To the parents, friends, and especially current and future Prep students,

I welcome you to the Saint Peter’s Prep Community. There is a saying that we have at Saint Peter’s: “All roads lead to Prep.” This saying takes a literal meaning as students here commute from 117 different communities. My own journey at Prep started in 2011, and as it has continued to unfold, I can tell you it hasn’t been a straight line, but each step has been beautiful. 

From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew Prep was special. However, I can recall one particular moment when the community truly solidified itself in my heart. In the fall of 2012, I was accompanying Marauder Nation on a trip to Maryland to support Prep Football. Somewhere in Delaware, the charter bus we were on broke down. We, the teachers and students, ended up missing the game. But oddly enough, those hours we spent stranded, playing card games in the back of a McDonald’s, made me certain for the first time I belonged to the Prep Community. While we waited (and waited) for a new bus to arrive, I got to know the other teachers and students outside the classroom, in a challenging situation. 

Now, fourteen years later, those freshmen—now alumni!—who sat beside me for those ten hours still remind me of the memories and laughs we shared that day. If anything, my journey here at Prep has been a series of twists and turns, and I have learned to appreciate the moments and discoveries those twists reveal. 

I have taken various roles that include Biology Teacher, Assistant Chair of the Science Department, and since 2021, the Dean of Student Life. I am privileged to oversee the organization of the events that mark watershed memories at Prep. From planning out your first steps during freshman orientation to your last steps across the graduation stage, I hope to lend you a helping hand. If that means you want to explore your leadership, start a new club, or talk metal rock music (my personal favorite), I will provide you support in every way that I can. 

I hope to help make your journey at Saint Peter’s Prep some of the most memorable years of your life. You will try different clubs, sports, and classes. Some will surprise you. Others will challenge you in new and peculiar ways. In every step that you take, expected or unexpected, I like to think about the lessons that you learn here. Although your time here will eventually come to an end, all the roads that led you to Prep will continue to lead you across your extraordinary lives. 

Prep for Life,

Ms. Catherine Eppler
Dean of Student Life
EpplerC@spprep.org
201-547-2335