History
By the close of the 19th century, a vast number of Canadians had migrated to the mill town of Woonsocket, RI. The Franco-American clergy of the area cherished the idea of assisting these immigrant families by educating the young, preserving the language and promulgating the Catholic faith. One local clergyman, Monsignor Charles Dauray, took the initiative and laid the foundation for educational institutions that would serve his parishioners. He invited the Brothers of the Sacred Heart to form part of this dream by staffing a school.
Mount St. Charles Academy opened its doors on September 14, 1924 to a number of boarders and commuting students. Br. Josephus SC served as the first principal.
Three years after the completion of the school a gymnasium, the largest in New England at the time, was added. In the spirit of Brother Josephus, each succeeding principal has attempted to improve the school and its extra-curricular programs. The boys could choose from a wide variety of courses intended to sharpen their intellects as well as a selection of sports to assist in their physical development. In 1963, the Br. Adelard Ice Hockey Arena, named after the "Father of Schoolboy Hockey" and the first built to serve a particular school, was added to the campus.
By the 1970s, with the closing of the all-girls' high school in the city and a diminished interest in boarding schools, the Academy was modernized into a Grades 7 - 12, co-educational, day school. Desiring to better serve the individual needs of each student, the Academy also established its Teacher Counselor Program, intended to ensure that each student had an adult advocate to monitor his/her progress and serve as an intermediary between the home and school.
During the past two decades, the Academy has further expanded academic and competitive opportunities. 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. Attempting to perpetuate that success, the Academy has continued to develop its campus including the construction of a new Performing Arts / Physical Education facility in 2000. Future development includes plans for new a new Science Center, a Technology Center and additional sporting facilities.
In 2009 it was announced that Mr. Herve Richer, Jr. would become the first lay president of Mount Saint Charles. Mr. Edwin Burke, former assistant principal and advanced-placement European History teacher, assumed the position of Principal.
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