When Feltner moved to the Beaufort area in 1996 from Dayton, Ohio, she immediately enrolled two of her six children at St. Peter, a private Christian School for students in Pre-K through sixth grade. Her son Daniel entered K4 (pre-kindergarten) and her daughter Maura entered third grade. In addition to two older children, she had an infant at home, and her sixth child was born in 1997. The two youngest sons eventually went to St. Peter, too. 

Feltner was a very involved parent. She had 10 years of experience teaching preschool in Ohio, and after finishing her teaching degree at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort in December 2010, she became a teacher’s aide at St. Peter in 2011. Later, she became a teacher of pre-K3, third and fifth grades, plus middle school religion and English. She was asked to be interim principal in 2014 and was soon hired as the principal later that year. 

She immediately began the Master of Science program in education (instructional leadership) with the University of Dayton online and graduated in 2019. This year marks her ninth year as principal of St. Peter.

As fate would have it, three of her children decided to send their children to St. Peter, and today six of her 14 grandchildren attend the school where she serves as principal. Her grandson Crew is in pre-K, James and Dawson are in kindergarten, Emma is in second grade, Cami is in fourth and Delilah is in sixth.

To Feltner though, it isn’t her family attending the school that makes it feel like home. She believes that the closeness of everyone is an extension of her blood relatives.

“The feeling of family is contagious I think,” she explained. “We all treat each other like family, and I think even the kids benefit from seeing those close relationships. Some children may not get the benefit of a close family unit at home or seeing a stable family structure, but seeing that at school, since I am also a grandma, is a good example for them. Of course we have rules we all need to follow at school, but in the end, we are all a family here.”

She describes one of her grandchildren, Crew, as a “miracle child.” At only seven months old, he was diagnosed with infantile acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After two attempts at chemotherapy that failed, he received a bone marrow transplant from her son, Kevin, the boy’s father. Crew is now in remission. 

“He’s here in K-3 now and he is doing great,” she mused. “He is truly a miracle, and I am inspired by him every day.”

Having her grandchildren at her school each day is, of course, a very special benefit to her role.

“I am the principal so there is a fine line with being their grandmother and their principal. I don’t give them special treatment. If they need to be disciplined, I discipline them just like I would anyone else. I also celebrate their successes just like I would anyone else,” she added.

Feltner shared that her husband, who died of lung cancer in 2020, also worked at the school as a basketball coach for many years.

Despite suffering that huge loss, she is very happy that her children chose to give their children a Catholic education at St. Peter. Her daughter Maura told her that it was Catholic education at St. Peter that shaped her into the person she is today. 

Feltner can attest to that since she attended Catholic school in Ohio from second to 12th grades.

“I know the sacrifices my children are making so that they can give their children a Catholic education,” she said. “I’m grateful that they have made this choice.”

Feltner said that with a Catholic education, you aren’t only preparing children for life, but you are also preparing them for heaven.

“The ultimate goal, after all, is heaven,” she explained.

Although she recognizes the changes since she was a child in Catholic school — she was taught entirely by religious sisters — Feltner said that she couldn’t say enough good things about the teachers at St. Peter.

“They are amazing,” she beamed.

She also recognizes the reliance on technology today. The principal said that tech is great in many ways, but that it is important for students to have a classic education, like learning to write in cursive, for example.

The Beaufort school also teaches the children about serving their communities. Throughout the year, students participate in projects for the local food bank projects and the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center.

Feltner said that if someone would have told her that she would be the principal of St. Peter back in 1996, she would have never believed them.

“But here I am today working as the principal of the school that I love and the one that educated four of my own children in the past and now six of my grandchildren,” she concluded. “It truly is a warm family environment here and parents can feel secure knowing that I absolutely love what I do.”