By NELL LUTER FLOYD
Sun Staff Writer
The name of an alumna known for always smiling and taking time to say hello will have a prominent place on the new campus of St. Richard Catholic School.
The education building will honor Eve Walsh, who brightens the day for students, faculty and staff and others she comes across whether she’s working in the school cafeteria, singing in the parish choir or serving during Mass.
“It will be named the Eve Walsh Education Building,” said Father Joe Tonos, pastor at St. Richard Catholic Church and St. Richard Catholic School.
Eve, also known as “Miss Eve,” a lifelong member of the parish, was born with Down syndrome in 1972. She graduated from what was known as the school’s Special Kids program and has worked in the school cafeteria since Sept. 15, 1999, a job from which she will retire this year.
With a loan from the Catholic Diocese of Mississippi, St. Richard School purchased the former Meadowbrook Church of Christ campus, which is located at 4211 I-55 North and includes three buildings, for $2.5 million in 2023. Plans call for students to start the 2024-2025 academic year at the current location and then move into the new location in January 2025.
The move will put the school, which has an enrollment of about 200 students in K3 through sixth grade, in a location that is more visible than its current one on Holly Drive next to St. Richard Catholic Church.
“A Future Filled with Hope” capital campaign is under way to raise $3.9 million, which will pay off the loan from the diocese and provide $1.4 million for campus renovations.
Anyone who donates $200,000 or above will be eligible to have his or her name listed on the education building as a supporter and friend of Eve, Tonos said. The campaign includes additional naming opportunities.
Response to the campaign has been positive, Tonos said, noting that a feasibility study was not required. “The opportunity came up and we moved ahead with the bishop’s blessing,” he said.
Meadowbrook Church of Christ and Meadowbrook Preschool are expected to vacate the campus by the end of May. “By June 1, it will be ours,” Tonos said.
Eve will be honored for her service as a cafeteria assistant on May 19 at 11:30 a.m. in Foley Hall at St. Richard Catholic Church. That’s also the date that pledges should be turned in by.
Placing Eve’s name on the building is in keeping with the school’s tradition of providing an education to students with a variety of learning needs, Tonos said.
“It stands for who we are,” he said. “We take on anyone. Those who are told, ‘You can’t,’ we say, ‘You can.”’
Putting Eve’s name on the building will ensure that her legacy of greeting visitors with “Well, hello,” lives on and that students and families who don’t have the opportunity to meet her will learn about her, Tonos said.
The youngest of five children born to Helen and Lyons Walsh, Eve was enrolled in the school’s program for students with developmental issues from kindergarten until graduation at age 18.
“She’s an example to children with Down syndrome and other challenges,” Tonos said. “She’s the face of St. Richard’s.”
As a cafeteria assistant, Eve helps with all kinds of tasks essential to feeding and caring for the students on a daily basis.
“She would get here early in the morning, put on her apron and get down to business,” Tonos said. “She would help prepare the meals, push the cart and serve the meals. The children love to see her. She would visit with the kids and help clean up.”
As a teen, Eve participated in what was a weekly program that brought individuals with developmental delays together on Saturday evenings for Mass, dinner and a dance.
“The main thing she learned there besides making a lot of friends she had not known before was she learned to serve (during Mass),” Helen Walsh said in the “Meet Eve Walsh” video that is part of the capital campaign.
Eve and her father attend Mass daily and regularly serve each Saturday at the 8 a.m. Mass, which 35 to 40 people attend. “Her father is in his early 90s, very active and thriving,” Tonos said.
Celeste Saucier, development director at St. Richard Catholic School, said Eve will be missed after she retires.
“Miss Eve always has a smile on her face and says hello to everyone she passes in the halls and in the cafeteria,” she said. “She works hard and has the kindest heart. Our students and staff treasure her and all the years she’s been at St. Richard School.”
