Erbes

Holly Erbes is a familiar presence at St. Francis Catholic School. She’s taught kindergarten the past 13 years and heads up two of the school’s fundraisers. Now, she steps into a new role, one she’s prayed about and sought for years: principal.

Erbes replaces Julie Graber, who first took on the position in July 2024.

“I’ve had the privilege to grow here. I got my master’s from Creighton University in educational leadership with a certificate in Catholic school leadership in 2021,” Erbes said. “The Archdiocese of Dubuque, which is what St. Francis is operated under, was doing a grant where they paid for half of your education… Being a principal was something I hoped and prayed for for a long time. That dream was in my heart, but the timing was just never quite right. The dreams don’t always happen when they think they should. There were times I thought the opportunity would come and it didn’t. Then there were times when it came and I wasn’t ready. There were times I wondered if I was on the right path.”

In the meantime, she says, she kept teaching kindergarten and loving the school, knowing God had a plan for her.

“When this principal position became available, I felt called and I felt a sense of peace that this was the right time that God had been preparing me for,” she said. “Saying yes wasn’t about leaving kindergarten because I stopped loving teaching kindergarten. Kindergarten will always hold a special place in my heart, but it’s just about saying yes to a new way of serving the school and parish that I have come to love so much.”

Erbes and her husband are originally from southwest Iowa and came to the area in 2013. After graduating from UNI that year, she searched for a kindergarten job, landing at St. Francis. However, she first student taught at Gladbrook-Reinbeck and at South Tama.

“I interviewed before my husband and I got married here, and have been here ever since,” she added.

She notes that it was a stint at a pool as a lifeguard and teaching swim lessons that got her interested in working with youth. Her mother was also a teacher.

“I grew up in the education world and was encouraged by her also to pursue a degree in education,” she said. “It’s funny because I went into a management position at the pool that I had worked at for many years in my hometown. That’s what kind of made me think I would love to lead in some capacity when I’m a grown-up, so to speak.”

The school does five main fundraisers per year, and Erbes is a leading force behind them. The upcoming Guardians on the Greens golf fundraiser is slated for Saturday at the American Legion Golf Course, tee-off at 8 a.m.

“I actually brought that fundraiser to St. Francis along with Soles for Souls. I’ve run those for the past five years but will be turning those over to somebody else as I step into my new role,” she explained.

In addition, the school hosts Harvest Ball, Fun Fest and the plant sale.

Funds raised go into the school’s general fund. She said that a portion of the proceeds from Guardians on the Greens is going to go toward the new math curriculum. Harvest Ball generates the most funds, approximately $75,000, with the golf outing generating $20,000.

Erbes is involved with Guiding Star in Marshalltown, which offers support services for fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and postpartum care. She brought shared burials ceremonies to Guiding Star, which honors babies lost in pregnancy and infancy. She also leads a support group for families who have lost babies.

She said student tuition is covered through Education Savings Account (ESA), which may be used by eligible families to cover tuition, fees and other qualified education expenses at accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa. Grant money is also available for families through School Tuition Organizations (STOs), non-profits that raise money to provide K-12 tuition grants to eligible students attending accredited non-public schools in Iowa.

Erbes said as principal, it’s important to her to strengthen the school’s Catholic identity as well as being visible with students, staff and families, plus welcoming to the public. She would like her pupils to engage in more service learning opportunities.

A mother of four, she said the upcoming school year will be the first — and only — time all her children will be attending school in the same building: she has a sixth grader, fifth grader, kindergartener and three-year-old preschooler.

“I am grateful for the people who have led me to this throughout my time here. I just wouldn’t be who I am today without the support of the parish and the school and the people in it. They’ve celebrated our family’s greatest moments, but also our hardest moments,” Erbes said. “When I started this job, I was not Catholic, actually. After being here for a year, I decided I wanted to be part of the parish too.”

She may be reached at: herbes@st-francis.net.