- Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, Illinois)
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Nazareth Acaedmy Address 1209 West Ogden Avenue
La Grange Park, Illinois, 60526
United StatesCoordinates 41°49′13″N 87°53′11″W / 41.8204°N 87.8863°WCoordinates: 41°49′13″N 87°53′11″W / 41.8204°N 87.8863°W Information Type private, secondary, parochial Motto Claire Moriarty Denomination Roman Catholic Established 1900 Oversight Archdiocese of Chicago President Dennis P. Moran Principal Deborah Tracy Teaching staff 51 Grades 9–12 Gender coed Enrollment 807 (2011) Campus suburban Color(s) Columbia Blue, White and Navy Blue Athletics conference East Suburban Catholic Conference Mascot Rocky Roadrunner Team name Roadrunners Accreditation(s) North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[1] Newspaper 'The Announcer' Yearbook 'The Alexine' Tuition US$9,100[2] Affiliation Sisters of St. Joseph Website nazarethacademy.com Nazareth Academy is a Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in LaGrange Park, Illinois, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It was founded in 1900 by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Contents
History
After relocating to Chicago, the Sisters of St. Joseph were encouraged to settle in LaGrange Park and open a school. In 1900, they founded Nazareth Academy in a remodeled house located at 120 N. Spring. There were 14 students, all girls, ranging from the ages of 5 to 14. Some students boarded at the school while others were only day students. In 1901, a new building was constructed. In 1903, the first two students of Nazareth graduated and enrollment had risen to 48 girls. At the same time, a boy’s only school was opened across the street from Nazareth. In 1926, the Sisters decided to restrict enrollment to high school students only. In 1936, Nazareth was accredited by the North Central Association for the first time. In 1950 there were 500 students and in an effort to house all the students, a new building was constructed; by 1958, there were 1,319 students. In 1963, the boarding school was forced to close in an effort to make room for more classrooms to accommodate the growing number of students. Soon after, in 1974, enrollment had decreased so greatly that the Sisters were forced to sell their building to the town and relocated to its current residence on Ogden Avenue. In 1977, with only 498 students were enrolled at Nazareth, the Sisters opened the school to boys, making it a coed school for the first time. Since then, many buildings and facilities have been added to the campus, including a gym and a football and soccer field.[3]
Recently, Nazareth has been working on adding many additions to the school in an effort to keep up with the growing number of students. Among the additions are a baseball field, a new entrance hall, a legacy garden, and last fall the new dining hall was opened. The main athletic field, used for both football and soccer, now has a FieldTurf surface. In the spring of 2008, the school also added a new auditorium.
Academics
The focus of the school's academic program is on college preparatory.
The school offers Advanced placement courses in: English Language, English Literature, Spanish Language, French Language, Calculus (AB & BC), Computer Science (A & AB), Biology, Physics (B), and U.S. History.
The Foreign Language Department offers study Spanish, French, German, and Italian. Students studying German have the opportunity to earn credit by spending a month in Germany, and in turn hosting a German student for two weeks, with credit being based on a ten page report submitted by the student.[4]
As a part of the religious study component of the graduation requirement, students must complete ten hours of [[community service as a sophomore. Juniors must complete an additional ten hours of service, in addition to attending a two day retreat.[5]
Athletics
The Nazareth Academy Roadrunners are full members of the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC), and compete in state tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
The school sponsors interscholastic teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Men may also compete in baseball and football. Women may also compete in cheerleading and softball. While not sponsored by the IHSA or ESCC, the school also sponsors an ice hockey team for men. Women may also compete in lacrosse as a JV sport, and pom-pons.[6]
Campus Ministry
Campus ministry focuses on three areas: service, liturgies, and retreats.
Students participate in a mandatory retreat as juniors, and may also participate in a Kairos retreat as seniors.
Students may also help in planning liturgy celebrations throughout the year, as well as becoming extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to assist during these services.
Service is encouraged through many extracurricular activities, though other opportunities (such as volunteering time at soup kitchens and homeless shelters) are also made available to students. Students are required to complete 20 hours of community service as a graduation requirement.[7]
Notable Alumni/ae
Author: Virginia C. Bulat (class of 1956), author and historian, history of Illinois and Cook County, Illinois
References
- ^ NCA-CASI. "AdvanceEd-NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement". http://oracle.advanc-ed.org/reporting/Locator.aspx. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ 2008-09 tuition
- ^ History of Nazareth Academy
- ^ Foreign Language course offerings
- ^ Graduation requirements
- ^ Sports offerings
- ^ Campus ministry
External links
men & women: Benet Academy • Bishop McNamara • Carmel Catholic • Fenwick • Joliet Catholic Academy • Marian Catholic • Marist • Nazareth Academy • Providence • St. Viator men: Notre Dame • St. PatrickCategories:- Educational institutions established in 1900
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
- Roman Catholic secondary schools in Illinois
- High schools in Cook County, Illinois
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