By: Alex Minella
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 may have changed over the years, along with the addition of a football field, parking lots and extracurricular activities, but their love for their alma mater has not. While all current alumni who are employed at McNick will eventually be featured, this story will focus on four alumni: Mrs. Tracy Canisalez, Mrs. Mary Kiger, Ms. Mary Dennemann and Mr. Tim Monahan, who graduated between the years 1991 to 1996.
Canisalez who graduated in 1991, talked about how much things have changed since she was at McNicholas, especially the dances. They had Homecoming, Mardi Gras, Prom, and even a Sadie Hawkins dance where girls asked guys, and everyone wore jeans and flannel shirts. “It was a casual country western dance,” she explained. “We even had post-game dances in the cafeteria and special events like a Mom Prom and Father-Daughter Dinner Dances,” she added. Canisalez said she was involved in school activities, like being on the Mardi Gras Court, Homecoming and Prom Committees, and participating in musicals and choir concerts. She also mentioned the fashion trends of the 80s and early 90s, like “big hair and lots of hairspray.” McNicholas means a lot to her because three generations of her family have attended, and she made lifelong friends. “McNicholas is where I made friends for life,” she said.
Kiger, who graduated from McNicholas in 1991, shared fond memories of her high school days at McNicholas. During her time there, she was very active by playing volleyball, being the editor of the school newspaper, and being a member of Student Council. Reflecting on the trends of her high school years, she mentioned, “Perms were all the rage back then.” She said she wanted to return to McNick to teach because, “McNick always felt like home to me, and I was excited about the S.A.I.L. program.” One of the constants at McNicholas has been SAIL teacher Mrs. Val Combs who also taught Mrs. Kiger theology. Kiger noted, “It’s comforting to see some familiar faces still around.” She stated some changes in the school environment since she graduated like “the hallways look different, and I noticed that lockers aren’t being used as much.” Despite these changes, her affection for McNick remains strong.
Dennemann, who graduated from McNicholas in 1993, talked about the changes at the school: “The physical structure has changed. The convent was totally off-limits, upper Marian was just two big rooms with an accordion-type temporary wall, there was no paradise at all, students had to park on Burney, and there were no tables in any rooms, mainly just desks.” In high school, Dennemann was involved with the musical, stage crew, and the academic team. She also mentioned some funny fashion trends. “Big bangs were a trend,” she said. “One of the teachers would actually go around with a ruler and measure how big your bangs were, even holding a big bangs contest to see how tall you could make them.” She added that skinny jeans were a big deal too. One of the main reasons Dennemann decided to come back to McNicholas was because of the community. “The people are awesome,” Dennemann said. She talked about how there are more opportunities for students now. “We have added a lot of sports and clubs, but we’ve always had a ton of clubs,” she said.
Monahan, who graduated in 1996, talked about how much things have changed since he went to McNick. He mentioned, “It’s funny how we had books, and I mean, stacks and stacks of books,” when talking about using lockers when he attended McNick. He played basketball and football and remembered the fashion trends like “baggy jeans, perms, big hair,” and how he had a shaved head. He said, “I mean, the outfits were way different from today.” What made him come back to McNick were “the teachers, the friendships,” and he just loved being part of McNick. He noticed that McNick has “always been a real close-knit community.” One tradition he misses is the chants after football wins: “After all the football wins, we would always chant to the nuns.”
The McNicholas Milestone 