Saint Peter-Marian High School

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Saint Peter-Marian High School

...Through These Doors Walk The Greatest
Established	1976
School type	Private
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Head of school	Matthew Sturgis
Location	Worcester, MA, USA
Campus	Urban residential
Enrollment	1,000 total
Faculty	63
Average SAT scores (2003)	537 verbal 523 math
Athletics	50 sports
Color(s)	Purple and White
Mascot	Guardians

Saint Peter-Marian Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School, or SPM, is a private, coeducational Catholic school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is part of the Diocese of Worcester and is accredited by the The New England Association of Schools & Colleges.

Saint Peter-Marian has a college preparatory program for approximately one thousand students in grades seven through twelve. For the Class of 2006, 93% of the graduates planned to attend four-year colleges, while the remaining 7% planned on enrolling in two-year colleges or preparatory schools.

1 Mission
2 Campus and Location
3 History
4 Administration and Faculty
5 Academics
6 Athletics
7 Student Activities
8 College Placement
9 Notable Alumni
10 External links

[edit] Mission

The mission is "to provide each student at Saint Peter-Marian with a quality, value-centered education in the Roman Catholic tradition".

[edit] Campus and Location

Saint Peter-Marian is located at 781 Grove St, Worcester, Massachusetts. It is in zip code 01605. The campus is situated upon a hill in a residential neighborhood. It is less than one mile to the town of Holden, Massachusetts. There is one main building with an annex that houses the senior high school, while another building is home to the junior high school. The campus contains a football field, a baseball field, a softball field, and a soccer field. The parking lot can hold several hundred cars.

[edit] History

The name Saint Peter-Marian comes from the two schools that formed it: Saint Peter's High School and Marian High School. There are four dates on the SPM seal. The year 1921 refers to the year in which Saint Peter's High School was established, on Main Street. St Peter's was a coeducational parish school operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The building is now occupied by St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School. The year 1963 refers to the year in which Marian High School was built, an all-female school which was located on the present-day site of Saint Peter-Marian. Marian High School had a freshman class of 97 young women; the school was operated by the Sisters of Mercy. The year 1976 refers to the merging of St. Peter's High School and Marian High School to form Saint Peter-Marian High School. The year 1989 refers to the time at which the junior high school was implemented.

In 2003 the campus was expanded through the purchase of a nearby nursing home, which was extensively renovated and now serves as the building for the junior high school.

[edit] Administration and Faculty

As of June 2006, the superintendent of the Diocese of Worcester is Stephen Perla. The current headmaster is Matthew Sturgis. The senior high principal is Patricia Aubertine. The assistant principal is John Pace. The junior high principal is Joanne Ethier. The dean of students is John Bierden.

There are well over 50 teachers at Saint Peter-Marian. Computer science teacher Daniel Forhan was chosen in 2005 as one of 10 teachers in America to be part of Microsoft's MSDN Academic Alliance.

[edit] Academics

Saint Peter-Marian has high academic standards for its students. All students are required to have 24 credits in order to graduate. This typically involves 4 years of religion, 4 years of mathematics, 4 years of English, 2-3 years of foreign language, 3-4 years of history and social studies, a half year of computer studies, and an elective course.

Classes at Saint Peter-Marian are divided into 5 levels. Advanced Placement courses are the highest, designated by Level 0 or AP. Honors classes are designated by Level 1. Accelerated college preparatory classes are Level 2. College preparatory classes fall into Level 3. College standard classes are designated as Level 4. Class ranks are calculated based on the cumulative grades in each course and the level of each course, with upper level classes being weighted the most.

The five core academic subjects in the curriculum are English, social studies, mathematics, science, and religion. Students can also take classes in foreign language, health, computer science, art, music, theatre, and business. Currently, students may study Spanish, French, and introductory Italian for foreign languages.

The school generally offers about a dozen Advanced Placement courses each year. In the past, around 80 students have participated in the AP program each year, with a pass rate of 85%. The national AP pass rate is just under 60%.

