All School
May 16, 2024
Buildings Dedicated for Susan Marrs and Chris Garten
Seven Hills renamed the Middle and Upper School buildings in honor of two long-time administrators, with more than 65 years combined at Seven Hills.
The Marrs Upper School was named after Assistant Head of School and Director of College Counseling Susan Marrs. Marrs is retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year after spending 52 years at Seven Hills.
The Garten Middle School was named after Head of School Chris Garten, who is also retiring at the end of the school year after 15 years of leading The Seven Hills School.
“Both Mr. Garten and Mrs. Marrs have dedicated their lives to enriching the experiences of countless students and alumni. Today, we celebrate their remarkable achievements. While their presence will be sorely missed, their influence will continue to resonate within our community for generations to come,” said Seven Hills Board of Trustees Chair Lair Kennedy, at the dedication ceremony attended by students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12, and members of the community on April 24.
Head of Upper School and Head of School-elect Matt Bolton praised Garten for his strategic planning and ability to turn dreams into reality. Garten spearheaded numerous construction projects during his tenure, including the renovation and expansion of the Middle School, which reopened in April 2022.
“These buildings are a physical manifestation of Mr. Garten’s commitment to making our school the best at getting better. Seeing his name over the entrance of the Middle School every day will be a reminder of the excellent example he has set,” Bolton said.
Marrs began as a part-time English teacher at the Hillsdale School in 1971 and continued on through the merger that created The Seven Hills School, serving as a teacher, college counselor, and Head of Upper School, in addition to her current roles.
“Susan Marrs has been an integral — not to mention beloved — member of the Seven Hills community since its founding in 1974 to this celebratory moment 50 years later. Susan has a deep understanding of the school and a commitment to providing a challenging academic program in a supportive and encouraging environment,” former Board of Trustees Chair and former Interim Head of School Tory Parlin said.
Arts Alive
The entire Seven Hills community celebrated the third annual Arts Alive festival on April 26! First through 12th grade students from both campuses showcased their artistic talents throughout the Hillsdale Campus. Family and friends enjoyed the incredible performances, arts and crafts, food trucks, and the remarkable demonstration of our students’ artistic visions. Thank you to our excellent Arts Boosters and volunteers for their hard work to make the event successful.
View this post on Instagram
A Seamless Transition in College Counseling
Though Susan Marrs’ legacy will carry on throughout the halls of the Upper School building that now bears her name, the Seven Hills College Counseling Department will continue Marrs’ caring, individualized approach to college counseling under the leadership of new Co-Directors of College Counseling Alex Catalan and Julie DiRoma.
“The department will continue to provide the wonderful caring and individualized approach that we always wanted it to manifest in the past because that seems to work so well for our kids. The department will continue to be responsive to parents who have questions and to partner with parents in helping kids go through the college admissions process as successfully and calmly as possible,” Marrs said, who is retiring at the end of the 2023-24 school year after 52 years at Seven Hills.
Marrs, Catalan, DiRoma, and Assistant Director of College Counseling Cheryl Dixon have spent most of the school year preparing for the transition.
“It has been a seamless transition,” Marrs added. “Alex and Julie have been part of every aspect of the office’s operations.”
Catalan and DiRoma have 15 years combined experience in the Seven Hills College Counseling Department and have both previously worked on the college side of the admissions process. Catalan worked on the University of Pennsylvania and Beloit College and DiRoma worked at Skidmore College and Hamilton College.
Both came to Seven Hills to work more closely with high school students.
“I was looking for a high school that had a really supportive, relaxed, yet challenging community that was really vibrant and felt like a small college campus. I actually described that environment to a friend in the college admissions world who recruited in Ohio. And she said, ‘There is a school, The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati that sounds just like that,’” Catalan said.
What the department does is so much more than come up with a list of colleges, DiRoma said, especially in an increasing multifaceted college admissions environment.
“The admissions process becomes more complex each year, as colleges add new systems that require even more management and initiative from the students. Between multiple applications, college-specific portals with multiple usernames and passcodes, various modes of test reporting, new ways of self-reporting the entire transcript, we look forward to reducing stress as we guide students through the management of all the new technology,” DiRoma said.
Catalan added the Seven Hills environment gives him, DiRoma, and the rest of the college counseling department the power to advocate for students.
“That is something that is unique about Seven Hills. We really can advocate with the students to put them in the best place possible in the process and find the right place for them. The on the ground learning is not something you get at most high schools,” he said.
