St. Mary's High School - Inspired by Faith

Three more senior sign photos. We love showcasing our amazing seniors! #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #SMPiratesClass2022 Parents, you can email your sign photos to Amy Partain, director of Communications/Marketing, at apartain@smhscs.org or text them to the number in the email you received a couple of weeks ago. Thanks!

Today we honor two more of our beloved faculty members who are leaving at the end of this school: Mrs. Frederick and Mr. Will. Over the years, both have shared their passion for science and English, respectively, leaving student with deeper knowledge and wonderful memories. #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateFacultyFocus #PiratesOnceAlways

Monday evening our Pirate baseball team defeated Trinidad 11-0 and JP Clune '22 threw a no-hitter in the second round of the state tournament. The Pirates will play Rye in the Final 8 of the state tournament on Friday. The game will begin at 10 am at Runyon Field in Pueblo. Go, Pirates! #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateBaseball #PIratesAchieve (photos: Diane Torrence)

Senior sign photos showcasing our amazing seniors, and our crazy Colorado spring weather! #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #SMPirateClass2022 Parents, you can email your sign photos to Amy Partain, director of Communications/Marketing, at apartain@smhscs.org or text them to the number in the email you received last week. Thanks!

We have already raised $9,000 toward a matching gift of $10,000 to honor JT and Grace as they retire from St. Mary's! Please help us recognize JT and Grace for their decades of service to our students as we establish an endowed fund in their name to perpetually improve our facilities! Our goal is $50,000 and by fulfilling the current matching gift, we will be well on our way to creating a tangible legacy that reflects the personal legacy JT and Grace have bestowed on St. Mary's! Give online at https://e.givesmart.com/events/rnB/ or contact Joe Trechter, director of Development, at jtrechter@smhscs.org or 719.635.7540 ext 38 to make a donation or pledge. Thanks to all who have donated! #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #SMHSPiratePride

Our Pirate baseball team beat Rangely by a score of 8-2 in the first round of state tournament earlier this afternoon. They will play again at The Grace Center today at approximately 5 pm, facing the winner of the Trinidad v. County Line game. Join us either in person or virtual on the NFHS Network. Go, Pirates! #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateBaseball #PIratesAchieve (photo: Diane Torrence)

The commencement ceremonies for the St. Mary's High School class of 2022 will be livestreamed on the school's YouTube channel. Join us virtually at http://youtube.com/stmaryshighschoolpirates Graduation begins at 9:15 am.

St. Mary’s is growing the newly-established endowed fund in honor of JT and Grace Joyce. For 30 years, JT, with Grace’s loving support, has made St. Mary’s High School shine. As JT retires from his duties, the endowed fund has been established to honor his faith dedication to the school and provide resources for facilities improvements and maintenance on the property. Learn more and donate using the following link: https://e.givesmart.com/events/rnB/ #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #PiratesOnceAlways

When Mr. Biondini returned to his alma mater as a counselor in 2002, he only expected to be here two years. Twenty years later he is saying goodbye to St. Mary's a second time, after graduating as a Pirate in 1966. During those 20 years, Mr. B has served so many roles, including assuming the title of principal and helping navigate the school through the COVID pandemic. Mr. B, there aren't enough words to express all you mean to the St. Mary's community. We're sure many St. Mary's alums have memories similar to those of Cameo Ward '23. Pirate family, what is your favorite memory of Mr. B? Share it with us in the comments. #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateFacultyFocus #SMHSTeacherTuesday #PiratesOnceAlways

Graduation for the Class of 2022 is less than a week away now! Senior signs have been delivered. So today we begin featuring our seniors (and their families) with their signs. #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #SMPiratesClass2022 Parents, you can email your sign photos to Amy Partain, director of Communications/Marketing, at apartain@smhscs.org or text them to the number in the email you received last week. Thanks!

Our Pirate track team competes in the state meet starting tomorrow through Saturday at JeffCo Stadium in Lakewood. Only the top 18 ranked student athletes for each event in the state qualify to compete at the state meet, and our Pirates team have battled all season to earn their state spots! Coach Nicole Robinson said that going into state St. Mary's has quite a few athletes prepped to make the podium! Our state qualifiers are: Hannah Turpin, Owen Barton, Lyndon Goetleare, Alex Bodnar, Jacob Limb, Jackson Neppl, James Beam, and Billy Kellick Our Pirates will compete in the following events: Thursday: 2 pm - Boys Long Jump (Owen Barton), 2:40 pm- 100m Dash prelims (Hannah and Owen), 5:15 - Boys 4x800m Relay (James, Alex, Jacob, and Jackson), 6:15pm - Girls 200m Dash Prelims (Hannah) Friday: 10:30 am - 3200m Run (Jackson, Lyndon, and Alex), 11 am - Girls Long Jump (Hannah), 1:05 pm - Boys 800m Run (Jackson), 3:48 - Boys 4x400m Relay Prelims (Billy, James, Alex, Jacob) Saturday: 10:37 am - 100m Dash Finals (Hannah and Owen), 1 pm - Boys 1600m Run (Jackson and Lyndon), 1:18 pm - Girls 200m Dash Finals (Hannah), 4:48 pm - Boys 4x400m Relay Finals If you can, come out and cheer on our Pirate track team! If you can't be there in person, the meet will be livestreamed, here is the link for those who would like to watch: https://co.milesplit.com/.../456502-colorado-state-track... Congratulations to the state qualifiers and the entire track team! And good luck to those who will compete in the state meet! #SMHSPiratePride #PiratesAchieve #SMPIrateTrack (photos: Steve Bodnar)

