By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com As education costs have increased over recent decades, one group at St. Mary Catholic School in Woodstock has supported unmet needs. The St. Mary of Woodstock School Foundation was founded in 1986 by parishioners Ray Benoy, Ty Keller, and Richard Merryman as a 501(c)(3) charitable organize that, according to its website, […]
By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com Keisha Wisinski, eighth-grade teacher at St. Mary Catholic School in Woodstock, was recently recognized as the McHenry County Private/Parochial School Teacher of the Year by the McHenry County Regional Office of Education. She began teaching at St. Mary in 2018 and currently teaches math, history, and English language arts. “This is […]
By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com St. Mary Catholic School eighth-grader Vinny Brendel is the champion of the 2026 Spelling Bee sponsored by the McHenry County Regional Office of Education. He will advance to competition at the National Bee, which takes place May 26-28 in Washington, D.C. “Vinny had just competed as part of St. Mary’s team […]
Northwest Christian Conference action for sixth- and eighth-graders By Steve Peterson news@thewoodstockindependent.com St. Mary Catholic School of Woodstock’s girls basketball teams both added to the school year’s succcess stories at the Northwest Suburban Christian Conference tournaments. The sixth- and eighth-grade girls basketball teams both earned second-place trophies at the league tournament, which St. Mary hosted. […]
School will stage “The Lion King JR.” on March 13, 14 By Susan W. Murray news@thewoodstockindependent.com When “The Lion King” premiered in 1994, its young fans quickly adopted the phrase, “Hakuna Matata,” essentially the Swahili version of “No problem.” St. Mary seventh-graders Brody Murphy (Pumbaa) and Bradley Leitzen (Timon) lead the song in the school’s […]
St. Mary teacher honored as private/parochial Educator of the Year By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com St. Mary Catholic School preschool founder and teacher Cindy Russell was honored as the private/parochial school Educator of the Year by the McHenry County Regional Office of Education at its award dinner on May 11. “McHenry County schools are home to […]
“Alice in Wonderland JR.” is 20th production at St. Mary since 2011 By Susan W. Murray news@thewoodstockindependent.com Cast and crew members from St. Mary School’s 2011 production of “Alice in Wonderland JR.” will each have a ticket awaiting them at the box office when the school stages the show at 7 p.m. Friday, April 11, […]
By Janet Dovidio news@thewoodstockindependent.com National Catholic Schools Week began in 1974 as an annual celebration of Catholic education in the U.S. Woodstock’s Marian Central Catholic High School and St. Mary Elementary School began their celebrations this year on Jan. 28 that will continue through Feb. 3. “Marian and our National Honor Society are once again […]
St. Mary Catholic School captured first place overall in the 2024 regional National Catholic School Academic Junior High Decathlon in St. Charles. St. Patrick’s Catholic School hosted the Rockford region competition on March 2. St. Mary’s team was one of only 18 regional teams in the country. The national competition took place on March 15 […]
Local students were involved in dress-up days and public service projects as St. Mary School and Marian Central Catholic High School observed the 50th anniversary of the annual Catholic Schools Week. The celebration, held during the last week of January, commemorates the good work and ministry of Catholic schools across the country. Both Marian and […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
