Saint Peter-Marian High School

Infobox Private School
background = #FFFFFF
border = #330066
name = Saint Peter-Marian High School


motto = "...Through These Doors Walk The Greatest"
established = 1921, officially 1976
type = Private, Diocesan
religion = Roman Catholic
head_name = Head of school
head = Matthew Sturgis
city = Worcester
state = MA
country = USA
campus = Urban residential
enrollment = about 1,000 total
faculty = over 60
class =
ratio =
year = 2003
SAT = 537 verbal
523 math
athletics = 50 teams
colors = Purple and White
mascot = The Guardian
homepage = [http://www.spmguardians.org/ spmguardians.org]

Saint Peter-Marian Central Catholic Junior-Senior High School, is a private, coeducational Catholic junior high and senior high school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is one of four high schools operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester and is accredited by the The New England Association of Schools & Colleges. The school is known colloquially as SPM, Saint Peter-Marian, or St. Peter's.

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.

The school's colors are purple and white, and the mascot is the Guardian.

Mission

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

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.

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.

Administration and Faculty

As of December 2007, the Associate Superintendent is Sr. Marguerite Timothy Young, SND as the diocese waits for the Superintendent position to be filled. The current headmaster is Mr. Matthew Sturgis. The senior high principal is Mrs. Denise Allain. The junior high principal is Mrs. Joanne Ethier.

There are over 60 faculty members at Saint Peter-Marian. All members of the faculty are laypersons. Two faculty members have earned doctorate degrees in their respective fields. At least three members of the faculty have Certificates of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS).

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 elective classes in foreign language, health, computer science, art, music, theater, business, and marketing. Currently, students may study Spanish, French, and introductory Italian for foreign languages.

Saint Peter-Marian offers a strong Advanced Placement curriculum for students in grades ten through twelve. In the 2006 school year, 92 students took 155 AP exams. The percentage of students with a passing grade was 82%, compared to a national average of about 60%. AP Scholar awards were granted to 16 students, 7 of them AP Scholars With Honor and 9 AP Scholars With Distinction.

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 its inception.

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's 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 among the country's oldest Catholic school sports rivalries.

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.

The Girls Cheerleading team won the Regional Championship consecutively in 2006 and 2007. In 2006 and 2007 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 17 straight years. The team was the state finalist in 2004. The Boys Football team had a highly successful run in the 1990s, winning 5 league Super Bowls and ranking as high as seventh in Massachusetts in 1994.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.

tudent 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: Student Council,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), Art Club (Junior and Senior High), Peer Educators, Drama (Junior and Senior High), Musicians' Club, A Cappella Choir, 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. Mrs. Beth Tobin currently serves as Director of Campus Ministry.

Each year the Theater Arts Department puts on a theatre production, one each for the junior and senior high school. Recent senior high school productions include Beauty and the Beast, Fiddler On The Roof, Godspell, and Into the Woods.

In 2003, the Best Buddies International program of Saint Peter-Marian was awarded the country's best program. In 2006, the SPM Mock Trial team was a district finalist.

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.

Among the prestigious colleges that graduates of the Class of 2007 will attend are Boston College, College of the Holy Cross, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, Purdue University, and The George Washington University. Members of the Class of 2006 currently attend such schools as Amherst College, Boston College, Boston University, College of the Holy Cross, Fordham University, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Massachusetts College of Art, Providence College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, United States Naval Academy, University of Rochester, Tufts University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Saint Peter-Marian graduates have also enrolled at Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Fairfield University, Hofstra University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, and United States Military Academy.

Notable Alumni

* Tara Allain, Miss Maine 2007 and Miss Worcester County 2004
* Jerry Azumah, former professional football player for the Chicago Bears, Pro Bowl participant, and current sports television analyst
* Frank Carroll, professional figure skating coach (graduate of St. Peter's High School)Fact|date=June 2007
* Rich Gedman, former Red Sox player and current Manager for the Worcester Tornadoes
* John Kazlauskas, CDE of Hayden Hall at New York University, Production Assistant on Academy Award-winning Bowling for Columbine
* Denis Leary, actor and comedian
* Tom Poti, professional hockey player for the New York Rangers (finished career at Cushing Academy)
* JD Power, founder of JD Power and Associates
* Ed Riley, former Red Sox player and current Director of Baseball Operations for the Worcester Tornadoes
* Tanyon Sturtze, Major League Pitcher
* J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto Blue Jays General Manager

External links

* [http://www.spmguardians.org/ Offical School website]

* [http://www.orgsites.com/ma/spm1/spmprofile.pdf School profile, Class of 2003]