“Dedicated to the authentic teaching of the Faith”
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Visit STMA!
School Tours and Student Shadowing
Prospective families for the Upper School and Middle School are invited to visit our campus in one of two ways: family tours and/or student shadowing.
Please call our Admissions Office by email at admissions@stmacademy.org to schedule. Please plan to schedule your family tour or student shadowing at least one week in advance.
Family Tours
- During the school year or during summer months, families may request to visit STMA by appointment only.
Student Shadowing/Parent Tours
- Student shadowing begins September 9, 2024 and is offered until early February 2025.
- Rising 6th graders and rising 9th graders are invited to shadow. Please contact the Admissions Office for inquiries regarding shadowing for prospective transfer students.
- Shadowing for rising 6th graders may be scheduled on Mondays and Wednesdays.
- Shadowing for rising 9th graders may be scheduled on Wednesdays and Fridays.
- Parent tours are available by appointment on the day your student shadows.
- If parents are interested in touring the campus please request this option when you are scheduling your student’s shadow date.
Shadowing Guidelines
Parents
- Visiting Student Information Form – After your student’s shadow date has been confirmed, the Admissions Office will email this form to you for completion.
- Arrival – Please check in at the front desk by 7:45am. The admissions office will share further details after the shadow date has been confirmed.
- Pick-Up – Middle School and Upper School student shadows should be picked up at 12pm. The admissions office will communicate pick-up details after the shadow date has been confirmed.
- Cancellations/Reschedules – If school is delayed or canceled due to inclement weather, we will inform you. Of course, if we are not closed, but you feel it prudent to cancel your visit due to weather conditions, please do so. If you need to cancel/reschedule your visit due to any other reason, please contact the Admissions Office. Please reschedule if anyone in your household is demonstrating cold or flu-like symptoms!
Students
- How should I dress? The STMA informal uniform consists of skirts or pants and a polo shirt for young ladies; and black or charcoal pants and a polo shirt for young men. Any similar attire is acceptable. Clothing should not be tight-fitting, revealing, or above the knee if wearing skirts/dresses. You may want to bring a sweater/fleece because our classrooms can be quite cool!
- What should I bring? Visitors only need to bring a notebook and a pen or pencil. Middle School visitors should bring a light lunch or a snack, as they will attend the first part of the lunch period.
- What should be left at home? Personal cell phones or other electronics are not allowed in the classroom. If you bring your phone, you will be asked to leave it at the front desk, turned off.
- What is the schedule during my shadow day?
- Check-in at the front desk by 7:45am & meet your assigned student ambassador;
- Report to the first-period class (8am) with your assigned student ambassador;
- Upper School Student Shadows – We have chosen 9th-grade classes for you to attend that will allow you to experience some of our most unique classes with some of our most tenured instructors during the first four periods of the school day. Your assigned student ambassador will act as your “tour guide” for the day. He or she, though not necessarily attending the classes you shadow, will escort you to and from each class.
- Middle School Student Shadows – You will track with the appropriate grade level class for the first four periods.
- During your shadowing experience, you will have an interview with our Admissions Office.
- Parent pick-up is at 12pm for Middle School and Upper School student shadows (unless otherwise arranged with the Admissions Office).
Tips for a Successful Shadow Day:
- Introduce yourself to our teachers and students. They will likely reach out to you first, but just in case they don’t, make sure you say hello.
- Try to relax and have fun! It’s never easy to be a visitor in a new school, but you’ll find that our faculty and students are very welcoming and look forward to helping you experience how unique STMA really is! Your education should be enjoyable and enlightening!
- Please feel free to participate in classes and ASK QUESTIONS! Try not to be intimidated by the classes you attend. We don’t expect you to know all the answers…yet!
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Most Reverent Bishop Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington (Formerly Bishop of Raleigh)
Catholic schools play an essential role in the future of our Church and Diocese. Recognizing that parents are the first and primary educators of their children, Catholic schools enter into a unique partnership with them. STMA is positioned well to assist parents in this endeavor. As a school officially recognized by the Diocese of Raleigh, it is dedicated to the authentic teaching of the Faith and provides families with a valued option in Catholic education. -
Alice von Hildebrand, Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Hunter College
God is always calling his people to the vital task of “renewing” authentic education. One enterprise that deserves our special praise and gratitude is St. Thomas More Academy. Thanks to the astounding generosity of its founder, Bob Luddy, and the unswerving efforts of its faculty, it has born rich fruit in its many students. We, both laity and clergy, have a great debt of gratitude to those who pour themselves into creating schools like St. Thomas More. Let us support them in every way possible. And let us not miss the chance to give our children the privilege of a real education. -
Timothy Moran, STMA '13
"STMA planted in me the desire to never be satisfied with mediocrity but to always strive for excellence and gave me the tools to navigate in a world that demands complacency. I continue to utilize lessons learned at STMA in my personal life and leadership style in the military. Above all, STMA fosters a desire for greatness in students that I don’t see possible in a different environment. I hold this to be the key difference in my upbringing."
