Help is needed and always greatly appreciated for volunteering in the concessions during the Frosh, JV and Varsity boys and girls home basketball games. The funds raised are used to pay for the Senior All Night Party after graduation. This is the only fundraiser at this point. We've added a BBQ to the Friday night games to increase revenue. So please come to support and/or volunteer.
Come celebrate with us at the CLASS OF 2000 TEN YEAR REUNION! We are planning several fun events for the weekend of July 16, 17 and 18, 2010. Please send your contact info to us at marist2000@gmail.com and we will send you all the details related to our reunion plans. We hope to see you there.
Merry Christmas! We have a new look and delivery method for The Marist Newsline. Rather than requiring you to download a large multi-page PDF file each month, the email you receive announcing a new edition of our school newsletter will link you directly here. We hope this makes for an easier and better reading experience for you. As always, past issues are available on our newsletter archive page.
Great food at St. Bennie's
Among many fun things to enjoy at all Encounters at St. Benedict's Lodge in McKenzie Bridge is great cooking by Marist voluneers, seniors and staff. These juniors and their senior leaders on the recent Fall Girls Encounter took advantage of make-your-own sundaes. Read more in “Broken for a good cause.”(Photo by Toni Cooper)
Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed and peaceful Christmas to you and your families from all of us at Marist!
Welcome Ms. Elizabeth (Lizzie) Ferreri to Marist as our Intro to Literature (9th graders) and Art History teacher. We are fortunate to have been able to find someone with great teaching skills and a strong English background on short notice.
Elizabeth Ferreri
Lizzie is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A. in English, M.A. in English Education) and has three years teaching experience in Norfolk. Those three years in a public school setting, though challenging and rewarding in their own respect, nudged Lizzie to return to her Catholic School roots when she dropped her résumé at our office last spring. She is dynamic, “a natural in the classroom” (according to one principal with whom she worked), with a very organized, positive and caring approach to students and learning.
Pass the word—Marist education is top-level and it’s a bargain. The most recent edition of “The Messenger,” from St. Mary’s High School in Medford—online at http://smschool.journalgraphicsdigital.com/pubs/smschool/current/ —has a thoughtful “financial analysis” of the “risk/benefit” of students attending public versus private high schools. The article’s focus highlights national data that shows significant improvement in graduation rates for private high schools and equally significant improved performance of those students in college. The result—private school students complete their college education faster, more than recovering the cost of the tuition paid for high school by saving on college tuition and by moving into the labor force to earn a salary earlier than public high school grads.
We should add our own frame to the discussion. First, Marist's tuition is one of the lowest in the state: $2,000/year less than St. Mary’s and 8th of the 9 Catholic high schools in the state. That same edition of “The Messenger” highlights comparable tuition at ‘top-level’ non-religious private schools in Portland. We’re significantly below those, as well.
Second, Marist offers students the opportunity to earn college credit while attending Marist through the AP and College Now programs. College Now classes enable many students to earn Lane Community College credit for academic classes taught by Marist instructors who have been approved to teach these advanced classes because of their strong Masters Degree background and experience. That credit is directly transferrable to major colleges and universities, including the U of O, OSU and the U of Portland. Advanced Placement classes also allow students to take AP exams in the spring to earn scores that many colleges and universities recognize for credit.
Simply put, if you know of parents considering Marist for their children, encourage them to call our Admissions Office, arrange a ‘shadow day’ for their student, attend Preview Day in January or take in one of the many activities going on each week. Remind them of:
1) Our small class sizes—average 21 per class;
2)High expectations from both staff and parents for student effort and performance. We work together with a commitment to a positive, warm, respectful community-feeling, including good opportunities for after-school assistance working directly with teachers;
3) A full schedule every year (7 classes, all day, with seniors allowed to take 6 in order to focus 1 period on college applications and the demands of senior level classes), a closed campus (students stay on campus all day, with seniors earning the privilege of leaving during their off-period) with a great reputation of being caring, respectful and welcoming;
4)Great opportunities for student involvement in activities and athletics that develop leadership and life-skills with huge levels of student participation;
5) A commitment to help qualified families and students with increased tuition assistance made available from generous donations from alums and Marist supporters.
Thank you for spreading the word—we have much to be humbly grateful for and want to offer it to students and families.
