MaryAmbrose

In September of 2022, the students and staff excitedly welcomed new counselor Mrs. Carole Carraher to the building. Since day one, Carraher has felt “welcomed and appreciated.” Carraher works with students who have a last name from O-Z, but she is available to help any student who needs assistance when their counselor is unavailable. 

She does not work full time, but is available Monday-Thursday and will be here for the rest of this school year. Beyond being helpful to students, she has helped lighten the load of the other counselors after the previous O-Z counselor took a job outside of Marian after the start of the year. 

“She has been a gift,” counselor Mrs. Kathy DeWispelare said, “and has been helpful in any way she can be with a super positive attitude.” The addition of Carraher has helped to relieve the busy schedules of DeWispelare and counselor Mrs. Anna Sparwasser.

Although Carraher is new to Marian, she is experienced in working with high school students. Before starting at Marian, she worked at Gretna High School for 40 years. For her first 20 years, she was an English teacher and a Speech coach. For the next 20 years, she worked as a counselor. 

Even though she no longer teaches English or Speech, she is still very passionate about both and wants Marian girls to know that she is more than willing to help edit their papers or help them prepare to give a speech or presentation. She has helped students in the past to prepare for interviews and loves working with students to prepare for school or job related situations. 

Carraher has many hobbies. She is interested in plays and drama. When she worked at Gretna, she coached the drama team. She continues to attend plays and musicals in her free time. She is very active in her church group and is kept busy by the various events and communities she participates in. She also loves reading, and always has book recommendations for students. Carraher is a gardener, and enjoys growing and taking care of her plants. Carraher also loves dogs, and enjoys walking and playing with her dog.

Carraher has really enjoyed the spirit and environment of Marian. Her favorite part about Marian is the culture. She feels it is welcoming and loving and believes “everyone is lucky and blessed to be here.” 

She never knew what was so special about Marian until she experienced it. “Looking from an outside perspective, I never knew how unique and compassionate the Marian community is,” she said.  She is grateful to be in what she considers “a special place that students and staff recognize and celebrate.” Carraher said she “cannot wait to experience more Marian traditions and spirit in the spring semester.”