Our School
St. Mary's International School, founded by the Brothers of Christian Instruction, opened its doors to 60 foreign boys ranging from kindergarten to grade three in 1954. By 1971, the rapid growth of the international community and the demands for quality college-preparatory education in the Tokyo area encouraged the Brothers to move to its current location, a nine-acre site in the Setagaya district, one of Tokyo's rare green residential areas.
A St. Mary's education nurtures the intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development of each student.
We offer a challenging array of core curricular and extra-curricular programs designed to enable the student to achieve excellence and success. We foster multi-cultural awareness and understanding, and encourage students to develop a sense of global responsibility and citizenship.
St. Mary's school wide learner expectations and school philosophy emphasize the creation of a positive and safe learning environment, wherein a spirit of cooperation, friendship, and mutual respect maximize individual achievement.
The St. Mary's experience begins with a pre-first grade program and culminates with a challenging four-year college preparatory curriculum. St. Mary's offers the International Baccalaureate course of studies, which is a globally recognized and rigorous pre-university program providing academic and interpersonal training that gives students the competitive edge they need for both university studies and their later careers. In addition to the core curricular offerings, St. Mary's has an outstanding array of specialist teachers and facilities, giving students a myriad of opportunities to pursue their interests and fulfill their desires.
Why a Boys' School?
Schools that educate only boys enjoy some powerful advantages over schools that serve both boys and girls. Boys' schools are able to develop their resources, choose their teachers, and design their programs with only one goal in mind — to meet the educational and developmental needs of young men. In brief, boys' schools provide:
A stimulating and safe learning environment that
- encourages full participation by boys in all activities (arts, athletics, community service).
- promotes self-expression and a respect for the many different paths to manhood.
- provides an atmosphere in which to explore sensitive gender and sex-related issues.
Educational programs tailored to meet the developmental needs of boys where
- boys can gain confidence in their ability to learn without being compared to girls who mature more quickly.
- books and curricular materials that excite boys can be integrated into all aspects of the school's program.
- boys have opportunities to be taught and coached by faculty who have been hired because they want to work with boys.
A setting in which boys develop strong bonds of friendship and camaraderie with peers and teachers so that
- the impact of positive male role models can have its fullest effect.
- a distinctive esprit de corps enriches the lives of boys.
Excerpted with permission from the International Boys' Schools Coalition website, May 2008.