Saint Thomas More School
Committed to Bringing Out the Best in Every Student
Saint Thomas More is a college-preparatory boarding school for young men who have yet to realize their full potential. Located on scenic Gardner Lake in southeastern Connecticut, Saint Thomas More School immerses its young charges in a structured environment with small classes, a one-to-one tutorial program, great sports and extracurricular activities, a five-week academic summer camp program and 100 percent college placement. At Saint Thomas More, the motto is, “Your son will succeed.”
At St. Thomas More, our students learn an essential truth: the more you apply yourself, the more you will accomplish. In this small, familial community, students are expected to do more because the school does more for them. Classes are small (averaging 11 per class), so young men can expect to learn more. Extra help is available every day, so students can expect to develop their skills more.
Saint Thomas More is known for its nationally-ranked PG basketball team and its undefeated 2005 New England Prep Champion football squad. But sports are so much more here. Whether students want to take up football, try lacrosse or even learn to sail, there is a place for them on a team, so they can expect to play more. Through yearbook, clubs and community service, they can expect to be involved more. Everyone attends a supervised study hall Sunday through Thursday, so they can expect to accomplish more academically. On the weekend, whether they travel to a dance at a girls’ boarding school, a hockey game or to Vermont to ski, our students can expect to experience more.
The Summer Academic Camp at St. Thomas More School combines academics with summer recreational activities. This five-week program is offered to both boarding and day students ranging from seventh through 12th grade. The curriculum mirrors the regular school year in its commitment to helping young men achieve their potential through a structured, nurturing program. Students have the opportunity to earn credits and improve their academic skills. International students enrich their English in our comprehensive ESL curriculum and by being involved in afternoon activities with native English speakers. Small classes with an average of five students ensure that each student receives the attention and direction he needs to maximize his experience.
St. Thomas More School’s commitment to bringing out the best in each and every student, in an environment that provides encouragement, allows time for extra-help and expects success is tied to the school’s founder’s vision, our mission and our history.
The school’s promise to its students comes from founder James F. Hanrahan, Sr., who as an experienced teacher and coach came to believe that many boys were not reaching their potential in traditional, highly competitive classrooms. In the 1950s and early ‘60s these boys were seen as “lazy with the books,” disinterested students whose failure was seen as part of the weeding-out process. Mr. Hanrahan knew better. Too often he had turned around an underperforming student with encouragement, extra help and the expectation of success. He knew he wanted to create a school where the habit of not trying and failing would be replaced with the virtue of hard work, supported by teachers fully invested in the success of their students.
Mr. Hanrahan’s goal became the creation of an all-boys boarding school steeped in the Jesuit tradition of educating the student intellectually, morally, socially and physically. In the fall of 1962 St. Thomas More School opened with 64 students, eight faculty members and several recently winterized cabins on 100 wooded acres in Oakdale, Connecticut. The school’s mission was to provide the structured, nurturing environment necessary for formerly lackluster students to achieve their potential. Small classes, deeply committed teachers, a full athletic program and supervised evening study hall would become the cornerstones of a St. Thomas More education.
Saint Thomas More School is located at 45 Cottage Road, Oakdale, CT, 06370. For more information, call 860-823-3861 or visit www.stmct.org.