This year, St.Mary’s celebrates its 70th anniversary, and it is important to reflect on the rich history, education, and future of St.Mary’s. Since the establishment of the school, St. Mary’s has and will offer high-quality education for boys and offers classes and extracurricular programs for students to achieve excellence and success in any field, such as the International Baccalaureate program, which enables students to think critically and view real-world issues and problems from various perspectives. An interview was held with Mr. Kagei, the headmaster, about his background, school values, the all-boys learning environment, and the future of education in St.Mary’s.
Background and School Values
Mr. Kagei was born in 1959 and st
arted his life in St.Marys as a student in 1972 as a sixth grader. Before that, he went to a school in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating, he worked as a teacher in St.Marys. He taught grade 6 homeroom for 3 years, left for a year to finish his master’s degree overseas, then taught grade 5 for another 3 years, and taught computer science for grades 7,8, and high school. Mr.Kagei became the head of the school back in 2013. The anniversary is very special to Mr. Kagei himself since he’s been here a long time, and when starting his career as a teacher here at St. Mary’s he thought he would be teaching for only a short period. “When I first started working at St.Mary’s, I thought I would be teaching for a short period. At one time, I was one of the youngest teachers at school, I even had some teachers who taught me. Then, I realized that I was becoming one of the veteran faculty at school”, said Mr.Kagei. When asked about what school values haven’t changed from 70 years ago, Mr.Kagei said, “The school for me has always stood for a place where people are welcome”. St.Marys is a welcoming place for everyone.
Education and the all-boys learning environment at St.Marys
How has the approach towards education changed? “The approach has changed in that before there may have been more emphasis on knowing alot, almost to the point of memorizing factual data stored in your brain. Today one of the skills that are emphasized is that we should know how to get information”. Mr.Kagei said. He emphasized the importance of critical thinking towards problems and issues. When asked about the benefits of having an all-boys environment, “the all-boys environment give the student the opportunity in almost any field, you can be an incredible scholar, your also invited to participate in a lot of extracurricular activities. The all-boys environment offers the opportunity to excel without the social pressure”. The all-boys environment and St. Marys offer students to excel without social pressure and gender expectations.
The Future of Education at St.Marys
St.Marys will continue to pursue excellence in education and the success of students in various fields. The school aims to use more advanced technology and is aiming for more students to excel and engage in applied technology, such as robotics and design technology.
The 70th anniversary marks a new era, both for faculty and students. Although this is Mr. Kagei’s final year as a headmaster, he will continue as an advisor and will be providing any help that the school needs. Starting August of the 2025-2026 school year, we are welcoming Dr.Andy Davies as the new head of the school. Thank you so much Mr.Kagei, for all of the things you have done for this school, and congratulations St.Mary’s!
