My Marist

My Marist is a home that I have been in since birth.  Marist is a supportive, compassionate community that helps me to strengthen character, leadership, and most importantly, my faith.  My Marist seeks to build relationships and instill a love of God and knowledge in its student’s lives.

My Marist is a home away from home.

My Marist is the special place where our family shared a million magical moments! Our four children developed strong spiritual roots, discovered their individual talents and gifts, and made lifelong friendships. As parents, we were able to share the journey and now treasure the wonderful memories and terrific people that were part of our Marist days.

My Marist is my second home. I’ve felt that way since I first stepped on campus almost 19 years ago as a new ninth grader. The friends I’ve made at Marist have seen me through homecoming dances, college road trips, weddings and births. When I returned to teach at Marist nine years ago, I was welcomed in with loving arms by my former teachers and now colleagues. They’ve pushed me to become a better teacher, leader and most importantly a better person.
Amelia Gleaton Luke '01, faculty

My Marist is Father Kevin Duggan who taught me how to love others as Christ would love, and who cried right along with all of the rest of us in the chapel at the end of the school year in 1996 as it was time for him to leave and go on to help others as the Lord guided him.

My Marist is Sandy Almond and Bert Mobley who taught me how to write. They set high standards and expectations, but loved me in some of the toughest years of my life. Sandy would bring us to the Shakespeare Tavern so we could finally understand that Shakespeare was to be experienced, not simply read it. Bert instilled in me a passion for reading great books and thinking deep thoughts.

My Marist is Ron Bell who drove us like soldiers and made us into men on the court. To get an "atta boy" from Ron was more valuable to me than gold as a student, and as a coworker. His determination, work ethic, and excellence in the details have helped me become the person I am today. 

My Marist is Father John throwing a tennis ball at me if I were to doze a bit in his class, which could never really happen because he was too engaging, funny, and inspiring.

My Marist is Bruce Hoff who showed all of us in 7th grade how to take notes on the overhead projector and turn it into brilliant tie-died artwork. He also took me aside that first year and had a conversation with me that allowed me to persevere when I wanted to leave the school due to my adolescent insecurities.
 

My Marist is Dan Perez and Jeff Decker who were models of being a man's man who looked deeply into a kid's heart and knew how to inspire to get the very best out of me, be it on the field, or discussing Hemingway. They also showed up in my adult years at a number of good friend's funerals because they loved us all.

My Marist is Mary Ann Zins who sat with me for hours upon hours in tutorial going over Calculus problems ad nauseam. She never wavered and never for one second gave up on a student who thought math was as understandable as Greek.  I can never forget her running up to the ridiculously humid Kurht weight-room in the summer to let me know I made a 4 on the AP exam.

My Marist is Louisa Moffit who saw leadership capabilities in me, and taught me to love history. She also saw about every basketball game I ever played as she attentively and loyally kept the score-book for our varsity team.

My Marist is Larry, the friendly janitor who always greeted me with a warm smile no matter what time of day it was, and could always make me feel better when the stress level was high.

My Marist is Sharon Coheley and Tim Johnson pushing me to sing a solo my final year in Chorale, which was quite possibly the most fear I have ever experienced in a few minutes time. If I am honest I did it for them because they believed in me.

My Marist is Emmaus, our Alma Mater, our Fight Song, and proudly hailing the Blue and Gold!

My Marist is the Love of Christ shared through His true vessels of the Holy Spirit, the people that represent the Marist Way.  
Nathan Jordan '96