“No Catholic school can be effective without dedicated Catholic teachers, convinced of the great ideal of Catholic education. The Church needs men and women who are intent on teaching by word and example – intent on helping to permeate the whole educational milieu with the spirit of Christ. This is a great vocation, and the Lord himself will reward all who serve in it as educators in the cause of the word of God.” – Saint Pope John Paul II
As the school year came to a close, we honored retiring members of our faculty who have been Partners in our Mission of Forming Young Men for Life for decades. We would like to thank Mr. Leo Lowder for 21 years of service, Mrs. Melanie Williams for 26 years of service, Mr. Michael Lemmon for 41 years of service, and Mrs. Judy Maldonado for 48 years of service.
Brother Martin High School would like to thank Mr. Lowder, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Lemmon, and Mrs. Maldonado for carrying on the mission, the selfless service of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and serving our young men with love. Congratulations to them on their retirement! May God bless them and help them never to forget they will always be part of the Brother Martin family.
"A Native of Pittsburgh, Mr. Leo Lowder found another home at Brother Martin twenty-one years ago. Mr. Lowder’s arrival coincided with the construction and beautification of E.A. Farley Field as we know it today. When our field was transformed into the multi-sport practice and competition venue that it is today, Mr. Lowder was charged with overseeing the daily maintenance, fortification, and enhancement of this important student space. Mr. Lowder has certainly answered this call and then some over the last twenty years, helping transform Farley Field into a visible fixture of our campus. When it comes to Farley Field, if you want answers… go to Mr. Lowder. If you want it done right on Farley Field… go to Mr. Lowder. While Leo Lowder may not be a native New Orleanian, his home and his heart are without question at Brother Martin. He demands excellence from each of us, and he has asked nothing of us that he hasn’t asked of himself for 20 strong years.
Andre Coindre once wrote to the first Brothers that "Everything ought to sparkle with cleanliness: the children, the workshops, the kitchen, the refectory, and especially the dormitories... The world which only takes account of the exterior will have little regard for the interior if all of these things were to be neglected." In his 21 years of service to Brother Martin High School, we can safely say that Mr. Lowder has neglected nothing, ensuring that the exterior of our campus shines both in practice and in spirit. Thank you, Mr. Leo Lowder."
"Mrs. Melanie Williams joined the Brother Martin faculty twenty-six years ago. Having already had a strong relationship with our school from her work at Mt. Carmel Academy with our mixed choral ensemble – a group comprised of both Crusaders and Cubs – Mrs. Williams easily transitioned to the traditions of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. In her years teaching in and leading the Social Studies Department, she was an initiator of the high school credit World Geography class in 8th grade and the Civics AP class, both of which she still teaches.
Mrs. Williams has also helped many of her colleagues grow in the charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, most notably in her stint as Faculty Formation Director. Mrs. Williams has never said “No”, always stepping up for the benefit of her students, whether it be in proctoring the Library, teaching the Brother Martin 7th grade once upon a time; writing grants to ensure that our students are able to participate in field experiences and service learning opportunities, or moderating our District and State Literary Rally teams. Thank you, Mrs. Williams, for your fanatic devotion, especially to our cross country and basketball teams over the years; for your passion for Brother Martin High School and the thousands of students whom you’ve helped form and the hundreds of colleagues with whom you’ve worked; and, mostly, for twenty six incredible years of service to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart."
"Guidance Counselor Mr. Michael Lemmon joined the Brother Martin faculty in 1984 after earning his bachelor of arts from UNO and his Masters in Education in Guidance and Counseling from Loyola University. Mr. Lemmon has long been a master teacher, as evidenced by his certifications in Math, Social Studies, and Science. For forty one years, he has formed many a student and faculty member in his work in our Guidance Department.
Mr. Lemmon knows his students by name, and he knows each of their strengths and weaknesses both inside and outside of the classroom. He works with the student and the teacher to solve challenges in the classroom, in athletics and extracurriculars, and in their personal lives outside of school. There is perhaps one circumstance under which Mr. Lemmon is not working directly with or for his students or colleagues: between 7:25 and 7:40 a.m. in the Branton Chapel before school, at which time you can find Mr. Lemmon quietly bearing his Christian Witness at morning prayer or liturgy. Mr. Lemmon has served steadfastly for 41 years as a teacher, a counselor, a department chair, our school Scheduling Coordinator, basketball coach, and as an overall cheerleader for all things Brother Martin. Mr. Lemmon, thank you for 41 years of incredible service to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and Brother Martin High School."
"Mrs. Judy Maldonado, who works in the College Placement Office alongside Mrs. Martinolich, earned her Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of New Orleans in 1973 before joining the Brother Martin family in 1977. Later, Mrs. Maldonado would earn her Master’s Degree from UNO in 1988. Prior to her time at Brother Martin, Mrs. Maldonado taught at Annunciation and Resurrection Catholic School. A life-long learner at heart, Mrs. Maldonado is Louisiana Certified in both Spanish and Social Studies. In her years of service to our school, Mrs. Maldonado has taught Spanish (in fact, she returned to the classroom to teach Spanish not too long ago while a colleague was out on paternity leave).
Mrs. Maldonoaod has also served as a Guidance Counselor and currently serves as a part-time College Placement Counselor. At some point in the late 1980s, Brother Ivy Leblanc, at that time Brother Martin’s principal and the current treasurer for the United States Province, asked Mrs. Maldonado to respond to the call for a need we had for a college counselor, a position that did not exist at the time at Brother Martin. Thus, Mrs. Maldonado became Brother Martin’s first College Placement Counselor; she hosted Brother Martin's first college fair and built the foundation on which our entire College Counseling program rests today. Since 2010, Mrs. Maldonado has served as part-time Assistant College Placement Counselor. Mrs. Maldonado’s diligence and commitment have made her an indispensable member of the Guidance team as well as the Brother Martin family.
Mrs. Maldonado’s greatest contribution in recent years has been in her work writing college recommendations for members of the senior class. Over the years, Mrs. Maldonado has written thousands of college application recommendations, helping our students gain acceptance to the college of their choice, and quite often, earning scholarship money to attend that university. She is meticulous when writing those counselor recommendations, finding the positive in each student. For 48 years, and even in her part-time role these last several years, Mrs. Maldonado has always served as a steadfast model of the educational tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart: committed in equal parts to Academic Excellence, Friendly Discipline, Personal Attention, and Religious Values. She has dedicated her life’s work to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and she truly embodies our Charism in her concern for and commitment to our students. Mrs. Maldonado has also been fortunate enough to have seen her two sons graduate from Brother Martin, as well as her 7 grandchildren.
Congratulations, Mrs. Judy Maldonado, on forty-eight years of guidance, education, formation, and Christian Witness to the students, faculty, and staff of Brother Martin High School."
