St. Mary of the Assumption High School

Last updated

Saint Mary of the Assumption High School
Princeps schola Assumptionis Sanctae Mariae
Address
St. Mary of the Assumption High School
237 South Broad Street

Elizabeth
,
(Union County)
,
New Jersey
07202

United States
Coordinates 40°39′29″N74°12′57″W / 40.65806°N 74.21583°W / 40.65806; -74.21583
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
MottoCelebrating Our Past, Focused on Our Future!
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established1930
FounderSisters of Charity
ClosedAugust 30, 2019
School district Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
SuperintendentMargaret Dames
NCES School ID00861456 [1]
PrincipalDavid Evans
Faculty16.1 FTEs [1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment184 (as of 2017–18) [1]
Average class size15
Student to teacher ratio11.4:1 [1]
Color(s)  Blue and
  white [2]
Song The Bells of St. Mary's
AthleticsBasketball, Cheerleading, Bowling, Step Team, Baseball, Softball
Athletics conference Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Team nameHilltoppers [2]
Rival The Patrick School
Accreditation Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [3]
NewspaperHilltopper
YearbookAve Maria
Tuition$9,000 (2019-20) [4]
Website stmaryhsnj.org

St. Mary of the Assumption High School was a small Catholic high school on Broad Street in Elizabeth, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The old high school building consists of a three-story brick building with a basement serving as additional classroom space for a total of four floors of education space. The school was affiliated with its parent parish, St. Mary's Church, and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. [5] The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1992. [3]

Contents

As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 184 students and 16.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.4:1. The school's student body was 50.5% (93) Black, 21.2% (39) Asian, 19.6% (36) two or more races, 6.5% (12) White and 1.1% (2) Hispanic. [1]

History

The school opened in 1930. In June 2019, the school received notice that it would be closing that summer, something the principal believed as a surprise. The archdiocese cited the school's debt of $1.5 million and a decline of enrollment of student as reasons for the closure, as well as the decline in school-age children in Elizabeth and the rise of public charter schools, which compete for the same students as urban Catholic schools. Because of this, the archdiocese was unwilling to keep it afloat. In response the community established a GoFundMe to work to resolve the issue. [6] Efforts to raise $2 million to pay off the debt and to keep the doors open fell far short of the fundraising goals and the school officially closed on August 30, 2019. [7]

Athletics

The St. Mary of the Assumption High School Hilltoppers [2] competed in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which included public and private high schools in Union County and operates under the supervision of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). [8] [9] Prior to the 2010 NJSIAA's realignment, the school had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference, which consisted of public and private high schools covering Essex and Union counties in northern New Jersey. [10] With 121 students in grades 10–12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public B for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 37 to 366 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group I for public schools). [11]

School colors were blue and white. Sports offered include baseball (men), basketball (men and women), bowling (men and women). [2]

The boys basketball team won the Non-Public Group A state championship in 1943 (against runner-up St. Peter's Preparatory School in the playoff final), and won the Non-Public B title in 1951 (vs. St. Mary's High School of South Amboy), 1952 (vs. St. Rose High School), 1953 (vs. St. Mary's High School of Perth Amboy), 1954 (vs. St. Joseph's High School of Camden), 1955 (vs. Gloucester Catholic) and 1960 (vs. St. Joseph's of Camden). The program's eight state titles are tied for seventh-most in the state. [12] The 1954 team defeated St. Joseph's of Camden by a score of 54–37 in the Catholic Class B final at the Elizabeth Armory. [13] The 1955 team won the program's fifth consecutive title and won its 20th game of the season with a 54–37 win against Gloucester Catholic in Class B. [14]

The baseball team won the Non-Public Group B state championship in 1963 (defeating St. Mary's High School of South Amboy in the tournament final), 1965 (vs. Gloucester Catholic High School) and 1983 (vs. Gloucester Catholic). [15] The 1983 team finished the season with a 15–9 record after winning the Group B state title with a 5–1 victory against Gloucester Catholic in the championship game. [16]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seton Hall Preparatory School</span> Private high school in Essex County, New Jersey, United States

Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, SHP, or "The Prep", is a Roman Catholic all boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Newark. Founded in 1856 with an original enrollment of five boys, Seton Hall Prep was originally located on the campus of Seton Hall University, where it became commonly known as "The Prep" as a way to distinguish it from "The University." In 1985, the school moved to its present location which was, at the time, West Orange High School. Seton Hall is the oldest Catholic college preparatory school in New Jersey.

Paramus Catholic High School is a co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Paramus in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school, founded in 1965, under Archbishop Thomas A. Boland, and Superintendent of Schools, Monsignor Joseph P. Tuite, Paramus Catholic operated as a co-institutional school until 1995. Paramus Catholic was staffed by the Brothers of Christian Schools under the leadership of Bro. James P. Kelly, FSC, Principal, and Paramus Catholic Girls' High School by the Sisters of Charity of Convent Station, New Jersey, under the leadership of Sr. Helen Demetria, SC, Principal. There was a sharing of the plant and facility, however, the two schools operated as separate academic institutions. Paramus Catholic was the last secondary school established by the Archdiocese of Newark in Bergen County. The two schools were unified into one by the Archdiocese of Newark beginning in the 1995–1996 school year. When the school was unified to one academic institution, the Christian Brothers withdrew from involvement, and the Sisters of Charity took over leadership, until their withdrawal from the school in the early 2000s. Paramus Catholic High School is one of several high schools in the Archdiocese of Newark. It has the largest enrollment of any Roman Catholic high school in the state of New Jersey.

Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a Catholic coeducational, private high school in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, the school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, was named after Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace, first bishop of the diocese. The school is a coeducational institution serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1977 and is accredited through July 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Heart Academy</span> High school in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States

Immaculate Heart Academy (IHA) is an all-girls college preparatory private Roman Catholic high school located in Washington Township, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.

Union Catholic Regional High School is a private Catholic high school located in Scotch Plains, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its motto promises to provide a "quality education in a faith-based environment." Founded in 1962 as separate schools for boys and girls, each with its own separate administration and faculty, it has been coeducational since a merger of the two schools in 1980. The school is an active participant in the Anytime/Anywhere learning program. Students from three counties attend the school. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roselle Catholic High School</span> Catholic high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States

Roselle Catholic High School is a coeducational, Roman Catholic high school, located on a 15-acre (6.1 ha) campus in Roselle, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school, established in 1959, operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark and the Marist Brothers. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools through July 2027.

Essex Catholic Boys High School was a four-year Catholic high school located in Newark and East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The high school opened in 1957. It was run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark until its closure in 2003.

Morris Catholic High School is a four-year comprehensive Roman Catholic regional high school located in Denville Township, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school was founded in 1957 and operates as part of the Diocese of Paterson. Morris Catholic High School has been recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, the highest award an American school can receive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immaculate Conception High School (Montclair, New Jersey)</span> Private high school in Essex County, New Jersey, United States

Immaculate Conception High School is a Roman Catholic co-educational college preparatory high school located in Montclair, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1957.

Marist High School was a private Roman Catholic co-educational college preparatory secondary school located in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States, and operated by the Marist Brothers of the Schools, an international religious congregation of educators with schools in over 70 countries. It was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1978.

University High School of Humanities is a six-year public high school serving students in seventh through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, as part of the Newark Public Schools.

Queen of Peace High School was a Roman Catholic, coeducational parochial high school, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in North Arlington in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, co-sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The school closed in June 2017, after 86 years of operation, in the wake of declining enrollment and financial challenges.

St. Mary High School is a four-year Roman Catholic high school located in Rutherford, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 2004.

Gloucester Catholic High School is a co-educational six-year Roman Catholic high school located in Gloucester City, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school serves students in seventh through twelfth grades. Gloucester Catholic High School has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1991.

Mount St. Dominic Academy is a four-year Catholic college preparatory school for young women located in Caldwell, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. The school was founded in 1892 by the Dominican Sisters of Caldwell. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

Sacred Heart High School was a co-educational four-year Catholic high school in Vineland, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1963.

St. Rose High School is a co-educational four-year Catholic high school in Belmar, in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton. The school was founded in 1923 by the Parish of St. Rose and the Sisters of St. Joseph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Patrick School</span> Private high school in Union County, New Jersey, United States

The Patrick School is an independent co-educational four-year high school in Hillside in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The school was established in 2012 following the closure of St. Patrick High School Academy, which was a co-educational four-year Catholic high school in Elizabeth, New Jersey, that operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark and had been founded as a vocational school in 1863 as part of Saint Patrick's Parish in Elizabeth, making it the oldest parochial high school in New Jersey. The Patrick School originally operated on the site in Elizabeth that had been St. Patrick High School and the school has continued to carry on the legacy of its predecessor even after its move to Hillside.

St. Mary High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Jersey City, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that operated as part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark until the school was closed in June 2011.

