Principal's Welcome
As the Principal of this distinguished school full of history and nostalgia nestled in beautiful Belen, New Mexico, let me be the first to welcome you to St. Mary’s Catholic School!
We at St. Mary’s Catholic School have provided wonderful opportunities for children to develop their faith, academic knowledge, extra-curricular and community-based service skills for over 92 years when we first opened our doors to nearly 300 students in 1927. Today, we still serve students and their families as we did in 1927 with love and joy! We will soon be celebrating our 100 th anniversary as one of the best Catholic schools in New Mexico!
At St. Mary’s School, we are proud to focus on Faith, Service, and Excellence. In the tradition of our patroness, the blessed Mother, we are committed to providing the following:
~ Activities that allow students to experience prayer and liturgy on a firsthand basis.
~ Quality educational opportunities for students of varied academic abilities while closing achievement gaps. ~Financial Aid Programs to assist those families unable to assume full financial responsibility for tuition.
~ Opportunities for students to serve others and their community as servant leaders in Christ in order to fulfill the mandate of the Gospel and the societal demands of social justice.
Our Catholic identity is important to us at St. Mary’s Catholic School. That is why our students participate in daily prayer, the sacraments, and weekly Mass. We also have school-wide retreats during Advent and Lent including the Living Rosary, Stations of the Cross, and the May Crowning of our blessed Mother.
St. Mary’s Catholic School is pleased to have a highly qualified and experienced faculty and staff who are dedicated to developing our future leaders of God’s world. Our average student-to-teacher ratio of 16:1 allows for our teachers to apply a variety of teaching methodologies such as faith, arts, and technology integration to reach all learners. We are excited to embrace the STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Model into most lessons. As the recipient of the 2019 K-8 th New Mexico Excellence in STEM Awards presented by the Air Force Research Laboratory New Mexico Tech Engagement Office, we are proud of our daily and annual accomplishments in this endeavor.
At St. Mary’s Catholic School, you will also discover that not only do we provide a strong curricular program that focuses on the foundational skills taught in core subjects, but we take pride in educating the whole child. St. Mary’s students are exposed to the arts, Spanish, and many extra-curricular activities such as Faith Challenge Bowl, Choir, Student Council, Cross Country, Track, Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball, Robotics Club, Guitar Lessons, Chess Club, and 4-H club to name a few. Finally, we participate in many community events such as the Miracle on Main Street Parade and Food Bank Collections.
At St. Mary’s Catholic School, we are committed to the growth of our Catholic identity, academic potential, and community involvement. Accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association, St. Mary’s Catholic School is delighted to provide the foundation of Faith, Service, and Excellence for our future leaders of God’s world and we encourage you to join us in our journey!
Love, Peace, and Mercy be with you always in Christ,
Mrs. Andrea Harville, M.S.Ed.
Please feel free to contact me using the Contact Us page!
