Saint Peter-Marian High School
Encyclopedia
Campus and location
Saint Peter-Marian's campus is situated upon a hill in a residential neighborhood. It is less than one mile to the town of Holden, MassachusettsHolden, Massachusetts
Holden is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1741, and the Town Square was donated by John Hancock, former Governor of Massachusetts.The population was 17,346 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
. 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
The superintendent of the Diocese of WorcesterRoman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. The geographic boundaries of the diocese are the same as those of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the geographically largest county of the...
is Delma Josephson, Ph.D.
The headmaster of Saint Peter-Marian is Mr. Matthew Sturgis. The principal of the senior high school is Mrs. Denise Allain, while the principal of the junior high school is Mrs. Joanne Ethier.
There are approximately 40 members of the teaching faculty at Saint Peter-Marian, all of whom are laypersons.
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.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
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
,
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
Advanced Placement Awards
The College Board offers several awards to select students who take Advanced Placement exams.The term "award" is perhaps misleading, as no benefit is awarded to the recipient except the title itself.-AP Scholar Designations:...
awards were granted to 16 students, 7 of them AP Scholars With Honor and 9 AP Scholars With Distinction.
The school has been a member of Virtual High School since 2004. The VHS program allows students to take courses via Internet instruction in many subjects that are not offered on site at St. Peter-Marian.
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 AssociationMassachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association , comprising 365 high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is an organization that sponsors activities in more than thirty sports. The MIAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations , which writes the rules...
.
The annual Thanksgiving football game against St. John's High School
St. John's High School (Massachusetts)
Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...
of Shrewsbury, MA is the oldest continuous Catholic school rivalry in the country. It is held at Fitton Field at the College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
. Athletic Director Rich Riley has said that the game may not continue after the 2012 season .
Boys at Saint Peter-Marian may participate in the following sports: Cross country, soccer, golf, football, basketball, indoor track, skiing, ice hockey, baseball, track & field, tennis, and lacrosse. Girls may 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, 2007, and 2008. 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 18 straight years. The team was the state finalist in 2004 and 2008. The Boys Football team had a highly successful run in the 1990s, winning 5 league Super Bowls and ranking seventh in Massachusetts in 1994.
Student activities
Students at Saint Peter-Marian may participate in the following school-sponsored organizations: Art Club (Jr. and Sr. High), Best Buddies, Campus Minister Team, Chorus (Jr. and Sr. High), Class Officers, Computer Club, Declamation Club (Jr. High), Eucharistic Ministers, Fair Tax Club, French Club, Guardian Globe, Guardians for Life, Habitat for Humanity, Junior High Speech Club Linus Club (Jr. High), Literary Magazine, Liturgical Choir, Math Club (Jr. High), Math Team, Mock Trial Team, Model UN (Junior High), Mustard Seed, National Honor Society, National Jr. Honor Society (Jr. High), Peer Educators, Retreat Team, SADD Sr. High, Science Club (Jr. High), Scrapbook Club, Serviam Club (Jr. High), Ski Club (Jr. High), Special Olympics, Student Council, Theater (Jr. and Sr. High), and Yearbook (Jr. and Sr. High).Each year the Theater Arts Department puts on a theater production, one each for the junior and senior high school. Recent senior high school productions include Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (musical)
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and a book by Linda Woolverton, based on the 1991 Disney film of the same name. Seven new songs were written for the stage musical...
, Cinderella, Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
, and Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
.
In 2003, the Best Buddies International
Best Buddies International
Best Buddies International is a nonprofit 501 organization. It consists of volunteers that attempt to create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities ....
program of Saint Peter-Marian was awarded the country's best program. In 2006, the SPM Mock Trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
team was a district finalist.
College placement
Saint Peter-Marian offers a full college preparatory program. From 2005 to 2009, approximately 90% of students enrolled in a four-year college after graduation, while approximately 8% enrolled in a two-year college.Among the prestigious colleges and universities in which recent graduates of Saint Peter-Marian have enrolled include Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is a private undergraduate engineering college located in Needham, Massachusetts , adjacent to the Babson College campus. Olin College is noted in the engineering community for its youth, small size, project-based curriculum, and large endowment funded...
, The George Washington University, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
, Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
.
Notable alumni
- Jerry AzumahJerry AzumahJerry Azumah is a former professional American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears.Azumah was selected as the 147th pick of the 1999 NFL Draft out of the University of New Hampshire where he won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in Division I-AA football. He attended Saint...
, former professional football player for the Chicago Bears, Pro Bowl participant, and current sports television analyst - Frank CarrollFrank CarrollFrancis M. "Frank" Carroll is an American figure skating coach and former competitive skater. He has coached three skaters to win the World Figure Skating Championships: Linda Fratianne, Michelle Kwan, and Evan Lysacek...
, professional figure skating coach (graduate of St. Peter's High School) - Rich GedmanRich GedmanRichard Leo Gedman is a former Major League Baseball catcher and left-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox , Houston Astros and St...
, former Red Sox player and current Manager for the Worcester Tornadoes - Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, actor and comedian - Tom PotiTom PotiThomas Emilio Poti is an ice hockey defenseman and an alternate captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. He attended Saint Peter-Marian High School for two years. A graduate of the Cushing Academy, Poti moved on to play for Boston University of Hockey East...
, professional hockey player for the New York Rangers (finished career at Cushing AcademyCushing AcademyCushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875, and is sometimes cited as the...
) - JD Power, founder of JD Power and Associates
- J.P. RicciardiJ.P. RicciardiJohn Paul Ricciardi is a Major League Baseball executive who currently is a special assistant to New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson...
, former Toronto Blue Jays General Manager and current New York Mets executive - Ed Riley, former Red Sox player and current Director of Baseball Operations for the Worcester Tornadoes
- Tanyon SturtzeTanyon SturtzeTanyon James Sturtze is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.He attended Saint Peter-Marian High School then Quinsigamond Community College and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. In , he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the minor league portion of...
, former Major League pitcher - Naadir Tharpe, Current Kansas University basketball player