Each year the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors a “Future First Citizen Award.” Each of the six area high schools (Marist, South Eugene, North Eugene, Sheldon, Willamette, and Churchill) are asked to select a representative to compete for the award which is given at an annual “Celebration of Business” banquet, held in January. Candidates are judged on the following:
GPA of 3.5 or higher
Contributions to their high schools
Leadership ability
Contributions to the community and to their families
SAT/ACT scores
Capability to interview with the judges
At Marist, the selection process begins with the staff making nominations which are narrowed to five individuals who are then interviewed by a committee consisting of a counselor, the Assistant Principal, and a local business man. This year’s nominees were quality people and highly qualified as well. They were: Moira Cary, Sarah Jamieson, Nick MacKinnon, Constanza Petersen and Allie Sibole. Congratulations to each of these students.
A very special congratulations, best wishes, and prayers go to Moira Cary who was selected to represent our school on Jan. 20. She will be interviewed by a large panel representing the Chamber of Commerce and she will be featured in a video to be shown at the dinner. What an exciting opportunity for her and we know Marist will be well-represented!
As a symbol of the light of Christ always lit in the school community, the ceramic Marist candle has, for years, been present at all retreats and Masses. It was carried with great care to the recent Girls Encounter in McKenzie Bridge. While being moved on a cart during an Encounter group activity, everyone gasped in shock as the cart tipped, spilling its contents onto the hard cement floor. The candle lay in pieces. As the girls gathered around the ruined symbol, all wondered if glue could really be the fix.
What no one there knew was that at the start of this school year, art teacher Lex Schmidt had asked senior
Adam Nasalroad
if he would be interested in doing a special art project for the school. Schmidt had noticed Nasalroad's skills in her class, especially with ceramic art. “Adam was really improving at the ceramics wheel and I just knew he was the right person for the job,” she recently stated. “I asked him if he would be interested in creating a new Marist candle...the old one was looking very worn out. Adam really got into it.”
Neither Schmidt nor Nasalroad could know that the old candle lay in pieces 60 miles up the McKenzie River even as Adam completed his weeks-long project, carefully shaping his creation, then carving the Jerusalem Cross along with special wording onto it before firing it in the kiln in room 100.
When the Encounter crowd returned to campus on Nov. 23 and realized a new candle was about to be presented to the school community, concern was quickly replaced by smiles with the realization that perhaps it was “meant to be” that the old candle was shattered...it was for a good cause.
In addition to the school's motto, “We Are One,” Nasalroad, a member of the Varsity Football team, also carved onto the candle the words his coach, Frank Geske, often uses with the team: “We are only one, but we are one. We can't do everything, but we can do some things. And that which we can do, we ought to do. And that which we ought to do, by God's grace, we will do.”
Congratulations to sophomore Michael Busse who will represent Marist at the HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership) seminar to be held at Willamette University on the weekend of May 21 to 23, 2010. The HOBY is an annual opportunity for a sophomore “ambassador” from Marist to join other students in an intensive program designed to develop leadership skills. The follow-up expectation is that the students will use what they learned to benefit their schools in the final two years of high school and their communities in the many years to come.
Many thanks and blessings for all who contributed to the annual “Dollar Drive” for the Eugene Mission’s Thanksgiving dinner. Our goal was to raise $2500.00 to help the Mission serve about 500 meals this year. We are proud to say that Marist delivered a check for $2800.00 to Ernie Unger, the Mission’s Executive Director. Congratulations on this fantastic effort. Congratulations also to the top three 1st period classes who will receive a “relaxed dress” day for their work. Mrs. Ferrari, Mr. Geske, and Mrs. Dibos inspired their classes to the highest per person donation totals. As the top class, Mrs. Dibos and her students will enjoy a pizza party during a lunch period of their choice.
Next up on the school-wide outreach schedule is the annual National Honor Society’s Christmas giving program. The Marist community works with Catholic Community Services to provide food, clothing, gifts, and monetary donations to families in need. Please continue your outstanding generosity!
Tracy Muilenburg - College Senior Counselor; Shari Pimental - Counselor for Freshmen, NCAA Clearinghouse Advisor; Jerry Ragan - Counselor for Sophomores and Juniors
As the end of “Application Season” quickly approaches (students should have ALL applications to four-year universities submitted by December 11th), the next step in the process of going to college presents itself – How do I pay for college once my child has been accepted? To help you answer this question, Marist will hold a Financial Aid Night on Dec. 2 at 7:00 P.M. in the Theater. A representative from the University of Oregon will speak to parents on the process of applying for Financial Aid.
