It's Back to School at St. Mary's Ryken with a New Principal

 

Published by the County Times on August 14, 2025

Although it was back to school on Wednesday, Aug. 20, for St. Mary’s County Public Schools, including the three high schools, the students at St. Mary’s Rykenin Leonardtown get a short reprieve. They begin class on Tuesday, Aug 26.

There is, however, a flurry of activity this week as teachers and staff return to campus to prepare for the new school year. And one thing especially new this year is their principal, Thomas “Tom” Campbell, who assumed the helm of the school last month.

Campbell was raised in Montgomery County, where he went to high school at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Olney, a school that he has been principal of since 2013, before accepting his new responsibility. Both schools are sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers.

St. Mary’s Ryken was established in 1981and traces its roots in Catholic education to St. Mary’s Academy (est. 1885) and Ryken High School (est. 1956).

St. Mary’s Ryken has 680 students, of which 46 percent are from St. Mary’s County, 26 percent from Charles, 12 percent from Calvert, nine percent from Prince George’s, and seven percent from other areas.

Campbell, since his former and current schools are sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers, had contacts at Ryken, which is how the school is often locally referred to.

Campbell explained that Theodore James Ryken founded the Xaverian Brothers around 1839. “Ryken was motivated to start a religious order of brothers rather than priests who would engage in missionary work. And at the time, once he got the order up and running, one of the areas that he saw as a need for missionary work was the American West. And so, he and a small group of brothers made their way as far as Louisville, Kentucky, before the money ran out, and the local bishop asked them to start a school. And so, their missionary work, their evangelization, just took a different form than what he originally intended. And they opened their first school in Louisville in about 1864, which is still open today. And then they went throughout the United States from there.

”He said of the local community, “I’ve always been impressed. What a wonderful school and what a wonderful community.”Campbell, 50, and his wife have moved to the area and attend St. Aloysius Church in Leonardtown. They have three children, the youngest being 17, and who will be attending St. Mary’s Ryken.

In addition to the school, he said, “We love being close to the water. We’ve fallen in love with Solomons Island. We’re slowly making our way around any restaurant in the area that has a water view. But we’ve also just enjoyed the people in this part of the state. Everybody has been so friendly, and so welcoming."

”His entire career has been in Catholic education. After several schools, he became associate superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, before returning to Good Counsel. “We were down there for six years, and we missed being close to family, missed being close to friends.

”Campbell said, “I was in Catholic school through 12th grade before moving on to college. Faith is very important to me. Faith is very important to my family, and to be able to combine my desire and passion for working with young people and education with that faith led me to a career working in the Catholic school system.

”But you don’t need to be Catholic to attend Ryken. Why would a non-Catholic attend? He replied, “I think Catholic schools have, in my opinion, a reputation for academic excellence, for strong discipline, and for focusing on the whole student. So, the student academically, socially, personally, as well as spiritually. I think, in my experience in Catholic education, there is no difference that people of all faiths, backgrounds, and traditions appreciate the values-centered education that students receive. So even if one is not particularly religious, and especially if someone is not Catholic, they still appreciate and want that education grounded in values, and the ability to talk about God and to talk about faith and explore those issues at a formative time in a student’s life.

”Currently, there are no Xaverian Brothers on the staff, which he noted is a national problem. “If you look through a lot of religious orders, there are a few that are flourishing, but unfortunately, there are more that are seeing a decline.” 

This week at school is filled with “faculty and staff meetings, getting organized, letting them have time to plan, meet with department colleagues, and set up their classrooms.

”On Aug. 19, there was a college application workshop for the seniors. On Aug. 20, international students will be on campus for an orientation. “And then Wednesday and Thursday, we have our new students, so incoming freshmen and any transfers who will be on campus for their orientation.”

The school has a lot of special academic and extracurricular activities. Campbell said, “The Xaverian Brothers really value placing an emphasis on students identifying their gifts and talents and using those gifts and talents to their fullest. So, we have a full array of academic programs. I’ve been impressed. Academically, we have three different engineering programs. We havea fight academy, where students can work toward passing their ground, certification for the pilot’s licensure. We have advanced placement.

“So, we have the arts, theater classes, instrumental music, visual arts, choral music, and that extends beyond the school day as well. So, we have a full selection of athletics, including sailing, which is not something you see at a lot of schools, but all of the traditional ones: field hockey, soccer, football, cross country, tennis, golf, basketball, ice hockey.”He added, “We also have fantastic fine arts programs. So, our theater company puts on two performances a year. We have a dance recital; we have instrumental and vocal concerts. It’s a very active campus.”

He added, “Trying to identify where students’ passions and gifts are and then giving them an outlet for those on campus. And of course, we also have our campus ministry programs as well, with a full retreat program.”

There is also a program on campus, which supplies home goods, anything a family might need that is just setting up a house, and for those who need that assistance.” Students staff it.

He noted, “We have a great service component, so it really is that tradition of our education.

”Why would he recommend a Catholic education to both Catholics and non-Catholics? He said, “When your goal is development of the entire person, then the strong academics and the faith formation go hand in hand, or one ‘A’ and one ‘B;’ they’re almost inseparable. And if you’re a Catholic, that means growing deeper in your faith as a Catholic and learning more about it and understanding the richness of the history and the traditions and the values and why we do what we do as Catholics.

“And I think if you’re not Catholic, it could also be not only just learning about another faith but also exploring your own faith and having the opportunity to be in a faith-centered environment that allows you to grow in your, whatever that might be. The brothers are very inclusive in that regard. We see that diversity of students, and I mean diversity in every meaning of the word. We see that as enriching to the entire community.”

dickmyers@countytimes.net