About
Our History
St. Mary’s began in the pioneer mining town of Jacksonville, Oregon, in 1865, when three Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary journeyed west to bring Catholic education to frontier families.
The women of Jacksonville had prepared the property for the Sisters, and the school prospered from the beginning. Within three years, the Academy had outgrown its original quarters, prompting the purchase of the James T. Drum home.
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St. Mary's Academy, Jacksonville (2nd location)
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Pioneering Education
The Academy quickly became more than a place of learning. In 1869, when a smallpox epidemic swept through Jacksonville, the Sisters left the safety of the classroom to care for the sick and dying—tending patients for two months without regard for their own health. Their courage and selflessness endeared them to every corner of the community, establishing St. Mary’s as a trusted pillar of compassion as well as education.
By the turn of the century, St. Mary’s Academy was recognized not only for academics but also for culture. As Myrtle Lee, curator of the Jacksonville Museum and daughter of pioneers, later recalled:
“Jacksonville remained a pretty rough town for many years following the gold rush, and a majority of parents longed for a refining influence for their children. St. Mary’s Academy, with its music and art, as well as its strict scholastic standards, was recognized as the cultural center of southern Oregon. A graduate of St. Mary’s at Jacksonville could pass any college entrance examination offered.”
As enrollment grew, the Sisters continued to expand, but in 1908, the Academy relocated to Medford—thanks in large part to Medford Mayor Dr. J. F. Reddy, whose $3,000 gift underwrote the move and gave St. Mary’s a new home at the heart of a growing city.
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St. Mary's Academy, Medford
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Cultural Shifts and Landmark Decisions
By the late 1920s, St. Mary’s Academy became coeducational, although the high school remained girls-only until Jack Smith graduated as the first male student in 1930. Boarding continued as an option until 1947. In 1948, the Sisters transferred ownership to Sacred Heart Parish, and the name shifted from St. Mary’s Academy to St. Mary’s School, reflecting its role as a parish-supported, twelve-year coeducational institution.
When financial realities of supporting two schools threatened closure in 1971, families, alumni, and friends—known as the “Save Our School Committee”—rallied, securing St. Mary’s future as Oregon’s first independent Catholic school. Archbishop Robert Joseph Dwyer of the Archdiocese of Portland approved the change. The church remained close to the school, with Father Arthur P. Dernbach acting as principal during these transitional years under the employment of the school’s first Board of Trustees. The inaugural Board included ten members from the Catholic community and three from the community at large.
Creating an Independent Catholic School
One hundred years after the school’s founding, in 1965, eight Sisters, two priests, and five lay teachers staffed St. Mary’s. A decade later, the balance had shifted: by 1975, the school was led by eight lay teachers, two priest, and just two Sisters—an early signal of the evolution from a convent-staffed institution to the faculty model of today. Even the Sisters' appearance had changed, as you can see in the photo to the right.
Among the laymen was Principal Larry Walker, who played an integral role in bridging tradition and innovation and ultimately laying the groundwork for a modern school.
When Barbara Callaway (left) became Head of School in the mid-1980s, the future of St. Mary’s was uncertain. Rumor has it she was hired to close the school, but instead, she sparked a renaissance that redefined it for the modern age. Her leadership was marked by an uncompromising commitment to academics.
Barbara’s vision and insistence on an “academics-first” culture pulled St. Mary’s through the challenges of the 1980s and laid the foundation for the college-prep powerhouse it is today.
Barbara’s vision and insistence on an “academics-first” culture pulled St. Mary’s through the challenges of the 1980s and laid the foundation for the college-prep powerhouse it is today.
Over the following decades, the school expanded to include 7th and 8th grades in 1987 following a fire at Sacred Heart Elementary School, 6th grade in 1992, and finally 5th grade in 2012, completing the current 5–12 structure. The ensuing years brought bold investments in campus and curriculum. A capital expansion beginning in 1998 delivered new classrooms and upgraded athletic facilities.
