Saint Boniface School has stood on Main Street in Cold Spring, Minnesota, for more than a century, offering a Catholic education from Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade. About 250 students walk through its doors each year, learning in two sections per grade under the spiritual care of the Church of Saint Boniface and the wider Cold Spring faith community.
A Century on Main Street
For more than 100 years, Saint Boniface School has been serving the Cold Spring area, an institution founded with the goal of spreading the Gospel message of Jesus and fostering the spiritual and academic development of every student. Today the school is fully accredited by the Minnesota Nonpublic School Accreditation Association (MNSAA), a state and federally recognized accreditation body. Generally there are two sections of each grade with a student-teacher ratio of 18:1, giving teachers room to know the children in their care. The school is supported by the parish faith community of the Church of Saint Boniface and other parishes in the Cold Spring area.
Thursday Mass and the Parish Connection
At the center of the week is the Thursday morning Mass at 8:30 AM, when every student in kindergarten through sixth grade joins the parish community for worship. All are welcome at the Mass, with visitors asked to sit behind the students. The Mass is livestreamed, so families at home can follow along. Faith formation runs deeper than weekly worship: students help plan and participate in various liturgies throughout the year. Reconciliation is offered during Advent and Lent, and prayer services are held several times a year to mark special seasons. Second graders prepare for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist through the Elementary Faith Formation Program of the Church of Saint Boniface, supported by their teachers and parents.
A Curriculum Built Around Faith
Religion is the heart of the program, taught through the We Believe series for grades K - 6, a curriculum consistent with the National Catechetical Directory and designed to lead students to an encounter with Christ. From that foundation the academic day builds outward.
Reading and language arts blend phonics, literature, writing, speaking, spelling, and grammar, with the Accelerated Reading Program encouraging students to read widely and take comprehension tests on each book. Math Expressions takes students beyond arithmetic into data, probability, geometry, patterns, and algebra. Science is hands-on, using Science and Technology for Children (STC) and Full Option Science System (FOSS), with students sometimes trekking through the woods of St. John's looking for fungus, releasing newly formed butterflies on the church steps, or launching rockets in the school fields. Social studies is taught as preparation for life in a multicultural and interdependent world, grounded in the Gospel values of Jesus Christ.
Art, health, music, and physical education round out the day. Music is taught through the Music Connections curriculum at the District Education Facility, while physical education is held there too under a shared-time program; tennis shoes are required for PE. STAR 360 assessments are given in reading and math, with results shared with parents.
Pre-Kindergarten Options
The Pre-Kindergarten program serves children ages 3 to 5, with options to fit different family schedules. Three-year-olds can attend a full-day program on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:25 AM to 2:45 PM. Four- and five-year-olds can choose a three-day full-day program on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a five-day full-day program, or half-day programs on two or three days. A typical day includes literacy, language, math, social skills, manners, science, Bible concepts, games, song and dance, arts and crafts, and playtime. Hot lunch, meeting USDA guidelines and matching the K - 6 menu, is included for all-day students. Families with K - 6 students already at Saint Boniface receive priority for Pre-K enrollment, and Pre-K students receive priority when it is time to register for Kindergarten.
Field Trips and Extracurriculars
Each grade level takes one major field trip each year, with busing paid for through the Home and School Association so transportation does not fall on families. Sixth graders travel north of Brainerd for a week at Camp Foley, an environmental education program with specific goals and objectives. The school library, computer, and media centers house Macintosh systems designed for instruction, and every K - 6 student receives computer lessons twice a week plus weekly time in the media center.
Beyond academics, students can choose from Student Council, Speech, Academic Triathlon, Choir, Academic Competitions, Fine Arts, Performing Arts, and sports opportunities through ROCORI.
Faculty and Pastoral Leadership
Heather Pfannenstein serves as principal, with Kim Baumgarten as assistant principal. The pastoral care of the school comes from Father LeRoy Scheierl, pastor of the Church of Saint Boniface, and Father Joseph VanDenHeuvel, parochial vicar. Julie Sabo is the school counselor. The wider team includes a music teacher who prepares students to participate in liturgies, a physical education teacher, a STEM teacher, a librarian, an IT specialist, and the Pre-K through sixth-grade classroom teachers who form the daily rhythm of the school. A school board, chaired by Samantha Hommerding, advises the pastor and principal in a consultative role; it is made up of five to nine members, including parents, a parish representative, and school staff, who serve three-year terms.
Life at Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface School is located at 501 Main Street in Cold Spring, Minnesota. School hours run from 8:20 AM to 2:45 PM, with the office open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM and on Fridays from 7:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The main office can be reached at 320-685-3541 or schooloffice@stboniface.com. Tuition and other fees can be paid online. All faiths are welcome at Saint Boniface School. To follow the Thursday school Mass from home, see the parish livestream.