FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Jenifer Marr Rodriguez
St. Martin de Porres High School
847-244-6895 ext. 230
847-244-8237 fax
jmarr@smdpwaukegan.org
www.smdpwaukegan.org

George B. Rattin Named President of St. Martin de Porres High School
Waukegan, Illinois, March 4, 2009 — The Board of Trustees of St. Martin de Porres High School (SMdP) has named George B. Rattin, CFRE as the school’s new president. A resident of Lake County, Mr. Rattin is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, received his Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University and Certificate in Fund Raising Management from DePaul University. Mr. Rattin was chosen to lead the five-year old school after an open search for candidates and will assume office March 16. He becomes the third president in school history and follows Rev. Charles Bolser, C.S.V. who has served in that office since July 2005.

“George Rattin brings a strong long-term commitment to Catholic secondary education and equally strong experience in living that commitment through his successful work as a teacher and administrator in several roles in two Catholic secondary schools, said Dr. James Doppke, Chairman of the Board at St. Martin de Porres High School. “He is knowledgeable about the mission of St. Martin de Porres and excited about participating in its realization.”

Mr. Rattin, 42, has been employed in a number of roles in Catholic secondary education. He began his career in education at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois, as a teacher before becoming an administrator, serving as Director of Student Activities, Director of Enrollment and finally Vice President of Institutional Advancement over a 10-year period. He comes to SMdP from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Illinois, where he led fundraising efforts for seven years as the Director of Institutional Advancement. At both Notre Dame and Carmel, Mr. Rattin successfully launched and completed multi-million dollar capital campaigns.

“He has especially strong skills in strategic planning and institutional advancement,” Dr. Doppke said. “These areas of importance for SMdP and its future are areas in which he has already demonstrated his ability to be effective.”

Having spent a lifetime as the product and participant in the Catholic education system, Mr. Rattin welcomes the opportunity to advance the Cristo Rey movement in Lake County.
“I look forward to helping lead St. Martin de Porres High School down a path of continued growth and success,” Mr. Rattin said. “The best Catholic schools become so through a community effort, but are guided by a strong institutional leader. These leaders invite and welcome, ask and receive, listen and laugh and live the school’s mission. I have devoted my life to educating, serving and advancing the mission of Catholic secondary education and embrace this new responsibility in my professional life.”

The foundation on which Mr. Rattin will build was established by Fr. Bolser over the past four years. In August 2005, Fr. Bolser initiated a formal evaluation of facilities and program, ultimately underscoring the urgency of acquiring a permanent home for the St. Martin de Porres High School community. This case study provided the impetus for the high school to relocate in 2006 from the College of Lake County’s downtown Waukegan campus to the historic St. Joseph Parish site on S. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Waukegan. Larger facilities and more space has allowed for a yearly increase in student enrollment. In addition, Fr. Bolser launched a comprehensive five-year plan focusing on the future physical, academic and enrollment needs for the school, expanded the administration staff to accommodate the growing student population, spearheaded efforts to increase the quality of the services provides to its students and facilitated a renewed focus on all areas of comprehensive development.

“I am proud to have worked in this community these past few years,” said Fr. Bolser. “In the process, I have received much more than I have been able to give. It has been a great pleasure to work with and for such dedicated and faith-filled individuals.”

About St. Martin de Porres High School
A member of the national Cristo Rey Network, St Martin de Porres High School (SMdP) is a Catholic, coed, college preparatory school serving students primarily from Waukegan and North Chicago. The school is committed to academic excellence made affordable for young people of limited options through each student’s participation in the Hire4ED (Corporate Internship) Program. SMdP opened in the Fall of 2004 with over 100 students and 23 business partners. Today SMdP serves more than 215 students and enjoys partnerships with more than 55 business partners. A member of the Archdiocese of Chicago, SMdP became the first Catholic high school in Lake County to open in more than 40 years.