Press Release by Marquette Catholic High School:
Marquette Catholic High School will welcome three new faces to its faculty and staff when it kicks off its 139th year of Catholic education in Michigan City. Leah McIntosh, Matthew Raney, and Benjamin Strole will open their tenures on Wednesday when Marquette raises the curtain on the 2025-2026 academic year.
“We are thrilled to welcome three outstanding professionals to our Marquette community. Their expertise, wealth of experience, and genuine commitment to our mission will make an immediate and lasting impact on our students, staff, and families. We are blessed to have them join our team,” principal Katie Collignon said.
McIntosh will assume the role of office manager, a position long held by Jan Wagner ‘74, who retired in July. McIntosh holds a bachelor’s degree in Art History from University of California, Los Angeles. The former Bruin and current resident of Long Beach has maintained an active presence at Notre Dame Catholic School as event organizer and parent volunteer since 2020.
McIntosh and her husband, Ryan, founded and continue to operate a vacation rental company based in Anaheim, California, with properties there as well as in Hawaii and Mexico. The McIntoshs have two daughters who both attend Notre Dame Catholic School: Ella (10) and Rue (7).
Matthew Raney’s name will ring a bell with local art aficionados. The Michigan City native fills the role of art instructor following Edwin Shelton’s retirement this past summer. Raney, a working artist, has worked closely with the Michigan City Mainstreet Association, and his murals adorn several banners in downtown Michigan City and in New Buffalo.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in Art Education from University of Iowa. This academic year will be his 18th as an educator. Raney most recently served as an art specialist with Michigan City Area Schools following stints with New Buffalo Elementary School (Mich.), Verrado Middle School (Ariz.), and Crete-Monee (Ill.). He and his wife, Andrea, reside in Michigan City. The couple has a daughter, Hero, who will be a fourth-grader at Notre Dame Catholic School, and a son, Jude, who is entering sixth grade.
Strole joins Marquette as a mathematics instructor. The Purdue University graduate arrives at Wabash and 10th Street with over a dozen years of classroom experience. He served River Valley High School (Mich.) for the last two years, and also taught algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus at The Excel Center in South Bend (2019-2022), New Prairie High School (2014-2019), and Michigan City High School (2011-2014).
Outside the classroom, Strole has gained experience as an IT analyst and a research assistant with Purdue University. While at New Prairie, he was the assistant girls’ varsity softball coach and an advisor to the school’s robotics and frisbee clubs. His wife, Theresa, previously taught mathematics at Marquette. They have a four-year-old daughter named Willow.
Marquette will launch the new school year with a total enrollment of just over 300 students for the first time since 2011.