November 10, 2006

Southside gem still shines after 75 years

by Barbara Watkins, Review Staff Writer

St. Mary’s High School is proudly proclaiming "75 on the South Side," 75 years of providing quality Catholic education to young men in a secondary school that is both archdiocesan and Marianist.

More than 12,000 students have graduated from St. Mary’s over the years. The current student body of 434 comes from 31 elementary schools. Many students are the sons, grandsons, brothers or nephews of St. Mary’s alumni.

The school is proud of its long history of excellence in academics, athletics and the arts, according to principal Kevin Hacker.

"It’s the tradition, our student body, alumni and parents, which earns St. Mary’s the title, ‘The Crown Jewel of South St. Louis,’" Hacker said.

The school opened in 1931 as South Side Catholic High School, on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Orphanage on South Grand Boulevard. For the first two years, the school was staffed by Christian Brothers.

In 1933 the Christian Brothers were replaced by members of the Society of Mary, beginning a long relationship with St. Mary’s that continues to this day. St. Mary’s is one of three local schools — with Chaminade College Preparatory School and St. John Vianney High School — that have Marianist connections.

St. Mary’s proudly proclaims that it offers a Marianist eduction — an integral, quality education for formation in faith and in family spirit, for service, justice and peace and for adaptation and change.

In 1933 South Side Catholic had 10 Brothers of Mary teaching 275 students. Through its early years the school grew steadily, reaching its peak of 1,100 students in 1946.

The school name was changed to St. Mary’s High School in 1947. The current 38-member faculty, which includes two religious, provides a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1.

St. Mary’s current building at 4701 S. Grand Blvd. was opened in 1964, adjacent to the original site on the orphanage grounds. In 1967 a new wing was added.

In 1998 the school obtained St. Joseph’s Chapel from Catholic Charities. The chapel, a freestanding building that had been used by the orphanage next door, is used for both school and alumni liturgies.

A new athletic complex was built in the late 1980s that included a turf soccer/football field and six-lane, all-weather track. After fire destroyed the recently renovated school gym in 1993, it was replaced by the Archbishop John L. May Athletic Complex, a larger facility that includes a mezzanine with batting cage, state-of-the-art wooden floor, basketball court and two weight rooms.

St. Mary’s High School has three floors. The third floor, originally designed as living quarters for the Marianists, was renovated in 2000 into a Fine Arts wing that includes a band room and two art classrooms.

In recent years St. Mary’s has acquired the building and 4.5 acres next door that formerly was St. Joseph’s Home for Boys. Plans for this property include both academic and athletic improvements.

The first classes at South Side Catholic were held in small wooden structures on the orphanage property.

Today St. Mary’s is a wireless campus with laptop computers throughout the school. As St. Mary’s changed and grew over the years, it maintained its focus on offering a quality, affordable Catholic education.

"One of the main reasons I decided to attend St. Mary’s is because it was kind of a tradition," said senior Adam Reckamp. "My dad’s entire side of the family attended St. Mary’s, and I didn’t want to let the tradition end. I also wanted to attend St. Mary’s because of the small size and the close-knit family environment."

Mark Stuckel, a junior, agreed. He explained, "I like the size of St. Mary’s because it’s easy to get to know everyone, and it’s easy to meet people."

St. Mary’s has many alumni, including five who are on faculty or coaching staff. One of those is Marianist Father Richard O’Shaughnessy, a member of the South Side Catholic class of 1936. The 386-member alumni association holds numerous fund-raisers to help provide financial support. The parents association is also very active.

"We are very fortunate to have active alumni and parents associations," said Hacker. "Both of these groups are instrumental in major fund-raising activities, which allows St. Mary’s to offer a very affordable tuition, along with scholarships available for siblings who enter the school."

St. Mary’s will use about 10 percent of its budget this year to provide almost $300,000 in financial aid, thanks to generous assistance from alumni and other supporters, Hacker said.

St. Mary’s serves students with a wide range of academic levels, from honors courses in all grade levels to a full-time learning consultant and three counselors. It offers many advanced college courses for upper-grade students, along with some online college credit opportunities.

Along with such traditional high school classes as American literature, chemistry and foreign languages, St. Mary’s offers courses in sports and entertainment management, film-making and journalism. There are four computer labs, and courses offered in web design and multimedia, as well as a college credit course in advanced technology.

St. Mary’s Dragons, the school’s sports teams, have earned district, sectional and state titles in soccer, baseball, basketball, football and track. Last spring the varsity volleyball team won the state championship.

The school is equally proud of its fine arts department, including concert and marching bands and a jazz band.

The Drama Troupe, the school’s theater program, is preparing for its production of "Arsenic and Old Lace," to be performed in late November and early December.

Unique to St. Mary’s is Nathaniel’s Journey, a ninth-grade initiative to help freshmen in their transition to high school. The program includes small religion classes, along with faculty, students and alumni mentoring and involvement in service activities. The program seeks to provide continuity and support for the students academically, socially and spiritually.

"St. Mary’s also offers some unique clubs," said Joe Parisi, school advancement director. "We have an equestrian club, paint ball club, a ping-pong club, a chess club. The clubs were started based on student interest. As times change we have to change and offer clubs that interest young men in this millennium. We want to offer something to support all the students’ interests. Not every student is an athlete, but it is important to have something for everyone to participate in."

All St. Mary’s students are required to perform service hours outside of school, and many work in elementary schools, do private tutoring, or serve at various charities around town as part of their service hours, Parisi said.

St. Mary’s will host its annual dinner auction Saturday, Nov. 11, in its Archbishop May Athletic Complex, a major fund-raiser that helps support the school’s service to young men.