After School Programs and Student Activities

Students in grades 5-8 are eligible to participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as an altar server. Training for new servers is normally held in January with a form sent home to students.  The commitment to serve is for one year and then students must re-commit.  Interested students should contact the Parish Office.

The Athletic Association of St. Mary Delaware serves the students, parents, and parishioners of the St. Mary community (Parish, School, & PSR). For students, the Board endeavors to provide them with an opportunity for a positive athletic experience. Students in this program will have the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of the game, develop their skills and experience team play, teamwork, sportsmanship, and Christian values.  Students in grades 4-8 are eligible to participate in Diocesan Athletics.  Please contact Megan Belcher, Athletic Director with any questions.  athleticdirector@delawarestmary.org.

St. Mary School offers elementary band to students in grades 5-8.  Students at the end of their 4th grade year will have a fitting for instruments.  There is a separate fee for band students payable to St. Mary School.  Mrs. Melissa Stevens is responsible for the band instruction at St. Mary School and she can be reached at mstevens@cdeducation.org

Battle of the Books is for 7th and 8th grade students who enjoy reading.  Our students have won this competition multiple times. Students are given a list of 85 books to read in preparation for a test in order to qualify for the St. Mary School team.  The team then competes against other Diocesan schools to answer a variety of questions related to the 85 books listed.  Librarian Miss O’Connor meets with the team once to twice a month for one hour after school.  The team begins soon after the start of the school year with competitions held in March.  Students who are interested should talk with Miss O’Connor

St. Mary Brownie Girl Scouts is open to all girls in the parish in first, second, and third grades. The girls will learn basic first aid, visit a planetarium, and work on a variety of “try-it” badges. Field trips vary, however the Brownies usually meet on Monday or Tuesday afternoons. All the troops participate in a Church Mass during Girl Scout Week. New troops begin in September but can be joined at any time.  More information on this Parish run activity can be found at here.

Cub Scout Pack 249 at St. Mary is available for students in the elementary grades.  Middle School students then advance on to the Boy Scout program.  Information is available here.

Students in grades 7-8 are invited to attend Bishop Watterson feeder school dances throughout the school year.  These dances are hosted by the various feeder schools typically on Friday nights from 7-9:30 pm.  St. Mary School hosts 1-2 dance per academic year.  Only feeder school students in grades 7-8 are admitted to the dances and attendance is verified using yearbooks and school rosters in order to ensure a safe environment.  Fliers are typically posted in the classrooms prior to each school’s dance. Guidelines for the feeder school dances can be found here.

Students in grades 6-8 may participate in a fall drama workshop which culminates in a night of one-act scenes.  In the Spring, students perform a full production.  Auditions for the Spring Play typically take place in late February to early March with the play in late April to early May.  Practices are held after school in the Commons.  This year the Spring Play will be the “Cinderella”.  Interested students should contact the school office.  After school practices and the auditions are led by two school parent volunteers.

Students in grades 8 assume the main roles of the drama of the Living Stations of the Cross by reenacting the Passion of Christ from The Last Supper to the Laying in the Tomb.  All 8th graders typically participate and 7th grade students are used if necessary to fill remaining roles.  Practices are held every Thursday after school from 2:30-4:30 for 8-10 weeks prior to the performance.  The performance is held 1-2 weeks prior to Easter.

5th grade students are the singers for the Living Stations leading the school and Parish thru the musical parts of the drama.  The 5th graders normally practice on Friday’s from 1-2 pm during their Religion class prior to the performance.  They are also required to attend the dress rehearsal after school.

Interested students should talk with Mrs. Taylor in January.

The National Mythology Exam is sponsored by Miami University.  It is offered every year to all students grades 3-8.  In December, students who wish to take the exam sign up.  Students are given materials to read and study.  There are study sessions after school right before the exam.  The exam is given during the school day, usually the last week of February or the first week of March.  The answer sheets are sent to Miami University to be scored.  The results are usually sent to us in April.  Those who receive a perfect score get a gold medal, those who score between 95-99% get a silver medal, those who score between 90-94% receive a bronze medal.  Everyone who participates receives a certificate.

St. Mary School offers a spelling bee for students in grades 5-8 each year.  Students compete in a classroom bee with the top 5 spellers from each grade level qualifying for the school bee.  The spelling bee uses words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee.  The winner of the school bee then advances on to the next round of the Scripps competition.  Interested students in grades 5-8 should contact their homeroom teacher with questions. This year’s Bee will take place on February 1 at 8:45 am.