Staff Characteristics

All St. Mary's classroom teachers presently hold Bachelor's Degrees. Twenty-five percent have Master's Degrees. St. Mary's has the services of a part-time counselor who has a Ph.D. degree. The Pastor and Associate Pastor are good sources of spiritual and emotional comfort to students. They are available to students and faculty upon request.

St. Mary's religion teachers receive their catechetical training and certification through the Diocese of Knoxville. The curriculum includes specific areas of study and number of hours necessary to certify as a Provisional Catechist, Catechist, Advanced Catechist or Professional Catechist. Of St. Mary's two religion teachers, one is a Catechist and the other is a Professional Catechist.

The average number of years in education for the St. Mary's staff is twelve. The average number of years of service at St. Mary's is nine and a half.

The school system of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville holds an annual in-service for all teachers. Available funds allow assistance to faculty for recertification and professional development. Teachers take advantage of the school's proximity to East Tennessee State University, Milligan College, and Northeast State Technical Community College. Teachers are mandated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville Polices and Procedures Manual to earn six hours of training and/or enrichment each school year outside of in-service offered by the Diocese or St. Mary's School. Professional Development is a priority at St. Mary's School. During the past four years St. Mary's has provided in-service in: conflict management, communication skills, the school improvement process, curriculum mapping, human sexuality, interpretation of ITBS scores, RADaRS training, CPR & First Aid, Brain-Based Instruction, and the Diocesan mandated VIRTUS training Protecting God's Children.