Our History

The School of Saint Mary was opened by the Order of the Felician Sisters in September 1954 with 78 students in first, second and third grades. Until the school building was finished in December 1954, buses took the students to Saint Anne’s in Broken Arrow for classes. A two-story school building with nine classrooms was completed in 1957 and the School of Saint Mary held its first eighth grade graduation in May of 1960.

In 1970, the School of Saint Mary was granted full accreditation from the state of Oklahoma and the school continued to grow. During the summer of 1979 the first renovation began and during this time the twelve bedroom convent of the Felician Sisters was converted into space to house the school library and preschool. The second renovation provided space for a music room, expanded preschool and a media center and a third renovation project in 2003 added space for a new kindergarten center, school offices and more room for the preschool.

The School of Saint Mary has also continued to grow academically. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Education and President Ronald Reagan recognized St. Mary with the National Exemplary School Award. St. Mary was the first Tulsa school, public or private, to receive this honor. In 1998 St. Mary became the state’s first Catholic elementary school to meet the higher accrediting standards set by the Oklahoma Conference of Catholic Schools Accreditation Association.

 

Our Philosophy

The philosophy of the School of Saint Mary is to provide each and every student with a quality education, integrating their spiritual, academic, moral, social, physical, and emotional development.

This philosophy is in response to the challenge to spread the message of the Good News, to build a faith community, to be of service to others, and to implement God’s commandment to love one another.

The aim of the School of Saint Mary is to provide an atmosphere of love within which students can aspire to excellence. This includes the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge, the search for understanding values, and the discovery of talents. We strive to do this in an atmosphere conducive to honoring God and serving others.

The faculty is involved in the task of aiding parents in the development of the total child. The entire faith community provides each child with the foundation needed to grow and prosper in society. Only in this atmosphere of love, affirmation, faith, prayer, and service can a true Catholic education occur.