Marian Catholic says ‘best is yet to come’

Marian Catholic High School isn’t going anywhere; in fact, the parochial school has spent more than $2 million in facilities improvement during the past few years.

Officials organized the first State of the School presentation Monday night to promote the school and recognize contributing staff and community members, and perhaps, more importantly, to dispel rumors about the facility’s future.

“We saw it as a way of getting the right information out into the community at large,” said the Rev. Allen Hoffa, rector of the Shrine of St. Therese and pastor of St. Joseph Parish of the Panther Valley in Summit Hill, speaking before the presentation. “The wrong information can have crippling effects.

“We wanted to be able to inform our current students, as well as alumni and benefactors, that the best is yet to come,” he added.

“We want to turn the narrative to the truth — the tradition of Marian, and the presence of Marian, impacts the entire area.”

As presented during the meeting, here are some of the truths:

With an annual enrollment of approximately 250 students, spread over four classes, there are 20 teachers.

The class of 2019, 65 students, garnered a whopping $9.2 million in scholarship money toward their college educations; annually, 95% of the students who graduate continue to college.

Over the past five years, the school has spent more than $2 million in facility improvements, which includes new windows ($522,400), a new boiler ($411,500) and science labs ($344,100).

The cost to educate each student is $10,502. Tuition is $6,050 per student ($4,575 for a second student from the same family.

With a $3 million operating budget, Marian fills the funding gap through subsidy from the Diocese of Allentown and Scranton, from contributions including the annual Marian Fund giving campaign, and from donors and groups, such as the Men of Marian.

Another source of income is the Pennsylvania Tax Credit Fund, received from participating businesses — a fund which increased by $100,000 this year.

Further renovations are planned for the stage and art areas, the grounds, the Chapel and the weight room.

Janet Bonenberger, who heads the advancement committee for the Marian Catholic school board, named factors which set Marian apart — the student to teacher ratio, a dedicated teaching staff, AP courses, communication with parents, STEM program for all grades, dual enrollment with Lehigh Carbon Community College and individualized student schedules.

Athletic Director Stan Dakosty said that the focus for faculty and staff is to build a sense of pride in the students — for themselves, and for their school.

“That sense of pride, it doesn’t just happen if it’s not nurtured,” Dakosty said.

“The students that graduate from Marian never have forgotten where they came from.”