Ursuline Academy of Dallas

Infobox School2
name = Ursuline Academy of Dallas
motto = Serviam
established = 1874
type = Ursuline, Private, Catholic, Single-Sex
head_name = President
head = Sr. Margaret Ann Moser, O.S.U.
head_name2 = Principal
head2 = Ms. Elizabeth C. Bourgeois
city = Dallas
state = Texas
country = USA
faculty = 82
students = 800 girls
athletics = 11 sports
mascot = Bear
free_label = Campus
free = 27 acres
website = [http://www.ursulinedallas.org/ www.ursulinedallas.org]

Ursuline Academy of Dallas (commonly referred to as "Ursuline" or "UA") is a Catholic college preparatory high school for girls located on Walnut Hill Lane in the area around Preston Hollow [" [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/UU/iwu3.html URSULINE ACADEMY] ." "Handbook of Texas".] in Dallas, Texas (USA). It is a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas and was founded in 1874, making it the oldest school in the city of Dallas.

Founded by the Ursuline Sisters under the motto of "Serviam," Latin, Ursuline is a relatively small high school, enrolling a mean of 800 students each year with a 10:1 average student-teacher ratio. Ursuline also shares close ties with its brother schools Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and Cistercian Preparatory School.

The Mission Statement of the school reads as follows:

Founded in 1874, Ursuline Academy of Dallas is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters.

The mission of Ursuline Academy is the total development of the individual student through spiritual formation, intellectual growth, service to others, and building of community.

History

The mission of Ursuline Academy is rooted in the vision of St. Angela Merici, who founded the Order of St. Ursula in Brescia, Italy, in 1535. Merici stated: "Love your daughters equally; do not prefer one more than another, because they are all creatures of God. And you do not know what He wants to make of them."

Angela's vision and mission quickly spread throughout Europe and the education of girls became a primary ministry of the Ursuline order. The first religious order to reach North America, the French Ursulines founded a school in Quebec in 1639. They opened a convent and academy in New Orleans in 1727, and built their Galveston, Texas, house in 1847.

In 1873, Monsignor Claude M. Dubuis, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston and Texas' second Catholic Bishop, determined that the fledgling city of Dallas needed the Ursulines. On 28 January 1874, six Galveston Sisters, led by Mother St. Joseph Holly with US$146 in their common purse, arrived in Dallas by train to establish a school in the frontier town. Their luggage had been lost and they had not been able to sleep. Incredible hardships lay ahead.

It was an unusually severe winter and the four-room frame house Bishop Dubuis had built for them supplied little shelter from the weather. Water froze indoors and broke pitchers on the washstands; rain and snow dripped through the roof, soaking the beds, bedding and other furniture; only one room had a stove. Nonetheless, the Sisters set about their work. On 2 February 1874, less than a week after they arrived, the Ursulines opened their school with seven day students.

By the end of the first term, Ursuline Academy had grown to 50 students and the Sisters borrowed money to erect a better two-story building. By 1875, the Ursulines were able to establish their new convent and a day and boarding school. But they would still have to deal with and transcend the hot Texas sun, which had burned vegetables in the ground that summer; the bitterly cold winter that followed - so cold that the rock foundation crumbled and had to be replaced—and the nationwide economic depression of the 1870s.

In 1882, the Sisters began construction of their third building on a convert|10|acre|ha|0|lk=on|sing=on site in east Dallas. In 1883, work was completed on the handsome Gothic structure designed by Nicholas J. Clayton, who had planned many of Galveston's beautiful structures.

News of the Ursulines' presence in Dallas quickly spread to other areas and newspapers praised the Academy and its curriculum. In 1878, Ursuline Academy of Dallas was chartered by the Texas State Legislature. By 1890, the Academy was drawing students from many states and Mexico, as well as from some of Dallas' most prominent families. The Ursuline Academy Alumnae Association was formed in 1899.

In 1950, Ursuline moved to a new building at 4900 Walnut Hill Lane in north Dallas, site of the present-day campus. Growing steadily over the years, the Academy's expanded facilities now include 16 buildings beautifully situated on nearly convert|28|acre|km2|2|lk=on in the park-like setting.

Ursuline Academy has been an important part of the Dallas community in many ways. The Ursuline motto is Serviam, Latin for "I will serve." A key goal is for students to embrace a lifelong commitment to community service.

Progressive methods of education are characteristic of the Ursuline tradition. Today every student has a laptop computer, an approach that has broadened the educational venture, in and out of the classroom. In 1996, Ursuline was one of six schools in the United States to pioneer the "Anywhere, Anytime Learning" program in partnership with Microsoft and Toshiba. Through e-Serviam, student teams now create Web sites for non-profit agencies that do not have funds to develop their own.

