By Eileen Symmons
When it comes time to select a high school, students and their parents know what their priorities are in choosing the right school—and Saint Mary’s High School knows what is important to them, too. “The St. Mary’s High School community is a second home to my family,” stated Mary Vaccaro, an alumna and parent of a St. Mary’s High School student in the Class of 2016 and a St. Mary’s 8th-grader who plans on enrolling as a member of the Class of 2020. “As an alum, a parent and a prospective parent, I know my children are getting a well-rounded education. It gives me great pride to know that my children will be prepared for the ever changing, diverse and difficult world ahead.”
At St. Mary’s, students’ lives are shaped through spiritual and moral development rooted in the Catholic faith while unparalleled academics and extracurricular activities present real world experience and the tools for higher learning. Vaccaro noted that she has found at St. Mary’s that “the educators provide a challenging academic experience while preparing the students for their next level of education.” St. Mary’s maintains high academic standards, offering a rigorous curriculum of Regents, Honors and Advanced Placement classes through an inspiring faculty and innovative technology in the classroom. According to Principal Jonathan Kramer, St. Mary’s has stricter Honors requirements than any Catholic high school in the area and 40 percent of St. Mary’s students are consistently on the honor roll. The school’s ongoing dedication to an intensive, student-centered curriculum continually yields impressive testing numbers including the doubling of AP scores, over the last five years. St. Mary’s graduates from the past year were admitted to top-ranked colleges and universities across the country, including Cornell, MIT, Duke, Columbia and Princeton, and earned over $12 million in academic scholarships.
At St. Mary’s, an emphasis on spiritual values connects real life experience to Gospel values within the curriculum and externally by leadership opportunities and service to others. As a St. Mary’s parent, “it gives me a sense of comfort to know that my children are learning about our Catholic faith in an environment that promotes their spiritual growth,” stated Vaccaro.
St. Mary’s also believes that the Fine and Performing Arts Program matters. By empowering inspiration to its students whether in art, orchestra, chorus, or performing on stage, the program changes lives and shows students new perspectives.
Teamwork is a collaborative effort on and off the field at St. Mary’s. With 63 state and league titles and opportunities for Freshmen, Junior Varsity, and Varsity teams, all students can participate in competitive athletics and learn the value of good sportsmanship.
“The school community supports the ‘whole’ child by constantly and consistently encouraging the students both in the classroom as well as on the athletic field,” Vaccaro remarked. Knowing that an improved physical environment can boost a student’s ability and desire to learn, St. Mary’s made enhancements to its campus in both Marist and Immaculata Halls this past summer that included renovated classrooms and bathrooms, a completely refurbished gym floor and picnic tables on the veranda to provide students with outdoor dining privileges.
Kramer remarked, “I couldn’t be more proud of the hard work of the faculty and students of St. Mary’s High School.” The spectacular academic results that are achieved each year, he noted, make being a part of St. Mary’s a rewarding experience.
The Schools of St. Mary serve students in Nursery through Grade 12. Please join them for their Open House on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Presentations will be at 2 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 516-627-2611 or visit www.inspiredthinkers.org.
