Marian Honors Academy
The Marian Honors Academy is a College preparatory program that is available to students at St. Mary’s High School.
Ready to take on the future
Membership in the Academy promises to expand your horizons, broadening the scope of whom you are, and who you will become as an adult. The hard work you put in as a member of the Marian Honors Academy will pay off with accolades from both the school and your peers. Upon completion of the academy, you will receive a special commendation at graduation, awards, and achievements to write on your college resume. Just as important, however, you will be subject to all sorts of differing challenges, points of view, areas of study and opportunities to expand your own thought processes. Whether it be volunteering at a local soup kitchen or traveling to a prestigious university for a campus tour, we believe that your experiences in this program will help you not only with college readiness, but also life experience.
Enrollment into the Academy
Acceptance is selective. Members must demonstrate:
- The responsibility and maturity expected of a St. Mary’s student.
- The academic fortitude and competency needed to succeed.
- A commitment to the time needed to succeed in this program.
To be considered, students must meet the following requirements:
- Maintain a 95% or higher overall weighted average every quarter of high school.
- Sign a contract promising to abide by all rules and requirements.
- Be on track to graduate with an Advanced Designation Diploma as stipulated by New York State Board of Regents.
- Complete course requirements in Honors and AP courses.
- Complete all course work stipulated by teacher mandate and course syllabi.
- Complete all required extracurricular activities.
- Complete a wide variety of enrichment activities, including internal and external enrichment, reading program, online assignments and writing stimuli as program director warrants.
- Submit an end-of-year portfolio and sit for a yearly evaluation of progress and contract requirements.
Advanced Designation diploma
Marian Honors Academy students must stay on track for a New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation. This requires students to take a more rigorous course load over a varying liberal arts curriculum. Members must earn Regents credits in:
- 3 mathematics courses
- 3 science courses
- 2 social studies courses
- 1 English course
Students must also complete 3 successful years of foreign language.
Honors & AP courses
To remain in good standing, members must enroll in Honors and AP level course work over their high school career.
9th Grade:
- English 9 Honors
- Global 9 Honors
- Minimum “A” level Math and Science classes
10th Grade:
- English 10 Honors
- AP World History
- Minimum “A” level Math and Science classes
11th Grade:
- Minimum of 2 AP level classes
- Minimum “A” level for all other classes
12th Grade:
- Minimum of 3 AP level classes
- Minimum “A” level for all other classes
Every teacher has requirements for coursework and acceptable behavior. In order to remain “in good standing,” you will need to follow all such requirements in every class.
Extra-curricular activities
To encourage students to be well rounded, the Marian Honors Academy requires that all members participate in extra-curricular activities throughout the school year. In 9th grade you will be expected to participate in 3 activities. In 10th, 11th and 12th grade, you’ll be expected to participate in at least 4 activities per year.
Program enrichment
Along with the coursework and the extra-curricular activities, membership in the Academy also requires work and participation in the Academy itself. Reminding ourselves of the mission of this Academy, our goal is to create a unique experience that blends not only academic rigors but also a divergent curriculum of outside activities to help our members grow creatively, culturally and independently. Members will be expected to meet the criteria set forth by the director and complete all activities.
Member portfolios
All members will create an ongoing portfolio of work. This may include journal entries, book reviews, artwork, discussions, etc. Portfolios should be kept current and are reviewed annually. Students will present their portfolios during their year-end evaluations. Based on the year-end evaluation, members will be recommended for continued membership the following year.