Retired Faculty and Staff Stay Connected

For many generations, the strength of St. Mark’s has been shaped by the enduring bonds between students and faculty. The Lions Care program serves retired faculty and staff, ensuring those who built the School remain connected to the community they helped shape. Just as graduates will always belong to the St. Mark’s community, the School ensures former faculty and staff receive the same affirmation.

For Alex Eshelbrenner ’04, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and a member of the Lions Care Committee, the program represents a natural extension of St. Mark’s mission. “Lions Care began as an intentional way to stay connected with our retired faculty members,” he says. That commitment reflects the central role faculty play in shaping the School’s legacy. “Institutions endure because of people,” Eshelbrenner explains. “Buildings rise and programs evolve, but the character, commitment, and wisdom of our faculty and staff have always been the soul of St. Mark’s.”

At a recent annual celebration of retirees, that legacy was evident. “I don’t just see former colleagues,” Eshelbrenner says. “I see chapters of St. Mark’s history gathered together… mentors who quietly influenced boys in ways that may never fully be measured.”

For retired Lower School art teacher Alice Oltrogge that continuity reflects a culture that has defined St. Mark’s across generations. “The aspect of St. Mark’s that has endured is excellence — excellence in all areas,” she says. “Teachers spend long hours, willingly, preparing exciting lessons and mentoring their students. They deeply care about each student and want them to excel.”

She also values the School’s commitment to honoring those who have served it. “It is especially touching that the School shows retirees that St. Mark’s remembers them and still cares about them,” Oltrogge says. Those relationships extend beyond a student’s time on campus. “It is hard for our former students to believe that their teachers remember them,” Oltrogge says, “but I can assure you that they do. It is such a joy to see our little ones blossom into such fine men.”

For retired Upper School mathematics teacher J.T. Sutcliffe, who taught at St. Mark’s for 35 years before retiring in 2019, those relationships define the School’s uniqueness. Each visit back to campus rekindles powerful memories. “It was family — and is family,” she says. “It was Nirvana as a teacher.”

Reflecting on her years in the classroom, Sutcliffe recalls a rare sense of purpose. “I would go home at night going, ‘We really made a difference today, and they made a difference in my life today,’” she says. She emphasizes that relationships formed between faculty and students inside and outside the classroom are what make St. Mark’s special. Watching students graduate was always a powerful moment. “When I would sit at graduation and watch those kids walk across the stage, I literally felt my heart pound a little harder,” she says. “I knew those young men were going out into the world… making a difference.”

Programs like Lions Care help to preserve that connection after retirement. “I realized how easy it is to lose connection with a school,” Sutcliffe explains. “Coming back and seeing colleagues and hearing from students… keeps the ties strong. It helps us continue to feel like family.”

The Lions Care program reflects the St. Mark’s belief that education is rooted in relationships, gratitude, and shared purpose. While students and teachers eventually leave campus, the bonds formed at St. Mark’s endure.