Future Focused, Community Minded
In the midst of this growth, the school’s first president joined the ranks. Frank Phillips started as a part-time librarian and English teacher in 1989. It wasn’t long before he became beloved in every one of his classes, including Latin, before moving into administration.
In 2005, he became Head of School and later President, roles he held until 2022. Under his leadership, enrollment grew from 326 to more than 500 students, and the school purchased the Black Oak campus land—an act requiring Vatican approval. The school’s net assets rose by $18 million, and Frank oversaw major expansions, including the Naumes Center for Fine Arts & Athletics (2012), the St. Mary’s Chapel (2012), and more.
In 2005, he became Head of School and later President, roles he held until 2022. Under his leadership, enrollment grew from 326 to more than 500 students, and the school purchased the Black Oak campus land—an act requiring Vatican approval. The school’s net assets rose by $18 million, and Frank oversaw major expansions, including the Naumes Center for Fine Arts & Athletics (2012), the St. Mary’s Chapel (2012), and more.
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Multi-purpose building comes down
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Carrico Center goes up
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Cross raised to the top of the chapel
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In 2017, the school launched St. Mary’s 2.0—reimagining both facilities and academics with a state-of-the-art STEM center, robotics labs, student lounges, and the school’s first on-campus cafeteria, alongside a new 54-bed dormitory that welcomed international and domestic boarding students.
Boarding had returned to St. Mary’s School years before, after ending in 1947, but students had been either at Southern Oregon University’s dorms or in homestays. Beginning in the 1990s, the school forged sister-school relationships in Japan, Russia, and Germany, with the support of the U.S. State Department, sending dozens of students and teachers back and forth across the Atlantic.
In 2005, St. Mary’s launched its Chinese language program in partnership with Zhengzhou University. Soon after, St. Mary’s was awarded the first Confucius Classroom in North America, an honor that brought nearly $1 million in funding for Chinese language instruction and cultural exchange across Southern Oregon. Hundreds of students from St. Mary’s and local public schools benefited from classes, grants, and subsidized travel to China.
Growing partnerships led to the reestablishment of the on-campus boarding program in 2017. Today, the school welcomes students from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany, Ukraine, Australia, and beyond, creating a uniquely global learning community in Southern Oregon. St. Mary’s also developed seven licensed programs within Chinese high schools, offering American college-prep courses and St. Mary’s diplomas to thousands of students abroad.
Arguably, the most radical academic shift in the school’s history came with St. Mary’s 2.0 and the adoption of a seven-mod, 26-day module system, offering more than 200 courses per year. Students design responsive, passion-driven schedules that keep learning fresh, rigorous, and personal—an approach that reflects more than 160 years of purpose-met possibility.
In 2022, Ryan Bernard became the 43rd leader of St. Mary’s, bringing with him a strong academic background, breadth of experience, and a dynamic, student-centered spirit. Known for leading the SMS cheer at assemblies and games, Ryan reminds students that athletics, robotics, mock trial, speech and debate, and math team are not “extra” activities but integral parts of the comprehensive St. Mary’s experience.
Although his tenure is in its relative infancy, he played an active role in many of the positive curricular, calendar, and strategic initiatives of the past decade and a half, and his vision for the future is bold: expanding opportunities for domestic boarding students, modernizing facilities, and developing the school’s twenty-four-acre campus. He is committed to safeguarding both St. Mary’s past and future through stewardship and strategic planning.
From a small frontier academy to an innovative global community, St. Mary’s has always been a place where tradition meets vision—and where the Sisters’ spirit of service, courage, and excellence is seen throughout the school 160 year history– in the smallpox epidemic of 1869, the Supreme Court fight of 1925, the “Save Our School Campaign” of 1970, and the radical shift to a responsive module calendar and curriculum in 2017– all inspire students to lead with compassion, faith, and resilience.
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