From the everyday to the extraordinary, visual arts teacher sees into the hearts of students
The connection between Mark Stratton, the visual arts teacher at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, and his students shows in the smiles shared with Elyas Williams, left, Alex Plahitko and Carrianne Sabina. Stratton is this year’s recipient of the Saint Theodora Excellence in Education Award, the highest honor given to an educator in the archdiocese. (Photo by John Shaughnessy)
By John Shaughnessy
The teenager wanted to look good for the girl he had asked to the homecoming dance, so he came to Mark Stratton with a request that would have been strange for nearly any other teacher.
After all, as the longtime visual arts teacher at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, Stratton has earned a reputation for helping students in ways that range from the everyday to the extraordinary.
In quiet ways that have never sought attention, he has found coats for students who have needed them, provided food for students whose families have been evicted from their homes, repaired athletic shoes so they will last until a student’s parents get their next paycheck, hemmed dresses for school dances, and created boutonnieres and corsages for students who couldn’t afford to buy them for their prom dates.
“I can’t tell you how many neckties I have tied when we used to dress up for liturgy. I often thought way back then to request my salary be based on the number of ties tied and the times I’m asked to use the restroom. Definitely early retirement funds!” he notes with his wry sense of humor before turning serious.
“If our students need something, I am so delighted that they ask me. No one should have to do without and feel less than they should. I love these kids and would do whatever I can for them.”
And yet, this year’s recipient of the Saint Theodora Excellence in Education Award—the archdiocese’s highest honor for an educator—faced a dilemma when he was asked a question by the teenager who wanted to look good for his date to the homecoming dance. (Related: Four other teachers were finalists for archdiocese’s highest honor for education)
‘I just want them to have that moment’
On the day before the dance, the student asked, “Mr. Stratton, have you ever cut hair before?”
Stratton told him he had, so the student asked if he would cut his.
“The young man did not have a lot of money. I told him I have cut hair, but I couldn’t cut his,” Stratton recalls, explaining concerns about physical contact between teachers and students. “I said, ‘Why do you need a haircut? It looks all right.’ Actually, it looked a little shabby. He said, ‘I’ve got a date. I’m going to meet her parents. And her parents live a lot differently than my parents. They’re kind of rich.’ I said, ‘They’re still nice people.’
“The barber I go to is actually really close to Roncalli. I said, ‘I’ll call my barber and set up an appointment for you. I can’t take you because I can’t take you in my car. But it’s within walking distance. I’ll leave money in my drawer for you to get a haircut so you can look nice for your date.’ And he did. It made his day. He felt really nice. They got good pictures. He was very, very grateful.”
As he shares that story, Stratton gets emotional, on the verge of tears. Asked about the emotion rising in him, he says, “It’s just that a lot of kids hurt. A lot of kids are more sad than you would ever understand. To see them happy and successful, it just means so much to me. It means more to me to see them have a few great moments.
“A great athlete who wins a state football championship can look back on those glory days. Some of these kids will not have the opportunity to look back at any moment and say, ‘I had a great time.’ If I can provide any kind of moment or any kind of good feeling for these kids while they’re young, I just want them to have that moment, to feel good about themselves. I want to let them know someone cares for them.”
Then he shares a moment that best shows the depth of that caring.
‘That will be in my mind until the day I die’
The story involves a student who grew up in a refugee camp before his family came to the United States and Indianapolis to live.
“He was new to our country, new to our language,” says Stratton, who has taught in Catholic schools in the archdiocese for 41 years. “His counselor and myself worked really hard to try to get him into college. Seeing him go to college, literally from a child labor camp, that was a major moment. That will be in my mind until the day I die.”
Stratton and his wife of 35 years, Monica, had a graduation party for the student. He has also stayed in touch with the young man during his time in college, encouraging him, asking about his grades. When the young man needed someone as an emergency contact, he asked Stratton.
“He’s in college, and he’s doing really well,” Stratton says, the emotion rising in him again.
While his emotional investment in his students stands out, so does his commitment to the classes he teaches—and the hopes and demands he has for his students.
In nominating Stratton for the Saint Theodora Award, Roncalli’s principal Kevin Banich noted, “Mark is a one-man show for our art classes. He goes above and beyond to ensure that our course offerings are robust and thorough to ensure that our students have a multitude of opportunities.”
During this year, Stratton has taught courses in ceramics, sculpture, 2D art, 3D art, photography, fiber arts and crafts, and Advanced Placement classes in drawing, 2D art and 3D art.
The breadth of these classes reflects the range of the interests and talents of Stratton—who is both comfortable using a sewing machine and a chain saw in his artistic endeavors. Still, a primary focus guides his teaching, no matter the subject.
