School News

Most people know about the Cascadia Earthquake but not many have taken its extreme threat seriously. Even less have taken the time, research, and energy to prepare fully. My name is Anastasia Klingler, I’m a senior at St. Mary’s, and for the past two years, I have made it my mission to educate and prepare as many families as possible.

Kathy Briggs, lead instructor for St. Mary’s music department is used to the big stage— leading the award-winning Marian Singers to the White House, directing some of the highest performing students in the state to national competitions, and chaperoning SMA’s aspiring musicians to musical concerts around the world – so when something impresses her, it has to be just as big. That’s why last month, when the opportunity arose to go to Los Angeles to see global star, Julie Andrews, talk about her new book entitled Homework, she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

On any given day at St. Mary’s Academy, one might wander through the halls and catch a glimpse of guest speakers talking with students about everything from topics relating to their careers or experiences, to prospective collaborative opportunities.  Many times, this speaker is an alumna from St. Mary’s Academy.

St. Mary's Winter Athletics is underway with 113 student-athletes practicing hard and preparing for their first contests.

From SMA's Varsity Soccer team making it to the 2nd round of playoffs after locking down a win against #8 ranked Sunset Apollo's, to Cross Country's Fiona Lenth's road to the State meet in Eugene, we have you covered with fall sports highlights.

Once again, St. Mary’s Academy held Hands Full of Heart (HFOH), an event that allows seniors to leave their studies behind for a day to focus on giving back to local communities and service organizations. HFOH has taken place for over two decades and no matter how many years go by, the event’s mission always remains the same. “Hands Full of Heart is an opportunity for students to go out and connect with people who are different than they are. We want students to push out of their comfort zones so they can understand what it’s like to participate in social justice work,” said SMA’s service coordinator and alumna, Caitlin Whitty ’08.  “It puts our Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM) core values into focus. It helps us live our values as a community while showing students why we are an SNJM school in this one event that’s dedicated to justice and service to those who may be poor and marginalized,” Caitlin added.

Congratulations to alumna Lauren Yanase '19, for winning the Girl Scout Gold Documentary Award. Her documentary titled Shikata Ga Nai: An Inconvenient American, follows the story of the Kato family during World War II as Japanese Americans along the West Coast were being forcefully relocated into internment camps. 

At the beginning of October, some of the returning and new Beta Blues robotics team members took last year’s robot to a small off-season competition, called Girls Gen, and had an outstanding performance. At the end of qualifying play, they were chosen to an alliance that went on to earn second place.

While summer means a break from school for St. Mary’s students, it doesn’t mean a break from pursuing their interests and passions. From opportunities in the Portland metro area to programs across the country and abroad, our students took advantage of the summer months to participate in activities that enriched their lives and left them with memories for a lifetime. In our first edition of “In Their Own Words”, students describe what some of those experiences were like.
 

Among the newest members of St. Mary’s Academy faculty and staff this year is algebra and geometry teacher, Quincy Robinson, who is a former musician, theologian, and current self-taught mathematician. 

When asked what they love most about St. Mary’s Academy, both current and former students often respond by mentioning the amazing community of women that surrounds them.  They have consistently shared that regardless of their background, the middle school they attended, their selected classes or areas of interest, they are immediately welcomed into a network of friends that offers camaraderie, support and inspiration once they step foot on the campus of St. Mary’s.  One of the key elements of the SMA experience that delivers this sense of community are the myriad activities, clubs and affinity groups.

We're kicking off fall sports and here's everything you need to know from current standings to new athletes and exciting upcoming events.

The Stanford d.school at Stanford University in Palo Alto was founded on the belief that everyone has the capacity to be creative.  Its mission is to be a place where people use design to develop their own creative potential.  Over the summer, St. Mary’s Information Sciences and Social Sciences teacher,Alexa Duda, had the chance to experience the d.school firsthand and is excited to bring what she learned, to her St. Mary’s Academy classes.

Ashley Spitzer Peterson, graduate of St. Mary’s Academy’s class of 1998, can officially mark herself in the “game-changers, move-makers and forces of nature” category. That’s because last winter Ashley was chosen from a pool of over 300 nominees as an award recipient for Portland Business Journal’s 2019 Forty Under 40. The list, recognized for years as an astounding accomplishment, showcases Portland’s most influential professionals, including local CEO’s, founders, directors and presidents, all under the age of forty.

It took seconds for Mya to hear her name announced as Rose Festival Queen, but years Mya spent dreaming of that very moment.

This past June, Mya Brazile ’19 won Portland Rose City Festival Queen among fourteen other nominees from local high schools, making her the sixth student from St. Mary’s Academy to be crowned Queen. “I am happy that I could give St. Mary’s another Queen. Their love and support through all of this has been nothing short of amazing,” Mya said.

With the upcoming school year around the corner, we are excited to welcome a number of new faculty & staff members to the St. Mary’s Academy community.  We have no doubt that their unique talents, perspectives and backgrounds will be a tremendous addition to our team, and we look forward to the positive impact they will have on our current and future students.