St. Stanislaus College (SSC) is a Catholic day and boarding school for boys in grades 7–12. It has been owned and operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart order since 1854.
In 1854 the Brothers of the Sacred Heart bought land for the foundation of a boarding school. Two years previously Brothers Basile Venable, Leo Maligne, and Joseph Deimer came to Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi from France to teach in the boys' parish school fulfilling the desire of Father Stanislaus Buteux of Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church. In late 1854 the Father petitioned superior general of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart (Brother Polycarp) for more teachers that a boarding school could be started. In response Brothers Eusebe Gulonnier, Ephrem Flechet and George Leydier were sent.
The land bought by the brothers cost $4,000. The first school building built on this land cost $3,800. The school was named after Father Stanislaus and was placed under the protection of Saint Stanislaus Kostka. The first president of the school was Brother Athanasius.
When the Civil War erupted a few years later, some students left to join the army, but at least one student was forcibly brought back by his mother. Before the war was over, the Union army arrived in Bay Saint Louis marching down the road that ran alongside the campus, giving it its current name of Union Street.
Saint Stanislaus College Rock-a-Chaw
Mission
The mission of Saint Stanislaus, a Catholic resident and day school for young men, is to form each student to Gospel values by nurturing his spiritual, academic, and physical growth in a place of sanctuary structured to embody the charism of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.
Rock-a-chaw comes from an old Choctaw Indian word meaning devil grass and today is also known as sandbur (Cenchrus L.). Several species are common in the area, especially coastal sandbur. "Rock-a-chaw" was the name give to the hard, spiny, globose or oval bur of the plant. It is covered with stiff spines, which stick to fur and clothing and can be quite difficult to extract. The burs can also be quite painful when landed on such as during football games. They littered the playing fields and campus before these areas were tilled and seeded with grass. During sporting events, it was not uncommon for the students to do their best to remove the many burs from the playing fields where the prickly weeds grew in the sandy soil that is common for the Gulf Coast area. Sometimes students would drag blankets made of wool across the fields. Because the rock-a-chaws had small spikes, they clung to the wool. This aided in quicker removal of the rock-a-chaws from the playing fields.
Camp Stanislaus
Camp Stanislaus, founded in 1928 by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, is a resident and day summer camp for boys and girls ages eight to fifteen. The camp hosts many different activities, including: sailing, water-skiing, archery, hobbies, kayaks, canoes, swimming, gym, tennis, basketball, pool, art, weightlifting, volleyball, marine science, bonfires, fishing, movies, soccer, barbecues, skit nights, paddle boarding, karaoke, shows, beach activities, and much more. Current director Sam Doescher earned Camp Stanislaus a spot within the American Camp Association. Under his leadership, Camp Stanislaus became co-ed, as has set record numbers for attendance.
Shelby Tucker - (Class of 1953) World traveler, adventurer, lawyer, linguist, author of books including Among Insurgents and The Last Banana, about Asia and Africa.
Shannon Garrett - (Class of 1990) former professional Canadian football defensive back and linebacker who played fourteen seasons in the Canadian Football League. Two time Grey Cup Champion. Member of the Mississippi College Hall of Fame.
Stephen Peterman - (Class of 2000) played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
Hurricane Katrina had a huge impact on Saint Stanislaus and its surrounding neighborhood. Katrina destroyed many buildings, including the first floor of the main school building and dormitory.[3] The school was closed for two months. Saint Stanislaus, along with its next door neighbor Our Lady Academy, an all-girl Biloxi diocesan Catholic school, resumed classes together on November 1, 2005, on the Saint Stanislaus campus and operated jointly for the remainder of the 2005–2006 school year. In August 2006, Our Lady Academy resumed operations on its own campus, sharing some classes with Saint Stanislaus as it had done prior to Hurricane Katrina. Since 2005, Saint Stanislaus has renovated most of its campus buildings including its famous 1,000 foot fishing pier (2010), a new band hall (2007), a new cafeteria (2010), remodeled gym (2006), remodeled rec halls, classrooms and offices (2014), remodeled dormitory (2014 and in progress), remodeled baseball and football fields (2013 & 2014), remodeled library (2015), and remodeled physics and chemistry labs (2017 & 2018).
^"Hurricane Katrina Related Damages to Public Libraries in Mississippi" (list), Mississippi Library Commission, September 2005, webpage: ALA-KatrinaArchived 2007-10-31 at the Wayback Machine