Lane Community College will also host a very informative day called “How to Pay for College…In One Day.” This will be held from 8:30 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. on Jan. 30. Representatives from College Goal Oregon will be on hand to help you complete the online FAFSA (please register in advance and bring your 2009 tax and financial records). There will also be workshops on how to complete scholarship applications and be competitive. Please register in advance by calling Continuing Education at 541-463-5252.
The Counseling Center is seeking a small group of parent volunteers to assist us with our work. Some of the tasks with which help is needed would include the following:
Filing
Organizing college materials on the bookshelves
Updating the scholarship information on Naviance and in the Counseling Center binders
Assisting with student and parent reminders concerning the use of Naviance
Assisting with LCC registration for College Now and for placement testing
One-on-one tutoring for students in need
If you have an interest and have a little time to help, please call Jerry Ragan at 686-2234 Ext. 1511. Thanks so much!
Once on This Island - Book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens - Music by Stephen Flaherty - Directed by Tony Rust - Musical Direction by Jim Reinking - Choreography by Andrina Kaupert and Jackie Hall
All shows 7:30 P.M. in the Bob Devereaux Theatre at Marist
How much do you really know about pétanque? Have you seen Marist's new pétanque field? Watch KMTR's Darren Fabre and Scott Fleishman report about pétanque at Marist and the local schools we compete against.
Dust off your boots, put on your fancy jeans and get ready to party! Plans for the 2010 Marist Auction have started. Our theme “Marist Gone Country” sets the stage for what will be one of the most enjoyable evenings in Marist’s long history of outstanding events. This year's auction date is May 15 in the Marist Activity Center. “Save the Date” cards will be sent out soon.
A great party and a successful fundraiser will be the outcome from the efforts of each of us in the Marist community. Julie and Jerry Harper, this year's chairpersons, have the support of a talented group of parents and volunteers. Every parent, every class, and every school athletic team will be asked to help in some way. There are many areas where we need your help. Alumni will be contacted for their attendance and support. Students will help with table service and the evening's entertainment. Something new this year will be highlighting our Marist Staff as well as enjoying their contribution to the evening's entertainment.
Sponsorships, reserved tables, donated items and cash contributions are being solicited. If you are not contacted directly by one of the committees, please call Ellen Brown at 681-5469.
The Marist Parent Association (MPA, formerly PALS) announced two important upcoming events:
Mother-Son Dance on Sunday, Jan. 10; this is a great opportunity for Marist moms and their sons to have a fun evening together. We would also love to have a few parents of girls help us with the event.
27th Annual Calendar Party on Sunday, March 7; this is a new springtime date for this special event. We have many exciting plans so you won't want to miss this glorious afternoon with good friends!
These two events are long-honored Marist traditions and you will not want to miss them. Please watch for upcoming mailings and emails with more detailed information. If you would like to volunteer, if you would like more information about either of these events or more information about the Marist Parent Association, please contact Leisa McAdams, MPA President, by phone: home 747-7854; work 683-2180; cell - 359-5004 or email her at leisa.mcadams@ymail.com.
You are all welcome to join a group of moms who are praying for our children and the school. We meet the first and third Fridays of the month at St. Paul Catholic Church, 1201 Satre Street in Eugene. This month we will meet on Dec. 4 and 18 at 8:30 A.M. in the parish center chapel for daily Mass and afterwards in one of the rooms for 20 minutes of prayer and intercessions. If you have questions or a prayer intention you would like us to remember, contact Vicky Hanson at 683-7107 or Teresa Danovich 689-8070. Blessings!
Your purchases of artisan crafts and foods at the Work of Human Hands Sale at St. Peter Catholic Church will help small-scale producers build better lives for themselves and their families. Bring your holiday gift list and take advantage of this alternative shopping opportunity! Cash or check accepted.
Dec. 5 from 1-6:00 P.M.
Dec. 6 from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.
St. Peter Catholic Church, 1150 Maxwell Road, Eugene
The Marist Newsline is the monthly newsletter of Marist Catholic High School, 1900 Kingsley Road, Eugene, OR 97401-1799
To submit an article, contact the editor at thuck@marisths.org
