MCCHS Friday Focus

302nd Issue - September 20, 2024

From the Desk of Rev. Charles Warren

Your child is not called to excellence, just the simple stuff.

If you’re offended by this, great! So am I.

A powerhouse of social teaching, Dorothy Day, fought against the idea of 2 tier spirituality. Christian culture during her time was starting to act as if most Christians could merely handle simple teachings and only the spiritual professionals (priests, nuns, monks) were called to the higher/deeper teachings. Mediocrity for tier 1, excellence for tier 2.

She thought that was wrong. So do I.

We spent too much time over the last couple decades tossing out big ideas because “that’s too tough for the kids”. What a foolish worldview. Look at the families sending their kids to extra camps or coaches to work on the fine details of a sport. See young children able to explain entire worlds of lore from books, shows, and video games. Sit in my classroom and you will see our students think deeply. They deserve tough challenges to grow and they can succeed.

Dorothy Day said that everyone is called to heroic sanctity lived through poverty, chastity, and obedience. To oversimplify her 3 points: poverty to simplify our focus, chastity to love for the good of the other, obedience to listen and live by God’s promptings.

Our school will not take the simple, dumbed down route. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow we strive for excellence and encourage our youth to do the same.

This year:

I’ve watched 15 students, with no prompting, show up to the chapel for prayer EVERY DAY.

I watched our students create a new club that cares for the most vulnerable in our society and promotes human dignity.

I watched an alumna take her first vows as a nun and live that radical lifestyle.

These decisions show confidence, a vision, and an excellence that is what Marian is all about.

There are no 2 tiers to our spirituality. Our students are called to holiness as much as I am as a priest. Our spirituality will not be dumbed down. We won’t settle for average.

We will cut out distractions and lesser things, we will live relationships for the good of others, we will listen for the higher promptings rather than our own inventions.

We will pray from the heart. We will discipline ourselves in study, art, and sport. We will help our students to the objective excellence we know they are capable of and are made for.

Rev. Charles Warren

Seniors - Order your Caps and Gowns

We’re already planning for graduation! A representative from Jostens met with our seniors to present information about ordering caps and gowns and other optional items related to graduation. Ask your senior for the packet that was handed out.

Seniors were instructed to visit the Jostens website and place an order for their cap and gown no later than September 27th. There is no charge for only ordering the cap, gown, stole and tassel. Additional items such as invitations or announcements can be ordered if you wish.

Please click here to order only the cap, gown, stole and tassel (no charge)
ORDERS ARE DUE 9/27 - Orders submitted after this date will incur a late fee by Jostens.

Hallway Decorating

In keeping with Marian tradition, each class will decorate a hallway for Homecoming week. Students who would like to help decorate are welcome to join us this Sunday, September 22nd from 5:30 - 7:30 pm (after the Color Run).

Fall Sports - Team & Individual Pictures are Online!

You should have received an email from Higher Focus Photography with a link and ordering information for your athlete's Team and Individual photos. If you have any questions about these images or need help accessing your photos, please email service@higherfocusphotography.com and let them know you are from Marian Central along with your athlete's name.

Senior Portrait Day - October 1st

All Seniors will have a variety of individual photos and a glass group photo taken on Tuesday, October 1 by Higher Focus Photography. Seniors will be scheduled for traditional portrait poses and new this year, they will also take cap and gown photos on this day. (Caps and gowns will be provided by our photographer for use in these photos.) We will also take a class group photo at the end of the day and encourage all seniors to be present to be included in this photo! Seniors should come to school in appropriate portrait attire (outlined below). If they do not meet our attire guidelines, they will NOT be photographed and will need to schedule and pay for a private session with our photographer.

Photos will be shared with families via private online photo albums after Senior Picture Day and will include savings opportunities for orders placed within the first week. You'll receive an email from Higher Focus Photography as soon as these albums are active online. (This is typically within 10 business days of Picture Day!)

Additional Senior Picture Day info is available in the attached flyer and also online at https://higherfocusphotography.com/faqs-seniors.

ATTIRE GUIDELINES: Seniors will remain in their dress clothes for the entire day.

Senior Ladies - Appropriate attire on this day includes dress pants and a modest blouse or sweater that covers the shoulders. Dresses/skirts are not allowed. No nose rings/studs, facial piercing, and no more than two earrings per ear will be permitted on girls. Hair must conform to Student Handbook guidelines.

Senior Gentlemen - Gentlemen must wear a white shirt and tie, a sport coat or suit coat that is blue, black or grey and dress pants. No nose rings/studs, facial hair, facial piercing, and no earrings will be permitted on boys. Hair must conform to Student Handbook guidelines.

October Testing for Juniors

ACT Test – Mandatory for all Juniors

In the past we have used the October test date for our current Juniors to take the PSAT/NMSQT, a practice SAT test, while the freshmen and sophomores took the PreACT. What we realized is that this process did not allow us to measure student progress and growth over time.

We decided to have all Juniors take the ACT test this year on Tuesday, October 15, at 8:00am. This will help us to align and analyze data more effectively and will also provide our students with an early indicator of how they might perform on the ACT in the spring. Students will not need to register for this test, nor pay any additional fees.

This decision will help our Juniors identify the areas in which further concentration and support are needed throughout the remainder of their Junior year in preparation for the spring ACT test.

Marian Central is a test site for the ACT National Test on Saturday, April 5, 2025. More information on registration for that date will be sent out later this year.

PSAT/NMSQT Test – Optional for all Juniors

We will continue to offer our Juniors the opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT test, if desired. Taking this digital test gives students practice for the SAT test and provides a predicted SAT score. In addition, it is the only opportunity for our most academically gifted students to potentially qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. More information regarding the PSAT/NMSQT can be found here.

The PSAT/NMSQT will be administered on Thursday, October 24, starting at 8:00am to any juniors interested in taking the test. If you would like for your student to take the PSAT/NMSQT you must:

Fill out and submit this registration form.
Pay the $20 test fee. Payments can either be made by cash or check made out to Marian Central Catholic High school and delivered to the Guidance Office, or by credit card online at www.marian.com. There is a 4% surcharge for credit card payments. If paying online, please go to General Payments and choose Registration Fee for Payment Type. Also, when you enter your Student’s Name type “PSAT Test” after their name.
The registration form and payment must be received no later than Friday, September 20 to be eligible to take the test.

If there are any questions about either the ACT or PSAT/NMSQT, please contact Mrs. Kelly Hilton, Guidance Director at khilton@marian.com.

Grandparents Mass at Marian Central; October 9th

Grandparents play an important part in our students' lives! Marian Central Catholic High School would like to celebrate and honor our grandparents for all they do and the role they play in the lives of their grandchildren. Enjoy a day dedicated to our grandparents on Wednesday, October 9! Grandparents Mass is at 10:30am, followed by light refreshments and a tour of the school. Please pass along this event and have grandparents RSVP here.

Can't attend Grandparents' Mass, but want to receive invitations to special events and the Hurricane Alert magazine? Grandparents, share your info here.

Questions? Contact Mrs. Bordeaux at kbordeaux@marian.com.

College Visits Next Week

All juniors and seniors may attend these visits. Students must receive permission from their teachers to attend each visit and must sign up for all visits in SCOIR.

Monday 9/23:

Xavier University-8th Period

Wednesday 9/25:

UW-Whitewater-4th Period

Illinois State University-9th Period

Friday 9/27:

Winona State University-9th Period