Visitation Academy of St. Louis
Encyclopedia
Visitation Academy of St. Louis is a private
, all-girls, Roman Catholic high school
in St. Louis, Missouri
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
.
in 1833 by a group of sisters from the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
. The group originated from the convent in Georgetown, Washington, DC and were invited by Bishop Joseph Rosati
of St. Louis to start a school in the region.
The school moved to St. Louis in 1844, in part due to flooding in Kaskaskia. The school moved again in 1892 and moved once more to their current location in 1962.
, and is single sex (girls) in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Lower School is the only all-girls school in the St. Louis region.
The school is known for its small size. The Lower School has approximately 200 students; the Upper School approximately 500.
1818 college credit program.
The school offers classes in Latin, Spanish, and French. Lower School students receive instruction in both French and Spanish. In seventh grade, all girls take Latin; in eighth grade, they choose to pursue either Spanish, Latin, or French for the remainder of their education.
The Upper School participates in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA)
. Sports for fall include golf, tennis, softball, cross country, and field hockey, and volleyball. Winter sports include swimming, diving, racquetball, basketball, and cheerleading. In the spring, lacrosse, track and field, and soccer are played.
.
The music program in the Upper School includes a vocal choir, a handbell choir, and a liturgical choir. Two concerts are staged each year, one in the spring and one at Christmas. The Lower School also holds Christmas and Spring concerts.
The school has an art gallery where student work is displayed and, sometimes, sold. Art shows are also held in conjunction with the Upper School Spring and Christmas Concerts.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, all-girls, Roman Catholic high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is the Roman Catholic archdiocese that covers the City of St. Louis as well as the following Missouri counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St...
.
History
Visitation Academy was established in Kaskaskia, IllinoisKaskaskia, Illinois
Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois, United States. In the 2010 census the population was 14, making it the second-smallest incorporated community in the State of Illinois in terms of population. A major French colonial town of the Illinois Country, its peak population was about...
in 1833 by a group of sisters from the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary or the Visitation Order is a Roman Catholic religious order for women. Members of the order are also known as Filles de Sainte-Marie, Visitandines, Salesian Sisters and, more commonly, Visitationists.- History of the order :The Order was founded in 1610 by...
. The group originated from the convent in Georgetown, Washington, DC and were invited by Bishop Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati
Joseph Rosati was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843....
of St. Louis to start a school in the region.
The school moved to St. Louis in 1844, in part due to flooding in Kaskaskia. The school moved again in 1892 and moved once more to their current location in 1962.
Schools
Visitation Academy is divided into two parts, the Lower School and the Upper School. The Lower School comprises preschool through sixth grade; the Upper School is for seventh through twelfth grade. The school is co-educational in the preschool, which uses the Montessori methodMontessori method
Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old.-Overview:...
, and is single sex (girls) in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Lower School is the only all-girls school in the St. Louis region.
The school is known for its small size. The Lower School has approximately 200 students; the Upper School approximately 500.
Academics
Visitation is known regionally for its rigorous academics. Students participate in the Advanced Placement (AP) program and in St. Louis University'sSaint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
1818 college credit program.
The school offers classes in Latin, Spanish, and French. Lower School students receive instruction in both French and Spanish. In seventh grade, all girls take Latin; in eighth grade, they choose to pursue either Spanish, Latin, or French for the remainder of their education.
Athletics
The Lower School competes in the Catholic Youth Council of St. Louis (CYC) in soccer, basketball, and volleyball.The Upper School participates in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA)
Missouri State High School Activities Association
The Missouri State High School Activities Association is the governing body for high school activities throughout the state of Missouri...
. Sports for fall include golf, tennis, softball, cross country, and field hockey, and volleyball. Winter sports include swimming, diving, racquetball, basketball, and cheerleading. In the spring, lacrosse, track and field, and soccer are played.
Fine arts
The Upper School stages several plays throughout the school year, including musicals, dramas, and student-directed plays. The theater program auditions boys from area boys' schools or co-ed schools for male parts, and sometimes recruits girls from the Lower School for child parts, e.g. for the orphans during a staging of Oliver!Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
.
The music program in the Upper School includes a vocal choir, a handbell choir, and a liturgical choir. Two concerts are staged each year, one in the spring and one at Christmas. The Lower School also holds Christmas and Spring concerts.
The school has an art gallery where student work is displayed and, sometimes, sold. Art shows are also held in conjunction with the Upper School Spring and Christmas Concerts.