Marty Burke Murphy has been described by colleagues, former students and parents as “the heart of Holy Spirit” and “the school’s top cheerleader” as well as the school’s resident dentist. She’s pulled generations of stubborn baby teeth from little mouths with the same technique for three decades: “One, two, three — stomp!”

In short, Murphy, sometimes called “Saint Marty,” is beloved at Holy Spirit School, where she has taught first grade for 34 years.

She was recognized for her dedication to the teaching profession March 15 during Sacred Heart Academy’s annual alumnae awards ceremony. Murphy, a member of the class of 1967, is the first recipient of Sacred Heart alumnae association’s Ursuline Teaching Legacy Award.

The award, created last year as the Ursuline Sisters of Louisville celebrated their 150th anniversary, honors the charism of the Ursulines to teach Christian living. It will be awarded annually to a Sacred Heart alumna who has devoted more than 20 years to teaching.

When one of Murphy’s former students called to tell her she was selected to receive the teaching award, “I was just overwhelmed,” said Murphy. “Of all the teachers in the world.

“But,” she noted, “I probably would not be a teacher at all if not for the good example (of the Ursuline Sisters). Their example rubbed off on me.”

Murphy said the Ursuline Sisters passed their legacy of teaching on to her during her years at Sacred Heart and later through Sister Odelia Gadlage, a retired teacher who served as a teacher’s aide in Murphy’s classroom.

“She was absolutely wonderful,” said Murphy, noting that Sister Gadlage is now living at Marian Home. “She had taught for about 40 years, but she was having vision problems. She was a life-saver and a true inspiration.”

Nanette Mershon, Sacred Heart’s alumnae director, said more than 30 women were nominated for the award.

But Murphy stood out above the rest, she said, because “her legacy of teaching has left a profound mark on her students.

“She is the perfect person to start this legacy,” Mershon said.

Mershon noted that Murphy’s dedication to Catholic education reaches beyond her professional life and strikes deep at the heart of her faith and family.

Murphy, a mother of four, became a single mother when her youngest, Kyle, was two years old. He was born with Down Syndrome.

She juggled her full-time job and the logistics of motherhood with the help of her family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and parish.

She taught her three oldest children — Michael, Dylan and Molly — when they were in first-grade while Kyle attended Jefferson County Public Schools that could better serve his special needs.

When her eldest was approaching high school and wanted to attend St. Xavier High School, Murphy and her children made a commitment that would make it possible: a paper route.

At first, she took Michael, now 30, and Dylan, 28, on their paper routes every morning. When Michael graduated, Molly, now 26, joined in to help pay her tuition for Assumption High School. Though her children have long abandoned the route, Murphy continues to deliver The Courier-Journal in her neighborhood every day, seven days a week.

She wakes at 3:30 a.m. each day to deliver the papers. Then she heads to Holy Spirit, where she has also served as assistant principal. And three nights a week, she also works at Stein Mart.

Asked how she juggles all of her jobs and responsibilities, Murphy said she believes whole-heartedly in the Scripture passage: “All things are possible with God.”

She governs her classroom with an enthusiasm that seems contagious among her students. During an interview Monday, she noted that first-grade is a perfect fit for her: “I like to be wild and crazy, like first-graders do.”

From the parents of her students to her colleagues, Murphy said the people at Holy Spirit have been nothing short of a blessing.

When she was expecting her first child, it was normal for teachers to quit and stay home after they became pregnant. But Murphy said she needed the work, and after some discussion the pastor approved her wish to use her sick days for maternity leave and then return to the classroom.

“I was the first to do that at Holy Spirit,” said Murphy.

Murphy noted that she didn’t plan to become a teacher when she started college at the University of Kentucky. She started out taking a tough chemistry class that ultimately defeated her. She took some time off from UK and attended Jefferson Community College (now Jefferson Community and Technical College) where she took a few education classes that she enjoyed. Then she returned to UK to earn a bachelor’s degree in education.

“It has turned out to be a dream come true,” she said. “My dad always gave me this advice — to pray about it. And I did. I didn’t think education answered my prayers. But dad said God always answers your prayers, just not the way you think.”

Murphy went on to teach at St. Edward School for three years before settling in at Holy Spirit in 1975.

“I feel really blessed to have been here for 34 years in the same classroom,” she said, noting that she also attended Holy Spirit in the first grade. She believes her classroom as a child was the one where she teaches today. “It’s like a second home.”

In advance of the award, a host of Murphy’s former students wrote letters in her praise.

Among them are Jack Conway, Kentucky’s attorney general. He wrote to Murphy, saying, “I was fortunate to be in your very first class, and now I enjoy listening to my nephew’s stories about ‘Ms. Murphy.’ ”

The letter continues, “You bring such love and devotion to your classroom, and we are truly blessed to have you touch our lives.”

Another letter came from Abby Brown. Murphy taught her in 1982 and taught her son Ben when he was in first grade.

“I think you’ve pulled more teeth than a dentist has!” Brown wrote, noting that Murphy pulled her teeth and her son’s. “ ‘One, two, three stomp!’ I’ve carried that technique with me when I teach kids!”