Meet Our Faculty

Mrs. Maryann Horak, Homeroom
Social Studies, Religion and Art 6th-8th

Dear Class of 2012,
When I was in my 20s, I lived on the East Coast and worked for a company whose headquarters was located in the World Trade Center.  It was heartbreaking to watch those two tall towers come down, which had long been part of the New York skyline.  I visited the site just two short months after the attacks and have been back twice since, most recently in July where I watched the building of the memorial.  It is hard to believe that this September marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  But the story is not just about tragedy, it is about resilience, hope, faith, and helping others.  All of these characteristics seem to symbolize your class.  There are many other symbols that represent New York such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Broadway, and The Big Apple.  I plan to incorporate all these images into the classroom and we will talk about their meanings.  I will also share with you some of my experiences from traveling throughout New York State this summer.  Our 2011 – 2012 school theme is “Celebrating a Year Caring for God’s Creation.”  I have chosen as our class focus for this theme “The World” because so many people first came to America from places all over the world through Ellis Island in New York Harbor.  As the graduating class, I would like to support the World Trade Center Memorial Project as part of our “Caring for God’s World.”
In my graduation year at St. Joseph the Worker in the San Fernando Valley, I was part of the school choir, played sports, was a cheerleader, and participated in student council.  I greatly enjoyed the experiences of my 8th grade and I hope you will too!  All high schools are interested in your academic performance, but they are also looking for involvement in extra curricular activities. In less than a year you will be leaving SPBS and moving on to high school so try to make the best of this last year together.  I truly believe that it is important to remember the past in order to change the future and I know your class will step up to the challenge.  There are some great times ahead for you this year.