Holy Names Academy

Infobox_School
name =Holy Names Academy

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imagesize =
motto =
established =November 9, 1880
type =Parochial girls' secondary school
affiliation =Catholic
district =
grades =9-12
president =
principal =Elizabeth Swift
head of school =
dean =
faculty =48
staff =
students =
enrollment =650
athletics =Class AAA
conference =Seattle Metropolitan League
colors =Maroon and Gray
mascot =Cougar
campus type =
campus size =
free_label =
free_text =
free_label2 =
free_text2 =
location =728 21st Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112
information =[phone]
website =http://www.holynames-sea.org/

Holy Names Academy is a Catholic girls' high school located on the east slope of Seattle's Capitol Hill at 21st Avenue East between E. Aloha and E. Roy Streets. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle, the school has been named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education four separate times.

In 2007-2008, Holy Names enrolled 650 students.The student-teacher ratio is currently 14:1, and the average class size 22. Tuition was $852 a month in 2007-2008 totaling $10,224 for the school year.

History

Holy Names was founded by Mother Marie Rose on November 9, 1880, by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, making it the oldest continually operating school in Washington state. Its original location was at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Seneca Street in downtown Seattle. In 1884, the school moved to 7th Avenue and S. Jackson Street in the International District. Construction of the present building began in 1906 and was completed in 1908.

Holy Names originally incorporated a boarding school and grade school, and a normal school was added in 1908. The normal school closed in 1930, the grade school in 1963, and the boarding school in 1967.

tudent Life

Holy Names emphasizes academics, community service, ethics and leadership. The curriculum includes four years of theology covering the topics of world cultures, scripture literature, ecclesiology/service and contemporary problems. In 2007 the school offered Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 14 subjects and 98% of the graduating class had taken one or more AP tests. HNA often pairs with O'Dea High School, a nearby, all-male catholic school for social events such as dances like Homecoming and Winter Ball, though the academy hosts its Junior and Senior proms separate from O'Dea. In addition, the school now hosts its own homecoming.

chool Spirit

Holy Names demonstrates school spirit by wearing their school colors to athletic games, as well as their class colors. These class colors are worn especially on Class Spirit days. The freshman are always green, and the incoming sophomore class always inherits the previous seniors' color, which they then keep for the duration of their time at Holy Names. This year's colors are as follows:
Class of '12: Green
Class of '11: Yellow
Class of '10: Blue
Class of '12: Red

Athletics

In the fall, Holy Names offers crew, volleyball, soccer, cross country and golf. Basketball and swimming are the winter sports. In the spring, lacrosse, softball, tennis and track are offered. Holy Names has won state titles in golf, soccer, swimming and track.

Awards and recognition

During the 1984-85, 1990-91, 1995-96 and 2001-02 school years, Holy Names Academy was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education [ [http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/list-1982.pdf Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF)] , United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.] , the highest award an American school can receive. [ [http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17475750&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=161556&rfi=6 CIBA cited as one of the best by Education Department] , "Journal Inquirer", November 16, 2006. "The Blue Ribbon award is given only to schools that reach the top 10 percent of their state's testing scores over several years or show significant gains in student achievement. It is considered the highest honor a school can achieve."] [Viers Mill School Wins Blue Ribbon; School Scored High on Statewide Test; "The Washington Post". September 29, 2005 "For their accomplishments, all three schools this month earned the status of Blue Ribbon School, the highest honor the U.S. Education Department can bestow upon a school."]

As of 2007, the school was one of only five schools nationwide to be honored as a Blue Ribbon School on four separate occasions. [Berger, Susan. [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-blueribbonoct10,0,7395352.story "School gets 4th Blue Ribbon: Carmel Catholic is only one in state honored this year"] , "Chicago Tribune", October 10, 2007. Accessed November 1, 2007. "Carmel also received the Blue Ribbon Award in 1985, 1996 and 2002. Only four other high schools nationwide have won the award four times."] In April 2008, CEO Magazine named Holy Names as one of the best 100 companies to work for in Washington state.

References

External links

* [http://www.holynames-sea.org/ Holy Names Academy]