Transferring to any new city is a challenge, and for us, with a daughter who had never been in a class that was larger than 75 students, the prospect of being in a school of almost 1000 was a concern. So, I did some research. I went online to read about other families’ transfer experiences and was instantly reassured. I then looked at the pictures of the students and saw young faces that looked like Maggie’s friends in Mississippi.  

When I heard about the Relay for Life program during our tour of Father Ryan, and having a younger daughter who’s a cancer survivor, I knew we had found the right place. Maggie would be seen, would be known, would be helped and would be accepted.  What a wonderful feeling for a parent to have! We were thrilled to see that the school welcomed students from all over the area, not just from one community. We were delighted that Maggie could return to swimming on the swim team, not just for the exercise and the competition but also for the friendships she made with so many different students. We were comforted when, on a Friday afternoon, we didn’t have to make an 11-mile commute to pick her up and return for the football game. Father Ryan had thought of that…they had food for the students and a place for them to study and visit instead of sitting in traffic.  We saw that her teachers don’t teach six sections of a course; they teach her. And Relay became Maggie’s love. She is co-chair this year, and I sit and marvel with pride at the maturation and achievement that she is experiencing, all because of the trust and confidence that Father Ryan has in her and her classmates.   

Our family has a long history in education…but within days of our arrival at Father Ryan, I was calling my father, a retired Catholic school administrator, and telling him that this is the finest school I’ve ever seen. Thank you, Father Ryan.