Type Private, All-Girls Status Open NCES School ID 00047978 Phone +1 501-664-8006 Founded 1851 | Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic Oversight Sisters of Mercy President Karen Flake Founder Sisters of Mercy Colors Grey, White, Purple | |
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Address 3224 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA Similar Catholic High School fo, Pulaski Academy, Episcopal Collegiate School, Parkview Arts and Science, The Baptist Preparato School | ||
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 and founded in 1851, it is the oldest high school in Arkansas.
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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.
In 2012, Karen Flake succeeded Sr. Deborah Troillett, RSM '73, who served as president of Mount St. Mary Academy from 1997–2011.
Curriculum
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's students completes 28 units in regular and honor coursework and exams. Additionally since January 2000, Mount St. Mary's has offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.
Mount St. Mary maintains affiliations with the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) and the Mercy Secondary Education Association. 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 Non-public Accreditation Association and has been accredited by AdvancED (formerly North Central Association) since 1930.
Student publications for journalism students include The Mercian Times (yearbook) and The Mount (newspaper).
Extracurricular activities
The Mount Saint Mary Academy mascot is The Belles with purple, grey and white as its school colors.
Athletics
The Mount St. Mary Belles compete in the 7A Classification, which is the state's largest classification, administered by the Arkansas Activities Association. The Belles compete in the 7A/6A Central Conference. Interscholastic activities include: basketball, bowling, competitive cheer, cross country running, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, track and field, and volleyball.
The Belles swimming and diving team has won eleven state championships between 1953 and 2008, including back-to-back titles four different occasions 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). The soccer team won the 7A classification state soccer championship.