St. Xavier Parish Commercial School, officially The Convent School, was a

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in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1904 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, it remained open until 1960. It was associated with St. Francis Xavier Church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Fr. Francis J. Finn, S.J., served as its first director. The school was located on Sixth Street downtown, between Sycamore and Main Streets—most likely at 520 Sycamore St. It offered "a two-year course of study—primarily for women—in the business arts", including "

stenography Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''ste ...

book-keeping Bookkeeping is the recording of financial transactions, and is part of the process of accounting in business and other organizations. It involves preparing source documents for all transactions, operations, and other events of a business. Tr ...

, and typesetting". Boys from St. Xavier High School also took typing classes there; once the Commercial School closed, the high school moved to

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and the parish remained at the downtown location. Tuition was $50 a year during the 1950s.

Notable students

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(attended 1953) – Republican candidate for United States President,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Notable faculty

* Francis J. Finn, S.J. – school director; well-known author

History

The following wa
posted
on "The Catholic Telegraph Photography Project" as a reprint of an article in '' The Catholic Telegraph'' from August 25, 1944:

1944: “St. Xavier's Commercial School for Girls was founded in 1904 by Father Finn, S.J., the famous author of juvenile books for boys. Its progress through the years has kept pace with the various changes in the business world, until today, in its equipment and modern methods, it is one of Cincinnati's foremost business schools. The Rev. Julian A. Garrity, S.J., is the director of St. Xavier's Commercial School for Girls and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur teach in the school. “Two programs are now available. The new intensive secretarial course is open to high school graduates only. This program is arranged so that the students receive individual instruction and are, therefore, capable of progressing according to their maximum ability. The complete course of study including stenography, typewriting, bookkeeping, business correspondence, secretarial practice, comptometry, dictaphone, and office machines offers an opportunity for each girl to fit herself for a business career. “The standard course comprises two years of commercial training for girls who have either not begun or who have not completed their high school training. This program consists of religion, business correspondence, word study, shorthand, bookkeeping, typewriting, business law, rapid calculation, secretarial practice, besides comptometry, dictaphone, mimeographing, and other office machines. “The school's free placement bureau has enjoyed remarkable success in placing its graduates in responsible positions with many of the outstanding business firms in Cincinnati.” (The Catholic Telegraph, August 25, 1944)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Xavier Commercial School Private schools in Cincinnati Defunct girls' schools in the United States Defunct schools in Ohio Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur schools Educational institutions established in 1904 1960 disestablishments in Ohio Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati St. Xavier High School (Ohio) 1904 establishments in Ohio Girls' schools in Ohio