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Saint Mary's High School was an all-girl Catholic academy founded in 1899 by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This religious order of nuns was commonly referred to as the "BVMs". Saint Mary's school was the first central, independent girls' high school built and operated by a community of nuns in Chicago. Saint Mary's success, financially and as a fulfillment of a social commitment, was attributed to the ideals of Mother Mary Frances Clarke, founder of the religious order in 1833. Mother Clarke's goal was to "unite religion and culture" with BVMs schools offering young girls alternatives to the standard Victorian-type finishing school.
During the late l9th century, many young girls did not continue their education beyond the eighth grade because female secondary schools were not conveniently located within the boundaries of Chicago's west side. The founding of Saint Mary's High School was a response to this need. This school opened its doors in September of 1899 with seventy-two students and in 1903, eighteen girls graduated in the first commencement. The original storefront structure, located at Taylor and Cypress Streets, was later replaced by a permanent group of brick buildings on west Grenshaw Street. These buildings housed the Saint Mary's High School and its experimental Center for Learning until June of 1976.
Saint Mary's High School curriculum emphasized the practical and the religious needs of young urban girls. In 1902, a Commercial Department was created becoming one of the school's most popular curriculum offerings. Saint Mary's also sought to realistically serve the multi-ethnic communities of the west side to make secondary education more accessible to the girls of working class parents during the 20th century. For a significant number of students, high school was the extent of some girls' formal education.
Saint Mary's High School traditionally held high standards in journalism. The Herald, a weekly newspaper, won awards for journalism during the 1930s and 1940s. The Catalyst, a daily newspaper that came into existence in 1968, was a vital link of communication between teachers and students and the parents of students. In 1971, the Chicago Tribune nominated Sister Ann Christine Heintz, the journal moderator, for the "Educator of the Year" national award.
In the late 1960s, the traditional, formal structure of Saint Mary's High School changed. School uniforms worn by the students were discarded and the BVMs adopted a more simple dress code. Teacher-student relationships were less formal with students actively participating in the governance of the school. This traditional school became a Center For Learning as their was a commitment to "affective education", a phrase used to describe a learning environment where the students, the teachers, and the administration all share in the process of the school through "teams". The office of Principal was phased out and replaced by an Administrative Team of which students were equal members. Another Team, the Judicial Board, made disciplinary decisions. The Personnel Review Board interviewed individuals for positions and rehired staff members each year. Saint Mary's High School added "and Center for Learning" in 1968 and began to admit male students.
Alumnae, faculty and interested individuals made up the Corporate Board. This Board sought funding from outside donors, such as Leonard Nimoy in particular. Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock of Star Trek, narrated a NIBC documentary about Saint Mary's entitled "If the Mind is Free" to help raise monies for the alternative school. The school community as a whole was also involved in fund-raising, including teachers and staff members donating their salaries and taking pay-cuts of up to 50%. Parents accepted maintenance responsibilities too. Additional financial support came from the Chicago City Colleges Urban Skills Center which set up a night Adult Education program at the Center for Learning.
In the spring of 1976, Saint Mary's High School and Center for Learning was closed. Increased tuition costs made the Center's program prohibitive to middle and lower income students that the alternative school was meant to serve. The conditions of the school buildings had deteriorated and monies were not available for improvements. The last graduating class was in June of 1976. However, the Adult Education program of the Chicago City Colleges Urban Skills Center was relocated to Malcolm X Community College and the Daycare program continued in other quarters. The Saint Mary's High School and Center for Learning buildings and property were purchased by the University of Illinois at Chicago for expansion of its programs and facilities. The complex of buildings was then razed by the University.
The Saint Mary's records chiefly date from 1968 to 1976 when the school was the Center for Learning. However, there are records dating back to the school's inception in 1899 such as graduating class photographs, yearbooks, gradebooks, library accession books, Mother's Club minutes of meetings, and financial accounts. The records also consist of correspondence, proposals, newsletters, minutes of meetings, brochures, program statements, printed programs, annual state reports, articles, school directories, leaflets, fliers, reports, position papers, order forms, diplomas, announcements, questionnaires, lists, resource guides, staff bulletins, memoranda, constitution and by-laws, newspaper clippings, student handbooks, self-study reports, newspapers, press releases, syllabus, class schedules, applications for employment, slides, counseling and personnel reports, photographs, and commencement programs.
The Saint Mary's High School and Center for Learning records contain information on the history of the school and its programs, curriculum, and activities as well as the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation reports from 1933 to 1976. The school's rich heritage in journalism is documented through the Saint Mary's Herald (1930-1968), The Catalyst (1968-1976) and numerous school literary printed works including monographs having published statements of the theory and practice of Saint Mary's alternative experience. The records also include material on their alumnae, alternative schools networks, adult education, high school plays, day care programs, Leonard Nimoy, open enrollment, Vista, the Westside Federation of Catholic Schools, the Alpha II Project Truancy Program, and the Anne Tyskling Consortium for the Mid-West program.
Three additional supplements were added to the collection in 1978, 1979, and 1986. For information about the material comprising these supplements, please consult paper inventories located in the Special Collections Reading Room.
The graduate student cataloger arranged the Saint Mary's records alphabetically by subject dividing them into the categories of non-RESTRICTED and RESTRICTED. In a later review of the non-RESTRICTED folders by the archivist some folders were marked RESTRICTED.
Access restrictions -- Closed. The following folders have been closed to researchers: 86; 296; 305; 306; 307; 308; 323; 324; 326; 327; 328; 329; 335; 346; 349; 364; 365; 366; 367; 368; 369; 370; 371; 372; 373; 374; 375; 376; 378; 379; 380; 381; 382; 383; 384; 385; 386; 387; 388; 389; 390; 391; 392; 393; 394; 395; 396; 397; 398; 399; 400; 401; 402; 403; 404; 405; 406; 407; 408; 409; 410; 411; 412; 413; 414; 415; 416; 417; 418; 419; 420; 421; 422; 423; 424; 425; 426; 427; 428; 429; 430; 431; 432; 433; 434.
Use Restrictions — Fragile. This collection contains fragile materials which require special handling. Please consult the Manuscripts Librarian.
Saint Mary's High School and Center for Learning Records, Special Collections, University of Illinois at Chicago.
N.B. Folders 1-368 are not RESTRICTED except for those folders that are clearly marked RESTRICTED. The asterisk before any folder title denotes that the cataloger created the folder title.