The Purcell Promise Program

The Purcell Promise Program is designed to honor Catherine McAuley's counsel that there is no greater good to society than the education of young women and to build on the work of St. Mary Academy - Bay View's first directress, Sister Mary Julianna Purcell, RSM by establishing The Purcell Promise. The Purcell Promise Program extends our commitment to foster academic escellence by offering a program for young women with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities within an all-girls environment where they can develop their academic, social, and spiritual potential.

The purpose of this program is to meet the needs of a unique population of learners within the full school community, a community that recognizes and embraces the unique gifts and talents of the individual. The goal of the program is to enrich the academic, social, and spiritual growth of each learner in the program to help them thrive while enjoying a full high school experience.

A Promise Fulfilled The Purcell Promise Program is designed for students who are

Looking for a non-college track with a focus on life and social skills
Able to function independently and with minimal supports
Able to follow a code of conduct
Able to complete work at a Grade 1 - Grade 5 level
Comfortable being part of a program with others

Academics

Customized Learning Plans: tailored educational strategies and modified curricula to match each student's learning style, pace, and needs.
Specialized Faculty: English language arts, math, social skills, and career planning will be taught by special education teachers.
Social Integration Opportunities: learners will have the opportunity to participate in specific courses with or without the help of a peer mentor (more information below). These may include Theology, science, history, world languages, PE/health, and electives.

Social Integration

Peer Mentors: A unique aspect of The Purcell Promise is the mentor program, where each student is matched with peer mentors. The mentors, upper classwomen, provide guidance, academic support, encouragement, and friendship fostering both personal and social interaction.
TEAm Time: Students will be full members of Bay View's TEAm Time meeting once a week.
Social Integration Opportunities: learners will have the opportunity to participate in specific courses with or without the help of a peer mentor. These may include Theology, science, history, world languages, PE/health, and electives.

Spiritual Growth

OutcomesPurcell Promise is designed to provide students with either:

A Purcell Promise Certificate of Attendance: created to provide an on-ramp for families who want their daughter to be part of an educational program until the age of 21 as allowed under IDEA.
A Purcell Promise Diploma from St. Mary Academy - Bay View: created to provide an on-ramp for students who would like to enter the world of work or attend a specialized college or post secondary training program.

Purcell Faculty

As a niche program with small class sizes and the ability to craft lesson plans and activities as diverse and unique as the students the program intends to serve, we are proud of the highly qualified and dedicated staff we have in leading this mission.

Jennifer Geary '01

Chair of Academic Support | Purcell Promise Coordinator

Jenn brings decades of experience in academic support.

“This program, while it has all the academic components, it also offers such a great social opportunity within the school at a larger scale, but also with the girls in the peer mentorship program, which will be beneficial on both sides. I think everyone is going to learn something from one another.”