Magnolia’s Saint Thomas More Preparatory was selected as one of the top 50 Catholic high schools in the country Nov. 10. The school is one of only two in the state to receive the honor.
This is the first year Saint Thomas More has been named to the National Catholic High School Honor Roll, a project of the non-profit Action Institute which evaluates the country’s 1,300 Catholic high schools based on standards of academic excellence, church teaching and civic education.
Saint Thomas More Principal David L. McKenzie said that the recognition is particularly important for his 10-year-old school.
“This is the first time for us, and I think we’re the youngest school that has ever received this honor,” he said.
Salesianum School in Wilmington was also on the top 50 list this year, and made the honor roll in 2007 and 2004.
Superintendent of Schools for the Wilmington diocese Cathy Weaver said she’s very proud that two of the diocese’s seven high schools in Delaware were named to the list.
“We’re delighted that both of the schools have been recognized for the good work that they do,” she said. “And Saint Thomas More, for such a new school that has really blossomed in the last couple of years, I think its very deserving.”
The Action Institute uses a series of self-review surveys and data from standardized tests like the PSAT, the ACT and Advanced Placement exams to judge how well schools are performing.
It also considers how well schools integrate Catholic teachings and religious activities into their daily operations and how schools prepare their students to be productive, informed citizens.
McKenzie said great academics and religion go hand-in-hand at Saint Thomas More.
“Our academics are outstanding,” he said, adding that 100% of Saint Thomas More graduates attend college. “The fiber of school is Catholic, it permeates everything we do in the school, that’s just part of the nature, even though one-third of the school is not Catholic.”
Saint Thomas More also uses a student-enforced honor code, something that McKenzie said sets the school apart from others.
“The students take self-proctored tests, you can walk the halls and see purses, bags, iPods and know that nothing is going to move,” he said. “We don’t have a disciplinarian, all the rules are enforced by the students.”
McKenzie said that, even though Saint Thomas More is a Catholic school, recognition like the honor roll reinforces the reasons why non-Catholics choose to send their children to the school.
“Most parents are sending them because it’s a faith-based school and we discuss moral issues,” he said. “You still take religion, you still go to church, but the quality of the education remains the same. That’s all part and parcel of who we are.”
Email Doug Denison at doug.denison@doverpost.com
