April 2024

• Two StM Seniors Recognized at Allstate Sugar Bowl Awards Luncheon (Read More)
• Science Olympiad Team Earns 2nd Place in State Competition (Read more)
• Students Shine at State Rally, including Three First Place Scores (Read more)
• Senior Patrick “Jophie” LaForge recognized as A+ Athlete (Watch)

Earlier this month, alumnus and parent Bobby Quintal, class of 2006, had the rare opportunity to be a part of a development project that created a new hotel from the ground up, along historic St. Charles Avenue - The Hotel Henrietta. He reflects on the classes, teachers, and service-learning philosophy at St. Martin’s that helped lead him into this industry, and the importance of hospitality to the greater community.

How did your StM education help prepare you for the path you took after high school?

From very early on, St. Martin’s gives its students a balance of freedom and accountability. We were treated almost as peers by the teachers and coaches, who taught us to think outside the box, ask challenging questions, and challenge the status quo in a way that led to a larger learning experience. I feel that, especially when you get into college and start to focus on your career path, you need to have that type of working relationship with your professors, and I was able to gain that confidence from my time at St. Martin’s. As students, we were able to have an open dialogue with the faculty, and that was critically important to my success in college.

I chose Cornell because I really wanted to go into the Hotel School, which attracted me because making other people happy had always made me happy. Being in service to others and developing service leadership skills is what I gravitated towards in high school. I really enjoyed being involved in Student Council and other campus activities because, in my mind, I was doing my part to help St. Martin’s be the best that it could be. 

Helping others gave me perpetual fulfillment, so that’s what really led me down my career path. On the flip side, the classes that I excelled at in school, like geometry and physics, gave me those technical skills that I use day-to-day in my career. Being able to walk into a space and calculate the square footage fairly quickly is important, but I think even more important were those “softer skills” that I developed at St. Martin’s. I credit my ability to communicate and write clearly to my English classes. My papers may have gotten torn up with corrections in high school, but that helped me learn how to handle feedback. I learned how to have a tough conversation with my teachers, in a respectful and professional manner, and ultimately those corrections helped me become a stronger writer and communicator.

Why did you choose StM for your kids?

To me, what separates St. Martin’s from other schools is the sense of values that the school instills as an overarching theme across the learning experience. The mission of St. Martin’s and what it strives to bring to the table outside of the classroom was critical to my decision for where I would send my children. I want my kids to have the best opportunity to become the type of individual they want to become, and I know StM emphasizes a strong sense of character, integrity, and values from a very young age. 

I feel that a lot of what makes our school unique is how we embrace teaching religion and the values that come from that. Our students go to school with kids from a variety of faith backgrounds, and StM takes those values that spread across all beliefs and ties those into the curriculum. St. Martin’s provides the foundation that I think is critical to developing children and students into people of strong character.

Talk about what you're doing now with your two businesses, Porch Swing Hospitality and Sandstone Development.  At Cornell, I majored in Hotel Administration, with a concentration on food and beverage. After college, I joined the Union Square Hospitality Group in New York, where I was a project manager, which basically meant that wherever there was a need, I went. I found myself managing concessions for the NY Mets. I was 22 working at a baseball stadium…it was a dream job! I also got to oversee the construction at a new restaurant and that led me to gravitate towards the development side of things. I eventually wound up overseeing all business development for the entire company and was working on new projects across the country. 

When I moved back to New Orleans, I started Porch Swing Hospitality with my business partner, who is still based in the Northeast. We are a consultancy that supports businesses in the hospitality realm that are on the cusp of growth who need professional guidance to achieve that growth. Through this work, I also got connected with a local hotel operating and development company, Sandstone Hospitality. 

What’s so interesting about working in this realm in New Orleans is that hospitality projects, like a new hotel, for example, have so much more of an impact on the community than they do elsewhere. We make sure that everything that’s good for one of our properties is ultimately good for the neighborhood nearby. The work we did with the renovation of The Columns Hotel really opened my eyes to that, and we truly considered the needs of the locals when opening Fives in the French Quarter. 

Obviously, tourism is so important to this city, but if you build something for the community, the tourists will come. It’s the locals who need to embrace a project for it to work. We believe that if we focus on being a good neighbor for our community, and respect the needs and opinions of our staff, business will come! We always ask ourselves how we can build something additive to the neighborhood and the community. We want to give our buildings a sense of place. This month, we opened Hotel Henrietta, which is a 40-room hotel on St. Charles Avenue. The chance to build a building from the ground up on St. Charles Avenue was incredibly powerful for me, as someone who grew up here. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

We invite you to share your career triumphs and milestones with us so that we can share them with the community here and on our social media channels. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook, or email alumni@stmsaints.com to submit your news. #AlwaysASaint

Mike Persia III ’71 has been named Beaumont’s King Neches LXXVI for the 76th annual Neches River Festival. Mike has served in various leadership roles and been an actively involved Knight of the Neches for over 35 years, and was honored during the festival’s parade and street party on Friday, April 12. 

O. Harry Mayronne, Jr. ’72, a professional Marionette artist/performer, presented “Perception of Puppets” during this month’s 10th annual New Orleans Giant Puppet Festival. He was also highlighted by Offbeat Magazine for his lengthy and creative career. 

Dr. Murtuza “Zee” Ali ’96, an interventional cardiologist, was recently named the Medical Director of the cardiovascular service line for University Medical Center New Orleans. 

Carl Baloney ’02 serves as Vice President of Public Affairs and Chief Policy Officer at AIDS United, and recently took part in AIDSWatch 2024, meeting with congressional leaders about national-level policies that will help end the HIV epidemic.

Dr. Jonathan Schoen ’03, who specializes in Surgical Critical Care, will become Medical Director of University Medical Center’s Burn Unit in July. 

Malorie Saucier ’20 is graduating (summa cum laude) in May from Spring Hill College and will begin teaching first grade in the fall.

Garrett DeViney ’23 was named president of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi at LSU, as a freshman.

Also, congratulations to the Saints who completed this year’s Boston Marathon, including James Rusch ’75, Mary F. Trufant ’81, and Drew Story ’82.

Please consider supporting the school by participating in Give NOLA Day between now and May 7, 2024. To donate, either click the button above, or mail your check to St. Martin’s at 225 Green Acres Road, Metairie, LA 70003. Thank you!

In our May newsletter, we will be welcoming the Class of 2024 into the Alumni Association. We welcome your well wishes to share with our newest alumni. Please email us with your reflections about what being a Saint has meant to you in your life and your career, and advice for the future. Click the button above to email our Alumni Office.

What are some of your favorite memories from your time at St. Martin’s?

Email our Alumni Office to share your memories and photos!

Student Government at StM

The first Student Council was formed in 1956 as a student governing organization. From its first decade, St. Martin’s  has been proud to involve students in matters that affect their school life. By participating, students feel more connected to their community. Today this continues in the form of the Upper School Student Government, and the Middle School Student Council.

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• Contribute to our Scattered Saints section in The Bell. Next issue coming out this summer!
• Donate to Annual Giving.
• Please submit your nominations for our Alumni and Community Awards.
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