‘God is the center of all we do’
Father Chinonso Nnebe-Agumadu, parochial vicar of St. Mark Parish, cuts the ribbon on the new gym floor at St. Mark School. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald, and provided by Amy Miano)HUNTERSVILLE — October has been a flurry of activity at St. Mark Catholic School. To celebrate two decades since its founding in 2003, the school held a blessing and pep rally Oct. 11 to fete the milestone and the freshly painted gym floor. New banners were also added and required updating just days later after championship wins in soccer and cross country.
On Oct. 22, Father John Putnam, pastor of St. Mark Parish, presided over the rededication of the school’s Marian courtyard, which students had recently cleaned and beautified with new plants and flowers. Updates to the courtyard included the installation of artificial turf to create a beautiful area for students to gather and play as well as new flower beds and wall. A celebration followed at the historic Hunter House & Gardens for donors, faculty, staff and clergy members.
Five teachers who have worked at the school since its founding were among the speakers at the celebration. They were Holly Roberts, Stacy Desormeaux, Amy Myers, Taylor Garcia and Carolyn Galante..
“As a teacher I felt honored and appreciated,” Roberts said. “The greatest thing I took away from the celebration is hope. Given today’s world, a faith-based school with loving families and staff is the best gift we can give our children.”
“I am blessed to be a part of this community and so very happy to have been called to this school as their principal,” added Julie Thornley, who is in her fifth year as principal of St. Mark. “I am so very proud of this school and our amazing faculty and staff and for the wonderful families who call St. Mark home.”
Father John Putnam, pastor, Principal Julie Thornley (left) and former PTO President Devika Boulio (right) celebrate St. Mark School’s 20th anniversary Oct. 22. Debbie Butler, principal of St. Mark from 2004 to 2019, attended the anniversary celebrations as well. She also was present for the groundbreaking of the school more than 20 years ago, not knowing she would be asked to take the principal role in St. Mark’s second year in operation.
Butler noted the passion, generosity and hard work of the parents who desired a Catholic school north of Charlotte.
“Parents in Huntersville and Mooresville had been driving their kids all the way to Saint Patrick and Our Lady of the Assumption and so we had to combine those two mindsets of people and make a new school community,” she recalled.
Butler also noted that she saw the school grow from 300 to 400 students to as many as 721 one year and that having such involved families has made the school beautiful.
“The people were just amazing and so welcoming. The Spirit was so alive there. We all just got in and did a lot of work. There was so much to be done, including establishing traditions,” the former principal said. “I was blessed to be a part of that community, see that growth, and to be a part of the lives of those kids every day.”
When Butler retired from her position as principal in 2019, Thornley took the reins, seeing the school through the pandemic while remaining open, growing the staff, welcoming more students, attending Mass weekly, refreshing the gym, and refinishing the schools’ floors and the Marian Courtyard. She noted that she plans to continue traditions that started 20 years ago such as the Living Rosary, Living Stations of the Cross, annual musical, May Crowning, and Catholic Schools Week basketball and volleyball games.
“As a school, we are incredibly grateful for the blessings of our faith and the freedom to practice it daily as a learning community,” Thornley said. “This is a remarkable faith-in-learning environment where God is the center of all that we do. It is my desire that every single alumnus remembers that they are a child of God, and they are on this earth for a special purpose and plan.”
— Annie Ferguson
