Photo by Deb Gau From left to right, Mike Fox, Jennifer Johnson, Gary St. Aubin, and Dennis Schroeder were inducted into the Pride In the Tiger Foundation’s Hall of Honor, during a banquet Saturday night in Marshall.

MARSHALL — It was a night of honor for four supporters of Marshall schools. But the newest members of the Pride In the Tiger Foundation Hall of Honor didn’t put the focus on themselves. At a banquet Saturday, honorees talked about the importance of the foundation’s mission.

“We know by working together, we can we can make a difference in the lives of our students,” said former Marshall teacher Dennis “Red” Schroeder. “Let’s just do it.”

Schroeder, together with Gary St. Aubin, Jennifer Johnson and Mike Fox, was inducted into the Hall of Honor this weekend. Every two years, Pride In the Tiger honors community members, Marshall High School alumni and past Marshall Schools staff who have helped support the foundation.

This year’s honorees were “four impactful people,” said Pride In the Tiger Foundation Executive Director Krista Bjella. They each had done a lot to support Marshall schools in different ways.

Schroeder had a 46-year teaching career, which included teaching at Marshall High School, and at Southwest Minnesota State University. For the last 20 years of his career, he was involved with Adult Farm Business Management education through Marshall Public Schools, and later Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

“He brought his passion for agriculture and vocational education to MHS,” Bjella said.

Schroeder recalled working to expand the ag program at MHS in the 1970s to include agricultural mechanics, horticulture, and wildlife and natural resource management.

“One of the goals was to have students learn by doing,” Schroeder said.

“It has been a busy and fulfilling career,” Schroeder said. It was an honor to receive the induction, he said.

Gary St. Aubin was this year’s alumni inductee.St. Aubin graduated from MHS in 1978, and is now the managing partner for the Marshall accounting firm Hoffman & Brobst. St. Aubin’s accounting skills and perspective have helped the Pride In the Tiger Foundation since its beginning, Bjella said.

“He epitomizes what it means to be an alumnus who gives back,” she said.

“I’m humbled and honored,” St. Aubin said at Saturday’s induction banquet. He said there were many people who have made the Pride In the Tiger Foundation successful, from financial donors to the foundation’s board and director.

Siblings Mike Fox and Jennifer Johnson were this year’s community inductees for the Hall of Honor. Fox and Johnson are third-generation co-owners of Ace Home & Hardware in Marshall, and have been active supporters of MHS and the Pride In the Tiger Foundation. Bjella said Ace Home & Hardware has been a longstanding sponsor for the foundation, which helps support grant initiatives in Marshall schools. Ace also supports the annual Pride In the Tiger Golf Classic fundraiser.

Johnson said she and Mike wanted to help support future generations of Marshall students.

“Education is the foundation to our community,” she said.

The Pride In the Tiger Foundation helps support Marshall students and teachers in a few different ways. Every year, the foundation awards scholarships to graduating seniors at Marshall High School. The foundation also supports education through Teacher Impact Grants, which help teachers fund classroom equipment, educational programs and more. Last year, Marshall teachers received a total of $91,000 in grants, Bjella said.

“We are making an impact,” she said.