Mr. Mark DeLaRosa

Cardinal Gibbons High School, Raleigh

The Lewis Award Committee is pleased to announce that Mr. Mark DeLaRosa has been selected as the 2016-2017 Recipient of the Monsignor Gerald Lawrence Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mr. DeLaRosa, a Master Catechist, teaches Ninth and Tenth Grade Theology at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh. He is in his 15th year of teaching with the last twelve years at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

Mr. DeLaRosa feels that teachers striving for excellence in Catholic schools should recognize

“that our efforts have ultimate purpose: the building of the Kingdom of God! This means that each day can be a source of blessing for our students and ourselves. We are part of God’s saving work. This means responsibility but it also means blessing! Be courageous and know that what we do is part of the ministry of the Church. Embrace it!”

In the Award nomination letter for Mr. DeLaRosa, Mr. Jason Curtis, Principal of Cardinal Gibbons wrote:

“Mark is a passionate educator, who furthers our school’s mission as an outstanding Theology teacher, and also as a club moderator, mentor and leader on campus. … I’m always inspired by the remarkable classroom that Mark has been able to create for teenagers: a space where they know they will be encouraged, supported, challenged, and most of all, loved. … I have always found that Mark is not only educating in the classroom — his impact on students’ formation extends far past the traditional ‘academic’ setting. … He is fully committed to leadership of the spiritual life of our school community. … There are pages more that could be written about Mark: how every time I attend a Confirmation I find he is once again serving as a sponsor, how he is always the first person to visit a colleague or student’s family member in the hospital or to provide support and prayers to them, and how he gently inspires colleagues to be better teachers by finding ways for them to be the best version of themselves.”

Beyond the classroom, Mr. DeLaRosa is very involved in school, parish and community. His activities include being a Holocaust Educator Network Fellow, a Holocaust Seminar facilitator, an Oblate of St. John’s Benedictine Abbey, a member of the Knights of Columbus, an Adult Education presenter for scripture courses, faculty mentor, a coordinator of the Ugandan Student Lunch program through Cardinal Gibbons, and a volunteer for Special Olympics.

Mr. DeLaRosa received a Bachelor of Arts from St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, and a Master of Theological Studies from Duke University.

The Lewis Award will be presented to Mr. DeLaRosa at a special Liturgy on April 5 at Cardinal Gibbons High School.