Brother Mark Snodgrass, FSC (’80)

“My years at CBC were quite formative. I was challenged academically in many critical disciplines, including religion, education, and the sciences. CBC gave me the academic preparation to be an excellent science teacher and to qualify for a master’s program in religious education. That grounding in excellence also prepared me to step up in educational leadership after teaching for several years.”

Brother Mark Snodgrass entered the Christian Brothers in 1976 and took the Habit in August of 1980 — the same year he graduated from Christian Brothers College (now University). He entered the novitiate in August of 1985 and took his first vows the following year. In addition to his BA in Natural Science from CBC, Brother Mark earned an MA in Religious Education from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Brother Mark has served as a teacher of Chemistry, Life Science, and Physical Science at Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis; a teacher of Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physical Science at St. Mary High School in Paducah, Kentucky; and a teacher of Chemistry and Religion at Archbishop O’Hara High School in Kansas City. In addition to teaching, Brother Mark also moderated the Science Club, Lasallian Youth, and coached wrestling. In addition to his service as a teacher in the United States, Brother Mark also served as a teacher and administrator at Liceo La Salle in Chiquimula, Guatemala for four years.

Upon his return to the States, Brother Mark studied Computer Science at CBU for eight months before moving to Kansas City to be the technology director at St. Stephen Academy, a Catholic grade school with many Spanish-speaking families.  With Brothers James Krause and Alan Parham, he began an after-school tutoring program to assist bilingual students to be successful in school.

After three years with the Lasallian Tutors, Brother Mark was the Charter Principal of De La Salle at Blessed Sacrament in Memphis from 2000 to 2011. Brother Mark then served as the Assistant Provincial Visitor of the Midwest District, where he oversaw a number of administrative and personnel matters, as well as District retreats for the Brothers, from 2011 to 2015.

Brother Mark currently serves as Principal of San Miguel Middle School in Chicago. The school serves an at-risk population of middle-school students from Spanish-speaking homes. It was initially founded to reduce the high school dropout rate in the Back-of-the-Yards neighborhood in Chicago. It intervenes in the lives of the students at a critical time when they are at risk of joining gangs and struggling in school and provides encouragement, counseling, and academic interventions to restore their desire to learn and get back on track for high school, college, and career.

Critical to the success of CBU are the great teachers. My teachers took the time to get to know me and encourage me. That was true during my time as a student and is still true today. The Lasallian educators at CBU are second to none!