| St. Thomas Aquinas High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 197 Dover Point Road Dover, New Hampshire, 03820 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Motto | Lux In Tenebris (Light in Darkness) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1960 |
| Founder | School Sisters of Notre Dame |
| Oversight | Diocese of Manchester |
| Principal | Kevin Collins |
| Faculty | 55 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 652 (2011-2012) |
| Average class size | 18 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14:1 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Navy and White |
| Athletics conference | NHIAA Division II (Ice hockey- Division I, Football- Division V) |
| Mascot | Saint Bernard |
| Team name | Saints |
| Accreditation(s) | New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1] |
| Average SAT scores | 565 (Reading) 556 (Math) 560 (Writing) |
| Publication | Reflections Magazine |
| Tuition | $10,100 |
| Alumni | 6,800 |
| Dean of Students | Gordon Quimby |
| Dean of Studies | Ronald Holtz |
| Admissions Director | Scott Rafferty |
| Athletic Director | Jack Leary |
| Asst. Athletic Director | Marc Schoff |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Nicole Minnis |
| Website | http://www.stalux.org |
St. Thomas Aquinas High School is a coeducational Catholic high school in Dover, New Hampshire, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. It has a student population of approximately 650, and a faculty of 55.
Contents |
In August 1959, His Excellency Matthew F. Brady, Bishop of Manchester, opened the fundraising drive for St. Thomas Aquinas High School. When Bishop Brady suddenly died, Cardinal Richard Cushing of Boston kept his last project alive. Cardinal Cushing greeted the new bishop, His Excellency Ernest J. Primeau, with the advice, "Go on with St. Thomas Aquinas."
The diocesan co-educational school opened in 1960 with a freshman class only. Serving seventeen parishes in southeastern New Hampshire, the school was staffed by two diocesan priests, seven School Sisters of Notre Dame and one layman. When STA graduated its class of 219 in 1964, the faculty had grown to six priests, twenty-one sisters (requiring a new convent) and four lay teachers.
By the late 1960s, enrollment topped nine hundred students, making St. Thomas a Class L power in athletics. A nationwide trend toward declining enrollments, combined with the higher cost of salaries as the number of teaching sisters fell, brought St. Thomas through a series of challenges throughout the 1970s.
Beginning in the mid-1980s through the 1990s St. Thomas showed a steady and dramatic increase in enrollment. During this period the school enhanced and expanded the academic and extracurricular programs available to students. The convent, named Notre Dame Hall, was converted to provide additional classroom space and to house the Guidance Department, which includes offices, a library, and a conference area. Today the school is at its maximum enrollment. Admission has become competitive and many classes have waiting lists.
The school's sports teams compete as the "Saints". Teams of note include football, soccer, swimming and diving, ice hockey, basketball, lacrosse, wrestling, tennis, track, alpine skiing, cross country, and baseball. In 2006-2007, the school's football team was crowned Division IV champions, and its girls' soccer team won the Class I championship. The girls' swimming team and girls' tennis team were state champions in 2008. Its girls' soccer team won the Class I championship again in 2009. The baseball team won a state championship in 2004, and were runners-up in 2009 and 2011. Also in 2009, the girls' ice hockey team won the Division I title. In 2010, the girls' tennis team repeated as champs. The tennis doubles pair of Julia Keenan and Anna Hayes were the doubles champs in 2011. Julia Keenan is the current three-time New Hampshire girls' tennis singles champion.
Overall, St. Thomas has won 23 state team championships in the last 13 years, along with dozens of individual titles.
Among St. Thomas' graduates are Ron Fortier, comic book and pulp writer best known for his work on The Green Hornet, and Brendan DuBois, author of numerous novels including Resurrection Day.
The mission of St. Thomas Aquinas High School is to transform the lives of our students through a rigorous Catholic education guided by the light of the Gospel... Offering them the opportunity to develop their unique gifts; Strengthening their personal faith and integrity; Fostering within them a commitment to justice, service, and moral leadership.
http://www.stalux.org/ftpimages/516/download/2011-12%20STA%20Profile_web.pdf