St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sherman, Texas

I wasn’t thrilled when I found out that we were moving away from friends and family to Texas. I was even less thrilled when I discovered that we would be moving to a SMALL Texas town-as opposed to say, Dallas or Houston. My apprehension only grew with the realization that my oldest daughter was due to start kindergarten. How would I find the right school for her? My husband, a product of Catholic education, recommended that we call the only Catholic school in town, St. Mary’s.

Personally, I wasn’t sure that Catholic school was the answer. Visions of knuckle-rapping nuns floated across my brain as I picked up the phone and slowly dialed St. Mary’s number. Imagine my surprise when a booming, southern voice announced, “St. Mary’s school, how may I help you?”

Awkwardly, I announced my plans to the friendly voice. “We’re moving to Sherman, and I’m interested in enrolling my daughter in your school. Can you tell me something about it?”

“Absolutely, I’d love to!” the voice boomed back again. And, before the friendly voice on the other end had even finished with the verbal “tour” of St. Mary’s, I was convinced. “Any school,” I later told my husband, “that has such a wonderful, informative, and open person serving as a representative HAS to be worthy to teach and guide our children.”

However, I did not fully realize the truth of my assumption until I learned more about St. Mary’s. From its mission statement, to its role in the development of its students, St. Mary’s shows time and time again that it really is a small school with big goals-and a big heart.

The Past and Present of St. Mary’s
Founded in 1877 as St. Joseph’s Academy, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sherman, Texas, was originally managed by the Sisters of St. Mary of Numur While the name and faculty have both changed (the sisters left St. Mary’s in the mid 1990’s), the tradition of academic excellence combined with high moral endeavors continues. Today, St. Mary’s draws students from as far away as McKinney, Texas and Durant, Oklahoma, who are looking to receive a strong Catholic education.

Like all other Catholic schools in the state of Texas, St. Mary’s is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department with the approval of the Texas Education Agency. Schools receive regular formal visits by a diocesan-appointed team to ensure compliance with mandated standards and policies.

What is a Catholic Education?
True enough, St. Mary’s works hard to provide a well-rounded Catholic education to its students. But what IS a Catholic education? Every parent considering enrolling their child in a Catholic school must ask this question. After all, stereotypes and rumors can influence even the most experienced Catholics in their view of Catholic education-thus tainting any decisions they may make. As mentioned earlier, even I fell victim to the stereotypes that media portrays of Catholic education.

So, before even considering enrolling your children in ANY Catholic school, it is imperative that you understand what Catholic education is and how that guides the school philosophy. Parents interested in St. Mary’s are no exception, and should make sure that they fully comprehend-and embrace-the goals and methods of Catholic education. Primary factors in the St. Mary’s learning experience are:

� Religious Education
Students learn the teachings, traditions, and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
� Academic Education
Focuses on nurturing the intellectual development of students.
� Social and Cultural Developments
Organized plan of student appreciation and involvement in school, parish, and community activities.
� Physical Education
Focuses on strengthening the body, learning healthy lifestyle choices, developing self-confidence, and promoting teamwork.
� Discipline
Utilizes gospel values to set positive examples for Christian behavior and to build a sense of social justice.

The Seven Pillars
As a member of the Dallas diocese, St. Mary’s also strives to follow the “seven pillars” of Catholic education.

Not only are students expected to attend weekly mass and participate in prayers, etcâÂ?¦, they are expected to show their love of Christ through charity, mutual kindness, and behavior. Through activities, charitable programs, and assignments, students learn the “seven pillars” through action rather than simple words.

� Focusing on we, rather than I.
� Focusing on how good you are, rather than how smart you are.
� Teaching that what we give is more important than what we have.
� Believing that it is not what goes on inside the classroom that is so important but what goes on outside and educating the
whole person.
� Emphasizing not who you are that counts, but what you do.
� An emphasis on needs over wants.
âÂ?¢ “Not to us, O Lord, but to your name we give glory.” Knowing who God is.