Advanced Art is offered for senior high students that have completed the prerequisite Art I.

Additionally, the school is a member of Virtual High School, a non-profit organization whereby students can take over 200 courses in a wide variety of subjects via the Internet. This program was introduced in 2004 and almost 50 students have participated annually since then.

[edit] Athletics

SPM has long had a solid tradition of both boys and girls athletics. The school has approximately 50 boys and girls sports teams that participate on the varsity, junior varsity, freshman, and junior high level. Saint Peter-Marian athletic teams generally compete at the Division 1 or Division 1A level and the school is a member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The annual Thanksgiving football game against St. John High School of Shrewsbury is one of the school's most anticipated events. It is held at Fitton Field at the College of the Holy Cross, and is one of the oldest Catholic school rivalries in America.

Boys at Saint Peter-Marian participate in the following sports: Cross country, soccer, golf, football, basketball, indoor track, skiing, ice hockey, baseball, track & field, tennis, and lacrosse. Girls can participate in cross country, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, football cheerleading, swimming and diving, basketball, hockey cheerleading, basketball cheerleading, indoor track, skiing, tennis, softball, track & field, golf, and lacrosse.

In 2006, the Girls Cheerleading team won their first Regional Championship. In 2006 the Boys Tennis team competed in the state semi-finals. The Boys Baseball team has one of the strongest reputations in Central Massachusetts, having advanced to district play for 15 straight years. In 2004 the team went to the state finals.

Saint Peter-Marian is one of the few schools in Central Massachusetts to have alumni compete in several professional sports leagues. SPM alumni have played in and continue to play in the NFL, NHL, and MLB.

[edit] Student Activities

Saint Peter-Marian sponsors a large number of student organizations, clubs, and activities. These are some of the activities students at SPM participate in: Film Club, National Jr. Honor Society, Guardian Globe, National Honor Society, Class Officers, Future Teachers of America, Best Buddies, Declamation Club (Junior High), Linus Club (Junior High), Junior High Speech Club, Mustard Seed, Campus Minister Team, Liturgical Choir, Eucharistic Ministers, SADD Jr. High, Habitat for Humanity, SADD Sr. High, Literary Magazine, Math Team, Computer Club, Retreat Team, Scrapbook Club, Yearbook (Junior and Senior High), Student Council, Art Club (Junior and Senior High), Peer Educators, Drama (Junior and Senior High), Musicians' Club, Mock Trial Team, Chorus (Junior and Senior High), Guardians for Life, French Club, Serviam Club (Junior High), Ski Club (Junior High), Science Club (Junior High), Liturgical Choir, and Math Club (Junior High).

Campus ministry is in charge of student spiritual programs at SPM, including Masses and charity events.

Each year the drama program puts on a theatre production, one each for the junior and senior high school. Recent senior high school productions include Beauty and the Beast, Into the Woods, and Godspell.

In 2003, the Best Buddies International program of Saint Peter-Marian was awarded a plaque for the best high school program in America. In 2006, the SPM Mock Trial team competed in the district finals.

Art Club was founded in 2003 under the guidance of art teacher Mary Dewey. The Art club was designed to create a safe environment for student artists to create, discuss, and live for art.

[edit] College Placement

Saint Peter-Marian offers a full college preparatory program. For the Class of 2006, 93% of the graduates planned on attending four-year colleges, while the remaining 7% planned on enrolling in two-year colleges or preparatory schools.

SPM offers a college guidance program for all students in grades seven through twelve. Beginning in grade eleven, students meet with college counselors to make plans for education after high school.

Some of the prestigious colleges that graduates of the Class of 2006 enrolled in are: Amherst College, United States Naval Academy, Boston College, Tufts University, Massachusetts College of Art, College of the Holy Cross, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Fordham University, Hofstra University,University Of Rochester, Providence College and Boston University. Graduates within the past five years have also attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, The George Washington University, Fairfield University, United States Military Academy, and Berklee College of Music.