About the school

Formed in 1954 through a blending of four Catholic high schools in Carbon and Schuylkill counties, Marian was named for the year of its inception The Marian Year in honor of the Blessed Mother.At first, Marian freshmen attended school in Tamaqua; sophomores, Lansford; and juniors and seniors, Coaldale.In 1964, the current building was constructed and the school became one.An interesting story is how the school's mascot Colts was created.According to the school's website, "Colts represent the towns from which it drew its students. C stood for Coaldale, L for Lansford, T for Tamaqua and S for Summit Hill. The O represents other communities that sent students to Marian."Over the years the school has increased in the number of communities it serves. Today, Marian serves students from nine school districts throughout Carbon, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties.About the educationTeresa Sheer, director of studies/enrollment at Marian Catholic High School, said there are a number of reasons to check out Marian when looking at education."The curriculum makes the school stand out," she said. "What also makes Marian special is how the students feel this is a family and see how the faculty cares. We work as a team here parents, students and teachers to make sure our students get a quality education."She highlighted a few statistics about the school that are used in promotional materials.• 96 percent of graduating students go on to postsecondary education;• 41 percent of the members of the Class of 2014 graduated with college credits through the school's dual enrollment courses with Lehigh Carbon Community College.• $2,314,550 is the amount of scholarships and grants accepted by graduates of the Class of 2014. The total figure offered to students was over $5 million.Board of General JurisdictionThe newly formed board, which oversees the school operations, was formed following recommendations by the Allentown Diocese.The Marian Board of General Jurisdiction's first meeting was held in November 2013.Members are: Patrick Reilly, chairman; Maureen Donovan, vice chairwoman; attorney Joseph Velitsky, treasurer; attorney Joseph Ustynoski, secretary; Margaret Coassolo; Frank Hager; Lawrence McCullion; Jerome Palko; James Shober; Bruce Svetz; Joseph Thomas and James Warnagiris.The board's ex-officio members include Sister Bernard Agnes, principal of Marian; Sheer; Sue Ann Gerhard, the school's director of development; and Justen Hackenberg, director of student affairs.