Saint Dominic Academy in Lewiston and Auburn, Maine is a Catholic college-preparatory Pre-K through 12th grade school immersed in planning its 80th year anniversary celebration. In 1941, the pastor of the local Catholic parish, St. Peter’s Church, saw the need to educate the young men of the area. The doors opened on September 8, 1941 to 57 boys and graduated its first class in 1945. A girls’ division was added and graduated their first class in 1948.
There are many reasons to celebrate this milestone. Against all odds and after many years and changes, St. Dom’s is preparing the class of 2021 for life beyond high school. It has weathered many storms but has remained true to the intentions set forth by our founder Reverend Francois M. Drouin, O.P.
St. Dom’s operates as one Academy under the Diocese of Portland, Maine, with an elementary campus for Pre-K through 5th grade students in Lewiston and a middle and high school campus in Auburn on 72 beautiful acres. Total enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year stands at 454, an increase of 10% over the previous year.
Many symbols strike meaning in the hearts of faculty, staff, students, and alumni back to the first students in the 1940s. The most visible is the St. Dom’s shield with the inscription “Veritas Vitae”.
“Veritas”, the truth, gives us the fullness of “Vitae”, life. This motto has permeated all aspects of St. Dom’s since its founding. From classes in chemistry to practices on the soccer field to quiet moments during retreats, “Veritas Vitae” assists our students in the life-giving process of encountering the truth of life: in the spiritual world, in themselves, and in the world around us.
A St. Dom’s education is inspired by four Dominican Pillars: study, prayer, community, and service, and driven by our motto “Veritas Vitae”. We live daily by our mission: Through study, prayer, community, and service, Saint Dominic Academy teaches its students the truth of life so that they may set the world afire.
We seek to fully engage the truth about each area of human knowledge in the classes we offer. Our classes impart to our students a thirst for knowledge, the ability to reason logically, and the capacity to think critically.
We offer opportunities to contemplate questions of purpose and meaning, to develop a strong moral compass, and to find balance in life. For those students who are Catholic or Christian, we help them to deepen and enrich their knowledge and experience of Jesus Christ and his Church through religious studies, prayer, Mass and the sacraments, and countless other liturgical and spiritual opportunities.
St. Dom’s strives to promote honesty, integrity, discipline, athleticism, healthy living, artistic and cultural awareness, etiquette, and practical leadership abilities. We promote dozens of extracurricular, cultural, and artistic opportunities for our students to become fully integrated, well-rounded people.
And in our school, we cultivate an awareness that our lives are profoundly connected to the lives of others and that all of us have a duty to care for those who are poor, vulnerable, or marginalized. Students, staff, and families come together for causes greater than themselves. For St. Dom’s, community service is more than a transcript builder, it is a passion and a way of life.
For more information visit www.stdomsmaine.org.