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MOELLER STORIES:
Scholarships Impact Lives
I’m putting these thoughts together as we end the school
year’s first quarter. The beginning of the 2011-12 school year
has come and gone already, and I am reminded of how
blessed I am to be working together every day with a great
group of students, faculty, and staff. I hope that all of us in the
Moeller community will be open to learning new things this
year and really stretch ourselves.
I think it was Aristotle who told us that we are all the sum
of our actions and our motivation. The actions and motivation
are something to behold here on a daily basis. I get a chance to
witness students, parents, faculty, staff, and even our Board of
Trustees working hard to further enhance the excellence of
Moeller. Our faculty and staff are a remarkable group of
individuals whose collective actions deserve our thanks.
Our Board of Trustees gives focused and heartfelt expertise
towards the strategic direction of Moeller. Our parents give
selflessly and enthusiastically in a myriad of volunteer roles,
whether it is supporting fundraising or community-building
efforts. Our students also contribute through their motivation
in the classroom and grasping all the co-curricular activities
available to them with both hands.
Despite all of our action and motivation, we certainly still
do face challenges. How we examine and deal with them is
what really defines us. We can view them either as obstacles or
stepping stones – problems with all of the associated negativity
or stepping stones with their associated opportunities.
It’s my belief that one of our challenges and thus one of our
opportunities is to stay laser-focused on our mission. I’ve had
some very recent opportunities to participate in some of our
student recruitment efforts with our Admissions Department.
Throughout the course of these information sessions, numerous
reasons are cited as to why a prospective student and his family
should choose to attend Moeller. There are numerous reasons,
of course, but it always seems to come back to the mission.
When talking about our mission, prospective
students and families are rightfully entitled to
know what we’re doing to help these young
men grow individually, be formed in their
faith and to achieve academically. Here is
what we’re doing to live this mission:
Our House System develops powerful
leadership and collaborative skills. Young men
come to us as wide-eyed freshmen. They
experience a diversity of thought, people,
club opportunities, athletic opportunities,
House leadership possibilities, and then
grow, as individuals, into Men of Moeller.
Our whole school, especially our Pastoral
Ministry staff, works hard to help our
young men realize who they are, what
they strive to be, and
how they can continue to have a sense of wonderment for their
faith. How do these young men move into the world following
Christ—being more loving, more patient, and more forgiving
Our young men become more formed in their faith. And
while one need not be a Catholic to attend Moeller, we believe
that to be a student at our school is to experience a rich,
Christ-centered community.
Our faculty works hard with our young men to appreciate all kinds of
literature; to write an analysis on a certain topic; to identify and
solve problems of all kinds; to think critically; to perform publicly;
to move the conversation forward; to dip into the often tragic but
all-important specifics of history; and to work collaboratively. Our
young men learn how to achieve academically.
What a powerful list that certainly emanates from! They come
out of our Marianist roots and should be at the center of all of our
daily actions and motivations. If an action or initiative is not serving
our mission, it should be critically questioned. We need to draw on
tested experiences and hold on to what works; we need to introduce
new thinking and new approaches where appropriate; and we need
to stop what isn’t working.
Further, in trying to deliver on our mission, the name “Moeller
High School” must become synonymous with excellence, integrity,
and outstanding quality and service. The service aspect of this
delivery becomes another of our opportunities and even more
crucial than ever, whether dealing with a prospective student and
his family, a faculty or staff member, an alumnus, a parent – you
get the idea. We need to always be working towards promising
less and delivering more…every time. If we keep our mission
simple, based in our roots and focused, then we will turn this
service delivery from a potential obstacle into a stepping stone.
Are we perfect Absolutely not and never will be. We must,
however, commit ourselves to excellence every day. We have
our moments, just like any other “family.” In this broad and
ever-growing Moeller Family, though, I’d like to see an important
four-letter word become commonplace: “help.” If we all constantly
look to help all of our stakeholders (and anyone associated with
Moeller is a stakeholder), treat all whom we encounter as we’d like to
be treated, and work hard to see stepping stones instead of problems,
we’ll continue the building of this great community together.
This call to a mission focus and a service journey must become
our hallmark and our excellence.
As St. Paul said to the Phillipians: “Whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is gracious,
if there is anything worthy of praise, if there is any excellence,
think about these things.”
My very best to all in the Moeller Family for a safe, restful,
and blessed holiday season!
