Marist High School goes the extra mile to draw in future students with interactive events which help give future RedHawks an inside look at what it’s like to be part of the Marist community.
The school website states that Marist is “the premier catholic school on the south side of Chicago.” Marist has many things that stand out to grade school students during the admissions process, such as a planetarium and a multitude of extracurricular activities, that other schools in the area either don’t have or don’t excel in.
“There’s something for everybody at Marist,” says Coach Daniel Meehan, a recruiter at Marist. “Whether it’s academically, our various electives; athletically, ways to get involved; or our different facilities, there’s truly something for everyone.”
Marist has several ways they attract grade school students to the school. They run many events that help students get a feel for the school and start to envision themselves at the school.
“The shadow days are a great day for the admissions staff to get to talk to the students about how the school years going, whereas the open houses are so different because you get to talk to not only future RedHawks but also parents and families as well,” says Ms. Callahan, Director of Admissions.
Shadow days run in the fall and spring, and allow grade school students to get a look at what Marist is like.
“When I shadowed Marist it helped me see the building and the all of the teachers seemed nice and caring towards the students,” says Grace Foley, a freshman at Marist.
“Shadow days are important because, while open houses show parents and kids the facilities, it’s the people in those facilities that help make Marist such a great school,” says Callahan.
During a shadow day, grade school students are paired with an underclassman student and follow them throughout their whole day at Marist.
“We try to pair grade school students with someone they know, or if they are involved in a sport, club, or activity, or want to see certain classes so that they can picture themselves here walking the halls at Marist High School,” says Meehan.
Another way Marist attracts students to the school is by visiting local grade schools. During these visits, which occur in the fall every year, Marist brings a number of former students of the grade school that they are visiting to talk about their experiences at Marist.
“By visiting grade schools, we can highlight all aspects of Marist High School, whether it’s academically or athletically,” says Meehan. “Our goal on these visits is for a grade school student to hear something of interest to them so that they can get on campus and check it out for themselves.”
