History of St. Mary's School

 

 

St. Mary’s Catholic School has provided Catholic education for the children and families in the Tomahawk area for over 100 years!  In 1916, St. Mary’s School was opened under the pastorate of Father Van Helden, and was staffed by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.  On February 21, 1926, this building was destroyed by fire.  Construction to rebuild St. Mary’s School began in 1926.  Two benefactors were responsible for getting the project started.  A new school and home for the Sisters were erected and the school opened in January 1927.  This building served as the school until August 2011, when the present school building was dedicated.

 

Over the years, many changes have taken place at the school.  From an all-sister teaching staff, it gradually became necessary to hire lay teachers to fill the shortage of sisters.  The 7th and 8th grades at St. Mary’s were discontinued after the 1966-67 school year.  In the fall of 1982, a kindergarten was begun at St. Mary’s.  Grade 6 was discontinued in 1995 after the Tomahawk Middle School restructured to begin at 6th grade.  Multiage classrooms at grade levels 2/3 and 4/5 were begun in the early 2000s.  When the numbers of students at these grade levels increased to require two homerooms at each level, it was determined that this model of education continue at St. Mary’s due to the advantages experienced in multiage classrooms. 

 

Although housed in the same building, a preschool independent of St. Mary’s elementary school had offered half-days for 3 and 4 year-olds from 1994 to 2005.  In 2005, half-day curriculum-based programs for 3 and 4 year-olds were included as part of St. Mary’s School.  In 2005, the first five-day per week, all-day 4-year-old kindergarten in the community was begun at St. Mary’s School.  The 3-year-old preschool was expanded in 2016-17 to offer parents the choice of full days with the option of three or five days per week in a curriculum-based classroom setting.  

 

Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, St. Mary’s School moved to the renovated former Tomahawk Medical Center Clinic.  The Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother sold the building to the Parish for $1.00.  A capital campaign, “The Legacy Campaign,” raised approximately $1 million to remodel the building to house the school.  The building was completely gutted and rooms were reconfigured to meet the needs of the school.  St. Mary’s School consists of a main floor with eight classrooms, offices for the principal and administrative assistant, and a chapel at the school entrance.  The lower level has a library/computer lab, cafeteria, and ancillary rooms including a reading room and gross motor skills room along with storage areas.  The new building is completely accessible and includes an elevator between the two floors and restrooms upstairs and downstairs. In 2018 the loan to renovate the building was paid off.

 

Currently, St. Mary’s School offers classes ranging from 3-year-old preschool through fifth grade with a student body of approximately 83 students . . . and growing!