First Graduating Class of SMS

Photo of the first graduating class of Saint Mary School, 1960  - photo courtesy of Joseph Egan

 

A Brief History of Saint Mary School

In 1954, Saint Mary Parish purchased land on High Ridge Avenue for a school and opened Saint Mary School with first through third grades in temporary quarters.  The new school building, completed in June 1956, was designed for 400 pupils.  By the late 1960s, enrollment had increased significantly, and a new addition was constructed to accommodate a student body of 600 students.  The school was closed due to a lack of teaching nuns in June 1971.
 
In September 1996, 20 children entered kindergarten at the rededicated Saint Mary School.  One grade was added each year, and, in 2005, the first 8th grade class of the "new" Saint Mary School graduated.
 
During the 2016-17 school year, the Saint Mary community celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the re-opening of Saint Mary School.  And at the start of the 2017-18 school year, a strategic planning process, We are Called, was begun to ensure the future success of Saint Mary School.
 
In June 2022, Saint Mary School graduated its 275th Grade 8 student since the school re-opened.