Convent of the Visitation

For the school in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., see Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School.

For the convent in Madrid, see Convent of the Salesas Reales.

Convent of the Visitation Visitation
Non Scholae Sed Vitae Not for School, but for Life
Address
2455 Visitation Drive Mendota Heights, Minnesota, (Dakota County), 55120-1696  United States
Coordinates	44°52′7″N 93°7′57″W / 44.86861°N 93.1325°W / 44.86861; -93.1325Coordinates: 44°52′7″N 93°7′57″W / 44.86861°N 93.1325°W / 44.86861; -93.1325
Information
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	September 8, 1873
Head of school	Dawn Nichols
Grades	PK–12
Color(s)	Red and White
Athletics conference	Tri-Metro
Team name	Blazers
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Director of Upper School	Renee Genereux
Upper School Dean	Rene Gavic
Admissions Director	Katie Owens
Athletic Director	Mike Brill
Website	http://www.visitation.net

Convent of the Visitation, also known as Visitation, is an independent, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory, school in Minnesota. It is located in Mendota Heights near Saint Paul. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Visitation is a coeducational school for grades PK-grade 6 and all-girls for grades 7-12. The school’s mission: to provide an excellent education within a Catholic environment rooted in Salesian spirituality. Visitation is the only all-girls secondary school in Minnesota. A true brother school, and often called it, Saint Thomas Academy, is located right next door and many classes and after school activities involve both schools. Depending on the sport or activity, some of its rival schools are Cretin-Derham Hall, Breck School, St. Paul Academy and Summit School, and The Blake School.

History

Visitation is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory school. It was founded by Sisters of the Visitation in 1873, who traveled up the Mississippi from St. Louis, Missouri at the request of some prominent businessmen in St. Paul who wished for a strong, Catholic education for their daughters. The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary was founded in France in 1610. The founders of the order are St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal, from whom the order gained its Salesian spirituality. There are sister school locations in Saint Louis FL, Washington D.C., and Brooklyn TN as well as monasteries in other areas throughout the U.S. The current location of the school in Meindota Heights, MN, is the school's fourth location. The school is coeducational from preschool through grade 6 but becomes single-gender in seventh grade. Visitation is the only all-girls secondary school in Minnesota. The first graduating class at Visitation had only four members. In 2010 Visitation Minnesota had their first graduate to be accepted to Yale university.

Sports

Visitation offers 13 sports:

• Softball
• Track & Field
• Lacrosse
• Golf
• Swimming and diving
• Basketball
• Hockey
• Nordic Skiing
• Alpine Skiing
• Volleyball
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Cross Country

VISTA Productions

VISTA Productions is the combined theater troupe of The Convent of the Visitation School and Saint Thomas Academy. They usually put on three main productions a year which include a fall drama, a winter dance piece/one act and a spring musical. VISTA Productions also is a participant in the Spotlight Program, a High School Theater Recognition Program sponsored by the Hennepin Theater Trust. In the spring of 2008, VISTA Productions received nine awards from this program including the award for Best Overall Production of a Musical for their production of Into the Woods.

External links

• Visitation's Official Website
• The Robette's Official Web Page

Notes and references

1. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". http://www.advanc-ed.org/schools_districts/school_district_listings/?. Retrieved 2009-06-23. ^{[dead link]}