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Mount Saint Charles Academy

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Coordinates: 41°59′46″N 71°30′7″W / 41.99611°N 71.50194°W / 41.99611; -71.50194
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Mount Saint Charles Academy
The front of Mount Saint Charles Academy
Location
Map
800 Logee Street

Woonsocket
,
(Providence County)
,
Rhode Island
02895-5599

United States
Coordinates41°59′46″N 71°30′7″W / 41.99611°N 71.50194°W / 41.99611; -71.50194
Information
TypePrivate, Catholic, Coeducational junior/senior high school institution
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic,
(Brothers of the Sacred Heart)
EstablishedSeptember 14, 1924
OversightDiocese of Providence
PresidentAlan Tenreiro[1]
PrincipalJulie Beauvais
Grades6–12
Enrollment850
Campus size22 acres (89,000 m2)
Campus typeUrban
Color(s) Scarlet  -  Blue  -  White 
Team nameMounties
AccreditationNew England Association of Schools and Colleges[2]
NewspaperThe Hilltopper
YearbookExcelsior
Websitewww.mountsaintcharles.org

Mount Saint Charles Academy is a private Roman Catholic co-educational junior and senior high school academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.[3]

History

In the late 1800s, many French Canadians migrated to the mill town of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. A local clergyman, Monsignor Charles Dauray, sought to preserve the French language and Catholic faith in the region through education. He invited the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a French Catholic congregation, to staff a school in the city.[4] Mount St. Charles Academy opened on September 14, 1924 to a number of boarders and commuting students. Brother Josephus, SC served as the first principal.

Three years after the completion of the school, Br. Josephus oversaw the construction of a gymnasium. The early curriculum included a wide variety of courses emphasizing academic and athletic training. In 1963, the Br. Adelard Ice Hockey Arena, named after the "Father of Schoolboy Hockey", was added to the campus, being the first hockey arena built to serve a particular school,.[5]

By the 1970s, with the closing of the all-girls' high school in the city, and following a diminished interest in boarding schools, the Academy was modernized into a Grade 7–12 co-educational day school. By 2015, Mount Saint Charles had expanded and incorporated the 6th grade to compete with schools in the area.[6]

It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and has been recognized twice as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.[7]

In 2009, it was announced that Mr. Herve Richer, Jr. would become the first lay president of Mount Saint Charles. Mr. Edwin Burke, the former assistant principal, assumed the role of principal.

In March 2016, it was announced that the school would not take transgender students, including a statement in their handbook. Alumni of the school took to social media and created a petition to oppose this announcement.[8] The school released a response stating that their intent was not discriminatory and claimed their facilities could not accommodate gender diverse students.[9][10] The school rescinded the policy days later.[11]

In 2017, Herve Richer stepped down as president. Alan Tenreiro, a 1992 graduate of the school, was selected as the third president of Mount Saint Charles Academy.[12] Tenreiro was named National Principal of the Year in 2016 by NASSP for his contributions to Cumberland High School.[13]

In 2019, the school received $3.7 million in Educational Institutional Revenue Bonds in order to create a new residence hall.[3] The residence hall was opened in October 2019 to house 70 students for the first time in nearly 50 years.[14]

Arts

Bands

The music department offers opportunities for students in grades 6 through 12 to participate in various ensembles, such as stage bands, jazz bands, and brass choirs, along with woodwind, percussion, and strings ensembles. Currently, there is both a junior high band and a senior high band, known as the Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Additionally, the department provides extracurricular bands, including jazz and contemporary, which perform year-round.

Chorus

The chorus program includes both junior high and senior high school students. Students perform a range of music styles, including religious, musical theater, and popular songs.[citation needed]

Dance

The dance program is an academic and performance-based program that includes modern, jazz, ballet, and tap. Students also gain experience in choreography and performance in different settings.[citation needed]

Excelsior Yearbook

The MSC yearbook publishes a complete and formal summary of each year's social, scholastic, and athletic activities. It also contains individual pictures of all students and faculty. Although the teaching staff of the academy and the respective senior classes are depicted in color print each year, the remainder of the student body is depicted in black and white.[citation needed]

Handbell Choirs

The arts department offers the opportunity to participate in hand bell choirs performing at school concerts. The advanced group Excelsior Bells also performs in the community on a regular basis.[citation needed]

