By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
PLANO — Highlighting the role of Catholic schools in forming students in faith and academics, the Diocese of Dallas on April 24 named three educators as 2026 Distinguished Educators of the Year at its annual banquet, held at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Parish.
This year’s honorees were Michael Kistner of Bishop Dunne Catholic School, John Athas of Bishop Lynch High School, and Marcia Venhaus of Prince of Peace Catholic School. Hassie Wortham of St. Mark Catholic School in Plano and Tommy Barton of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School were recognized with honorable mentions.
In offering his gratitude to the Catholic school educators, Bishop Edward J. Burns pointed to the Gospel of Luke, recalling the story of the friends who lowered a paralyzed man through the roof to reach Jesus when the crowd blocked the way.
“With all that you do in our Catholic schools, you carry our children. You carry them in such a way, and you bring them to Jesus. You bring them to the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” Bishop Burns said. “As your shepherd and as your bishop, I want to thank you for the ways in which you care for the most cherished gifts of the families who send their children to our schools. You do it so well.”
Speaking during the 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year banquet, Jeannette Lambert, superintendent of Diocese of Dallas Catholic schools, pointed to the event’s theme as a reminder of the foundation of Catholic education.
“Our theme this year, ‘Pray, hope, and don’t worry’ from St. Pio, reminds us that Catholic education is not just about academics; it begins and ends with our Catholic faith,” Lambert said. “Every day, in every classroom, we witness students being transformed — in heart, mind, and spirit — growing closer to Christ and discovering the fullness of who they are called to be in this world.”
Lambert added that the mission of Catholic education is a shared responsibility across the community.
“This sacred work doesn’t happen in isolation,” she said. “It takes all of us — educators, leaders, families, pastors, and donors — united in mission; and it’s in that unity that we are truly better together.”
Venhaus, a seventh and eighth grade science teacher, is in her ninth year of teaching at Prince of Peace and has spent 14 years in education overall. In addition to teaching science, Venhaus organizes the school’s science fair and has coached science for the Private School Interscholastic Association.
Venhaus said being recognized as a Distinguished Educator of the Year was especially meaningful to her because of the role faith plays in her life and vocation.
“It is a huge honor to be recognized as a distinguished educator in a vocation rooted in faith and service,” she said. “There are so many deserving teachers in the diocese. My faith is the most important part of my life, and to be able to share that through service at my school is a blessing.”
In her classroom, Venhaus works intentionally to support each student’s academic growth while nurturing faith, character, and a sense of purpose. She underscored the importance of respect, openness, and trust as foundations of learning.
“I make sure all students feel seen and respected,” Venhaus explained. “Our class starts with a prayer, and the students feel like it is a safe space that they can make mistakes and share ideas.”
Venhaus said faith is woven naturally into instruction, helping students understand both scientific concepts and the perspective of the Catholic Church.
“We discuss how our faith is an important part of what we are studying and what the Catholic Church may believe,” she said. “They should feel academically challenged as well as fed spiritually.”
For Venhaus, being a Catholic school educator means forming students not only for academic success but for a life rooted in faith.
“A Catholic educator will encourage students to develop a closer relationship to Jesus as well as a deeper understanding of the curriculum,” she said. “It is important to bring the mission of the Church into your lessons and to help the students see the road map to ‘College and Heaven.’”
Venhaus added that educators play a critical role as witnesses to faith through their daily example.
“It is important for us to live our lives the way we want our students to live their lives,” she said. “We must be role models that will encourage them to strengthen their own walk of faith. In return, this also will strengthen our faith as we work to carry out the mission that God has entrusted to us.”
Kistner is the department chair for social studies, Advanced Placement, and theology at Bishop Dunne Catholic School, where he teaches world history, AP world history, and the AP Capstone courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. He also serves as moderator for the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society.
Kistner, who is completing his 26th year at Bishop Dunne and his 35th year in the teaching profession overall, said he was “surprised to be nominated and then again to be chosen” as a diocesan distinguished educator.
“I’m not sure it has really sunk in yet,” he said. “It is an honor to have been selected. I just do what I can for our students.”
Kistner explained that while his work may not seem exciting, he is always looking for better ways to teach, so students can compete “in an inconsistent world.”
“To me, this award, along with seeing my students succeed in college or in their careers, confirms that I’m doing something right,” he said.
For Kistner, faith and service lie at the heart of the teaching vocation.
“This is what the teaching profession is all about,” he explained, noting that many educators go above and beyond for their students and families. “Here, in a Catholic school, as a practicing Catholic, I can share my faith and worldview. I can help guide students toward a faith that is constructive and personal. We need this more and more in our world.”
At the heart of that mission, Kistner said, is listening.
“Our students tell us what they need each and every day,” he said, adding that students have questions about the world, about God, and about their personal faith journeys. “There is no formula for this. Each student needs something different. When we listen to them, we see what they need, even if they don’t quite know what they need themselves.”
Athas has served at Bishop Lynch High School since 1995, where he currently teaches technical theater, theater production, and a communications course.
“It means very much to me to be recognized both by Bishop Lynch, where I have devoted 30 years of my life, art, and teaching, and to be recognized by the Diocese of Dallas where I have lived and learned for my entire life,” said Athas, who grew up attending St. Philip Catholic School, now St. Philip & St. Augustine Catholic Academy, and Bishop Lynch before graduating from Skyline High School.
Athas traced his calling to education to a conversation with his mother.
“When long ago I told my mother that I was thinking of becoming a teacher, the first thing that she said to me was that it is a noble profession. I think that is true,” he said. “My vocation in Catholic education has shaped me into a far better person, and one that I hope has helped and inspired both my students and my colleagues over all these years.”
Faith, Athas said, has been central to every aspect of his work.
“I have been able to work, live, and teach with my Catholic faith shaping everything I think and do,” he said. “This has been humbling, inspiring, and encouraging.”
In addition to his long tenure at Bishop Lynch, Athas has taught theater and English in academic, collegiate, and community settings. His experience includes serving as an adjunct professor and dual enrollment instructor at Dallas College’s Eastfield campus, directing at Cistercian Preparatory School, and teaching with Junior Players Summer Theatre and SMU’s Rosenberg High School Theater Workshop.
Athas said Catholic education has given him the opportunity to live out a lifelong hope.
“I have always wanted to leave the world better than I found it, and teaching, being, and living in Catholic education has given me the opportunity to make that possible,” he said. “If I can inspire my students and colleagues through my teaching and life to live deeply and profoundly their Catholic faith in all they think and do, that gives me the greatest hope and joy.”
He added that he is grateful for the opportunities teaching has given him in life.
“Responding to one’s vocation, what God is asking you to do with your life, and being willing to listen and to do it no matter how hard it may be or how long it may take is the way I have found to a rewarding and love-filled life in the Church and in Catholic education,” Athas said.
Cutline for featured image: Jeannette Lambert, far left, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Dallas, poses with, from left, Bishop Dunne Catholic School teacher Michael Kistner, a recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year award; Bishop Lynch High School teacher John Athas, a recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year award; St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School teacher Tommy Barton, who received honorable mention as a 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year; Prince of Peace Catholic School teacher Marcia Venhaus, a recipient of the 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year award; St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School President Patrick Magee, who served as event emcee; and St. Mark Catholic School teacher Hassie Wortham, who received honorable mention as a 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year, at the 2026 Distinguished Educator of the Year banquet, held April 24 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Parish. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
