"A Year or Two… or Thirty-Four"

How a reluctant move to Southern California became a calling-and a legacy-for a beloved Maranatha educator

When she first saw the job posting, she almost skipped it. With a fresh M.A. in Christian Education, she was sifting church roles on an old-school Christian job board called Inter-Cristo. A position at a high school in a town she'd never heard of-Sierra Madre-didn't fit her plan. Besides, Southern California was the one place she'd vowed never to live.

But curiosity won. She drove down for an interview that "lasted all day," complete with lunch at The Only Place in Town, and walked the halls of a humble elementary-school-turned-campus that was nothing like she expected. Something stirred. "Even with other offers on the table," she remembers, "I knew this was where God wanted me-at least for a year or two." 

"Little did I know those 1 or 2 years would turn into 34! God knew this was exactly where He wanted me to be."

Across those decades, she taught visual arts and lived discipleship in the everyday-helping students discover that creativity is not a niche talent but a reflection of the Creator. She laughs about the day her first AP class introduced her to In-N-Out during a Saturday work session ("life-changing!"), and the year she opened her home to a Maranatha student from Germany. She's traveled with students to Europe more than once, gathered around countless surprise birthday cakes, and celebrated former students' weddings and baby showers-grieving with them at times, too.

"Teaching isn't a 'check the box' job. It's an opportunity to walk alongside students as they grow."

The school's story-and hers-has included valleys as well as mountaintops. In the years between leaving Sierra Madre and arriving at today's campus, uncertainty loomed large. She was offered a seemingly safer job elsewhere. She stayed. "I knew God was still at work in our community," she says. "We came out different than we had been, but with a new future."

Ask what she's most grateful for and she'll point to people: a friend group of "long haulers" who welcomed her in as the youngest among them and remain like family; colleagues she calls "the best possible faculty and staff"; and generations of students whose journeys she's been privileged to witness-from tentative first sketches to confident portfolios, from youthful questions to resilient faith.

"To be an example of both faith and craft, it has to be genuine. Students can tell."

Today, she sees the children of former students walking the same halls. The years feel like a blink. What remains constant is the ministry: knowing students beyond the surface, caring about their spiritual, emotional, and academic growth, and trusting that God is at work even when teachers don't get to see the ending.

Her message to Maranatha families is simple and sincere: "Thank you for entrusting your wonderful students to us each day. Watching them discover gifts, wrestle with challenges, and eventually spread their wings has been one of the greatest joys of my life. God is at work in these young lives." 

Faith, Stage, and Purpose

Marco "Mark" Rodriguez '72 found his calling where faith met creativity.

When Marco Rodriguez looks back on his Maranatha years, one word rises above the rest: gratitude.

Growing up in a family of modest means, Marco longed to continue the kind of faith-centered education he'd known since childhood. "It was an answer to prayer," he recalls, "when Mr. Jack Green, Maranatha's principal at the time, made it possible for me to attend."

In 1968, he joined a small but spirited student body at the young Maranatha High School campus in Rosemead. The close-knit community and dedicated teachers made an impression that would last a lifetime. "Maranatha's family environment encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and explore talents that might never have developed in a large public school," he says.

One teacher in particular, Mr. Chuck Stearns, Maranatha's first drama instructor, sparked a lifelong passion for the arts. "He awakened my love for theater and acting as a way of expressing myself," Marco shares. "He helped us develop confidence, creativity, teamwork, empathy, and sensitivity toward others-values that seem so needed in today's world."

That early inspiration set the stage-literally-for Marco's future. After graduation, he pursued a professional acting career, drawing on the perseverance and faith that had been nurtured at Maranatha. "The school reminded me that we're connected to something higher," he says. "It gave me a solid foundation for the challenges and joys that followed."

To today's students, Marco offers this encouragement, anchored in Hebrews 11:1: 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'

"Believe that it's possible," he says, "and God will do the rest. There's a tremendous spiritual force working behind the scenes in your life. Trust it. God wants the best for you and is ready to open the doors for your God-given talents."

From the Dugout to the Dean's Office

How Aaron Holbert found purpose, calling, and community at Maranatha

Aaron Holbert didn't set out to work in a high school. After 30 years in professional baseball, he expected his next step would still be in the game. But when the Yankees did not tender him a contract following the 2019 season, a series of doors started closing in unexpected ways. A conversation with the Cincinnati Reds seemed promising, then suddenly disappeared. "Hurt, confused, and beginning to stress," Aaron reached out to everyone he knew in baseball, but nothing opened.

