High schools,
like high school students, are quite similar and yet very
different. Each school has its own particular strengths, and
some schools offer opportunities simply not found in others.
St. Mary's is a
different kind of high school: different in that we are a
Catholic high school where moral principles and values form the
foundation on which all subjects are taught and all activities
take place; different in that the Blessed Mother, the Holy
Spirit and Salesian spirit call us to direct all our actions to,
with and through God; different in that we pray each day
together as a community.
The difference
extends to our faculty, a group of outstanding men and women,
who have dedicated themselves to challenging their students and
providing them with the best possible educational experience.
Difference also
extends to our students who daily come from all parts of our
community. These students work hard, and more is expected of
them. I am very proud of our students for their efforts in the
classroom and at school functions. I am very pleased to see the
way they support each other and the concern they show for their
fellow classmates and their generosity for those less fortunate.
One of the
differences is the class of 2009. They are special and unique.
They are a class who has accomplished much success. We have been
blessed with some wonderful students and more importantly superb
human beings. We sincerely wish our seniors God's blessing and
grace in the years to come.
The difference
extends beyond the financial sacrifices that our families make
to enable their sons and daughters to attend st. Mary's and
includes their active engagement in their sons' and daughters'
education. This engagement can take the forms of volunteerism,
active participation in Golf Classic, Crab Feed and Sports
Association, attendance at a variety of activities, or Simply
monitoring their child's academic progress. Our parents
recognize the critical nature of this time in the lives of their
children and have made a conscious decision to enroll them in a
school that teaches moral principles, religious values, and
individual responsibility. We are grateful to our parents for
their support.
The difference
is a spirit, a sense of community, a pride in being part of the
special experience of St. Mary's High School.
As we near the
end of another school year it is a time to be appreciative of
all the individuals who truly have been "friends to St. Mary's."
I once heard
the following; "Friends are people who are here today and here
tomorrow. They forgive your faults and if they really love you,
they don't even see them!" Good friends help us know ourselves
and grow closer to God's image.
De Sales wrote:
"How good it is to love here on earth as we love in heaven and
to learn to cherish others on earth as we will do eternally."
I wish all of
you a peaceful and restful summer. Let us keep each other in our
thoughts and prayers. Mary, Queen of Angels, St. Francis de
Sales and St. Dominic, pray for us.