Mount St. Mary Academy (Little Rock, Arkansas)

Mount St. Mary Academy is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school, serving grades 9 through 12, in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. It is an all-female institution, and has an all-male brother school, Catholic High School for Boys. It is located within the Diocese of Little Rock. Having been founded in 1851, it is the oldest high school in Arkansas.[2]

Mount St. Mary Academy
Entrance Gate to Mount St. Mary Academy
Address
3224 Kavanaugh Boulevard

Little Rock
,
Pulaski County
,
Arkansas
72205

United States
Coordinates34°45′39″N 92°19′46″W
Information
School typeprivate, college-preparatory all-girls Catholic high school
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Founded1851 (1851)
FounderSisters of Mercy
StatusOpen
OversightSisters of Mercy
NCES School ID00047978[1]
PresidentMary P. Davis
ChairpersonGreg Hartz
PrincipalSara Jones
Faculty31.1 (on a FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
GenderFemale
Enrollment496 (2017-2018[1])
Student to teacher ratio16:1[1]
Classes offeredRegular College Preparatory
Honors
Advanced Placement (AP)
Campus size10 acres (40,000 m2)
Campus typeMidsize city[1]
Color(s)Purple, White, and Grey    
Athletics conference6A Central (Arkansas Activities Association)
Team nameBelles
AccreditationArkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association (ANSAA)
NewspaperThe Mount
YearbookThe Mercian Times
AffiliationMercy Education System of the Americas (MESA)
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)
National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)
Southern Association for College Admissions Counseling (SACAC)
The College Board
Alumninearly 9,000
Websitewww.mtstmary.edu

History

Mount St. Mary Academy was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1851 at Seventh and Louisiana Streets in downtown Little Rock. The school moved to the present Hillcrest location in 1908 after outgrowing her Louisiana Street location. The 10-acre (40,000 m2) site was purchased with funds from the sale of the downtown property and contributions from local residents and landowners.[3]

Dr. Mary P. Davis succeeded Karen Flake '65 as president in July 2019. Karen Flake was the first lay person to serve as president at Mount St. Mary Academy when she assumed the position in 2012.[4] Sr. Deborah Troillett, RSM '73, served as president from 1997–2011.

Academics

Mount St. Mary Academy students complete a curriculum that is aligned with the Smart Core curriculum developed by the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), which requires 22 units to graduate; the typical Mount St. Mary student completes 28 units in regular and honor coursework and exams. Mount St. Mary Academy began offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme in January 2000; however, in the 2016–2017 year, the school started offering the Advanced Placement (AP) program instead. The last class to receive an IB education was the class of 2017.

Mount St. Mary maintains affiliations with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the Mercy Education System of the Americas. Academic Departments also hold membership in educational professional organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the College Board. Mount St. Mary is accredited by the Arkansas Nonpublic School Accrediting Association.

Student publications for journalism students include The Mercian Times (yearbook) and The Mount (newspaper).

Extracurricular activities

The Mount St. Mary Academy mascot is The Belles with purple, grey and white as its school colors.

Athletics

The Mount St. Mary Belles compete in the state's largest classification, administered by the Arkansas Activities Association. The Belles compete in the 6A Central Conference. Interscholastic activities include: basketball, bowling, cross country running, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, and volleyball.[5]

The Belles swimming and diving team has won eleven state championships between 1953 and 2008, including back-to-back titles in 1958–59, 1967–68, 1977–78, and 1984–85. The golf team has won four state championships (1978, 1983, 1998, 1999). The tennis team has won nine state championships including a string of three consecutive titles (1975, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008). [6] The soccer team won the 7A classification state soccer championship.

References
  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Mt St Mary Academy". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  2. Jamie Metrailer. "The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, "Mount St. Mary"". Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  3. MSMA. "Mount St. Mary History". Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  4. Alexander, Jacquelyn (July 11, 2012). "Little Rock's Mount St. Mary Academy Gets New President, CEO". KARK 4 News/ArkansasMatters.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  5. "School Profile, Mount St Mary High School". Arkansas Activities Association. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  6. "2012–13 Arkansas High School Sports Record Book" (PDF). Arkansas Activities Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2012.

Notes
  • Hayes, Jan. History of Mount St. Mary’s Academy, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1851–1987. St. Louis, MO: Sisters of Mercy, 1987.
  • Lester, Jim, and Judy Lester. Greater Little Rock: A Pictorial History. Norfolk, VA: The Donning Company, 1986.
  • Woods, James M. Mission and Memory: A History of the Catholic Church in Arkansas. Little Rock: August House, 1992.
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