Faith & School
IN THE FAMILY Carroll High School a Sableski Family Institution BY BONNY VAN
On May 20, 2022, three Sableski family members will appear on stage at Carroll High School (CHS) in Dayton’s graduation—and one is both the principal and an alumnus. Matt Sableski, CHS Class of ’91, will hand out diplomas to and shake hands with his twins, Patrick and Annie. Sableski and his wife, Mary-Kate, also have daughters Nora, a sophomore at CHS, and Colleen, a seventh grader and future CHS Patriot. “I feel truly blessed to work at the place my kids go to school,” Sableski said. “I have loved watching them grow and learn and interact with their classmates each day. By and large my kids do well academically, make good choices and they have wonderful groups of friends. We set boundaries and I give them their space, but the best part of any day is when I see them during the day … even if they’re coming to ask for money or an item left at home!” Having your dad just down the hall in the main office every school day could be intimidating for any teenager, but Annie and Patrick eventually embraced it and the extraordinary richness it brought to their high school career. 4 0 | THE CATHOLIC TELE GRAPH
“[Having my dad as principal] shaped my formation by giving me a chance to experience high school in a special way that others didn’t get to experience,” said Annie. “Getting into the building after hours, talking with my dad about concerns my friends and I had and seeing how much the school meant to my family were all ways that my experience was unique.” “Going into and throughout the first year or two of high school, I was definitely worried about becoming my own person and not being identified only as the principal’s son,” said Patrick. “Just like any high schooler, I have really come into my own the last couple of years ... My dad is obviously a huge part of my life, but I have become my own person and I feel now as if I am viewed that way rather than as an extension of my father.” Sableski admitted that his own freshman year at Carroll High was much like his son’s: a lesson in discovery. “When I came in as a freshman, I was 4’11” and weighed about 90 pounds,” said Sableski. “I was kind of lost that first year, but once I started running cross country and track as
