School News

In an effort to continue to provide critical student support where it is needed most, St. Mary's has added two new positions this year, Student Success Specialist and Academic Support Specialist, designed to provide deeper resources at the intersection of academic support and counseling services.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced 13 St. Mary's Academy seniors as Semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.  The honorees from St. Mary’s include Noopur Barve, Anna Fuss, Julia Gilley, Hannah Herzig, Emma Iwaniec, Anja Jolin, Aria Lee-Varan, Alisa Model, Maxann Neiger, Chloe Ryan, Nikita Sastry, Georgia Sims and Ava Trueworthy.  Nationally, approximately 16,000 Semifinalists were named. 

As St. Mary's prepares to welcome students back to school this fall, one thing is certain, "being together is a vital component of what makes St. Mary’s so special," states Principal Nicole Foran.  She adds, "Even the recent news of the Delta variant is not dampening our excitement to begin the year. We’re confident that no matter what the changing landscape may be, we will safely navigate a path forward so that our students continue to learn, connect and thrive."

Several spaces at school received makeovers this summer, thanks to two former St. Mary's Academy students, Davey Barnwell '09 and Latoya Lovely.  Both artists were brought on board to add inspiration and excitement to high-traffic areas in the building, reflective of the joy and enthusiasm that is characteristic of the St. Mary's community.

The St. Mary's Academy Blues are excited to return to the field, court and course this fall with soccer, volleyball and cross country practices underway as of August 16.  With some new faces in the athletics department and coaching staff as well as strong returning athletes and newcomers with fresh energy, the Blues are looking forward to the upcoming seasons.

The Class of 2021 rounded out their time at SMA over the weekend, and we couldn't be more proud. These last few weeks have been filled with many traditions like the senior party, alumnae induction ceremony and senior assembly. The events culminated with an outdoor, in-person graduation at Marylhurst Commons on Saturday, June 5.

We are pleased to announce that alumna Mary Hrkac ’86 has joined St. Mary’s as our new Director of Alumnae She cannot wait to get started. You can get to know Mary with this short Q&A and learn what she looks forward to most in this role.  

As we head into the holiday season, our hearts and thoughts are with the Class of 2000. This year should have included the celebration of their 20^th reunion. We look forward to gathering next year in celebration of the Class of 2000.

On Wednesday, May 19,  seven students from the PSU Challenge History of Modern Europe class taught by Mr. Vannelli presented research papers at the 31^st  Annual Young Historians Conference at Portland State University. The PSU Challenge Program and PSU History Department hosted this exciting event with over 150 students, teachers, faculty and parents attending via webinar. St. Mary’s had another strong showing for best overall papers with Charlotte Cody’s taking second place, and third place was awarded to Ruby Lewis.

St. Mary’s Academy junior Zumee Hasan, a self-described “eternal optimist armed with empathy”, gave a TED Talk last Friday with TEDx Youth at Lincoln Street. In her talk, Zumee challenged the characterization that Gen Z “cares too much”, a notion she countered by stating “We care because we have to. Gen Z has been left with a world where we experience so much so early.”