Dominican Academy is a Catholic college preparatory school for girls in the tradition of Saint Dominic

Saint Dominic

Saint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...

. It is located on the Upper East Side

Upper East Side

The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...

 of Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

. School enrollment is approximately 250 students from the tri-state area, including Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

, Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, Bronx, Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

, Westchester

Westchester

Westchester may refer to:*Westchester, Connecticut*Westchester, Florida*Westchester, Illinois*Westchester, Indiana*Westchester, Los Angeles, California*Westchester County, New York*The Westchester, a shopping mall in White Plains, New York...

, Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

, and New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

.

Mission statement

Dominican Academy educates and challenges young women to realize their full spiritual, intellectual, moral and social potential in a multicultural society.

44 East 68th Street

The Townhouse at 44 East 68th Street between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue was the home of Colonel Michael Friedsam, former president of B. Altman and Company

B. Altman and Company

B. Altman and Company was a New York City-based department store and chain founded in 1865 by Benjamin Altman which had its flagship store at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan from 1906 until the company closed on December 31, 1989....

, who was an avid art collector and benefactor of education. A treasury of art, including stained glass windows, oil paintings, marble tables, fireplaces, wood carvings, glass doors, and antique furniture, remains in the building.

The Library, which previously held part of Colonel Friedsam’s extensive art collection, has over 7,000 books with special art, literature, and classics collections. The library subscribes to more than 60 magazines and newspapers.

Accreditation and Awards

Established in 1897, Dominican Academy is named for its founders, the Dominican Sisters of Saint Mary of the Springs. The Dominican Sisters continue to sponsor the school. The current principal of Dominican Academy is Sr. Barbara Kane, who joined the Dominican Academy family in 2008 and became principal in 2009.

Dominican Academy is accredited by Middle States, the New York State Board of Regents, and has been recognized twice with the Blue Ribbon School

Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...

 Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education

United States Department of Education

The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...

, the highest award an American school can receive.

Academics

As a private Catholic college preparatory, all of Dominican Academy’s classes are either honors, advanced, or Advanced Placement level. One hundred percent of each graduating class attends accredited four-year colleges and universities, along with many scholarships and grants.

There is a total enrollment of 230 young women and 28 faculty members—a Student:Teacher ratio of 8:1.

Students complete a curriculum in subjects such as religious studies, English, history, mathematics, science, foreign language, technology, fine arts, and dance.

Every student at Dominican Academy takes at least two years of Latin. Students must also study at least two years of either French or Spanish.

Electives available include art history, ballroom dance, forensics, Prophets of Nonviolence, and psychology.

Admissions

Admission to Dominican Academy is based on the student’s Test for Admissions to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) score [www.tachsinfo.com], grade school academic records, and her teachers’ recommendations.
Dominican Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, or ethnic origin.

Cultural Activities

Every student attends at least two yearly cultural trips through the Culture Series. This past year's offerings included a vocal workshop with opera singers and Broadway actors at Lincoln Center and a rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic.

Students are invited to a yearly trip abroad (past destinations have included Europe, Asia, and Australia), as well as to a winter weekend ski trip.

Extracurricular activities

In addition to the extracurricular activities hosted at Dominican Academy, students can participate in activities and events with neighboring boys’ schools, including the Annual Walkathon with Regis High School

Regis High School (New York City)

Regis High School is a private Jesuit university-preparatory school for academically gifted Roman Catholic young men located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Annual class enrollment is limited to approximately 135 male students from the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area...

.

Some of the activities offered at Dominican Academy include: Anime Club, Art Club, Billiards Club, Computer Club, Couture Club, Culture Club, Dance Club, The Dominican (Yearbook), Drama Club, French Club, Glee Club, Latin Club, Mock Trial Team, The Muse (Literary Magazine), Science Club, The Student Prints (Newspaper), Spanish Club, and culture club.

The athletic teams at Dominican Academy compete in: Basketball, Cross-Country, Softball, Soccer, Tennis, Track, and Volleyball.

Service Activities

Dominican Academy is committed to the Dominican pillars of service, community, and prayer. They celebrate mass monthly, and each class has a yearly retreat. Additionally, juniors and seniors have a special retreat program.

The largest school club, with almost half of the student body as members, is the Junior Ladies of Charity (JLC), a charitable organization dedicated to serving the poor and needy. In addition to at least one weekly hour of individual volunteer service, each member also plans and volunteers with group events. However, DA does not provide this club anymore, but they do now require each grade to complete a certain number of hours per year.

Service activities at Dominican Academy include: a week-long service to the Oscar Romeo Center in Camden, NJ, a Summer service trip to Ecuador, NY Cares Day, opportunities to volunteer at local soup kitchens, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and daycare facilities.

Service organizations at Dominican Academy include: Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

, Campus Ministry, Liturgical Choir, Junior Ladies of Charity, Pro-Life Club, National Honor Society

National Honor Society

The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...

, SADD, Student Ambassadors, and Student Council.