FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2006

NEWS RELEASE

RAISING VALEDICTORIANS: HOW ONE FAMILY DID IT

CINCINNATI, October 31, 2006 – When Archbishop Moeller High School Matt Magner ’06 became the Archbishop Moeller High School’s 43nd valedictorian, he also made school history: He was the third son of Beth and Mark Magner of Mason to graduate first in his class. Tony and Mark paved the way in 2003 and 2001, respectively.

So what’s the secret to raising such successful sons? The parents will tell you it’s because they had great young men to begin with who worked very hard, which is obviously true. But it’s the sons who see the sacrifices their parents made to help ensure their success, for when you listen to them it becomes apparent that Beth and Mark made family their top priority. “My parents didn’t have a hobby, like golf” said Tony ’03. “We were their hobby.”

“I’ve never told them this,” said Mark ’01, “but I remember asking my parents one day as a kid why they didn't have any CDs. It was a simple question…and my mother's reply was, ‘Because
we spend all our money on you guys (my fellow siblings).’ I doubt I understood the true meaning and power of her response that day, though I must have sensed it was true, for I certainly never forgot that conversation even so many years later.”

“Our family is all about ‘family,’ ” the father admits. Mark and Beth became active “guides on the side” in their sons’ lives, coaching them every step of the way, both literally and figuratively. At one point, Mark coached all three sons’ sports activities, and Beth was an active volunteer at St. Susanna Elementary School, leading the Power of the Pen writing program, which met weekly after school.

“In my family, all vacations are family vacations,” said Mark ’01. “All outings are family outings. It is quite obvious to me that one day my parents realized, either jointly or independently, that their children are the greatest loves of their lives, and from then on they lived each day to nurture that love in the best way that they could with all that they had. But can I attribute being valedictorian to that kind of nurturing and love? Most certainly. My parents read to me every day when I was a child, so by first-grade I was by far the best reader in the class. With great reading skills come both comprehension and confidence in school activities – the true foundation for academic success in any setting. Perhaps my parents did not teach me Steinbeck or calculus or medicine, but they taught me to read so that I could learn for myself in all my future pursuits.”

All three sons are still students – with Tony and Matt attending the University of Dayton and Mark in medical school at the University of Cincinnati. And all three are continuing the path of academic excellence that they began at their alma mater.

Mark ’01 graduated from Miami University (Oxford) in 2005 and is now studying medicine at UC, with a special emphasis on neurology. Tony ’03 will graduate from UD in the fall of 2007 with a dual major in English and psychology and is a member of Gamma Epsilon Lambda, a service fraternity. Matt ’06 is a freshman at UD pursuing a dual major in math and theater, thanks to two inspirational Moeller faculty members: Bro. Lohrey, S. M., AP calculus teacher for the past 26 years, and Bob Hotze, director of Moeller’s theater program since 1980. Matt may soon be performing on Sundays at UD’s improv club, and he currently participates in intramural softball in his spare time.

One of the primary characteristics of Moeller’s Marianist philosophy is the school’s belief in educating in the “Family Spirit.” The Magner family magnify that belief times three, becoming the embodiment of both academic excellence and Father Chaminade’s* vision of a Marianist family.

* The Blessed William Joseph Chaminade founded the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1817. His philosophy of education involves five primary characteristics: educate for faith formation; educate for an integral, quality education; educate for Family Spirit, educate for service, justice, and peace; and educate for adaptation and change.

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Pictured: Front, from left: Beth and Mark Magner. Back, from left: Matt, Tony, and Mark Magner.