Dear SMR Community,

Our students are blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of the Papal visit in April. There will be two events that our students will be privileged to attend. Please refer to the email from March 19th and information in this newsletter so your child can be a part of this global faith experience.

As we wind down our own “March Madness” in the SMR community with registration and collegeacceptances coming in, it is a good time to reflect on the part that a St. Mary’s Ryken education has in molding adolescents in becoming life-long learners and servants. Ninety-eight percent of the senior class will be matriculating to higher education. They have participated in community service projects all four years, along with writing reflections on their experience, keeping a journal and interviewing a Christian servant. They have participated in a retreat program that enables them to have a closer relationship with their classmates, themselves and God. They have experienced faculty, staff and administrators that care about them and share in their successes. They form connections with their classmates that will not be forgotten or broken. They have been educated on social justice issues that plaque our world and been given the opportunity to make a difference. SMR students have a chance to express their faith and openly talk and debate about issues that are present in their lives. They have taken high quality, college preparatory coursework that prepares them for higher education. Over two hundred and forty Advanced Placement exams will be given to our students this year which have prepared them for college level work. They have excelled in extracurriculars through sports, the arts or club activities.

I personally know this because I ask the hoard of young alumni that return to our campus during their breaks. It is incredible to hear past students say “Thank You” for their SMR education. They feel prepared and ahead of the curve when they go to college. They find papers easier to write, self-discipline part of the routine, and relationships with their professors easy to make.

May is a time to celebrate our Senior class for their accomplishments over the last four years. We will honor them in front of our entire student body by announcing college acceptances and scholarship monies awarded. Our senior awards dinner celebrates their individual accomplishments in their studies and club activities. The Baccalaureate Mass honors their faith as they prepare to graduate. Graduation is the culmination of the events that honor family, friends and the community that have supported them throughout their life. The Prom All-Knighter and Project Graduation, both substance-free parties, ends the festivities with a celebration of the entire class.

Very few other times in their lives will they be celebrated and recognized as in the month of May in their senior year. Relish in all the events that celebrate their time at St. Mary’s Ryken High School.

God Bless,

Rick Wood

Principal