HISTORY OF MARYMOUNT
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL:

The Institute of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) was founded in Beziers, France in 1849 by the Venerable Father Gailhac and Mother St. Jean Cure-Pelissier. From its very foundation the first religious community was drawn to the educational apostolate. In 1903, the Congregation sent Mother Joseph Butler to New York, assigning her the mission of bringing Catholic education to young girls in America. Under her leadership, the first Marymount was established in Tarrytown, New York in December 1907. Mother Butler brought RSHM education to Italy in 1929, after meeting with Pope Pius XI, whom she had come to visit upon her election as the Superior General.


Laying of the cornerstone of the Secondary School
Building, December 1955

The first Marymount was established on Via Nomentana in 1930, where the bilingual Instituto Marymount is today. In 1946, at the request of the US Embassy, the RSHM Sisters were asked to open an international school. In 1953 the Villa Lauchli property was purchased and Marymount International School moved to the new site where it continues today. 

Over the next 15 years, there was rapid growth with the construction of three buildings on the campus. The classroom building was completed in 1956 and the residence for the female boarders, chapel and dining room in 1962. The Congregation's headquarters, the Generalate was built in 1968. 

The International Baccalaureate (IB) program was introduced in 1984, and is an important feature of the Secondary School program today. Since 1984 enrollment, which then stood at 267, has been on a steady rise. The boarding section of the school was closed in 1995, bringing an end to an era. That fall, the Early Childhood Center opened in the main floor of the residence building. Soon after middle and Secondary School classes moved into the remodeled dormitory rooms upstairs. In 1996 the school celebrated its 50th Anniversary with an enrollment of 685. 

In 2001 property adjacent to the school was purchased, more than doubling the size of the campus. This new land is currently under development to expand the athletic facilities and increase security through smoother traffic flow. In a Dedication Ceremony of the new property in October 2002, the buildings of the school were renamed to commemorate the early years and those individuals who laid the foundation for what exists today; Butler Hall, St. Jean Hall, Gailhac Hall and The Villa. 

Although much has changed from the handful of students in 1946 to the co-ed school of 840 students today, the principals upon which the school was founded remain the same.

Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary Schools are committed to the education of the whole person through a deep belief in God who calls each person to the fullness of life.

The mission of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary is:

"To know and love God,
To make God known and loved,
To proclaim that Jesus Christ has come in order
That all may have life."