St. Marys High School

Public high school in St. Marys, KS

St. Marys High School

Address

601 East Lasley

St. Marys

Coordinates| 39°11′10″N 96°03′28″W﻿ / ﻿39.18611°N 96.05778°W﻿ / 39.18611; -96.05778
Information
School type| Public high school
Established| 1895
School district| Kaw Valley USD 321
Principal| Adam Hurla
Teaching staff| 26.20 (FTE)[1]
Grades| 7-12
Enrollment| 254 (2023–2024)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 9.69[1]
Color(s)|  Blue
White
Athletics conference| Big East League (est. 2024)
Mascot| Bears
Rival| Silver Lake and Rossville
Newspaper| Press Paw (discontinued ca. 2009)
Website| St. Marys Jr/Sr High School

St. Marys High School is a fully accredited public high school located in St. Marys, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. It is operated by Kaw Valley USD 321. The school colors are blue and white and the school mascot is the Bear. The average annual enrollment (7-12) is approximately 300 students.

## History

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St. Marys was established in 1869. A parochial school began in 1881. The frame building was moved from the "hill" to 5th Street in 1887 and a new, stone structure was dedicated in 1893. A transportation system, developed in 1909, consisted of a team and wagon to meet students crossing the river by ferry. The former St. Marys High School building was built in 1931 across from the current swimming pool on Lasley Street. The public and parochial schools merged in 1946. In 1966, St. Marys, Rossville, Emmett and Delia combined to become one district, USD 321, Kaw Valley. A bond issue in 1978 brought about the construction of a new building at 601 E. Lasley, on the old Jesuit college grounds. Students moved to the new building in 1981. A football field was added in 1982 and a track was installed in 1983. The old St. Marys High School was demolished in 1983. The shop addition was converted into a senior citizen center. Old Hill School was sold to the city of St. Marys in 1982 and razed in 1983. The first graduating class of St. Marys High was the class of 1899, thus making them the 100th graduating class.[2]

## Extracurricular activities

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St. Marys is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs. Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs.

### Athletics

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Athletic teams compete in the 3A division and are known as the "Bears". As of 2024, they compete in the Big East League, a combination of 11 teams from the Mid-East League and Big Seven League. St. Marys is classified as a 3A school, the fourth-largest classification in Kansas according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association. St. Marys has won multiple state championships in various sports.

In 2009, the athletics program was ranked as the top athletics program in the state of Kansas according to Sports Illustrated.[3][4]

### State championships

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State Championships[5][4]

Season | Sport/cctivity | Number of championships | Year
Fall | Volleyball | 4 | 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008
Winter | Basketball, boys' | 1 | 2009
Basketball, girls' | 3 | 1982, 2000, 2009
Spring | Golf, boys' | 3 | 1988, 1989, 2004
Softball | 8 | 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009
Debate | 1 | 1981
Total | 20

### School publications

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The school newspaper is known as the Press Paw and is a member of the High School National Ad Network. This publication was discontinued circa 2009.

## See also

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* List of high schools in Kansas
* List of unified school districts in Kansas

## References

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1. ^ a b c "ST. Marys Junior Senior High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
2. ^ "School History" (English). St. Marys High School. February 27, 2019. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
3. ^ "Top athletics program in each state and the District of Columbia". Sports Illustrated. July 6, 2009. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved July 8, 2009.
4. ^ a b "State Champions" (English). St. Marys High School. February 27, 2019. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
5. ^ "State Records & State Champions". Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2010.

## External links

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* St. Mary’s Jr/Sr High School
* Kaw Valley School District USD 321

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

Geographic|

* NCES

Portals:

* Schools
* Kansas
* Education