New Parents: "Brother Martin Feels Like Home"

New parents of Brother Martin High School heard from faculty, staff and administrators Monday night about the importance of trusting the school to form and help guide their children to academic and spiritual success.

“We are here to ‘form your son to good’,” said Dean of Students Michael Lynn ’04, using the words of the school’s founders during the New Parent Seminar. “Trust us. Everything we do here teaches something. Our goal is to teach your son and guide your son.”

The Seminar is held each year for families brand new to the high school.  In addition to Lynn, speakers included Principal Ryan Gallagher ’00,  Director of Admissions Carlos Bogran ’99, Assistant Principal for Academics Deborah Broussard, among others. The message to them was simple: Faculty, staff and administrators care about the young men enrolled in the school and will hold them to excellence.

And, like Brother Martin Hernandez, the school’s founder and namesake, once said, the aim is not only to educate the young men, but to help them build lives. Young men at Brother Martin will make mistakes, Lynn said, and “this is when they grow.”

Each Crusader is expected to be honest, respect the school and adults, and more importantly, each other.

“We tell them they are all Crusaders now. We are one,” Lynn said.

Jill Gomez, the head of the school’s academic Formation Center, told families their children have access to academic assistance from 7:15 a.m to 4 p.m. each day.  “We are here for them. Teachers send them to us. Sometimes, they walk in on their own. If you think they need help, call us. We’ll go get them,” she said.

New parents gathered after the seminar to ask questions and discuss the coming year with leadership. The parents of one student, Kevin Johnson, Jr., said they were impressed with the presentations and the school. Their son, a 13-year-old eighth grader, went through an thoughtful and extensive process last year visiting schools, taking notes, and creating pro/con lists.

“We let him make the choice,” said his mother, Yvonne Krumins, adding that the personal attention Brother Martin offered convinced her son.

“When we were done, it came down to two schools,” she said. “We had a few questions for each, and called their admissions’ offices. Brother Martin was his choice, because of the tutoring he can get (at the Formation Center). He said he knew if he had academic challenges, he’d have help.”

Mothers Danielle Douzat and Lee Montecino were waiting in line at the bookstore to buy their sons’ some apparel. Both chimed in about their Brother Martin experience.

“Brother Martin is warm and friendly, and the academics are , well, there is no comparison for us,” said Montecino, whose son, Dominick, is in the eighth grade.

Dauzat, mom to eighth-grader Dane, agreed. “We have a family of Brother Martin men. We like how they build confidence in these boys, and, it just feels like home.”

Here are a few photos from our New Parent Seminar.