Sharing gospel vision and values, Ursuline educators around the globe empower their students to be a transforming presence in today's world. With strong support from parents, alumnae and friends in the community, Ursuline Academy of Dallas continues its mission to prepare young women to be strong Christian leaders. St. Angela Merici's dictum—to treat each young woman individually—is still the time-honored approach to education at Ursuline Academy.

Campus and school administration

* President: Margaret Ann Moser, OSU
* Principal: Elizabeth Bourgeois
* Chief Financial Officer: Jim Koehler
* Facilities Director: Tom Kelly
* Communications Advisor: Valerie Oates
* Director of Technology: Susan Bauer
* Academic Dean: Birgitt Lopez
* Dean of Students: Monica de la Cerda
* Director of Admission: Michele Snyder
* Dean of Diversity and Global Education: Cecilia Nipp
* MIS Director: Tony Miller

School uniforms

The Ursuline school uniform consists of a copyrighted red, white, and navy plaid skirt.

Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior students wear white shirts, navy sweaters, and white socks. Seniors are given more uniform choices: navy shirts, white sweaters, and navy socks.

All students wear saddle shoes with white shoelaces every day. Blazers with the official school crest are worn on days when the school attends Mass or for other important school assemblies.

Appearing on the blazer are school pins, which are given out to all students at Freshman Convocation and the Sophomore Serviam celebration, and also to student members of organizations such as National Honor Society, Ambassadors, and the Eucharistic Ministers.

Traditions

As the oldest school in the city of Dallas, Ursuline has had over 130 years in which to develop strong traditions in which all members of the community participate at one time or another. Although some have come and gone over the years, some have remained strong since their induction and are still practiced at the school today. They are the main factor contributing to the school's intense pride and the strong community of current students, alumnae, and parents who support Ursuline.

Big Sister/Little Sister program

The incoming Freshman class is paired with a Junior at the beginning of the year. They decorate each other's locker and have a Big Sis/Little Sis picnic on the lawns of St. Joe's, located behind the convent on the east side of campus. The program is intended to give incoming students access to a mentor who can give them much needed advice for navigating such a rigorous school, but students only get out of it what they put into it. Some students become fast friends with their Big Sis, while others remain merely acquaintances. Despite this, the program creates strong ties between the Freshman and Junior classes and the Sophomore and Senior classes, which are most notably seen at Intramurals.

Intramurals

One of the high points of the Ursuline school year is Intramurals, which occur in November during the last week before the Thanksgiving holiday. They are a chance for classes to determine whose spirit is the strongest. Each class chooses a theme to base their spirit around (ie, 'I dream of Greenie', 'You're a Sophomore Charlie Brown', 'Ferris Junior's Day Off', and 'Seniors on a Plane') and is represented by a color:
* Freshmen - Green
* Sophomores - Yellow
* Juniors - Red
* Seniors - Blue During Intramurals, students compete in a variety of ways:; Spirit : The main competition. The score is graded on amount of cans collected in the can drive, amount of cheering and/or class effort during volleyball games, ability to sing the Alma Mater, amount of cheering during hallway decoration, and amount of cheering during lunch periods, etc. Members of each class also wear clothing (sometimes excessively decorative) according to their color with their Ursuline skirt instead of the typical uniform shirt. Points are deducted from the final score of each class for offenses such as uncleanliness (ie, dirty tables left after lunch, feathers or other decorations left in hallways, etc) and unsportsmanlike behavior. Only two classes in the history of Ursuline's Intramurals competition have won the Spirit Award each of the four years they attended the school: the class of 1977 and the class of 2006.; Hallway Decoration : Each grade is given a section of Main Hall to decorate using their color and theme. The score is determined more by creativity and effort than by artistic merit, although it is an important factor in the final score for it indicates effort.; Volleyball Games : Each class's volleyball team plays the others'. During the volleyball games, there is no silence, as each class cheers as loud as possible for their volleyball team. The winner is determined in the same manner as a typical round robin tournament.; Skit : Each grade makes a skit relating to their theme and performs it for the school. Each class must involve every member of their class in the performance, as well as include the themes of the other four classes in their own. Audibility is a major factor in score determination, as well as humor, creativity, etc. Crude or cruel jokes result in disqualification of the class.; Mural : Each class creates a mural of their theme and depicts the other grades as well. Artistic merit is the most important factor in this competition.

