Mercymount’s Mulligan gets Hall nod
CUMBERLAND — Recently the tables were turned at this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Mercymount Country Day School. Instead of leading the festive evening, Sr. Martha Mulligan was seated in the audience … as the Hall of Fame inductee for 2017. Sr. Martha was honored for her legacy of 25 years as Principal at Mercymount and the excellence which she instilled during those years.
From a tenement in Pawtucket through St. Mary Academy Bayview and Salve Regina College, Martha Elizabeth Mulligan followed the mission of Mercy in which she was raised to become Sr. Walter Marie, a Sister of Mercy and lifelong educator. From her first teaching assignment at St. Edward’s in Pawtucket to St. John’s in Attleboro, Massachusetts, she held various positions within the regional community. In 1993, she was assigned to Mercymount as a short term position. Twenty-five years later, Sr. Martha decided to retire, transitioning the leadership to a lay principal for the first time in school history.
During that quarter century, her legacy is obvious on a daily basis. Sr. Martha has led the school through many different teachers, families and physical plant improvements. Her commitment to excellence and Mercy has resulted in an academic curriculum that is challenging and integrated with mercy and mission.
Sr. Martha led the school to a culture of philanthropy with the establishment of an Office of Development. This plan was vital in her quest to institute annual giving as a first step to expansion of the physical plant. After years of planning, she led the first capital campaign to build McAuley Hall, adding classrooms and renovating the foyer. The expansion resulted in larger enrollments and state-of-the-art classrooms in order to attract and retain students in a new technological world. In 2010, she again initiated a campaign to build Foundress Hall as a dedicated space for middle school students which includes a science lab, second computer lab, chapel and elevator.
Under her leadership, Mercymount has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence and accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Curriculum has been updated through NEASC processes and strategic plans. The dawning of technology has demanded that the school install computer labs, interactive whiteboards and networks; utilize laptops, iPads and online resources for individuals and classes; and also offer professional development to embrace technology advances. Special subjects – art, music, library skills, Spanish, physical education and computer technology – have been prioritized. Assessments and systems for reading, math and science have been integrated and standardized test results indicate that MCDS students score among the top 85 percent nationally. Graduates are accepted at the private high schools of their choice, 95 percent attending premier Catholic schools in the area. Competitive college acceptances routinely follow with grad schools, law school and med school often following. The foundation of countless students’ lives has been laid at Mercymount, under the innovation and direction of Sr. Martha.
The mission to “make mercy real” has been integrated within the school in various programs such as Mercy Ministry, Teens Living in Christ, Blessings in a Backpack, Friends of Mercy, Rainbow of Joy. Multiple area organizations have benefited from Lenten donations, fundraisers and holiday cards.