St. Mary High School (Lake Leelanau, Michigan)
| St. Mary of the Assumption School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
|
303 South Saint Mary's Street Lake Leelanau, Michigan, (Leelanau County), 49653 United States | |
| Coordinates | 44°58′49″N 85°42′49″W / 44.98028°N 85.71361°WCoordinates: 44°58′49″N 85°42′49″W / 44.98028°N 85.71361°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1887 |
| School board | Jackie Popp, president |
| Superintendent | Charles Taylor |
| Administrator | Fr. Michael Janowski |
| Principal | Megan Glynn |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Average class size | 17-18 |
| Color(s) | royal blue and white |
| Slogan | "Faith First" |
| Athletics | baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, softball plus co-op for football, soccer, track, and volleyball |
| Athletics conference | Cherryland Conference |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Publication | Eagles Wings |
| Newspaper | Scoop |
| Endowment | $750,000 and growing |
| Tuition |
$3,162 (parishioner) $5,824 (non-parishioner) |
| Website | http://www.stmarysll.org |
St. Mary School is a co-educational private, Roman Catholic high school in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.
School history
1887 – Mother Benedicta from Chicago Illinois, a cousin of the Schaubs, sent Fr. Bauer three of her most able Benedictine nuns to staff his new wooden school, which was painted white.
1888 – The Benedictine Sisters were replaced by three Dominican Sisters from Grand Rapids, Michigan. After the Catholic pupils transferred to St. Mary School from the public school, there was only one pupil remaining at the public school. An arrangement was quickly worked out to allow non-Catholics to attend St. Mary School too.
The Dominican sisters advertised their school as a day and boarding school, attracting students from miles away. The entire twelve grades were gradually added to the program and as time went on students from the surrounding areas of Leland, Suttons Bay, Gills Pier, and Glen Arbor attended this, the nearest high school.
1907 to 1921 – St. Mary’s did not have a graduating class. Apparently, the sisters did not have the credentials to teach advanced subjects. Also, they were not able to offer all the classes that the students needed to graduate from an approved high school. Students who wished to attend college transferred to St. Francis in Traverse City to complete their high school education.
1908 – An east wing was added to the wood school including two classrooms, a larger chapel, and a separate living space for the sisters whose previous living space had been classrooms by day.
1924 – The village of "Provemont" changed its name to "Lake Leelanau."
1925 - A stone convent was built on the site of the old church to give the sisters a private residence and supply more classroom space. (The current rectory and Parish offices.)
1925 – While the grounds were being cleaned up after the convent building project, the school grounds were improved with the addition of a baseball diamond and playground east of the school.
1938 - A "fire-proof" school building was built and dedicated, and the structure is now known as the "academic wing."
1948 – St. Mary School became strictly a parochial school (i.e. supported by a parish), when the U.S. government stopped supporting all parochial schools. The St. Mary Parish choose to become a private school, which meant students' families would now cover the costs of their children's education.
1970 - Through the Dominican community’s decision, the sisters withdrew from the high school. But it continued on with an all lay staff.
1970s – Improvements included lowered ceilings, fluorescent lighting, gas-fired boilers to replace the heating plant, smaller insulated windows to replace the old, larger, drafty windows. This helped save money during the nationwide energy crisis.
1982-1986 Sr. Lynn Tilson came to St. Mary to teach science and religion, and to coach girls’ basketball and girls’ softball. Since her departure, the school has had an all lay staff.
1993 - The rectory was sold and moved to another location in Lake Leelanau, providing off street parking for those attending services at St. Mary Church.
1993 - A generous donation from the Olson Family Foundation provided up-to-date computers used in computer classes, journalism class, and by other students for writing papers.
2003 – Ground was broken on a $1.5 million building campaign. Additions to the existing 1938 school building included a gymnasium, kitchen/cafeteria, administrative offices, more restrooms and a large lobby area complete with trophy cases.
2004 – A new computer lab was completed.
2005 - A state-of-the-art science lab replaced the 1938 lab.
2007 – Library remodeled and refurbished.
2009 – The Chapel was refurbished.
School today
The entire student body attends Holy Mass in the morning on Wednesday during the academic school year.
The school system includes grades preschool through grade 12. The students have a dress code, consisting of blue and white clothing for all grade levels. The 2006-07 academic year student body included 250 students.
In addition to the school itself, the property includes a former convent now used as offices, St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, a field stone gymnasium built in 1923 with stones brought by local farmers, a modern gymnasium opened in 2005. A soft ball diamond, (boys baseball is played across the lakes' narrows off of S. Lake Leelanau Drive.) As well as barbecue pits used in the annual St. Mary Homecoming and Chicken dinner fundraiser, held in the summer.
The school's weekly bulletin's current name, "Eagles Wings," was chosen in a contest won by former student Spencer Korson (Class of 1991) in 1991.
- A former student of note is Fred Petrosky, a graduate of the school in the 1970s. He was a vice president of National Geographic Magazine for part of the 1990s. His uncle is local artist Mr. Fred Petroskey, and his aunt Mrs. Mary Petroskey was a teacher at St. Mary School for more than 30 years. She finished her teaching career in grade 6.
- A writer in residence was Kathleen Stocking, an author of several books on the area including Letters from the Leelanau. She taught writing at the school from 1994-96.
- During the 1994-95 school year, Will Case-Daniels, a Suttons Bay artist, taught art at St. Mary to all grade levels of students.
St. Mary School committees
- School Advisory Council
- Athletic Committee
- Building & Site Committee
- Curriculum Committee
- Enrollment/Public Relations Committee
- Finance Council
-Funding Committees:
- Endowment Committee
- Guardian Angel Society Committee
- Grant Writing Committee
-Fund raising Committees:
- Golf-a-thon
- Golf Classic
- Key Campaign Car raffle
- School Auction
- St. Mary Parish Festival & Chicken Dinner
- Sweetheart Dinner
-Miscellaneous Committees:
- Library Committee
- Meals to Families Committee
- National Catholic Schools Week Committee
- Spiritual Emphasis Committee
- Performance PlusTalent Show Committee
- Teacher Appreciation Week Committee
Saint Mary School graduation requirements
Religion 4 years; English 4 years; Social Studies 4 years; Mathematics 3 years (unless attending the CTC program); Science 3 years (unless attending the CTC program); Health/Physical Education 1 year; Foreign Language 1 year; Computers 1 year Fine Arts 1 year; Electives 3+ years to total 25 credits.
Saint Mary School athletics
Fall Sports
BOYS Cross Country (7-12) Football (7-12) co-op with Suttons Bay Soccer (7-12) co-op with Leland
GIRLS Cross Country (7-12) Soccer (7-8 co-ed) co-op with Leland Volleyball (7-12) co-op with Northport
Winter Sports
BOYS Basketball (4-12) Alpine Skiing (9-12) co-op with Glen Lake
GIRLS Basketball (4-12) Alpine Skiing (9-12) co-op with Glen Lake
Spring Sports
BOYS Baseball (9-12) Northport co-ops with St. Mary Golf (9-12) Leland co-ops with St. Mary Track & Field (7-12) co-op with Suttons Bay
GIRLS Soccer (7-12) co-op with Suttons Bay Softball (8-12) Track & Field (7-12) co-op with Suttons Bay
Extracurriculars
Business Professionals of America
St. Mary 4-H club “Two by Two”
Drama Club
Little Flowers
Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts/Brownies
Spelling Bee
Student Government
Youth Advisory Council
References
External links
See also
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