For almost 20 years Marist has had its shadow program. The main point of the program is to get a feel for the Marist community. Each shadow gets to go through a day of Marist with one student.

Students come into the theater and check in. They get an explanation about Marist and see parts of Marist they might not get to see unless they are with their student. After this, students come and get their shadows. Shadows go through their schedule and get to engage with the class. They receive lunch during the student’s lunch period, and after their last class with their student, they go back to the theater. The shadows end their day by watching a video about Marist and asking questions.

The director of this program is Mrs. Brown. Her goal for the kids is to get a sense of Marist. She makes sure each kid is set up with someone that carries common interests.

In an interview with Mrs. Brown, she said, “the most important thing for shadows is that they get to try on what it is like to be a Marist student.”

After interviewing several shadows, they all told me the same thing: they feel comfortable at Marist and find it an energetic environment. Shadows love how classes are enthusiastic and how well students work together.

One female shadow stated, “In almost every class I went to I felt apart of the class discussion and had a lot of fun.”

According to Mrs. Brown, this is what the majority of students write about in their essays on the entrance exam.  Marist finds the shadow program important. This program allows us to appeal to kids that have never been to Marist. You will be able to find what you are interested in and meet new people. 

Marist is glad to let shadows walk in the shoes of high schoolers for the day and hope they will fill them as they move on to high school.