Dear Fr. Sam Brand,

Welcome back to high school. Ten years ago you roamed the halls of Carroll: 400 hall, Notre Dame hall, squeeze hall, etc. We’re excited to welcome you back into the halls amongst the sea of plaid skirts and ties, but instead of sporting the stylish parker polo and khakis, you’ll be seen as the man in black with a collar – quite the honor.

As you know, a Catholic education is such a blessing. Having a priest in the halls and in the classroom is something very valued. All of us Carroll students are so grateful to have you coming. We look forward to seeing your smile in the hallways, listening to your homilies, and getting to know you.

A lot of the staff here is excited to have you back within the Carroll walls. Some of them you were in the same class with, and some taught you. The students are hoping this will lead to friendly pranks (especially on Josh Mans and Ryan Biedron). Also, the word in the hallway is that back in high school you never missed a Carroll football game… ever. Now you will lead us all in prayer before all the home games.

A couple things have changed in the past 10 years… Uniform bow ties have been approved. We were donated a new monstrance. Finally, the biggest one of them all, the carpeted hallways have been replaced with tile.

Some things haven’t changed… The student section’s spirit is still the best in the state. “Humble Thy Self” after communion will still give you goose bumps. Laubhan’s favorite word is, and always will be, “veto.” The classrooms with windows are a rarity, so don’t plan on knowing the weather throughout the day. And be sure to spit out your gum — Mrs. Brenner is still around.

Now, not to pressure you, but you have some big shoes to fill. Father Ben Sawyer had a fake tooth. Father Ben Green had quite the beard. Since your name isn’t Father Ben, we hope you to have some other quirky thing to add to the tradition.

More to Come,

Bishop Carroll Student Body