1st Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps. -
Fr. Robert Spitzer S.J., Ph.D., President Emeritus, Gonzaga University
I’ve had the good fortune to present at STMA on multiple occasions. My subject matter, which draws from contemporary physics and philosophy, can be fairly demanding, but the students not only assimilate the material but ask very perceptive questions. I believe that the STMA faculty is the driving force behind these exceptional young people. I’ve been highly impressed by their knowledge and commitment to the students. For preparing teens to meet contemporary challenges brought about by the interaction of faith and secular culture, Saint Thomas More Academy offers one of the finest secondary programs in the nation. -
Sarah Dawod, STMA '15
"STMA leaves a mark on the minds of its students by attending to the formation of their intellect, heart, body and soul. My experience at STMA was nothing less than transformative - this is a result of the time and effort each and every one of the faculty members poured into me. "
NCSU '19 Honors Biology with Concentration in Neuroscience, Minor in Health, Medicine & Human Value, University of Pittsburgh, MA Bioethics '21 -
Dr. Anne Carson Daly, President Emeritus, Mount St. Mary College
It’s a breath of fresh air to walk through the doors of St. Thomas More Academy. The administrators and faculty care about educating the whole person. The students are obviously happy to be there [and] are getting a terrific education that emphasizes what counts and what lasts. Spending time at STMA makes me wish that all students could have the opportunity to study there. -
Adriana Watkins, STMA '16
"STMA opened my eyes to the ways in which different disciplines are connected. I'm grateful to STMA for encouraging me to pay attention to the depth and breadth of truth.”
Boston College 2020, Majors in English & French, Minors in Philosophy and Creative Writing -
Dr. John F. Crosby, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Franciscan University
My wife and I visited St Thomas More Academy in 2011, and we were greatly impressed by the politeness of the students. I attended an English class that had almost the level of a college course. I gave a lecture to an assembly of all students, and I was struck by the intelligent and articulate questions I received from them. I went away wishing that I could send my own children to a school like St. Thomas More Academy. -
Irene Bethencourt, STMA '17
"I value STMA for its teachers who care about the personal enrichment of each student in and way beyond the classroom. In college, it is almost impossible to have this connection with teachers so I remember it fondly from STMA. It reminds me that there are teachers out there who value more about their students than just their academic performance."
UNC Chapel Hill 2021, Major in Nursing -
Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith, O.P., President Emeritus, Aquinas College
STMA provides a rich environment that allows each student to flourish and become who they were meant from all eternity to be. In fall 2013 a recent graduate enrolled at Aquinas College. I was able to see a direct correlation between the caliber of teaching and learning in a thoughtful, Christ-centered community and the impact that STMA’s integrated formation had on the young man. He brings his good qualities of mind and heart into every aspect of life and by his example encourages others to follow his lead. -
Andrew Mistele, STMA '18
"STMA's community is totally unique in the best way. I formed some of the most meaningful relationships of my life there and grew personally in ways that have prepared me for life and all that comes after high school. As an engineering major, I believe that STMA's liberal arts curriculum taught me to see the world in a different way than most of my peers, which has already proved very advantageous.”
NCSU 2022, Major in Aerospace Engineering, Minor in Mathematics -
Aubrey Leaser, STMA '19
"St. Thomas More Academy is led by a strong and devout faculty that shares a deep love for the Catholic faith and seeks to bestow the same love in the next generations. In the four years that I spent at STMA, I found assurance in my faith and the knowledge to pursue my interests. I was taught how to think critically and to formulate strong arguments. Since entering college, I have realized that I am better prepared than many of my college peers, both academically and socially. I attribute this to my time spent at STMA, as it was there that I learned to love learning and was given the tools necessary to succeed."
University of Virginia Class of 2023, Major in Biology
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High School Campus3109 Spring Forest Rd
Raleigh, NC 27616
Middle School Campus
5605 Spring Court Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27616