Johann Bauer keeps one foot in the old world and one in the new, and he considers that a fine place to stand. He knows the names of the families who came to German Village with almost nothing and built a neighborhood that has lasted 150 years. He tells those stories to anyone who'll listen — which, at St. Mary School, turns out to be quite a few kids.

In this country's 250th anniversary year, Johann thinks a lot about what the immigrants who built this Village understood: that freedom isn't just something you have, it's something you tend. Like a garden. Like a community. Like a school. He thinks the students at St. Mary are getting a good education in all three.