Philosophy and Mission
Faculty and staff members at St. Mary’s work under the assumption that each student is capable of lifelong learning and spiritual growth. No where is this more evident than in the school’s formal philosophy:

St. Mary’s Catholic School functions under the premise that students enrolled in this school have the ability to learn. Learning is a lifelong process. This process begins at home with the parents and continues within the classrooms of this school. New learning experiences offer the student opportunities for growth. The school should provide the necessary environment and hold high expectations for all students’ spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, and physical growth.

However, a philosophy-no matter how well-intentioned-cannot become action without a concrete mission. St. Mary’s is no different, and clearly outlines its mission to students, parents, and teachers alike.

The mission of St. Mary’s Catholic School is to educate each student in the spirit of faith, gospel, values, and academic excellence according to Roman Catholic principles.

It is the mission of this school to encourage students to become knowledgeable, creative persons who make responsible choices in their daily lives, as well as allowing and encouraging others to do so.

It is the mission of this school to uphold and teach respect for others as unique individuals and as members of the Body of Christ, and to develop members who are active participants within the Church, local and global communities.

It is the mission of this school to be a caring, disciplined community in which the partnership of Church, school, and home nurtures and challenges students as they develop their spiritual, cognitive, physical, and emotional selves.

It is the mission of this school to prepare students to be well versed in the Catholic faith, to be academically prepared to continue their education, to be Christian in attitude and outlook, and to give service to the community.

Clearly, St. Mary’s expects a lot from its students. However, St. Mary’s realizes that providing a nurturing environment is the only way to guarantee that any mission will be realized.

Students
St. Mary’s admits students in grades Pre-K-6th from Sherman and surrounding communities. Pre-K children attend either full or half-day classes, and are guaranteed a small class size of approximately 15 children. Currently, approximately 125 students are enrolled.

While most students and their families are Catholic, it is not necessary for students or their families to be Catholic. St. Mary’s welcomes students of all religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds. However, students must still partake in weekly mass and religious education classes no matter what their religious preference.

Parents
Parents play an important role at St. Mary’s, and are treated accordingly. Throughout the year, parents are encouraged to participate in school and fundraising activities. In addition, St. Mary’s offers a “Parent Service Program,” whereby parents, and other extended relatives sign up for 50 hours of volunteer service to the school. Once the 50 hours are completed, $100 is credited towards one month’s tuition.

Beyond fundraisers and social functions, however, parents at St. Mary’s are involved in their roles as partners in their childrens’ educations. Parents at St. Mary’s go above and beyond to help out around school and enthusiastically welcome new parents and students into the fold.

Teachers
Without a doubt, schools could be successful without teachers. St. Mary’s is no different. Each teacher is certified by the State of Texas and is selected for his/her expertise in their teaching fields, experience, and teaching style. In addition, each teacher brings with him/her an exceptional sense of concern for the well being of students.

Teachers at St. Mary’s take a vested interested in the devopment of each child, and attempt to maintain open communication
with teachers and students alike. Expect your child to have a close relationship with his/her teacher, as class sizes are typically small, and allow for much more itneraction and teaching opportunities between teachers and students.

Communication
As communication between teachers and parents is crucial to the ongoing success of students, St. Mary’s goes above and beyond the standard bi-annual parent/teacher conferences. Binders are sent home on a daily or weekly basis (depending on the grade) detailing homework assignments and providing an overview of academic and discipline grades earned during the week. Parents are asked to sign the folder to let teachers know they viewed it, and then return it as soon as possible.

In addition, St. Mary’s also operates a website that offers parents the opportunity to monitor the academic performance, absences, etcâÂ?¦, of their children. Using this website is relatively easy, and allows parents to view individualized notations made each teacher their children work with.

My Take
My daughter is quickly approaching the end of her first year at St. Mary’s, and I’m more convinced that ever that we made the right decision enrolling her there. St. Mary’s, with its practical approach to education and social accountability, shows that one doesn’t need large cities to find good education.

As proof, one need only look at the students who travel daily from McKinney, Texas, just outside of Dallas. Rather than send their children to the larger schools, they chose St. Mary’s. But I don’t need proof anymore. And I no longer have any reservations about the quality of education my children will receive. Yes, St. Mary’s is small, but its big heart easily makes it a strong contender in a sea of larger, wealthier schools.