Meet your No. 1 and No. 2 state tennis champions, seniors Ellie Hartman and Anna Costalonga! Both won their titles yesterday (May 14) during the 2022 3A CHSAA Tennis Tournament at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. Hartman's No. 1 title is the first in St. Mary's history! Congratulations to both and the whole tennis team, which finished third in the state! #SMHSPiratePride #PiratesAchieve #smpiratetennis (photos: Diane Torrence)

Thanks to the generous donations of our St. Mary's community, the Students for Life Club's annual baby drive brought in more than 300 clothing items! Earlier this week, the items were donated to the Life Network, where the staff was thrilled and grateful to receive the items. The items will be used for Life Network's Baby Boutique, where clients they serve can "shop" with Baby Bucks they earn by participating in parenting classes. The generosity of our St. Mary's family during this drive will bless many in our community! #SMHSStudents4Life #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity #SMPirateServiceSaturday

It's been wonderful to have senior traditions return to fully in-person this year! But with sports post-season championships underway, it was difficult to get all the seniors in one picture at the same time. So here are takes 1 and 2 from today's senior class photo shoot—the AM and PM editions. Stay tuned for more senior event photos! #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSUnitedByCommunity

Three Pirate tennis players--seniors Ellie Hartman and Anna Costalonga and freshman Olivia Davalos--advanced to the state championships! The state tournament begins on Thursday, May 12, at Memorial Park, and continues on Friday, May 13. Come out and cheer them on! #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateTennis (photos: Diane Torrence)

What can we learn from watching movies? Lots actually! And that's what St. Mary's students will do next year in Mr. Barkley's Film as Literature class. Watching films developed from literature like "Last of the Mohicans" and original screenplays like "Finding Neverland," students will discover the intricacies of character development, symbolism, plot development, rhetorical devices, and cinematography as they relate to creating meaning in film. Enrollment spots are still available! Learn more about St. Mary's High School and the steps to apply on our website at www.smpirates.org. #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSEmpoweredByKnowledge #SMHSFacultyFocus

As the 2021-2022 school year winds down, we are honoring our faculty who are leaving us and will introduce the new members of our Pirate family and new courses that are being offered next year. Today, we honor Kathy Hanshew, who is retiring after having served a variety of roles including her current role as chair of the science department. Having Ms. Hanshew as a science teacher has bookended the high school career of Jacob Limb '22. "She is a pillar in the science department," he said. "She is able to get students to enjoy the day-to-day intricacies of science that students often find tedious." Pirate family, what is your favorite memory of Ms. Hanshew? Share it with us in the comments. #SMHSPiratePride #SMPirateFacultyFocus #SMHSTeacherTuesday #PiratesOnceAlways

Service is a big part of our St. Mary's spirit! Earlier this semester, Adam Tunnelle '23 and Liam Watson '23 served as volunteers at the Assistance League of Colorado Springs. Students are currently turning in their service hour totals for the 2021-2022 school year. Any guesses how many hours our Pirates have served this year? #StMarysPiratesServiceSaturday #SMHSPiratePride #SMHSInspiredByFaith #SMHSUnitedByCommunity

Jackson Neppl '23, pictured left at an indoor track meet earlier this season, took third overall in the 800m at the 2022 Adidas Track Nationals this weekend in Virginia Beach. He ran a new personal record for in the event with a time of 1:57.74. He also ran a new PR in the 400m with a 52.09. His first season of running indoor track was one to remember for Neppl. He qualified for nationals in late February at the Real Training Indoor Meet. His times at the event rank as some of the fastest run by a St. Mary's athlete in these events. His 800m 1:58.50 at the qualifying event was the second fastest in St. Mary’s history, while his 52.21 in the 400m was the third fastest in SMHS history. Congratulations, Jackson! #SMHSPIratePride #SMHSPiratesAchieve #SMHSUnitedByCommunity

St. Mary’s High School will be on a two-hour delay for Thursday, March 17, due to winter weather. This delay will allow extra time for studnts to arrive on campus. Students should report in person to their first period classes by 9:30 am. Drive safely and see you soon!