In these stressful times I want to express my sincere gratitude for your community spirit and your genuine caring for St. Mary's High School. As parents, I know that you appreciate and understand the value of a Catholic education, especially at St. Mary's High School. It is important for us to provide a quality, Catholic/ Christian education to Stockton and the surrounding communities.

St. Mary's is a very blessed community under the patronage of the Blessed Mother whose name our school bears. Over the course of our school's history, we have been guided by the charisms of St. Dominic, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Francis de Sales.

At St. Mary's High School we can and do call on God and the Blessed Mother to guide us. Unlike other high schools, we can attempt to bring our students to a more personal, loving, and intimate relationship with God. This is the message of hope and love that is delivered each day to our students through prayer.

As you know, your sons and daughters take at least seven classes with seven different teachers. There are 6 guidance counselors available to our students. This fall approximately over 500 students are involved in athletics. The fall play, The Crucible, includes many more students, along with Speech and Debate, Choir and Band. The Van Ruiten Library under the direction of Mrs. Mikki Kindelberger continues to be a very busy and well-used facility. Daily Mass is available at 6:50 a.m. and at 7:30 a.m. in our Our Lady, Queen of the Angels Chapel. I am proud to say that members of the community, staff, teams and clubs attend Mass during the week. On First Friday we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with Benediction immediately after school. In addition, the Rosary is recited each Friday after school for "special intentions." Everyone is welcome.

However, we offer more. Mrs. Kathy Smith, Dean of Students, recently arranged for the Nick Vujicic assembly which was very powerful. The Stockton Record titled the article of this assembly "Heart to Heart." There was an endless line of students waiting to express their thanks to Nick for reminding them what our patron St. Francis says, "Be who you are, and be that well."

We follow the teachings of St. Francis de Sales who models virtues for everyday living. He recommends that we practice "a gentle and sincere courtesy which offends no one and obliges all, which seeks love rather than prestige." By practicing his words, we live out his gentle spirit in every occasion of our life journey. In this way, we will "Live Jesus" in word and action every day. "To love our neighbor in charity is to love God in others."

In modeling the teachings of St. Francis de Sales, we are committed to a mission of providing affordable

Catholic secondary education in this community for all students who wish to attend. You may not be aware that St. Mary's High School currently has one of the lowest tuition rates of any Catholic secondary school in California. Our tuition for a Catholic student is $6,140 and for a non-Catholic student is $6,540.

Below is the current tuition of Catholic high schools in the Northern California area.

As you can probably guess, much work is done behind the scenes to keep our tuition affordable. My genuine thanks to Fr. Fallon for his commitment to the St. Mary's family; Father continually strives to keep tuition reasonable. We must recognize that St. Mary's High School cannot achieve its mission without qualified and dedicated teachers and support staff, especially those that we currently employ. As you know, we must do what we can to maintain the quality education that is expected from St. Mary's High School. And, you are also aware of the rising costs involved in running an institution. These include, but are not limited to, maintenance of our facility, insurance, utilities, salaries and benefits.

As I look back on my education here at St. Mary's High School, I can attest personally that it was those special teachers and coaches who gave me confidence. They encouraged and supported me to reach higher. The teachers that we have at St. Mary's High School continue to encourage their students with confidence, love and hope. We pray that our students achieve their full potential.

As Saint Augustine reminds us, "Our hearts were made for you alone, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you."