Mount St. Mary Academy
Encyclopedia
Mount Saint Mary Academy is a four-year private high school
for girls, located in Watchung
, New Jersey
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen
, the school operates financially independent of the Diocese. The Academy was founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey
and opened with 77 students. A fire destroyed the main building in 1911, but the school reopened in the following year and has grown steadily. In the 1980s it was a boarding school that housed local, out of state and international students.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 350 students and 57.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.1.
Mount Saint Mary Academy has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1937. It holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools
, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
, the National Catholic Educational Association
, the College Board
, and the Educational Records Bureau
.
, overlooking surrounding suburban towns and the skyline of New York City, which is 23 miles (37 km) to the east.
The school, a sponsored work of the Sisters of Mercy, is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Trustees. Its Alumnae Association, composed of about 4,100 graduates, provides support for a number of school functions. The school’s physical plant is owned by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey.
The recent $4.2 million renovation on windows, doors, and structure are one of many changes to the school. The average tuition is in the range of $17,600 for the 2011-12 school year. Students are required to purchase a tablet PC, which costs approximately $2,250 or can be leased for $640 per year.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
In 1984–85, Mount Saint Mary Academy was one of 65 private schools in the United States to receive the Council for American Private Education’s Exemplary Private School Recognition Project award.
In 2008, The Angels of Victory field was completed, a turf field for soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field.
, which is made up of public and parochial high schools spanning Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties in northern New Jersey
, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
(NJSIAA).
The swim team won the Non Public - B state sectional championship with a 116-54 win vs. Pingry School
.
Secondary education in the United States
In most jurisdictions, secondary education in the United States refers to the last six or seven years of statutory formal education. Secondary education is generally split between junior high school or middle school, usually beginning with sixth or seventh grade , and high school, beginning with...
for girls, located in Watchung
Watchung, New Jersey
Watchung is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,801.Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 23, 1826, from portions of North Plainfield Township based on the results...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen
Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen is a Roman Catholic diocese in New Jersey, centered in the borough of Metuchen. It was erected on November 19, 1981, from the territory of the Diocese of Trenton....
, the school operates financially independent of the Diocese. The Academy was founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey
Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey
The Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey were an offshoot of the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy order in New Jersey whose ministry focuses on service to the community through education and health care...
and opened with 77 students. A fire destroyed the main building in 1911, but the school reopened in the following year and has grown steadily. In the 1980s it was a boarding school that housed local, out of state and international students.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 350 students and 57.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 6.1.
Mount Saint Mary Academy has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
Commission on Secondary Schools since 1937. It holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools
National Association of Independent Schools
The National Association of Independent Schools is a U.S.-based membership organization for private, nonprofit, K-12 schools. Founded in 1963, NAIS represents independent schools and associations in the United States, including day, boarding, and day/boarding schools; elementary and secondary...
, the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
New Jersey Association of Independent Schools
The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. The Association consists of 70 member schools with a total enrollment of approximately 26,000 students...
, the National Catholic Educational Association
National Catholic Educational Association
The National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs...
, the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
, and the Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau
Educational Records Bureau is the only not-for-profit educational services organization offering assessments for both admission and achievement for independent and selective public schools for Pre K-grade 12....
.
Campus
The campus is situated on a ridge of the Watchung MountainsWatchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
, overlooking surrounding suburban towns and the skyline of New York City, which is 23 miles (37 km) to the east.
The school, a sponsored work of the Sisters of Mercy, is a nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Trustees. Its Alumnae Association, composed of about 4,100 graduates, provides support for a number of school functions. The school’s physical plant is owned by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey.
The recent $4.2 million renovation on windows, doors, and structure are one of many changes to the school. The average tuition is in the range of $17,600 for the 2011-12 school year. Students are required to purchase a tablet PC, which costs approximately $2,250 or can be leased for $640 per year.
Awards and recognition
In 1984, Sister Mary Eloise Claire Kays became Directress of Mount Saint Mary Academy. Under the direction of Sister Mary Eloise Claire, the Academy enjoyed national recognition as an "Exemplary Private School" a designation bestowed on it by the US Department of Education. During the 1984-85 school year, Mount St. Mary Academy was awarded the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
In 1984–85, Mount Saint Mary Academy was one of 65 private schools in the United States to receive the Council for American Private Education’s Exemplary Private School Recognition Project award.
Mission statement
- The mission of Mount Saint Mary Academy is to challenge each student to develop her fullest potential in a Christian atmosphere of love and caring. As a private Catholic secondary school, founded by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey.
Future
In 2001, state-of-the-art science laboratories and science and math classrooms greeted students as they began the school year. Several months later, a student center/cafeteria and school bookstore were completed in the newly renovated lower corridor of the Saint Joseph’s building.In 2008, The Angels of Victory field was completed, a turf field for soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field.
Athletics
Mount St. Mary Academy competes in the Skyland ConferenceSkyland Conference
The Skyland Conference is a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association . The conference is made up of nineteen public and parochial high schools covering Hunterdon County, Somerset County and Warren County in west...
, which is made up of public and parochial high schools spanning Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren counties in northern New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, operating under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
(NJSIAA).
The swim team won the Non Public - B state sectional championship with a 116-54 win vs. Pingry School
Pingry School
The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, and a Middle and Upper School campus in Martinsville. The school was founded in 1861 by Dr. John F. Pingry.Pingry's...
.
External links
- School website
- Data for Mount Saint Mary Academy, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...