Who We Are

Maur Hill – Mount Academy is deeply rooted in the Benedictine tradition. So our story begins: “In November 1863, braving the perilous conditions of the Civil War, seven Benedictine Sisters under the leadership of Mother Evangelista Kremmeter began the daring enterprise of establishing a Convent and Academy of the Benedictine Order in Atchison on the edge of the Kansas Prairie.” (125 Years of Mount Saint Scholastica Academy).

Mount St. Scholastica Academy was established in 1863 by the Benedictine Sisters to educate young women, and Maur Hill Prep was established in 1919 by the monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey to educate young men.

Maur Hill – Mount Academy, as we know it today, is the result of the 2003 merger of these two long-established schools. The unification fortified the strengths of the schools and became a co-educational, Catholic, Benedictine, college-preparatory high school.

The vision of our Benedictine Sisters and Monks endures as MH – MA continues to educate young men and women from across the United States and around the world in the same Benedictine tradition. The school stands as a legacy to the Sisters and Monks through the education, faith, and values instilled within the thousands of alumni/ae over the past 150+ years and in the students who grace our halls today.

1857 – Benedictine Monks founded St. Benedict’s Priory first in Doniphan County and then moved to Atchison in 1858.

1858 – St. Benedict’s College was established with four students and increased to 16 by the end of the semester.

1863 – November 11, under the leadership of Mother Evangelista Kremmeter, seven Benedictine Sisters arrived in Atchison, Kansas, and opened a school for girls. Grammar school classes began on December 1.

1873 – The Academy of Mount St. Scholastica was incorporated with an enrollment of 40 boarding students and 190 day students.

1877 – The sisters purchased Price Villa, located on 12 acres adjoining the city of Atchison, at a private auction and moved the Academy and the community there. The building was renamed St. Cecilia’s.

1912 – The sisters purchased land for a new academy and the newly founded St. Scholastica College.

1919 – During the summer, the monks purchased the former Midland College, a Lutheran Seminary College. The property where the present Maur Hill – Mount Academy campus sits was deeded to St. Benedict’s Abbey in December to establish a school.

A group of structures already existed on the property, including an administration building, a library, a gymnasium, a dining hall with an annex infirmary, and a president’s house left over from the former Midland College that relocated to Nebraska. The Old Gym (now John Flynn Athletic Center) was the last remaining building of the original campus.

This addition allowed the Abbey to separate the students by age group. The younger boys studied on the newly acquired property on the south end of town, and the college students remained on the north campus, which is the present-day Benedictine College.

1920 – The monks opened the new school, named St. Benedict’s Maur Hill, by a special chapter of the Abbey. The student body of 43 male students transferred from St. Benedict’s College. Later, the school was called Maur Hill Prep but was most commonly known as Maur Hill.

1922 – Construction of the administration building began.

1926 – The new building was dedicated and housed Mount Saint Scholastica Academy and the newly founded St. Scholastica College. The Academy occupied the third floor of this building for the next 40 years.

1950 – During the late 1950s, Fr. Edwin Watson, a 1945 graduate of Maur Hill, became headmaster. Authorities informed him that the school buildings no longer met code and needed to be replaced—or the school would have to close. Fr. Edwin launched a massive campaign to rebuild the campus.

1961 – The Fr. Edwin P. Watson Academic Building and a new gym (now Haverty gym) were completed after fundraising by longtime headmaster Fr. Edwin and the community. Land immediately south of the campus was purchased by Maur Hill and became the present-day football, baseball, and soccer fields and tennis courts.

1965 – The Academy dormitories moved from St. Cecilia’s to the fourth floor of the administration building.

1967 & 1970 – St. Leo’s and Howard Hall dormitories were built. St. Leo’s was named after key donor Leo Hulseman of the Solo Cup Company, and Howard Hall was named after key donor Howard McCullough, a corporate officer of the Brunswick Corporation who donated four reconditioned pinsetters for the bowling alley. Fr. Edwin always referred to three M’s of the Chicago League of St. Maur: Howard McCullough, Michael Murphy, and Mr. McHugh.

1970 – A co-institutional plan was introduced with Mount St. Scholastica Academy and Maur Hill Prep, retaining separate identities but sharing faculty and facilities and combining some classes and activities when feasible. The Academy moves out of the administrative building into a new facility of its own on the west campus of Maur Hill Prep.

1973 – St. Michael’s Cafeteria was built honoring Michael Murphy’s contribution. The cafeteria supplied new housing for the Mexican sisters who cooked all the meals, and the upper floor included a brand-new kitchen and cafeteria. The sisters served from 1949 to 2002.

1993 – The Academy moved back to the Mount St. Scholastica campus, into the Feeney Building left vacant by Benedictine College’s move to one campus. The boarding students lived in St. Scholastica Hall, then called Hemmen.

1994 – Fr. Edwin resigned after over 40 years of service to the school.

2003 – Maur Hill Prep and Mount St. Scholastica Academy merged to form Maur Hill – Mount Academy, using the Maur Hill Prep residence at 1000 Green Street. The boarding element remained, with St. Leo’s Hall housing boys and Howard Hall housing the girls. The girls continued studies on the Maur Hill (now Maur Hill – Mount Academy) campus.

2006 – Donors and a group of volunteers updated and created additional space to move all boys into the St. Leo’s dorm. This successful volunteer drive allowed the girls to move into the Howard Hall dorm on the Maur Hill – Mount Academy campus beginning in the 2007–08 school year.

2008 – MH – MA sold property south of the school to Atchison Hospital, making it the second land sale (Walmart in 2004) to help the school weather through difficult times.

2010 – After a continued decrease in enrollment, financial difficulty, and the quality of facilities degrading, Maur Hill – Mount Academy board of directors decided to go back to a president and principal model. The search concluded with a new president, Phil Baniewicz, who hired a new principal, Monika King.

2011 – After almost 20 years since it last operated, “The League of St. Maur,” an annual donation group established by Fr. Edwin Watson in 1965, was brought back to life. Membership grew quickly, and deferred maintenance issues began to be addressed.

2012 – The MH – MA Scholar’s Bowl team wins the league and regional titles, finishing in the top six of state, a streak that continues today.

2013 – After an absence of several years, Benedictine monks and sisters once again returned as faculty. The first of several international and domestic students converted to the Catholic faith. The school began to receive recognition for its Catholic identity, including regular visits from nationally known Catholic leaders and musicians.

2014 – The League of St. Maur, with a lead gift from Mick and Marlys Haverty, saved the “old gym,” the only remaining original building, by renovating it into the John Flynn Athletics Center (named after the long-time football coach). It became one of the best (small school) high school workout facilities in the Midwest. The campaign also improved athletics facilities across campus.

2018 – MH – MA received a listing on the Cardinal Newman Society’s Catholic Honor Roll, one of only 30 Catholic high schools to receive the distinction. We received more national recognition, including top rankings as a Catholic school and boarding school. And with a nod to the past success of Ravens Athletics, the football, basketball, and baseball teams played a combined 50-4 on the season, winning multiple league and regional titles.

2019 – With the 2020 campaign nearing completion, the renovated St. Michael’s Hall (cafeteria) was completed along with a new main entrance to the school. The Haverty Gym, renovation to the main academic building, the Entrance to Excellence, the baseball field, the Courtney Turner Gateway, the tennis courts, and complete campus ground improvements were completed for over $2 million, along with increasing the school endowment to nearly $3 million.

The school is on a firm foundation for the future.