by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
St. John’s Preparatory School recently received a $100,000 gift to establish the Caroline and Walter Niebauer Endowed Scholarship.
Their son, Br. Paul-Vincent Niebauer, established the memorial scholarship fund in honor of his late parents to help seventh- through 12th-grade students who have financial need and who are not resident students but attend SJP.
Br. Niebauer is on the SJP Board of Regents and is the director of its upcoming spring musical Grease that will be performed at the Paramount Theatre in St. Cloud.
In a recent press release, Niebauer said his parents loved the arts.
“My mom and dad loved the arts – music, art, dance and drama,” Niebauer said. “Prep has always considered a healthy arts curriculum and program to be a necessity of an excellent school.”
Walter and Caroline “Kay” Niebauer met at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They were married in 1943. Kay graduated in the first class of medical technologists and Walter became a doctor. After World War II, the couple moved to Phillips, Wis., and raised three sons after Walter started a medical practice.
Niebauer said his mother believed educating our children in the best way possible helped to create a better world. She said she felt SJP provides a unique education for a child in every way – academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally.
“She also believed Prep provides a particularly supportive environment for both traditional and nontraditional students,” Niebauer said. “The adolescent years can be very challenging for a myriad of reasons. Prep’s size and culture allow for students with a variety of interests and backgrounds to flourish together.”
The scholarship will be added to the existing $10.8 million endowment SJP uses to help offer financial assistance to students. Each year, 41 percent of SJP students receive more than $675,000 of financial aid, both need-based and merit-based.
Br. Paul-Vincent Niebauer recently established a memorial scholarship fund in honor of his parents, Walter and Kay Niebauer, to help seventh- through 12th-grade students who have financial need and who are not resident students get an education at St. John’s Preparatory School.
Kay and Walter Niebauer are pictured in 1942. One of their three sons, Br. Paul-Vincent Niebauer, has recently established a memorial scholarship fund in their name to help seventh- through 12th-grade students attend St. John’s Preparatory School.
