennial Aug. 16, 17 and 18.

The Loeschen montage print in 2 sizes (11×14 and 16×20) are only two of the souvenirs being offered.

In addition to Loeschen's one-of-a-kind art, there are T-shirts, coffee mugs and pencils and rules to commemorate the centennial.

The reunion organizers, including Heimer and Schneider, welcome input from former students. Among the areas to be explored are

families with longevity at the school. For instance, Martha Boe can claim children and grandchildren, who attended the school for at least 48 years.

Most of the centennial fun takes place Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17 and 18, and the Winona Diocese is also planning to commemorate the 100th anniversary.

Officials said more details will be announced later. For information, call the school at 582-3120.

Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com