In room 107 of Mount Pisgah’s H building, Mr. Kelsh teaches Latin. While many of the room’s occupants are high school students, there is one other pupil who is there for every single class, Marshall the Skeleton. 

Marshall the Skeleton acts as a teaching assistant to Kelsh. 

“He acts as an unofficial guide for students,” he says. “He has guided us through many anatomy lessons and has graced this classroom for several years.” 

Junior Latin student, Jerusha Johnson, says, “Marshall has been in my life since I was 12 years old and he really makes Latin class exciting and interactive.”

Marshall hails from West Virginia and is a friend of Coach Messinger. 

Because Kelsh’s first year Latin students learn about anatomy, Messinger lent Marshall to help many years ago.

“Not only does he help learn about how Latin works, but also how the body works,” says Kelsh. 

Marshall found a home and a family in the latin room and has stayed there ever since. 

Over the years, Marshall has  slowly deteriorated.

“He’s a little insecure about his jaw,” said Kelsh. This is because on a normal day, if you were to walk into the classroom, you would see Marshall with a broken jaw, which explains why he is always wearing a hat.

Marshall currently wears a green hat with his name on it, a necklace made of Christmas lights, and a sign that reads “noli me tangere”. (translates to do not touch) The sign is a parallel to when Jesus was going up to heaven. People would try to see if he was real, and it is believed he said something along the lines of “Do not touch me, I am not of this world anymore”.

“Marshall isn’t exactly the same status (as Jesus), but it’s a good example because he has been the victim of many backpack swings,” said Kelsh.

So, next time you stop by the H building, be sure to say “salve” to the one and only Mr. Kelsh and Marshall the Skeleton.