Bill Hunt, President
Matthew Abele ’13,
Schlueter Family Scholarship
Recipient
Harvard graduate Matt DePetro (photo on
top right), Moeller Class of 2001, flew in from
Silicon Valley, California, to address the Moeller
scholarship students and donors at the
school’s Named Scholarship Breakfast
Program in September. He had a story to tell
and an important message to give: “Moeller
is a foundational experience, not an end-game,”
he said. Moeller’s “foundation” enabled Matt
to pursue his dreams: graduate from Harvard
in 2005 with a bachelor’s in engineering; work
on a team that developed the microprocessor
for the world’s fastest computer; play
pro/semi-pro football in Japan, and more...
None of this would have been possible without
the aid of an academic scholarship.
Tyler Himes ’14 (photo right) also had a
story to tell that morning. “Since I was in the
second grade I knew I wanted to go
to Moeller. I couldn’t explain why.
I had no legacy, and no one
pressured me to go. It was
my own decision.
I always knew that Moeller
was something different…”
Now a sophomore, Tyler
can explain why he made that
decision. “Academically Moeller has
challenged me to do the best and be the
best I can be,” he said. “I take Honors and
AP classes. In grade school I was one of
those kids who never studied for a test
and still got all A’s and B’s. Now there are
nights when I have three or more hours of
homework… Moeller has led me to
realize that anything is possible
if you have the will and desire
to accomplish it. It truly is a
gift to be here.”
Scholarship benefactors
Dr. Elmer and Carmelita
Schlueter (photo on bottom)
had their own story to tell the
guests. Their son, Eric “Rick”
Schlueter, graduated in
1968. He was Moeller’s
valedictorian, involved in
student government all four years,
and played baseball for Mike Cameron
during Cameron’s first year as head
coach. (During Rick’s senior year, the
Crusaders won their first GCL Championship.
“It sorta helped that Buddy Bell played third
base,” said Dr. Schlueter.)
Rick continued his education at the
University of Notre Dame, Northwestern
University, and Harvard Law School. In
1977, he accepted a position at Conoco
and moved up the ranks of leadership
until he became a top executive. Then,
sadly, at the height of his success,
Rick was killed by a hit-skip driver in 2006
while riding his bicycle. He was 55.
In response, Rick’s parents established the
Eric J. Schlueter Scholarship to memorialize
their son and to pass on the lessons that
they believed Moeller students could learn
from his life:
1. Develop strong family values.
2. Follow your dreams.
3. Finish the job that you started to the
best of your ability.
These stories are at the heart of the
Moeller Scholarship Program. In November
2009, a new scholarship committee was formed.
Thanks to their leadership, the number of
Named Scholarships has grown in the last two
years from 5 to 21. All scholarships are based
on financial need, academic excellence,
and donor-specific criteria. To honor
both the donors and recipients,
the committee re-initiated the
Scholarship Breakfast.
“The scholarship program
not only profoundly impacts the
lives of the recipients,” said
Advancement Director Debbie Geiger.
“Creating a Named Scholarship also helps
fulfill the dreams of the donors, either by
honoring or memorializing a loved one. For
those of us who fervently believe in the value
of a Moeller Marianist education, there can
be no greater gift.”
Principal Blane Collison articulates the
essence of this “gift” when he addresses parents
about the power of a Moeller education:
“We believe the Marianist Characteristics
provide the foundation for developing
leadership in young men. The mission of a
Moeller education is to assist parents in
helping their son make responsible choices
and lead them to use their talents and gifts
in service to others and for the benefit
of society. Ultimately, we are not just
developing the best leaders in the world. We
are developing the best leaders for the world.”
“Moeller is deeply grateful to our
donors for establishing or contributing
to our Named Scholarship Program,”
said President Bill Hunt. “As you can
tell, our scholarship program
enhances the lives of many of our
students as well as our donors.
Thanks to your efforts, we look
forward to continuing our mission
of forming young men of
faith, helping them achieve
academically, and ensuring
their individual growth.” M
BREAKING NEWS: Alumni Association
Vice President Nick Hodge ’94 just announced the
new Alumni Class Scholarship Program for each
graduating class. “These scholarships will help
‘bridge the tuition gap’ and will provide a way for
our graduating classes to directly impact the life of
a future Man of Moeller,” he said. “(Alumni
President) Phil Kreiner ’76 and I have spent the
last year in discussions with our Class Captains,
and we have learned that one of the most pressing
concerns of our alumni base is the rising cost of
tuition and the inability for future young men
(especially children of alumni) to attend because of
that cost. Every year there is significant demand for
tuition assistance that goes unmet. Our goal is to
fund each Class Scholarship as quickly as possible
to begin witnessing the benefits of tuition assistance.”
For more information, contact Advancement
Director Debbie Geiger at DGeiger@Moeller.org
or call (513) 791-1680, ext. 1320. More information
is also available on the school website,
www.Moeller.org (see “Support Moeller”).