Marian High School, Tamaqua
Background/history: Marian High
School (MHS), Tamaqua was established
as a coeducational school in 1954, which
was declared a Marian Year in honor of the
Blessed Mother.
It was created to continue the education provided by St. Jerome High School,
Tamaqua; St. Ann High School, Lansford;
and St. Mary High School, Coaldale; as
one high school, by using the buildings
and facilities in the three towns.
The central high school was staffed by
the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary (IHM) at a unique campus
with its freshmen attending classes in
Tamaqua, sophomores in Lansford, and
juniors and seniors in Coaldale.
The current campus was constructed
in Rush Township in 1964 with the capacity for 1,200 students.
MHS is staffed by members of the IHM
community and lay teachers committed to
the development of
t h e
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nickname
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sports
teams, Colts, represents the towns from
which it drew students, with the C for
Coaldale, L for Lansford, T for Tamaqua
and S for Summit Hill. The O represents
“other” communities that send students
to MHS.
MHS serves students from parishes of
both Roman and Byzantine rites in
Schuylkill and Carbon counties. The high
school also serves Luzerne County in the
Diocese of Scranton and extends a welcome to students of other faiths.
Enrollment: 324 students. Studentteacher ratio 12:1.
Mission: MHS strives to develop students spiritually, morally, academically and
socially by integrating the teachings of
Jesus Christ with a value-centered curriculum. In a safe family atmosphere, the faculty and administration challenge students
not only to reach their highest academic
potential, but also to adopt a disciplined
work ethic necessary to become contributing self-sufficient citizens who give witness to their Catholic faith.
Principal and teacher biographies: Sister Bernard Agnes is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. She is a graduate of Immaculata
University and Villanova University.
Sister began her teaching career in the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia at St. John the
Baptist School, Manayunk. She also
taught at St. Agatha School, Transfiguration School and St. Anthony of Padua
School, Philadelphia.
She began her high school teaching at
MHS as a chemistry teacher in 1976. She
also taught at Immaculata High School,
Somerville, N.J. and St. Hubert High
School, Philadelphia.
In 1991 she was appointed assistant
principal for student affairs at St. Maria
Goretti High School, Philadelphia. She returned to MHS in 1998 as director of studies until her appointment as principal in
1998.
One of the most admired and seasoned
staff members at MHS is Teresa Sheer, director of studies. Sheer attended McAdoo
Catholic School and graduated from MHS
in 1969.
Sheer obtained a bachelor of science
degree in mathematics education from
Penn State University and a master’s degree in classroom technology from Wilkes
University, Wilkes-Barres.
She began her teaching career as junior/senior high school algebra teacher be-
fore becoming a fifth grade teacher at
McAdoo Catholic.
In 1997 she began teaching at MHS and
in 1999 was appointed math department
chairperson. As department chair, along
with diocesan support, Sheer was instrumental in working with the partner schools
of MHS to begin teaching Algebra I in
eighth grade, then Algebra II when they
enter high school. She continues to meet
with the partner schools on a yearly basis
to foster a strong connection and to better
prepare students for high school mathematics.
In 2012 Sheer accepted the position as
director of studies and still remains in the
classroom teaching dual enrollment
courses with Lehigh Carbon Community
College for senior students.
At MHS Sheer was the academic advisor for the football team and worked
closely with the players, parents and
coaches to make sure performance of the
players in the classroom was a top priority.
She helped establish the Rock Music Ministry, a student ministry that adds music to
the liturgies each week and travels to each
of the partner schools once each school
year to participate in their liturgies.
In 2005 Sheer was chosen as one of the
top 100 teachers in the nation from more
than 50,000 nominations for the Disneyland
Teacher’s Award.
She was also nominated by one of her
students to Who’s Who Among America’s
Teachers for excellence as a distinguished
educator.
Special programs/technology/extracurricular activities: MHS offers distance
learning for Spanish with its partner
schools Our Lady of the Angels Academy,
Lansford and St. Joseph Regional Academy, Jim Thorpe.
It also offers dual enrollment courses,
including probability and statistics, college
algebra and Spanish IV through Lehigh
Carbon Community College.
Students had the opportunity to witness a live “knee replacement” in anatomy
and physiology class through Johns
SCHOOL
SNAPSHOT
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
MHS sports programs include
cheerleading, cross country, football, basketball, baseball, football, softball, track and
field, and volleyball.
Academic achievements and awards:
Based on 2012 first semester statistics, 55
percent of the student body achieved
honor roll, with 15 students achieving distinguished honors, 80 students achieving
first honors and 82 achieving second honors.
Colleges and universities attended:
Bethany College, W.Va.; Bucknell University, Lewisburg; Carroll University, Wis.;
Colgate University, N.Y.; DeSales University, Center Valley; Dickinson College,
Carlisle; Drexel University; Philadelphia;
Duquesne University, Pittsburgh;
Elizabethtown; Fordham University, N.Y.;
Gannon University, Erie; Hawaii Pacific
University, Hawaii; Lafayette College,
Easton; LaSalle University, Philadelphia;
Lehigh University, Bethlehem; Johns
Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.;
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove;
Temple University, Philadelphia; Ohio State
University; Penn State University; University of Notre Dame, Ind.; University of the
Sciences, Philadelphia; Valley Forge Military Academy; Villanova University; West
Point, N.Y.; Ursinus College, Philadelphia;
U.S. Naval Academy, Md.; Widener University, Chester; and West Chester University.
Financial aid availability and transfer
grants: MHS offers tuition assistance and
transfer grant opportunities through the
Eastern Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation, as well as from several family scholarship funds. The school participates in
the Bishop’s Commission on Catholic
Schools transfer grant program.
Financial aid is available through the
“Men of Marian,” an organization established in 1964 to meet the needs of families
in Schuylkill and Carbon counties. It has
raised millions of dollars to extend financial aid to students. The organization has
also provided funding for facility improvements, athletic teams, transportation, insurance for every student in the school, a
trainer, maintenance of facilities, medical
supplies and many other areas.
During the 2012-13 school year the organization contributed more than $82,250
toward the operations of the school. Over
the past 14 years the organization has given
a total of $1,497,113 to MHS.
School contact information: 166 Marian
Ave., Tamaqua, PA 18252; 570-467-3335 or
570-668-2225; alsmhs@ptd.net; http://
www.mariancatholichs.org. Sister Bernard
Agnes, sbernard@mariancatholichs.org;
Teresa Sheer, sheer@mariancatholichs.org; and Sue Ann Gerhard, director of
development and alumni, colts@ptd.net.
School tours: Available during school
hours from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.