Esprit de Corps Day | May 18, 2022
Esprit de Corps has a special meaning to the Marian community. It was a phrase frequently used by Sr. Marcella Sitzmann, Marian’s first principal. We hope you will join us on this special day as we bring our community together to celebrate the spirit of Marian. Click here to make your donation.
What is the inspiration for the Spirit of Marian logo?
This logo is inspired by the rose-shaped stained glass windows in churches, which are frequently dedicated to Mary. Composed of multiple smaller windows radiating from the center like petals, the many parts make a beautiful whole.
Marian High School is also dedicated to Mary. “Marian” means “like Mary” – the one who brought Jesus to the world. Our founders, the Servants of Mary, intended for every Marian girl to bring hope to the world.
Like the rose windows, we are all a small part of Marian yet part of something bigger. We too radiate out from Marian and bring our hope, light and color to the world.
Part of Something Bigger
The core values were inspired by the Servants of Mary, our sponsoring order. These Core Values are reflected in the halls, the classroom, during competition – athletic, artistic, and academic – and at home. In the early days, Sr. Marcella and the sisters modeled the core values and reminded students of Esprit de Corps.
Read more about the history of Esprit de Corps here: Esprit de Corps; an Unofficial Core Value that Must Be Kept Alive, by Naomi Delkamiller ’21.
Who is Sr. Marcella?
Born in 1914 as Marian Sitzmann, Sr. Marcella entered into the Order of Servants of Mary in 1932 and, on clothing day she received the name Mary Marcella of the Blessed Sacrament. Sr. Marcella was Marian’s founding principal and frequently used the phrase Esprit de Corps to remind students that they were part of something bigger. This became known as the Spirit of Marian. The 1966 Marian yearbook was dedicated to Sr. Marcella.
“Nothing and no one of Marian is beyond her personal interest and concern, and without her Marian High School would have developed as a quite a different place. And so it is that because of 10 years of unceasing devotion and dedication, we, the editors and staff are proud to dedicate The 1966 Marian to Sister Mary Marcella, O.S.M., our principal.”
Aug. 6, 1979, the Omaha World-Herald featured Sr. Marcella in a story Love Given by a Nun Returned by Hundreds. She passed away that same day. Sr. Marcella is buried in the O.S.M Cemetery located on Marian’s property.
Rose Ann Shannon ‘69 – Sr. Marcella Leadership Award
Rose Ann retired in 2019 from her position as the news director at KETV in Omaha, a position she held for almost 25 years, rising through the ranks at a time when there were few women in the newsroom.
“It took a lot of confidence to be the only woman in those newsrooms. At Marian we were taught women could do anything, be anything. Being a woman was not going to hold me back,” said Shannon.
Click here to read more about Rose Ann’s Marian memories.
Aby Acevedo ‘21 – Quest Bridge Scholar
Aby shared her personal story and her gratitude when she spoke at MarianFEST 2019 in support of tuition assistance. She now attends the University of Notre Dame on full scholarship. Read more about Aby here.
Where does the money go?
Money raised through our first Esprit de Corps Day will go directly toward tuition assistance. The Marian Fund is our annual fund that covers the gap between tuition revenue and the cost to educate. The Sisters of Mary wanted Marian to be accessible to every girl, regardless of her financial situation, and this is still part of our mission today. When you make a gift to the Marian Fund through the Esprit de Corps Day you are directly supporting the students of Marian.