That's when an old connection led him to Pasadena, and to a meeting that would change his life. Hoping to do lessons at a local hitting facility while he figured out what was next, Aaron met with Matt Shupper. Before the meeting ended, Shupper made a different offer: come help our guys get better at Maranatha. Aaron's next chapter wasn't in a clubhouse. It was on a campus.

One of his clearest early memories is the moment the job became real. "My fondest memory is sitting in the Academic Center quad and meeting with Mr. Newkirk before being hired," he says. "We spoke of my past, my desires, goals, and potential future here at Maranatha. I felt appreciated and respected… that I could make a difference within the baseball program and the entire community."

And that impact widened quickly. When Aaron became Dean of Students, he realized the reach of his calling had expanded far beyond a roster. In baseball, influence might be limited to a few dozen players and staff. At Maranatha, he was now serving "over 550 students" and "80+ faculty and staff members," with daily opportunities to shape lives through mentoring, accountability, and care.

Aaron also saw God's hand in the timing. After leaving pro ball, he prayed, "Lord, Your will be done. Show me what's next. I give it all to You." Looking back, he believes God answered again and again, meeting him right where he needed to be. "Each time I say, 'show me what's next', Maranatha seems to be the answer," he shares.

One relationship, in particular, captures why. Early on, Aaron began working with a freshman baseball player who was struggling and lacked confidence. What started as weekly training became a steady rhythm of encouragement and growth, eventually five days a week. Over time, the bond extended beyond the field to the student's family. "He basically became my surrogate son and I his surrogate father," Aaron says. Today, that young man is a sophomore at USC, and the relationship remains strong. "Maranatha opened that door for me," he reflects, "and the Lord saw fit to make our relationship what it is today."

For Aaron, Maranatha has become more than a workplace. It's a place of purpose. Between the baseball field, the Dean's office, his role as PE Department Chair, and the relationships built with families across the community, he sees his work as a chance to lift up students and help them thrive. "This community has allowed me to thrive and share my gifts in the hope of inspiring and positively lifting up our young people."

As we celebrate 60 years of God's faithfulness, Aaron points students and families back to the steady foundation that carried him through his own uncertainty:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Worthy of Trust

A parent's confidence, a board member's conviction, and the people who shaped a generation at Maranatha

When Steve Quatro and his wife, Tina, were deciding where to send their three children, Krista '94, David '96, and Katie '98, to school, one question rose above academics, facilities, or reputation. Who would be shaping their children day after day?

"As parents, we required our kids to respect and obey their teachers and coaches," Steve says. "So we wanted to make sure their teachers and coaches were worth obeying and respecting."

At Maranatha, that confidence came easily. Every teacher and coach their children encountered was someone Steve and Tina could wholeheartedly stand behind. Respect was expected, but it was never blind. If a child felt something was unfair, they were encouraged to approach the teacher or coach respectfully and work through it. That balance of authority, accountability, and dialogue left a lasting mark.

"By God's grace, our kids have grown into responsible adults," Steve reflects. "And Maranatha's teachers and coaches played a huge role in that process."

That same trust carried Steve into a deeper level of service when he joined the Maranatha Board of Directors during the 1990s, while his children were still students. From that vantage point, he saw the school from a different angle. The decisions were weightier. The responsibility broader. And the challenges, at times, deeply personal.

"As with any organization serving hundreds of families and faculty, there were difficult situations," he recalls. "Some kept us on our knees in prayer."

Alongside those moments were complex conversations about budgets, facilities, and long-term vision. Not every issue came with easy answers, and not every discussion ended in unanimous agreement. Yet through it all, Steve never questioned the heart behind the work.

"Though we didn't always agree on specific issues, I never doubted the motivation of other board members or the administration," he says. "Everyone wanted the best for all the constituents of Maranatha."

What stands out most, years later, is not a single decision or milestone, but the spirit of unity that carried the school forward. Many of the board members Steve served with became close friends, bound by shared prayer, trust, and a commitment to steward the school faithfully.

Today, as Maranatha celebrates 60 years of God's faithfulness and honors alumni like his daughter, 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Katie Quatro '98, Steve's reflections remind us that schools are ultimately shaped by people. By educators worthy of trust. By leaders who pray before they decide. And by a community united around what matters most.

"Thank you, Maranatha," Steve says simply. It's a sentiment echoed by generations who have been shaped by the same steady foundation.