Mary Immaculate School has always been “home” to Joanne Heath, this year’s “Soaring to Great Heights” Auction honoree.  “There’s been a Heath around Mary Immaculate since 1963,” shares Joanne.  And she couldn’t be happier! Joanne and her late husband, Tom, moved to Farmers Branch in 1962 and set out to raise their four children with the Mary Immaculate Church and school community at its center.   After 10 years of raising her family - and countless room mom and volunteer duties under her belt – Joanne received a request from Father Robert to teach at the school.  As a former teacher, Joanne felt right at home at MIS, teaching third grade for three years and kindergarten for 27.  “I loved the nice, warm, friendly atmosphere,” Joanne says.  “The children and the parents were wonderful.” Joanne knew at an early age that she wanted to be a teacher.  “I loved children, and I decided that I wanted to work with them,” she says.  And to Joanne, there was no better place to teach than MIS.  “I worked with a superior principal, Mike Brock, who put his faith in you and let you run."   Joanne’s experiences at Mary Immaculate were not only priceless, but full of funny kindergarten moments.  “I remember reading a story to the class and a little boy (whose nickname was Tiger) saying to me, ‘Mrs. Heath, you’d better get a bigger chair, ‘cause you’re hanging over the sides!’”  Joanne shares.  “It was wonderful to see children come out of their shells and blossom.  And having taught for so many years, I worked with entire families and was blessed to watch them grow into incredible adults.” Joanne’s husband, Tom, was also a fixture at the school.  “After Tom retired, he was up at the school almost as much as I was,” Joanne said.  “The kids loved him as much as they loved me.” Joanne feels that her greatest contribution to Mary Immaculate was making each child feel special.  “I tried to make each child feel very important, worthy, loved by God and loved by me,” she says.  “I wanted them to leave my classroom happy, self confident and feeling good about themselves.  A friend once told me that if you asked any of Mrs. Heath’s students who her favorite was, the student would say, ‘ME!’  And that was always my goal.” Joanne adds, “Mary Immaculate has always been a big part of our lives.  I love it dearly, and I just can’t tell you how much it feels like a family.  It’s our home.”