Over the years, Mount Carmel School has cultivated some of island’s most notable business, government, and community leaders.  As elected officials, doctors, attorneys, teachers, and business executives, the school’s alumni stand as inspiring pillars in our community. 

Furthermore, many of the school’s graduates earn admission into some of the world’s top educational institutions, like 2005 graduate, Emanuel Borja, who is currently enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and 2007 graduate, Mike Kim, who was admitted into United States Military Academy at West Point.  Indeed, these alumni are products of the school and its values:  Faith, Excellence, and Success.

But what is the school a product of?  How did Mount Carmel School start?  What is her history?  What is her story?  In the following, we take a brief look at the school:  her past, her present, and her future.

A History of Faith
Mount Carmel School was founded in 1952 by Father Arnold Bendowski, a Capuchin priest along with the Mercederian Sisters of Berriz, and the parishioners of Mount Carmel Church. Classes during that inaugural year were held in the newly remodeled old Generator House of the Sugar Factory that once stood where Mount Carmel Cathedral and School stand today.

As the only Catholic school on a predominantly Catholic island, it was only natural that through the years, Mount Carmel School expanded to accommodate each additional grade level. In 1957 Mount Carmel School opened doors for the only high school on island. In 1960 Mount Carmel school celebrated its first double graduation. Those high school students who enrolled in 1956 graduated from the 12th grade, while the first students to ever enroll at Mount Carmel School in 1952, graduated from the 8th grade.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the school grew as enrollment numbers picked up. During that same time however, the Catholic Church throughout the world experienced a drop in individuals pursuing religious vocations. As a result, fewer nuns and priests taught here during those decades, challenging the Catholic mission of the school as more lay teachers were hired and the island community began to rapidly westernize.

In 1993, Bishop Tomas A. Camacho hired Sister Mary Angela Perez, of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, as President of Mount Carmel School, and gave her a very broad mandate to improve the standard of education given at the school. Bishop Camacho also allowed MCS to separately civilly incorporate, though still being a part of the Catholic Church and finally appointed a strong board of directors to support the new President.

Probably the single most important act to occur was for Sister Angela to seek accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). In 1994 a WASC review team visited the school campus, and as a result the school was granted Accreditation Candidacy status. The Accreditation Team revisited the school in 1996 for a full five-day intensive review of the school and its written self study. That visit resulted in Mount Carmel School becoming the first non-public school accredited for full six-year term in the CNMI. In 2002 Mount Carmel School, once again received a full six year term of accreditation.

Moving into the 21st Century
In the past ten years, the school has expanded and modernized its facilities.  The new high school opened in 1997, the new middle school opened in 2004, and the newly renovated elementary school opened in 2006.

These new buildings have also seen enhancements in technology with a high speed computer network, improved student-to-computer ratios, and innovative information technology equipment such as LCD projectors.

While nuns and priests no longer lead the school as administrators, the original dream of the Mercederian sisters is coming to fruition with two alumni at the helm, Margaret C. DelaCruz as president, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero as principal.
Under their leadership, the future of Mount Carmel School looks bright.  The school is now implementing its recently developed rigorous, standards-based curriculum.  Such a curriculum not only meets the demands of President George Bush’s No Child Left Behind initiative, but also matches the academic expectations and performance of some of the nation’s best schools.  This all develops as the school prepares for a WASC site visit in April, which will determine yet another six year accreditation term.