St. Mary's High School history

In 1886, the sisters acquired property on Sierra Madre, between Kiowa and Bijou and began planning their building.

Loretto Academy’s four-story building opened for school in September 1888 and the school began accepting boys under the age of 12.

In 1896, the Sisters of St Joseph came to Bird Island to take care of a new school that was to be formed as part of St Mary’s Church.

In 1897, St Mary’s Catholic Parish completed its new cathedral next door to Loretto Academy after more than a decade of planning.

The first parish grade school for St Mary’s was built in 1898.

Saint Mary’s Catholic School first opened her doors on September 24, 1900, and was originally called Sacred Heart Academy - a title chosen because the full name of the parish is Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

By 1901 enrollment at Loretto Academy had grown to the point that more space was again needed.

The Sierra Madre building had been constructed to allow for additions, and in 1902 two new wings opened as the area’s first true parochial school.

1904: St Mary’s High School opened its doors.

St Vincent High School opened in September of 1906, and was founded by Rev.

1909: St Mary’s High School was officially chartered.

Scholzen became the priest at St Mary’s Parish in August 1910.

St Mary’s Parish purchased St Mary’s School in 1912, and retained the sisters as teachers at a salary of $25 each per month.

Funds were collected for the new two-story school and it was built in 1913 with seven classrooms, a library, kitchen, and dining room.

The High School was built in 1915 and Reverend Henry J. Minea was St Mary’s first assistant pastor who led and organized the high school system.

Father Minea stayed at St Mary’s in Bird Island until 1920.

The first football team was formed in 1922.

The basketball team won the State Class B championship in 1929 and was coached by Leo "Mox" Engler M28.

In 1930 the present elementary building - now called Mercy Hall - was constructed, and our name was changed to Saint Mary’s Catholic School.

In 1943 the official school alma mater was changed from "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" to a song created by 2 female students entitled, "Atop a Hill in Akron."

In 1950, a new grade school was built on the southeast corner of Sierra Madre and Kiowa, Old Green (as the original building built by the Sisters of Loretto was called) became the high school, and a gym was built on the southeast corner of Sierra Madre and Bijou.

1954: Construction of our present school began.

1955: St Mary’s High School at 142 Laverack Avenue opened in September.

The school was established in 1959.

Three years later the Ursuline Sisters were replaced by the Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy, and in 1962 a second school building - now called Pazdan Hall - was opened to house a junior high school.

Until the 1970’s Saint Mary’s School encompassed grades one through nine, but when junior highs were being replaced by middle schools, our ninth grade was eliminated and a 5-year-old kindergarten was added.

In 1972, after 57 years of upper-level education, St Mary’s held it’s final high school graduation.

In September, 1973, the STVM school year opened for 700 students in the new $3 million facility at 15 North Maple Street in Akron, Ohio.

1975: Dorothy Blake made SMHS and Buffalo Diocese history by being the first lay woman appointed principal.

On February 11, 1987, with great reluctance, the Diocese announced the closure of St Mary’s High School.

1991: St Mary’s became a private high school administered by the Board of Trustees.

2004: St Mary's launched a huge campaign to add a Field House to its campus.

In 2006, SMHS witnessed a century old dream come true with the opening of The Grace Center for Athletics and Community Service, a 25-acre state-of-the-art athletic complex.

2007: First graduate of St Mary's named principal.

In 2009 Saint Mary’s Catholic School was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education.

2016: St Mary's adopted a new school model.

In 2017 Saint Mary’s renewed its accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Saint Mary's received this prestigious honor a second time on September 24, 2020 on the 120th anniversary of the founding of the school.

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