St. Mary's College, Sault Ste. Marie

St. Mary's College is a high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956 by Basilian priests as an all-boys Catholic high school on St. Georges Avenue. As the school grew in popularity and size, St. Mary's began admitting girls in September 1987. That same year, the school moved into a new building (the former location of Lakeway Collegiate & Vocational School) on Wellington Street. In 2015, St. Mary's College combined with Holy Angels Learning Center and St. Basil's Secondary School in a brand new building located on Second Line East.

The mascot of St. Mary's College is a Knight, and all sports teams are now referred to as the St. Mary's Knights. In most sports they are three levels of competitions: junior development, junior, and senior.

In 2006 St. Mary's celebrated its 50th anniversary. A long running tradition at St. Mary's College is "Pennies from Heaven" now called Heaven Cent which raises money each Christmas season to be donated to various youth charities. This charity now raises approximately $20,000 each year (mostly in pennies) through organized school functions and concerts as well as from tremendous support form the community.

Athletics

St. Mary's College is home to many local, district, regional, and provincial athletic achievements. In 2015, the senior and junior girls basketball teams won the first AAA NOSSA Championships for the new St. Mary's College. St. Mary's College also has notable teams in badminton, football, hockey, basketball, curling, soccer, cross country, and holds many records in track and field.

Spirit Video

Students at St. Mary's College team up to produce a self endorsing video every few years, with the first being in 2009. The video, which showcased the many programs and experiences St. Mary's College offers, has received over 30 000 views on YouTube to date, and sparked local challenges from media outlets. The video which was fully endorsed by the students also became a common topic with alumni. The video starts at an entrance of the school, continues to do a tour of the first and second floor, while showcasing various subjects, organizations, and groups the St. Mary's College family is proud of. The video which is just over 7 minutes long and features The Black Eyes Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" concludes in the gym where the faculty and students engage in a choreographed dance and 2 school cheers.

Heaven Cent

Students and staff at St. Mary's College team up and reach out to their school community and the local community at large for 3 weeks in December every year. Pennies From Heaven raises $18 000+ every year with the highest tally being over $21 000. All proceeds go towards helping community organizations. Students have daily activities during lunch breaks and school time where students pay an entrance/registration fee. The most notable event is Mr. SMC, a bachelor pageant involving 20 male students, with a female who escorts the male on stage. Students must show a talent, answer questions, and do sometimes embarrassing dares, all in the spirit of charity and the prestigious Mr. SMC crown. Pennies from Heaven runs the first 3 weeks of December every year. In November 2015, Pennies from Heaven was renamed Heaven Cent to reflect the amalgamation of both schools traditional Advent Outreach Projects.

The New St. Mary's College

In 2012, the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board approved a plan to build a New St. Mary's College. To be located at the corner of Second Line East and Pine Streets, the new school will amalgamate the current St. Mary's College, St. Basil's Secondary School and Holy Angels Learning Centre. The new building opened in September of 2015.

Notable alumni

• Joe Fratesi – former Sault Ste. Marie Mayor, and current Sault Ste. Marie C.A.O
• James Loney – a peace activist who was held captive in Iraq for several months.
• Carmen Provenzano – former Sault Ste. Marie MP
• Ron Francis – NHL player 1981-2004 - 2 time Stanley Cup Champion, both with the Pittsburgh Penguins
• Marty Turco – current NHL player
• Dennis Vial – NHL player 1990-1998
• Paul DiPietro – NHL player 1991-1997
• Brian Finley – NHL player 2005-2007
• Jordan Smith – professional ice hockey player
• Chris Thorburn – current NHL player
• Matt D'Agostini – current NHL players

See also

• List of high schools in Ontario

Sources

• Official site