Long-time teacher continues work at Helias

Brother Steven Schonhoff poses in his classroom at Helias High School. He's been a teacher for 44 years and spent the last 24 at Helias.
Brother Steven Schonhoff poses in his classroom at Helias High School. He's been a teacher for 44 years and spent the last 24 at Helias.

Before this school year began, Brother Steven Schonhoff had been teaching sophomore English as well as religion classes at Helias Catholic High School for more than 20 years.

A member of the De La Salle Christian Brothers order and inducted to the Helias Hall of Fame in 2013, students say Schonhoff is kind of a legend at Helias for being a pretty "difficult, but really great English teacher."

However, this is the first year he will not be teaching English, and just teaching religion classes.

"To be candid, my approach to English was thorough and demanding," Schonhoff said. "This year I'm only teaching religion to juniors. My first degree is in theology, and I happily anticipate sharing the faith with my students."

Schonhoff has been teaching at Helias for 24 years but has been a teacher for 44 years. He taught in Kansas City, Tulsa and Memphis before coming to Jefferson City.

Schonhoff currently resides at St. Peter Church, where he said "there is a sense of community with priests, parishioners, colleagues at Helias and special friends here in Jefferson City."

"Recently a Baptist friend at the YMCA asked me when I would retire, and my response was "when I die,'" Schonhoff said.

When not preparing for classroom activities, you can find Schonhoff reading or swimming - of which he said, "I'm grateful when this exercise is over."

He also spends much time in prayer at St. Peter's rectory. With his room four doors away from the perpetual adoration chapel he said, "I have no excuse!"

Schonhoff is also an avid traveler, having been to places such as the Arctic Circle and The Great Wall of China.

"Unless our academic rigor is maintained and encouraged at Helias, our identity as a Catholic school is weakened," Schonhoff said. "In my mind, there is no doubt about this."

Brother Steven Schonhoff

Age: 66

Family: Five siblings - Dr. Thomas Schonhoff (Maria), Jerome Schonhoff (Pat), Mary Smith (Dave), Mark Schonhoff (Terry) and Kathy Shearon (William); and 22 nieces and nephews.

Education: Graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Quincy, Illinois, in 1967; bachelor of science degree in theology from Christian Brother's College; and master of education degree from Xavier University; graduate work at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Xavier University and Notre Dame University; attended a director's retreat in Santa Fe and spent a sabbatical semester of study and formation at the mother house in Rome.

Honors: Class of 1988 CBHS Teacher From Whom I Learned the Most award; Diocese of Jefferson City 20-year service recognition award in 2010; and numerous Most Influential Teacher awards from individual students. Took his final vows in 1975 and celebrated his 45th anniversary with Christian Brothers in 2012.