Winning, while the object of each competition, was not considered a major part of the event until the leaders of the four classes petitioned the dean in fall 2004 to allow each class the opportunity to take first place in more than one competition. Prior to this, each class claimed a first prize in one of the competitions besides Volleyball, in which the winner was determined by who won the most games. From the 2004 games on, Intramurals prizes are awarded to the class which earns the most points per category. The competitions are scored by a combination of faculty and alumnae.

Snowball

Snowball is the formal dance for Ursuline seniors, held in December before the Christmas Holidays. Because it is sponsored solely by Ursuline, males are only allowed to the dance if they have a date, and, until very recently, students could not attend unless they had acquired a male date. Males are normally asked in creative ways, some of which include writing the question on his car or unveiling a large sign at a school function. Many times multiple people, including his parents, are involved in the asking.

Another unique aspect of Snowball is the selection of queen and court. Unlike typical homecoming celebrations, the queen and court are not selected by a popularity vote; instead, Ursuline uses a unique random selection method. Members of the senior class each receive a "cupcake", some of which contain nuts, and one in particular contains a walnut. The recipient of the walnut-filled cupcake is crowned queen, while the court is made up of those who receive the other nut-filled cupcakes.

Freshman Convocation, Sophomore Serviam Ceremony, Junior Ring Ceremony

These services mark members of each class as members of the Ursuline community. At Freshman Convocation, each student receives a pin of a white cross with a rainbow swooping out to the side. Intended to be worn on her blazer, each pin is handed out during a processional ceremony during a formal Mass held after school. Big Sisters are asked to attend to show their support for their Lil' Sisters.

Sophomore Serviam occurs much later in the school year, also as a formal Mass. One student is selected to give a speech at the ceremony based on her response to a questionnaire handed out and returned to the Campus Ministry Department and her total number of logged service hours. Every student then receives another pin to be worn on her blazer. It is a silver shield with green accents in the shape of the school crest with the word 'Serviam' printed beneath it on a ribbon.

The last formal ceremony of the year is Junior Ring, held in the spring. Students wear red gowns similar to graduation gowns worn by other high schools and colleges. Each girl creates her ring in January using the school's design as a base and adding her own personal touches (ie, the metal, stone, an interior inscription, etc). Some students do not purchase rings, opting not to have a class ring or using one which has been passed through the family for years. No matter what, the school makes sure that each girl has a ring to receive at the ceremony, whether or not she will be keeping it. After the Mass, there is a small reception, during which students twist one another's rings in an effort to build up good luck.

"Serviam"

"Serviam", meaning "I will serve", is a major part of Ursuline life. Girls are required to perform a set number of hours each semester, adding up to a total of 100 hours by graduation. However, most students easily exceed the required number of hours by far. Services hours can be accumulated over all breaks and holidays, including summer vacation between school years, and seniors are set up with local charities, hospitals, and public schools to perform community service on Monday mornings in lieu of classes. During the 2005-2006 school year, students performed over 630,000 hours of service in both local and international communities.

Athletics

Ursuline Academy offers:
* Basketball
* Crew
* Cross Country
* Golf
* Lacrosse
* Soccer
* Softball
* Swimming/Diving
* Tennis
* Track
* Volleyball

Athletic facilities

The Jane Neuhoff Athletic Center, completed in 1996, is used for home volleyball matches/tournaments, basketball games, summer camps and DPL play-off/all-star games for volleyball and basketball.

A softball field is also located on campus, just south of the gym and it is used for home softball games/tournaments, summer camps and DPL play-off games.

Other facilities used by the Athletic Department are at Greenhill (swimming, soccer), the Village (tennis), Jesuit (soccer, lacrosse, track & field), Loos Natatorium (swim/dive, soccer), Bachman Lake (crew), Norbuck Park (cross country) and University of Dallas (lacrosse).

Soccer

Ursuline Academy's nationally renowned soccer team has won eighteen consecutive state titles, the first in the streak having been won in 1991. The program is currently ranked number one in the nation.

Technology

Laptop program

In 1996, Ursuline joined a program called "Anytime, Anywhere Learning". As part of this program, all incoming students purchase a laptop from the school manufactured by Toshiba. Currently, any necessary classroom software is included with the laptop, along with a four year warranty, on-site service, the ability to get a "hot spare" loaner laptop during repairs, and wireless access throughout the school.

Although the school touts the program as highly beneficial to both students and teachers, the technology has been known to fail. The laptop which the class of 2005 purchased in summer 2001 was recalled in summer 2002, a fact which was concealed from parents who could not have had their student's computer replaced anyways by nature of the contract the school has with Toshiba. Other problems students have noticed are typically specific to their class's models. Class of 2008 laptops are prone to cracked screens, while the class of 2006 laptops were known for the failure of their floppy drives.