Theater

Junior high and senior high programs offer theory, training, and stage experiences during school hours. In addition, these theater classes schedule public performances.[citation needed]

Campus Ministry

In collaboration with the Religious Studies Department, the Office of Campus Ministry provides a range of experiences that form a more reflective faith community. Campus ministers oversee activities such as the Mission Drive, annual Christmas Baskets for the needy, and Days of Recollection.[citation needed]

Athletics

The Mount Saint Charles Academy boys' hockey team won twenty-six consecutive state titles from 1978 to 2003 and began a new streak with state victories in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Over the years, a total of 20 alumni have been drafted by the NHL. Brian Lawton and Bryan Berard were drafted 1st overall in the NHL Entry Draft. The story of this school's hockey program is recorded in the book Pride on the Mount by John Gillooly. The current coach, Normand "Bill" Belisle, has a record of 990 wins, 183 losses, and 37 ties. In 2006, a documentary was created called Ice Kings, which encompasses the material covered in the book as well as insights from alumni and Coach Belisle.

In 2022, the boy's 18U hockey team won a National Championship.

In 2022, the boy's Varsity Lacrosse team was the first team in RIIL History to ever have won two back-to-back State Championships in 2 separate divisions (Division IV in '21 and Division II in '22).

In 2021, Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy was one of only two schools in the entire nation to have all 4 tournament bound teams (18U, 16U, 15O and 14U) qualify for their respective National Tournaments.[citation needed]

In addition, the girl's varsity tennis team has won several state championship titles, most recently in 2007 and 2008.

The school also won back to back Division II state titles in boys soccer 2004 and 2005 before moving up to Division I in 2006.

The swim team also had a leap from Division III to Division I in one year, making it the first team in RIIL history to move two divisions in one year.

In 2015 the boy's varsity soccer team won the Division II state championship over Moses Brown.[15]

State Championships
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall Soccer, Men's 5 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2015
Tennis, Women's 5 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008
Volleyball, Women's 2 1995, 2009
Winter Hockey, Men's 45 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1968, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2022 (18U National Championship)
Basketball, Women's 1 2001
Swimming, Men's 3 2002, 2003, 2004
Swimming, Women's 1 2003
Hockey, Women's 6 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011
Spring Lacrosse, Men's 3 2008, 2021, 2022
Volleyball, Men's 5 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018
Baseball, Men's 3 2009, 2010, 2015
All Cheerleading 4 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011
Total 83

Notable alumni

Mathieu Schneider

See also


References

  1. ^ https://www.mountsaintcharles.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=913602 [dead link‍]
  2. ^ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  3. ^ a b Brook M (May 7, 2019). "RIHEBC Issues $3.7 million in Educational Institution Revenue Bonds on Behalf of Mount Saint Charles Academy". Rhode Island Health and Educational Building Corporation. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Mount Saint Charles Academy ~ History". www.mountsaintcharles.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  5. ^ "Mount Saint Charles Academy ~ Our Campus/Directions". www.mountsaintcharles.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  6. ^ "History". Mount Saint Charles Academy. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  7. ^ "National Blue Ribbon Schools: 1982 through 2016" (PDF). United States Department of Education. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  8. ^ Crandall, Brian (4 March 2016). "Students, Parents React to Transgender Policy at Mount Saint Charles Academy". NBC News. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Davis, Katie (March 4, 2016). "NBC 10 I-Team: Mount Saint Charles Academy bans transgender students". NBC News. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  10. ^ Abeni, Cleis (March 7, 2017). "Alumni Condemn Catholic School's Exclusion of Trans Students". The Advocate. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  11. ^ Borg, Linda (March 10, 2016). "Mount St. Charles Academy Rescinds Policy Against Transgender Students". Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  12. ^ "CHS' Tenreiro heading to Mount as President". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  13. ^ "Nassp's 2016 national principal of the year: Alan Tenreiro". NASSP. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Clem, Lauren (October 30, 2019). "Mount unveils Residence Hall as Elite Hockey Program Takes Off". The Valley Breeze. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Congratulations to the Varsity Boys Soccer Team". Mount Saint Charles Academy. 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  16. ^ a b Beggy, Carol; Shanahan, Mark (2008-01-02). "A star in the classroom". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  17. ^ "Ben Mondor". afgs.org. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
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