BY REBECCA STACY

ATLANTA--On Aug. 29 Marist began its 96th year of providing Catholic education to the young men and women of the Atlanta area, opening its doors to 1,025 students.

As summer drew to a close, students were already trickling back to change addresses, pick up medical forms or even to alleviate some "homesickness" they felt while away from school. On Sept. 11 students and faculty gathered for the traditional opening school Mass in honor of Mary.

Marist School is Atlanta's only private, Catholic high school. Operated by the Society of Mary, the school's educational legacy is distinct. From its inception in 1901 as an urban Catholic high school for boys to its present status as a suburban, college-preparatory, co-educational, Catholic high school, Marist has provided the church and civic community with many leaders. While Marist is not an archdiocesan institution, it has long worked in partnership with the diocese, providing Catholic education for many decades prior to the opening of St. Pius X High School. Because of Marist's presence today, 760 additional youth of the archdiocese are able to obtain a Catholic education.

Marist's unique mission--to form the whole person in the image of Christ--is created by blending three distinct traditions: the pursuit of academic excellence, the heritage of Catholic education and the spirit of the Society of Mary. Marist's administrators often quote the founder of the order, Father John-Claude Colin, SM, who said, "What a great work education is...there is nothing greater. We contribute with God to forming young persons in a real way. We make them into men and women; we form their hearts, their character, their virtue. This is what education does. Nothing is more lofty. We give them, as it were, a second creation."

Because of its unusual history, Marist has been able to serve a diverse cross-section of the Atlanta community from its opening with 32 students and 10 teachers to today's faculty of 98 serving an enrollment of 1,025. Due to Atlanta's small Catholic population in the early 1900s, Marist's initial well-being was dependent upon the presence of many non-Catholics in its student body. As a lasting tribute to those supportive families, this spirit continues today as 26 percent of students come from other religious backgrounds.

Marist students have an outstanding academic regimen at their disposal. In addition to the traditional college-preparatory course, Marist offers 20 advanced placement courses, including statistics and studio art which are new this year. These courses permit students to obtain college credit while still in high school.

Marist students are also actively involved in the community, volunteering their time to work in downtown shelters for the homeless and local soup kitchens. Marist holds the first high school charter awarded by Habitat for Humanity. The 1997-98 school year marks the final stage in a gradual implementation of school-wide community service requirements by all students. Marist also maintains a strong peer leader program, along with peer support activities, which provide students with opportunities to develop leadership skills.

Marist's athletic and activities program includes 50 teams and 54 clubs and activities for students. Last year Marist captured state championships in girls and boys tennis, girls soccer and girls cross country as well as numerous regional and area championships.

The Society of Mary recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of coming to Atlanta. Marist priests came at the request of Savannah Bishop Thomas A. Becker to serve the downtown parish of Sts. Peter and Paul which would become Sacred Heart.

Soon after their arrival in June of 1897, the Marists purchased property at the corner of Peachtree and Ivy Streets to replace the existing church with a new one, renamed in honor of the Sacred Heart. In 1901 Marist College, a military school for boys, was constructed and opened adjacent to the church. Only 32 boys attended classes in 1901, but they were from some of Atlanta's prominent families, including the son of author Joel Chandler Harris. For more than 50 years, Marist was the only boys Catholic high school in Atlanta.

It was not until the late 1950s that the school began to consider moving. An expressway was being built on Marist's doorstep and many families were moving farther north. In 1957 the present site on Ashford-Dunwoody Road was chosen. The move in 1962 brought many changes to Marist College beginning with the new name of Marist School.

In 1976 women were admitted. A few years earlier, the long established military program was terminated. After years of growth and change and almost 30 years to the day after Marist's move from downtown, the school completed its latest expansion when a new library and state-of-the-art computer center were dedicated.

What has made Marist successful has much to do with the devotion of parents and alumni. "I never get up in the morning without realizing that I was blessed that my parents sent me to Marist," said Harry Hamrick of the class of 1974. Atlanta lawyer Lawrence McEvoy, Jr., recently wrote, "Marist provided not only the educational foundation but the moral values and ethical standards which have served me well these many years." The class of 1997 included 16 children of alumni. Eleven faculty members are Marist alumni.

For the 1997-98 school year, Marist hired nine new faculty members. Mike Trapani, a 1970 Marist graduate, is the new dean of students and Regina Huneke has begun as the new director of guidance. All Marist students, teachers, administration and staff will be spending the year studying and discussing integrity, as part of the school's devotion to educating the "whole person."