The St. Aloysius High School was a private co-ed high school located in Jersey City, in Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 School data for St Mary Of The Assumption HS, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Saint Mary of the Assumption High School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Saint Mary of the Assumption High School Archived June 9, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed November 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ Tuition, Saint Mary of the Assumption High School. Accessed May 26, 2020.
  5. ↑ Union County Catholic High Schools, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed August 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ "N.J. Catholic high school 'blindsided' by news of its closing, principal says. The fight is on to keep it open". NJ.com . June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  7. ↑ Heyboer, Kelly. "Catholic high school closes as $2M ‘Hail Mary’ fundraising effort fails", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, August 1, 2019. Accessed February 20, 2024. "St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth permanently shut its doors Wednesday, the school announced on its website.... The Archdiocese of Newark announced in June it was shutting down the urban high school, which had been struggling financially for years and was facing a $1.5 million deficit as enrollment dropped. But alumni, students and community members fought to keep the school open and launched a $2 million 'Save St. Mary’s' fundraising drive."
  8. ↑ League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  9. ↑ School Information, Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. Accessed May 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed December 1, 2014.
  11. ↑ NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  12. ↑ Boys Basketball Championship History 1919-2024, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, updated March 2024. Accessed March 26, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Cella's Cagers Lose To Jeffs; Bloomfield Five Fails To Retain Crown", The Record , March 22, 1954. Accessed February 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "St. Mary's of Elizabeth, Weehawken, and Thomas Jefferson of Elizabeth captured championships in the 36th annual N. J. S. I. A. A. basketball tournament here at the Armory.... St. Mary's successfully defended its Catholic B title by halting St. Joseph's of Camden, Weehawken repeated as Group II titlist with a 71-60 decision over Sayreville, and Jefferson knocked out the defending Group IV champ, Bloomfield, by a 59-46 count.... St. Mary's took the Catholic B title in the first tilt of the 5-game program as Dave Mracek and Jerry Bechtle starred with 21 and 17 tallies, respectively. It was the fourth straight crown for St. Mary's."
  14. ↑ Schuck, Charlie. "Gloucester, Wildwood, Trenton Lose In State Finals of Parochial Division; St. Mary's, St. Peter's and Holy Family Capture NJSIAA Titles", Courier-Post , March 19, 1955. Accessed February 20, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "It was a dismal night for South Jersey! aspiring titlists as all three representatives were beaten in the finals of the Parochial division of the annual New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament here at the armory before some 3500 spectators.... St. Peter's took the measure of Trenton Catholic, while St. Mary's toppled Gloucester Catholic, 54-37, and Holy Family dumped Wildwood Catholic, 79-37.... For St. Mary's, it was the fifth straight state title in a row and its 20th triumph of the season, setting a new record in the ultimate-record competition."
  15. ↑ NJSIAA Baseball Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  16. ↑ Burrows, Walt. "St. Mary's takes crown with win over Gloucester Catholic", Courier-Post , June 12, 1983. Accessed January 27, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "St. Mary's High School of Elizabeth, taking advantage of some loose play and the strong four-hit pitching of Chris Wnek, cruised to a 5-1 triumph over Gloucester Catholic and to the NJSIAA Group B baseball championship yesterday on the Princeton University field. The Hilltoppers, who lost to Bishop Eustace in last year's final, won their first state championship since 1965 by breaking a 1-1 tie with three runs in the third inning on a triple by Tony Candelino, whose brother Ben is the team's head coach.... The Hilltoppers, 15-9, ended the scoring with an unearned run in the fourth inning."
  17. ↑ Staff. "Tour De Elizabeth", Hilltopper Newsletter, Spring 2015, Volume 12, Issue 1. Accessed August 6, 2015. "Ashley Bolivard ('16), Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage ('72), Nicole Fernandes ('16) and Xavier Sanchez ('15)"
  18. ↑ Staff. "Basketball Hall Of Famer Returns To Visit St. Mary's ", NJToday.net, November 16, 2011. Accessed December 1, 2014. "In October, Hubie and Claire Brown visited St. Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth. Hubie, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, former NBA coach and current TV analyst, is a 1951 graduate of St. Mary's."
  19. ↑ Greg Daye, Bloomfield Bears men's basketball. Accessed May 26, 2020. "Hometown: Newark, NJ; High School: St. Mary's (Elizabeth, NJ)"
  20. ↑ Manual of the Legislature of New Jersey, Volume 197, Part 2, p. 204. E.J. Mullin, 1977. Accessed August 30, 2019. "Thomas G. Dunn, Dem., Elizabeth Senator Dunn was born in Elizabeth on April 9, 1921. He is a graduate of St. Mary's High School, Elizabeth, and of the Vail School of Business, Newark."
  21. ↑ Haydon, Tom. "Billionaire remembers his Elizabeth high school with $250K donation", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 12, 2016. Accessed January 6, 2017. "On Thursday, the international foundation Feeney started, Atlantic Philanthropies, gave $250,000 to his alma mater, St. Mary of Assumption High School in Elizabeth. The donation is the largest single contribution to the high school, St. Mary officials said. Feeney graduated from the school in 1949 and his desire to donating to others was inspired from his time at the school, Christopher Oechsli the president and CEO of the Atlantic Philanthropies, told St. Mary students."
  22. ↑ Staff. "Handball Player to Represent Area in Olympics", Rahway News-Record / Clark Patriot, June 1, 1972. "Bob Sparks of Clark will play for the United States at the indoor team handball competition.... Sparks, who was a star pitcher for the St. Mary's High School baseball team of Elizabeth in 1965, as introduced to team handball in October 1970 in Fort Sam Houston, Tex., where Dr. Peter Buehning of Short Hills, coach of the United States team, operated a clinic there."
  23. ↑ Warner, Bob. "Former Police Commissioner Kevin M. Tucker dies at 71", The Philadelphia Inquirer , June 20, 2012. Accessed July 6, 2012. "He was one of six children born to Irish immigrants William and Catherine Tucker. The family moved to Rahway, N.J., and Mr. Tucker attended St. Mary High School in Elizabeth."
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.