The McNicholas faculty and staff includes twenty-four alumni from the years of 1974 to 2018 all of whom have great memories and stories from their years at McNick. Their hairstyles and fashions have changed over the years, along with the addition of a football field, parking lots and extracurricular activities. While all current alumni who are employed at McNick will eventually be featured, this story will focus on six alumni: Mr. Sam Roflow, Mrs. Mary Beth Sandmann, Mr. Shawn Young, Mrs. Jeanne Daly, Mr. Pat Stricker, and Mr. Jeff Mulvey, who graduated between the years 1974 to 1986.
Theology teacher Mr. Sam Roflow, who graduated in 1974, reflected on the changes at McNicholas since his time here, noting improvements in academics and extracurricular activities, including more opportunities for girls’ sports. He shared memories of playing baseball and earning a scholarship to Xavier University, serving as president of the junior class, and being part of the homecoming court. Popular trends during his high school years included big hair, bell bottoms, and platform shoes. After teaching at another school, Roflow said he “felt a calling to come home” to McNick since he was drawn by the positive experiences he had as a student. He said he enjoys that McNick still has some traditions from when he was back in high school including Mardi Gras.
Mrs. Mary Beth Sandmann, who graduated from McNicholas in 1979, talked about how academic demands are much higher now and how expectations have changed. There are more opportunities for girls, like in athletics and retreats, which have grown since she was a student. She remembered participating in art club, liturgy planning, drill team, and theater, especially “The Sound of Music.” She never wanted to miss a day because she enjoyed being at McNick so much. Some friends of hers even put a time capsule in Paradise before when it was just a field. She said she really valued her time at McNick, appreciating the coed community where students see each other as brothers and sisters, as equals. She emphasized the humble sense of service at McNick, saying people always mentioned it was a secret that they had such a great community. She believes humility is a big part of who McNick is, and it’s important to continue helping student grow into who they are meant to be in Christ.
Mr. Shawn Young, who graduated in 1982, talked about how much teachers have improved, showing more concern for students now compared to “back in the day.” He mentioned that high school used to be the center of every high schooler’s life. “Our whole life revolved around high school — you went to every basketball game, every football game, every party, every dance — it was your social life and now it’s more just a part of it.” he said. He was proud to have been on the first Appalachian retreat ever and served as a senior retreat leader. “This school always had the most special place in the world for me. It just felt like home. Forty years later and all my best friends are all guys I graduated with. Even to this day it’s just that kinda place,” Young said. He added that he loved traditions like Sadie Hawkins dances and the homecoming parade floats.
Mrs. Jeanne Daly, who graduated in 1984, reflected on the many changes at McNick since her time as a student. She observed that, aside from technological advancements, there is a noticeable increase in pressure and anxiety among students today, though the facilities have greatly improved. During her high school years, she said, “I was very active in clubs and committees. School for me was for the social aspect.” Daly stated, that trends like “valley girl talk, big hair, and bright colors” were popular. She returned to McNick to teach because of its cherished traditions and the fact that her children attended the school. She noted that students today seem less engaged in school spirit activities such as dances and games, possibly because there is more to do now. She expressed a wish for the return of homecoming floats: “You had a week before homecoming to build a float on the flatbed of a truck. After school and in the evenings, you would go to someone’s house and build the float out of chicken wire and tissue paper. At half time [of the homecoming football game] the floats would go around the track at Anderson as well as the homecoming court in their convertibles until the homecoming king and queen were announced,” Daly explained.
Mr. Pat Stricker, who graduated in 1985, talked about how the overall facilities at McNicholas have improved so much over the years. He mentioned that when he attended McNick, they had to play football on Saturday nights instead of Fridays because they didn’t have their own field and had to share Anderson’s field with Turpin and Anderson. During his senior year, their football team got beaten in the state finals, and their basketball team made it to the state semifinals in both his junior and senior years. He emphasized the incredible sense of community at McNick, describing it as truly being a family. He also added that his family’s history with the school runs deep; for the 75 years McNicholas has been open “somebody in my family has either taught here, or worked here, or been a student here every day this school has been open,” Stricker explained. One of his favorite traditions was building the floats for homecoming, which brought everyone together.
Mr. Jeff Mulvey, who graduated in 1986, talked about how much the school has changed since he went to McNicholas as a student. He mentioned that the now paradise parking lot used to be a football field that was used for practice. There’s also a new stadium, the aux gym, and an access road. Mulvey was involved in football, baseball, the school musical, and wrote for the school newspaper. He remembered trends like Walkman cassette players, mopeds, and video arcades. “Eastgate Mall was the coolest place on Earth,” Mulvey stated. He noted that McNicholas has grown from a small, close-knit community to a larger school with more opportunities for students. He hopes to bring back “The Walk,” a tradition aimed at reconnecting the community. Mr. Mulvey said he came back to McNicholas to teach because, “I saw returning as an opportunity to thank the people who had taken care of me by taking care of others.” He felt a deep sense of gratitude and wanted to help guide the next generation of students. By returning to McNicholas, he hoped to make a positive impact and continue the tradition of excellence and community spirit that he experienced as a student.
The McNicholas Milestone 