Ms. Allyson Headd has been the principal at Marquette for a few years now, making many accomplishments within the school. Although her time at Marquette is coming to an end, our school community is so excited for her and her new opportunity to be the principal at a school closer to her hometown next semester.
Some of her greatest accomplishments with the help of students and staff was transitioning the school to be more personal between students and teachers. This included switching from books and paper to Apple technology and the University Program, which grants students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree along with their Indiana Academic Honors Diploma.
When asked about what she will miss the most about Marquette, she said, “I will miss the students and staff the most. Marquette Catholic is a very special place and I will always carry the memories and experiences with me.”
Mr. Casey Martin, a history teacher at Marquette will be taking over as the interim principal for the remaining second semester. Ms. Headd said that he had expressed his interest in school administration, and began working towards it over the summer. He was originally working towards being the assistant principal next year, but based on the current circumstances, Ms. Headd recommended him for the job as interim principal. She is excited to work with the school to ensure an easy transition and continue with the Marquette tradition of excellence.
Mr. Casey Martin is a Northwest Indiana native, baseball coach, and valued history teacher at Marquette. He teaches in a way that makes students feel appreciated, while learning and having fun. He always knew his career in education would eventually end up in school administration. Mr. Martin began his career as a teacher because he believes he can have a positive impact on the lives of his students, and being an interim principal would allow him to have an even bigger impact.
He began working at Marquette six years ago, and has always hoped to advance into an administrative position. When the position arose, he took action: “I am excited and honored to get that opportunity and am really looking forward to getting started this spring.”
Northwest Indiana has been his home for his entire life. He considers being able to work here and establish even deeper roots in the community a blessing. His thoughts on overcoming any of the upcoming obstacles that may occur in the next few months are promising: “All challenges are opportunities, and I know we will meet them head on, whatever they are. I look forward to taking any issues in stride and continuing along our current administration’s plan for the future.”
Mr. Martin’s focus right now is making a seamless transition, and he is confident that with his team we will all continue to head in the right direction. He is extremely proud of what our Marquette community had built in the past six years, and he plans on continuing to progress and build up our goals as a school.
Ms. Jennifer Quinlan is the Director of Admissions and a 1989 Marquette alumni. She has been working with the school for many years and we are proud to have her as a core member of our Marquette family.
Ms. Quinlan has always known that Ms. Headd is family-oriented and would eventually like to be closer to home, but she was both surprised and excited for her that it is happening so soon. Ms. Quinlan is grateful, as an employee and alumni, for how much Ms. Headd has accomplished in her years at Marquette. She is looking forward to the upcoming changes and has no doubt that Mr. Martin will take what Ms. Headd has done and build on it so that our school can continue to flourish.
“Mr. Martin has not just been a teacher, he is also a coach, so he knows how to bring people together to reach a common goal. I have great confidence in him understanding of what Marquette needs and leading our school.”
She sees how Marquette’s students look up to Mr. Martin as a teacher and coach, notices how they respect and admire him, and has no doubt that they will accept and follow any changes he makes. Ms. Quinlan says that the best way to truly understand and know the Marquette experience is to get yourself and other students involved in classes and extracurriculars. She is excited for the future of Marquette, and hopes for more opportunities for us to grow: “I hope to see Marquette busting at the seams. I want prospective families to really see what we have here at the corner of 10th and Wabash and join us on the adventure.”
Junior Maria Wadle is a bright student at Marquette. She is heavily involved at Marquette in both the volleyball and academic teams. Her favorite thing about being at Marquette is having the opportunity to travel abroad and take advanced courses.
Maria was shocked when she found out that Ms. Headd was moving into her next chapter and Mr. Martin would be taking over as the interim principal. She did not expect this to happen, but she is glad that Mr. Martin accepted the position: “I know that Mr. Martin is one of the most liked teachers in the school, so I think several students agree that he is a great choice.”
She admires how he teaches in a fun way, while still listening to student’s concerns and trying to make everyone happy to the best of his abilities. Her favorite memory with Mr. Martin was when the class was studying and reviewing for a test, and he used games to keep us engaged.
“We had to answer his questions correctly; if our answer was correct he would give us the air bazooka gun to shoot at some toilet paper hanging from the ceiling. The whole class was very amused,” said Maria.
She hopes that during his time at interim principal, he will bring back the late start Fridays that Marquette had years ago.