Embracing a New Chapter: Marist Senior Class is Ready for the Future

For some Marist seniors, the beginning of the end of their high school experience starts with the senior Emmaus retreat offered by campus ministry in late April. For others, the Senior Sunset BBQ and Senior Send-off marked the beginning of the events ascribed to that special period in students’ lives when their time at Marist comes to a close.

This year, the Senior Sunset BBQ officially welcomed the 2023 graduating class into the Alumni Association with a beautiful view of the sunset on Thursday, May 11. Held on the front soccer fields near the iconic brick entrance to Marist School, the event set the tone for all the official senior-centered festivities to follow.

The following day, Friday, May 12, the senior class gathered once more on the field at Hughes Spalding Stadium for the first Senior Send-Off of its kind: a “Senior Games” field day that harkened back to many of the classmates’ time competing in the Foundations Winter Games when they were in 7th and 8th grade. Various advisory classes teamed up to compete in an obstacle course, track relay, human-sized Hungry-Hungry hippo, Tug-of-War, and more. Even with rain clouds intermittently rolling over the field, the team self-designated as the color “Teal” won the tournament. Despite arriving at the end of their academic and extracurricular days under the name of Marist, the competitive nature of the senior class shone through.

The National Recognition Reception took place in the Arcade on Thursday, May 11 and the Academic Awards and Senior Honors Assembly was held in Centennial Center on Wednesday, May 17. The Arcade reception provided an opportunity separate from the honors assembly for those named National Merit Finalists, College Board National African American Scholars, College Board National Hispanic Scholars, PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) students, as well as students going to the national military service academies, to be recognized for their accomplishments.

Among the many accolades for which our students should feel proud, the first Helen Bawak Wamey ’22 Memorial Award went to O'Keefe McKinney '23 in recognition of his exceptional kindness, empathy, and hospitality, and for promoting diversity and inclusivity through extending outreach and welcome to all members of the Marist School community. 

In President Fr. Rowland’s benediction at the close of the honors assembly, he reminded students that Marist School encourages them to seek excellence in everything they do because God deserves their best. He led them in prayer, asking God to “guide all our students to experience the joy and sense of fulfillment that comes from when their will and your will are in sync and harmony. Then they will know that there is no greater honor than to be chosen to serve you and your purposes in the world. That is the only honor they should seek with all their heart, mind, and strength.”

The penultimate event marking the seniors’ transition from students to graduates was the Baccalaureate Mass held on May 19 in Hughes Spalding Stadium. The Mass was presided by Bishop Joel M. Konzen, S.M., former principal of Marist School, and concelebrated by the Marist fathers and visiting clergy. Twenty-six students from the class were acknowledged for their roles as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, where they provided spiritual leadership for their peers and served the Marist community during their senior year. The recording of the Mass was captured and streamed live with great success by Marist Broadcasting Club students. The Baccalaureate Mass is the last Mass students attend together as Marist students.

Under a gray sky on Saturday morning, May 20, the Class of 2023 processed onto the field at Hughes Spalding Stadium for their commencement ceremony. The recording of graduation was also streamed live by Marist Broadcasting Club students. Principal Mr. Kevin Mullally shared the highlights of the graduating class, including their 7,334 service hours completed over the last three years as students at Marist. He also approximated that the class prayed together 7,000 times over the course of six years. Mr. Mullally said, “That’s 7,000 times you have kept heaven before you by building your relationship with God our father. That’s 7,000 times you’ve kept heaven before you by speaking your heart to God, by asking for assistance, by asking for forgiveness, by asking for guidance, by expressing thanks, and offering glory and honor to our heavenly father. Class of 2023, keep praying.”

In addition to the conferral of degrees for the Class of 2023, Marist School honored Devon Corbett with an honorary degree. Mr. Mullally presented Katherine Erdman ’23 with the Sedes Sapientiae Award, which is Marist School's highest student honor. Erdman was recognized with this distinction for her excellence in scholarship, loyalty, and service, and who, by a vote of the faculty, most exemplifies the mission of Marist School. Mr. Bill Roche ’76, chair of the Marist School Board of Trustees, presented the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Cup to Patrick Sheesley ’23 in recognition of his embodiment of the mission of Marist School, involvement in school activities, and accomplishments that are as likely to have been achieved in resolute modesty as they are to have been loudly acclaimed.

The 2023 recipient of Marist’s Distinguished Alumni Award and commencement speaker Christa-Marie Singleton MD, MPH, FACPM, ’83, the Chief Medical Officer in the Office of Health Equity at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shared inspirational insights and encouragement for graduates. Dr. Singleton shared how Marist teachers like Dr. Michael Bieze and Dr. Louisa Moffitt saw her unique strengths while she was a student and encouraged her to let her voice be heard. She urged the Class of 2023 to “use your voices to be the courageous change that the world needs from you right now.”

The bestowal of a Marist School diploma, the last of these sacred events that mark a student as a graduate of Marist School, is a spiritual commissioning that brings with it the expectation that the individual receiving it will put to good use all they learned at Marist for the sake of goodness, truth, and beauty. We have no doubt the Class of 2023 will go on to do just that.

View photos from Project Graduation.