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St. Mary Catholic Central High School, known colloquially as SMCC, is a Catholic, co-educational, parochial, secondary school located at 108 West Elm Avenue in Monroe, Michigan. SMCC is sponsored by the Catholic parishes of the Vicariate of Monroe under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The school itself is listed as a contributing property within the St. Mary's Church Complex Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1982.[2]
| St. Mary Catholic Central High School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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108 West Elm Avenue , 48162 United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Mary |
| Established | 1846 |
| Founder | Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Brothers of Holy Cross |
| Oversight | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit |
| President | Sean D. Jorgensen |
| Principal | Jason A. Linster |
| Chaplain | Timothy Maag |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 346 (2016-2017) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 13:1 |
| Color(s) | Green and gold |
| Slogan | Living Faith, Gaining Knowledge, Serving Others |
| Athletics conference | Huron League |
| Nickname | Falcons (boys) Kestrels (girls) |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
| Feeder schools | Monroe Catholic Elementary School, St. Charles Newport, St. Patrick Carleton, St. Stephen New Boston, St. Joseph Erie |
| Website | www |
St. Mary Catholic Central | |
  Location within the state of Michigan  St. Mary Catholic Central High School (the United States) | |
| Location | 108 West Elm Avenue Monroe, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 41°55′10″N 83°23′50″W / 41.91944°N 83.39722°W |
| Built | 1846 |
| Part of | St. Mary's Church Complex Historic District (ID82002855) |
About SMCC
St. Mary Catholic Central High School is a heritage school formed from the 1986 merger of St. Mary Academy and Monroe Catholic Central. SMCC continues the church's educational tradition in Monroe that began when the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary founded St. Mary Academy in 1846. The Brothers of Holy Cross came to Monroe in 1944 to staff Monroe Catholic Central, a new all boys Catholic secondary school established by the Archdiocese and several local parishes.
Today, SMCC is considered a Vicariate-sponsored high school. The Vicariate of Monroe, which is contiguous with Monroe County borders, has fourteen parishes and five Catholic elementary schools. SMCC has students representing all fourteen parishes. The school is the only Catholic secondary institution in the Vicariate. Further, it is one of only two non-public high schools in Monroe County.
Among the current student body, 68% come from a Catholic elementary schools in the Monroe Vicariate or from surrounding Catholic parishes in Huron Township, Downriver Detroit, or Toledo. The remaining 32% comes from local public middle schools, one of three area local Lutheran elementary schools, a public charter school, the local Montessori school or home-schooled settings.
Faith and spiritual formation
SMCC serves the educational needs of young men and women of diverse religious, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. The school is an extension of the educational ministry of the Roman Catholic Church which continues the teaching mission of Jesus. Approximately 80% of SMCC students identify themselves as Roman Catholic. The remaining twenty percent of the population is Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Non-denominational Christian, Greek Orthodox, or Hindu.
SMCC teaches Roman Catholic theology in accordance with the precepts of the Catholic Church, utilizing the theology curriculum for secondary schools that was approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011. It seeks to enable all of its students to understand more clearly and apply the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Church. SMCC promotes an understanding of Gospel values and their application to everyday life, realizing one's relationship to an ever-changing global society. SMCC believes in the importance of being a vital and concerned member of the community through prayer, discipline, and responsiveness to the needs of the local community.
A student's faith and spiritual formation is further developed through the school's efforts in the area of prayer, retreats, and service.
SMCC students contribute tens of thousands of hours of community service through our Christian Service and Campus Ministry programs each year. SMCC seeks to instill service as a "habit of the heart" in its students and staff. Students volunteer at hundreds of school and community events in an attempt to live our the Catholic Church's social teachings. Annual mission trips to Appalachia and Guatemala complement the faith development found in daily prayer, Theology classes, and liturgical services and offer students an extended and intense experience of living a "Me Third" attitude in service to God and others.
Academics
SMCC is fully accredited through the AdvancedED - the North Central Association. The school offers students a college preparatory program with three levels of learning, including Honors/AP, College Prep, and Concepts levels.
100% of SMCC students are accepted into colleges each year. The Class of 2015 earned over $11.2 million in college scholarship offers with 85% of graduates earning some college scholarship support.
All students have iPads. SMCC became one of the first schools in the nation[3] to fully implement the use of digital textbooks in place of traditional hardcover or softcover texts.
The school has 24 faculty members, four administrators, six full and part-time student service staff members, and 10 full and part-time support staff.
Extracurricular activities
Extracurricular activities include Student Council, Interact, National Honor Society, French and Spanish Honor Societies, Ski Club, Cultural Culinary Club, music, drama, and athletics.
Athletics
SMCC offers athletic opportunities in 22 sports programs. Male and female athletes compete as members of 35 teams on the varsity, junior varsity, and freshman level. More than 85% of the current student body will earn at least one varsity letter while attending SMCC. SMCC teams are part of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, and the Huron League. Sports which are currently offered for boys include baseball, basketball, bowling, golf, soccer, tennis, track, cross country, football, ice hockey, wrestling, and lacrosse. Girls sports include basketball, bowling, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, cross country, softball, and volleyball.
SMCC has claimed 16 state championships and has finished as state runner up on 12 other occasions. The state championships include six titles in Girls Volleyball, winning titles in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2019 as well as state runner-up performances in 1991, 2011, and 2015. The Football program owns four state championships, winning the title in 1969 as Monroe Catholic Central and in 1991, 2014, and 2019 as SMCC, while also having four state runner-up performances in 1984, 2005, 2009, and 2010. The Wrestling team won a pair of Class B state championships in 1982 and 1983, and finished as the state runner-up in 1985. The Softball program finished as state champions in 2015, 2016, and 2017 and state runner-up three times, 1989, 1992, and 2007. The Girls Track and Field squad claimed a state championship in 2003.
Notable alumni
- Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson, Miss America 1988
- Paul W. Smith, Radio personality, morning drive-time host at 760am WJR radio since 1996
- Don Gonyea, National Public Radio Washington D.C. correspondent
- Jilleanne Rookard, former US Olympic Speed Skater
- Randy Richardville, former Michigan State Senate Majority Leader
- Bill LaVoy, former Michigan State Representative
References
- ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ http://www.monroenews.com/news/2012/feb/02/smcc-announces-ipad-plan/