Wireless access

The Ursuline campus is fully wireless.Fact|date=April 2007 Anywhere in the campus, students may access the Internet as well as print to printers located in each class room and in the library. Signal strength, of course, varies, but with the implementation of the 802.11b system in fall 2003, coverage and speed vastly improved.

Blackboard

Blackboard was implemented by the school's technology department as a student and faculty resource in the spring of 2003 on the basis that many colleges and universities utilize it on a daily basis, and as part of her college preparatory education, the Ursuline student should familiarize herself with its intricate and often convoluted inner workings. In the fall of 2007, the system crashed twice, and teachers have been reluctant thus far to reload their syllabii and class policies onto the server.

Many classes now use the built-in digital dropbox and quizzing system in lieu of the more analogue and traditional hard-copies. Some teachers are greening up their classrooms, while others are simply speeding up the grading process. Some clubs and other student organizations use its forum system to communicate and send mass emails.

My Backpack

Another online system, My Backpack was formally integrated into the school at the start of 2007 school year. It remains to be seen what its effects on the grading turnaround time will be, but many teachers are less than pleased with it, as they foresee an increase in the number of helicopter parents trying to micromanage their daughters' high school careers.

International affairs

China

The Ursuline name, known globally, has been brought in a unique way to Beijing, China. In June 1997, Ursuline Academy of Dallas formed a partnership with Huaxia Academy of Beijing, the first private girls school to open in China since the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s.Fact|date=April 2007 The unique partnership was formalized in a written agreement, the first of its kind between private secondary schools in the U.S. and China.Fact|date=April 2007 The agreement calls for five steps of educational and cultural exchange:

* Principal visits
* Student communications
* Exchange of curriculum and technology ideas
* Use of technology to expand joint communications
* Teacher and student exchanges

Ursuline Academy has served as a model in the development of Huaxia, providing the pattern for educational features ranging from curriculum and structure to the design of school uniforms. In establishing the partnership, the Huaxia school leadership found Ursuline's long heritage particularly appealing, as well as its emphasis on moral education, academic excellence, and tradition. The exchange has also built friendships and understanding across cultures and continents.

Huaxia Academy was founded in 1996 with just over 100 students. Today the Beijing school has an enrollment of more than 1000 young women.

To date, there have been five delegations of Huaxia students, teachers and administrators to visit Ursuline; approximately every other year, a similar delegation from Ursuline has visited Huaxia. During these visits, schools exchange ideas about curriculum, student life, and school management. Members of visiting delegations attend classes, tour historic landmarks, and participate in other activities to learn more about the distinctive culture of the host country. Visiting students reside with host families and students during their stay.

Most recently, an Ursuline delegation was sent to visit Huaxia in March 2008.

Notable alumnae

*Christina Elizabeth Buss, 2006 Class Badass, Most Likely to Succeed, UT Tri Delt Treasurer
*Melinda French Gates, 1982 Valedictorian, Philanthropist, Businesswoman, Wife of Bill Gates
*Dina Powell, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
*Christie Abbott, actress

Graduation

Ursuline graduation is the culmination of four years of "spiritual formation and faith development, respect for the uniqueness of the individual, development of the whole person, development of a nurturing community spirit, a commitment to peacemaking, and "Serviam" (I will serve) as a lived reality" (from the Ursuline mission statement.) Each year at the end of May, the young women of Ursuline Academy don their final Ursuline uniform, a long white dress meeting.

The graduation ceremony is an incredibly formal affair, with Ursuline students performing a deep bow on the front lawn in front of the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The school provides a white, wide-brimmed hat and a dozen red roses for each student. The graduating class is also asked to sing a song of their choosing.

Accredidations and affiliations

Ursuline Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED).

The Academy is affiliated with Ursuline Education Services (UES), National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and The College Board, and is a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).

Ursuline's pioneering approach to the use of laptop computers has been a model for schools across the U.S. and around the world. The Computerworld Smithsonian Awards named Ursuline a 1998 Laureate as an "innovative user of information technology." Ursuline's case study was entered into the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology and Society in Washington, D.C. The program was also recognized in 2000 as a Selected Program for Improving Catholic Education at the 1999 SPICE Symposium, sponsored by NCEA.

In 1993, Ursuline Academy was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a "Blue Ribbon School."

References

*cite book |title=Ursuline Academy 2006-2007 Student Handbook |year=2006 |edition=spiralbound

External links

* [http://www.ursulinedallas.org/index_flash.html Ursuline Academy of Dallas Web site]
*