School type Catholic high School Principal Cindy Sawyer Enrollment 1200+ Mascot Knight | Founded 1956 Grades 9-12 Phone +1 705-945-5540 Province Ontario | |
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Motto Teach me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge Address 868 Second Line E, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 4K4, Canada District Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board | ||
St. Mary's College is a high school in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1956 by Basilian priests as an all-boys Catholic high school on St. Georges Avenue. As the school grew in popularity and size, St. Mary's began admitting girls in September 1987. That same year, the school moved into a new building (the former location of Lakeway Collegiate & Vocational School) on Wellington Street. In 2015, St. Mary's College combined with Holy Angels Learning Center and St. Basil's Secondary School in a brand new building located on Second Line East.
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The mascot of St. Mary's College is a Knight, and all sports teams are now referred to as the St. Mary's Knights. In most sports they are at three levels of competitions: junior development, junior, and senior.
In 2006 St. Mary's celebrated its 50th anniversary. A long running tradition at St. Mary's College is "Pennies from Heaven", now called Heaven Cent, which raises money each Christmas season to be donated to various youth charities. This charity now raises approximately $20,000 each year through organized school functions and concerts and has tremendous support from the community.
Athletics
St. Mary's College is home to many local, district, regional, and provincial athletic achievements. The school has notable teams in badminton, football, hockey, basketball, curling, soccer, cross country, and holds many records in track and field.
Spirit video
Students at St. Mary's College team up to produce a self endorsing video every few years, with the first being made in 2009. The video, which showcased the many programs and experiences St. Mary's College offers, has received over 30 000 views on YouTube to date, and sparked local challenges from media outlets. The video, which was fully endorsed by the students, also became a common topic with alumni. The video starts at an entrance of the school, and continues to do a tour of the first and second floor, while showcasing various subjects, organizations, and groups the St. Mary's College family is proud of.
Heaven Cent
Students and staff at St. Mary's College team up and reach out to their school community and the local community at large for three weeks in December every year. Heaven Cent raises over $18,000 every year, with the highest tally being over $21,000. All proceeds go towards helping community organizations.
Students have daily activities during lunch breaks and school time where students pay an entrance/registration fee. The most notable event is Mr. SMC, a bachelor pageant involving 20 male students, with a female who escorts the male on stage. Students must show a talent, answer questions, and do sometimes embarrassing dares, all in the spirit of charity and the prestigious Mr. SMC crown.
Pennies from Heaven runs the first three weeks of December every year. In November 2015, Pennies from Heaven was renamed Heaven Cent to reflect the amalgamation of both schools' traditional Advent Outreach Projects.
The New St. Mary's College
In 2012, the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board approved a plan to build a New St. Mary's College, to be located at the corner of Second Line East and Pine Streets. The new school will amalgamate the current St. Mary's College, St. Basil's Secondary School and Holy Angels Learning Centre. The new building opened in September 2015.