Top 10 List

Top 10 Reasons to Support St. Mary’s Springs High School’s Annual Fund

1.      Students, Students, Students

Catholic education is expensive.  Few students these days are able to afford the “real” cost of a Catholic secondary education, regardless of where they attend.  This is the case at St. Mary’s Springs.  Last year, one-third of our students qualified for need-based financial aid.  According to the latest figures available, St. Mary’s Springs’ students are less able to afford to pay for Catholic secondary education than students at other Catholic High Schools such as Marquette, Divine Savior Holy Angels and Dominican.  In short, our students are not affluent, and they need help to finance their education.  Every dollar contributed to the Annual Fund directly benefits current students.

2.     Giving Back

Thanks in large part to the Annual Fund, every student who attends St. Mary’s Springs receives a hidden scholarship amounting to 49% of the cost to educate a student.  Put another way, without the generous support of alumni, parents, and friends, tuition would be $8,709 instead of $4,420.  That was the case thirty years ago and it is still the case today.  By donating to the annual fund, you perpetuate this cycle of support.

3.     Affordability

Keeping St. Mary’s Springs affordable for current and future students is one of our chief concerns.  Although the St. Mary’s Springs’ endowment has grown significantly in recent years, many of our peer institutions are ahead of us in endowment size.  Because of this, we cannot rely as heavily as some institutions on our endowment to subsidize tuition.  In many respects, the Annual Fund is a living endowment, providing the money needed to bridge that gap for today’s students.

4.     Sustaining the Legacy

Since its beginnings, St. Mary’s Springs High School has been committed to providing the very best college preparatory education in the Catholic high school tradition.  Rooted in the vision of its Agnesian founders, Springs prepares students for lives of leadership, service and learning through a curriculum based on gospel values.  Your gift to the Annual Fund helps sustain this legacy and helps preserve these important values for current and future generations.

5.     Achieving the Vision

St. Mary’s Springs strives to become recognized regionally for academic excellence, faith formation and service to the community.  By documenting a college preparatory curriculum that challenges each student to excel, expanding the opportunities for faith formation and implementing a community service requirement for each grade, St. Mary’s Springs will achieve its vision.  By supporting the annual fund, you can help!

6.     Loyalty 

St. Mary’s Springs is blessed with many loyal alumni, parents and friends.  This loyalty is evidenced by the high attendance at class reunions, following at student performances and athletic competitions as well as correspondence with former teachers.  Supporting the Annual Fund is the best way you can show the world how much St. Mary’s Springs means to you.

7.     Reputation – Leveraging Support

Generous support from alumni, parents, and former parents helps leverage support from non-alumni.  When competing for grants, many foundations want to know the degree of support an institution receives from its alumni and past and current parents.  Alumni and parental giving participation is the quantifiable way foundations can compare how alumni and parents feel about their own or their children’s education.  Giving to the Annual Fund helps St. Mary’s Springs’ reputation and improves our credibility with foundations when competing for grants.  Conversely, low alumni and parent giving hinders our ability to compete for grants.

8.     Tax Deduction

All charitable contributions to St. Mary’s Springs are tax deductible.  In addition to cash gifts, some supporters choose to increase their tax savings by giving in the form of appreciated stocks, mutual funds or other valued property – thus avoiding capital gains taxes as well.  This savings has allowed some people to afford larger gifts with the same impact on their spendable income as smaller cash gifts.

9.     Recognition

All those who give to the St. Mary’s Springs Annual Fund are recognized annually in our Honor Roll.  This is an opportunity to stand with your peers in support of St. Mary’s Springs.

10.  Excellence

Gifts to the annual fund build the bridge to success.  The signs of success abound:

·  Springs 2002-2003 ACT Score was 23.5 compared to a state average of 22.2 and a national average of 20.8.  What makes these numbers even more impressive is that 99% of the junior class took the ACT!

·  Seven present faculty members have been honored with the Senator Kohl Teacher Fellowship in recognition and support of teaching excellence and innovation – only 100 fellowships are given annually!

·  Recent Ledger Athletic successes include: 2002 Football Conference and State Champions, 2003 Football State Runners Up, 2002 and 2003 Boys Basketball Regional Champions and 2003 Boys Basketball Conference Champions, 2002 Girls Basketball Conference Champions, and 2001 Conference and Regional Baseball Champions.

·  96% of seniors attend colleges or universities after graduation.