The "Best Kept Secret
in the Archdiocese of
Baltimore"
A
Visit to
St. Maria Goretti
High School
Hagerstown, MD
by Judy Williams The CEM Center staff paid a
visit on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 to
St. Maria Goretti High School,
in Hagerstown. We attended Barbara Miller's sophomore religion
class where we listened to students engage their new chaplain in a
question and answer session, we met with the school's new president,
Bill McKinley, toured the campus, dined in the student cafeteria and met
informally with a few students.
(CEM Center
Photos. Click on thumbnails for larger pictures.) |
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St.
Maria Goretti
at a Glance
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Avg class
size: 12
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Student/Teacher ratio: 10/1
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Higher
SAT scores
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Faculty with
one or more graduate degrees: 70%
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Avg
teaching experience of faculty:
20 years
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Seniors
accepted into college: 100%
What
St. Maria Goretti High School students are saying…
Maggie
Garvey, 10th
Grade:
"I
love it here because everyone is welcoming and so friendly. The
teachers here really care about you – they want you to succeed.”
Attended St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick
Dan
Rost, 10th
Grade:
“I like that the classes are more advanced; more rigorous here.
I
also like the small class size.
(5 kids in his Latin class!)
Worth the drive from Waynesboro!”
Future plans: Attend college, considering Carnegie Mellon, Penn
State.
Gabrielle
McDermott,
9th Grade:
“I like the Goretti family – I feel like I’ve been here forever!”
Attended St. Mary’s grade school.
Will
Murray, 11th
Grade:
“I like that you can worship freely here. This is
definitely an advantage; it puts God into focus. The tuition cost
is worth every penny.”
Co-President of junior class; Elected by faculty to Honor Committee.
Students chat with Fr.
Steve outside the school. |
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A day in the life of…Mrs.
Miller’s Sophomore Religion class |
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Barbara Miller, campus
minister
and religion
teacher at
St. Maria Goretti High School. |
The bell rang and
the eleven students, seven Catholic and four non-Catholic;
two girls and nine boys, took their seats.
And so did the three strangers in the back – two staff members from
Catholic Education Ministries, and one new chaplain for St. Maria Goretti
High School.
Mrs. Barbara Miller
began her class with prayer, inviting the students to share any
petitions they may have…
"For our siblings who are going to college…”
“For my
brother who is sick…”
“For the
victims of Hurricane Felix…”
“For my dad…”
“For the
problems in Greece…”
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A Chaplain for
St. Maria Goretti High
Ms. Miller then
introduced Fr. Steve Hook to the class.
Fr. Steve is the administrator
of St. James parish in Boonsboro and St. Augustine parish in
Williamsport. And he is the new chaplain for St. Maria Goretti High School! As
chaplain at St. Maria Goretti High, he will celebrate monthly Mass with the
student body and visit with the students periodically.
Fr. Steve then told
the students a little about himself...
A native of Baltimore,
he attended Towson University, where he earned a degree in
business/marketing. For the next 11 years he worked as a financial
analyst for Citibank, both in Towson and New York.
It was during this time that Fr. Steve drifted away from church,
questioning his faith and wondering, “how is God important in my life?”
Over time, Fr Steve came to realize the importance of God, and once he
returned to the practice of his Catholic faith, his openness to a
priestly vocation began to sprout.
Fr. Steve was ordained
in 2003. He served as an associate pastor at three parishes before
coming to St. James and St. Augustine.
He shared with the
students something he has learned during his faith journey: “Take time
to listen and pray instead of being swept along…”
Following Fr. Steve's introduction to the class, the students were
invited to engage him in a question and answer session. Following
are some highlights.
Fr. Steve spent half an
hour or so answering questions from the students, such as...
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“How is it
determined whether or not a Bible story – like Jonah – is considered
Biblical fiction?”
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“Did they really
find Noah’s Ark?”
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“Can you talk about
the Eucharist and what Transubstantiation is?”
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Why isn’t the
Catholic Eucharist extended to non-Catholics?
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“Why can’t priests
get married?”
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Fr. Steve Hook,
chaplain, fields questions about the Church from Barbara Miller's tenth
grade religion class.
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From St. Maria Goretti High’s beginning, the majority of the
administration and faculty came from the School Sisters of Notre Dame; a
tradition that continued until the early 1970’s when more and more lay
persons joined the staff. While a number of area priests have stepped in
over the years to help out with Mass and other spiritual needs, now the
students are benefiting tremendously from the regular presence of a
school chaplain. “Fr. Steve is a great guy,” said Barbara Miller, “and
his presence will make a wonderful addition to the spiritual environment
of our school. We are grateful to Fr. Steve for taking on the position
of chaplain at St. Maria Goretti.” |
Getting to
know Mr. Bill McKinley – President |
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Bill McKinley is the
recently appointed President of St. Maria Goretti High School, and he is
happy to be here!
While new to Catholic
schools, Bill is no stranger to education, having retired in 2002 from
his post at Washington County public schools as Director of Facilities.
He also worked in the public school system as an assistant principal,
and as Principal of Williamsport High School from 1988-1994.
As president of St. Maria Goretti High School, Bill works closely with
Chris Siedor, the school’s
principal. The president/principal model of administration is new
to St. Maria Goretti High, however it has been a hallmark of schools within the
Archdiocese of Baltimore for several years. St. Maria Goretti High is
the last school in the Archdiocese to implement this administrative
“layering.”
Since the move to
become an archdiocesan school 2 years ago, St. Maria Goretti High has seen a
steady growth in its student population, having only 40 students in the
freshman class 2 years ago. The following year saw a jump in
enrollment to 60 and this year’s class has 71 enrolled. Students
come from as far as Martinsburg, WV, Waynesboro, Chambersburg,
Frederick.
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Bill
McKinley,
President of St. Maria Goretti High |
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When asked what his initial impressions of a Catholic school are, after having worked in the public school
setting for so many years, Bill McKinley answers without hesitation that
is the prayerful atmosphere which strikes him most. He is impressed with
the spirituality of the student body. “Prayer has a
leveling effect on students,” he explains. And with four times a day
set aside for prayer during the school day, the students tend to stay
calm. “The environment at St. Maria Goretti High School is a good
blend of the spiritual – academic – physical – emotional,” he said.
He is also impressed
with the small size of the classes at Maria Goretti. The average class
size is 12-14 students. And finally, Bill says this is the first school
he’s been in where “the kids really like the food!” With
a secure environment in which learning can flourish, and a staff of
experienced faculty who remain, on average, 12 years or more, Bill
McKinley is very happy to be a part of what he calls, "the best kept
secret in the Archdiocese of Baltimore!"
For more information:
St. Maria Goretti High School, 1535 Oak Hill Avenue, Hagerstown, MD
21742, 301-739-4266, www.goretti.org.
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With small class
sizes, students at St. Maria Goretti
receive plenty of one on one attention from teachers. |
"They seem to like
it here!' says school president, Bill McKinley of the students at the school. |
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