In many ways, the new library media center unveiled at Marist High School on Sept. 19 is more than just a compilation of books and computers.
For those who spent the last few years planning it, fundraising for it, and finally constructing it, the media center is the gateway to the universe, a hub from which students at Marist can reach for the stars.
Amid prayers and good wishes, students, administrators and faculty gathered to celebrate the opening of the universe to the students of Marist High School.
The media center will be named after Philip and Kathleen Ciarco, whose family foundation donated $250,000 to the effort. Although raised in Lyndhurst (where they still reside), the family seems to have adopted Marist High School and has been a regular contributor.
The family foundation has a rich history of funding educational institutions from local schools in Lyndhurst to county colleges such as Bergen Community, to institutions with national reputation such as Iowa Wesleyan College.
In a brief speech, Philip Ciarco said he has passed Marist High School on the New Jersey Turnpike many times but had no initial ties to it.
“The only thing my high school had in common with Marist was the same blue and gold school colors,” he said.
Philip Ciarco said he first got involved with Marist High School in 2000 when faculty invited him to help supply financial aid to students in an effort to keep them in school. He said it was something he could not refuse because a student’s future depended on it. A few years ago, he was asked to contribute to the media center, which he did.
“The easiest part is to write the check,” he said. “To make this happen is the difficult one. The others here did what was needed to make this work.”
The Ciarcos’ contribution lead the way for other contributions, including a grant from the State of New Jersey, said Marist High School President Robert M. Slaski.
The $1 million media center was open in time for school, although the official ribbon cutting came a few weeks later.
But Slaski was generous in giving credit for what will become a key educational tool at Marist, saying that Brother Stephen Schlitte, principal of Marist, had a lot of input with ideas and designs, while Francis X. Lamparello assisted in overseeing the construction phase of the project.
While many people admire the new facility, Slaski said the real test was the reaction of the students, which was overwhelmingly positive.
The media center is more than just walls and books. The ability to access the world through its connections to the Internet makes it a significant contribution to the school’s educational network.
Brother John Klien, former president at Marist, started off his remarks with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.
“You must do the thing that you think you cannot do,” he said.
This takes courage, belief in yourself and the fortitude to believe in dreams that other people might think of as foolish.
“Six years ago when you said it would be great to build a library media center of our own, we were called dreamers,” said Klien while addressing the school management. Mayor Joseph Doria, a graduate of Marist High School when it was still located near the Bergen Point section of Bayonne, recalled the years of progress the school has made since his graduation. He pointed out that before taking over the existing building, Marist students often used parks and other public facilities for gym and for assemblies. He humorously said in a later interview that computers were not even a remote vision.
“We learned a lot, not only to do well in school, but more important to ourselves, we learned moral values,” he said. “That hasn’t changed today, nor has the commitment of the brothers, teachers and administrators – though I do marvel at the diversity of the students today.”
Marist was an all boy school when Doria attended. It is now co-ed, and in a later interview, he said he was very impressed by the media center, which has a computer lab, a large electronic board, wireless connections for laptops, and a multimedia center for presentations.