“I really encourage the kids to use their minds and their imaginations,” he says. “They need to be able to solve problems in every part of their lives. Whatever I’m teaching, they have to solve a problem, they have to be creative. There’s a rubric and standards that are very narrow. They have to fit within those confines of what I’m asking. It’s more difficult than just giving them free reign on everything.
“My goal is to get them to think. They have some pretty cool ideas when they start using their brain.”
‘He cares about us so much’
Stratton also tells them that nearly every part of their lives is connected to art.
“I tell them that the car you came to school in today was designed by an artist. The clothes you’re wearing were designed by an artist. There’s a great mindset of teaching art for creativity’s sake, for showing their passion. There’s also a part of your life where you can use the skills you learn in here to make money and still enjoy yourself—to find a job that actually pays you later on.”
Stratton lives that reality. Beyond teaching, he has a business where he has used his artistic skills to design everything from logos to landscapes, from upholstering chairs to creating flower arrangements for weddings.
“I walk the walk,” he says.
Most of all, his students know he walks with them.
“I’ve learned so much from him,” says Carrianne Sabina, a junior who has taken three of his classes. “He always tries to make sure you’re so creative. And he’s always someone you can talk to. He cares about us so much.”
Elyas Williams, a sophomore, adds, “He has made me more confident. I’m not the best in art, but it’s always better than what I thought it would be because of his teaching.”
A smile beams from Alex Plahitko as he starts talking about Stratton.
“He is always positive, and he has a real knack for being able to read how a person is feeling,” says the junior. “If they’re already feeling good, he makes them feel better. And especially if he knows you’re having a rough day, he knows how to get to the bottom of it and help you through it, and make you feel a whole lot better. And his sense of humor is hilarious. He always has a knack for making people laugh.”
And for making them feel special.
“He’s been my teacher sponsor for the past two years for wrestling,” Alex says. “He tries to come to almost all of our home meets here, and he’ll even come to some of our away meets. It means a lot to know that somebody cares about you like that when they don’t really have to. He makes an effort to come to everybody’s things and be there for each and every student he teaches. It just shows a lot about him.”
Roncalli’s principal Banich shares another telling story.
“A few years ago, I was moved to tears at our prom when Mark showed up to see a few students,” Banich recalls. “I found out those students wanted Mr. Stratton to be in attendance because he designed and tailored a suit for a student who could not afford to rent one.”
‘They just need someone to listen to them’
Stratton’s approach to his students, his teaching style and his life are built on some solid foundations.
He’s a father who speaks proudly of his adult daughter Samantha. He praises the influence of his wife Monica, a fellow educator who has helped him embrace the belief that “teaching is a ministry.” And while he describes her Catholic faith as “so devout she makes me look like a heathen,” the depth of his own Catholic faith shines through when he talks about how it guides him.
“I always support the faith,” says Stratton, a member of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Beech Grove. “There’s not been one thing in my life that the Church has asked me to do that I haven’t done.”
All these foundations are at the heart of his approach when students ask him questions about faith.
“It is this scenario that allows me to express my Catholic faith, share the Church’s beliefs, and express what it means to be a Christian,” Stratton wrote in his application for consideration for the Saint Theodora Award. “When answering these questions, giving advice and guidance, it is then that I hope I am helping form Christian leaders in body, mind and spirit.
“As the art teacher, I believe that many of the students must think I am not a ‘conformist,’ that I must be ‘on their side’ when their opinions are not totally in synch with the Church. They are surprised. They are wrong. I try exceptionally hard to instill in them what the Church desires and what is truly right and just, and to be genuine and honest with them. I also try to lead by example. I pass no judgment. I do not preach. I am honored they actually asked and listened. And they do listen.”
Stratton believes that listening to his students is the best gift he gives them.
“We have great parents, we have a great school system, but the thing I see is that the kids really need someone to talk to,” he says. “I try to provide that every day. I’ve got a lot of interests. If you want to talk about fishing, I have some knowledge. If you want to talk about sewing a dress, I can do that. I try to find a connecting element with every single kid and try to use that in talking to them.
“I think that means a lot to them. Teenagers are coming into their own. They’re trying to find new ways. They’re trying to be themselves. I think you have to have respect for who they are. I don’t say you have to agree with them, but you have to respect them. By respecting them—and I really do, I really listen to them—I think that just comes back to you. They just need someone to listen to them.”
At 63, Stratton plans to keep listening, keep teaching, keep connecting.
“I’m not thinking about retiring,” he says as he sits in the art room. “I have a great family. I have a lot of activities. But I can’t fathom my life without teaching or without the kids. This is who I am. The biggest part of me is the teacher part of me. I’ll go until I can’t go anymore.”
Moments later, long after the last class of the day has ended, two students enter the art room, just wanting to hang out there—a place where they feel welcomed, where they feel they belong. Stratton is here for them. †
