Visitation Academy of St. Louis is a

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, all-girls, Roman Catholic

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

Town and Country, Missouri Town and Country is a city in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States with a population of 11,640 as of the 2020 census. It is home to Missouri Baptist Medical Center, (locally known as MoBap). Town and Country has the highest median hou ...

(

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

postal address), in the

Archdiocese of Saint Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Per ...

. It is a work of the Visitation Sisters who founded it in 1833.

History

Visitation Academy was established in

Kaskaskia, Illinois Kaskaskia is a village in Randolph County, Illinois. Having been inhabited by indigenous peoples, it was settled by France as part of the Illinois Country. It was named for the Kaskaskia people. Its population peaked at about 7,000 in the 18th ...

, in 1833 by a group of sisters from the

Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary , image = Salesas-escut.gif , size = 175px , abbreviation = V.S.M. , nickname = Visitandines , motto = , formation = , founder = Saint Bishop Francis de ...

. The group originated from the Georgetown Visitation Monastery in Washington, DC, and were invited by Bishop

Joseph Rosati Joseph Rosati (30 January 1789 – 25 September 1843) was an Italian-born Catholic missionary to the United States who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Saint Louis between 1826 and 1843. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, ...

to start a school in the region. The school moved to St. Louis in 1844, in part due to flooding in Kaskaskia. The school moved again in 1892 and moved once more to the current location in 1962.

Schools

Visitation Academy is divided into three schools: Lower (preschool through grade 5), Middle (grades 6 through 8), and Upper (grades 9 through 12). The preschool is

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

and uses the

Montessori method The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

; kindergarten through 12th grade are for girls only. The Lower School is the only all-girls school at that level in the St. Louis region. The school is known for its small size. The Lower-Middle School has approximately 240 students; the Upper School approximately 300.

Academics

Visitation is known regionally for its rigorous academics. Students participate in the Advanced Placement (AP) program and in St. Louis University's 1818 college credit program. The school offers classes in Latin, Spanish, and French. Lower School students receive instruction in both French and Spanish.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The Lower School competes in the Catholic Youth Council of St. Louis (CYC) in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. The Upper School participates in the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA). Sports for fall include golf, tennis, softball, cross country, field hockey, and volleyball. Winter sports include swimming, diving, racquetball, basketball, and cheerleading. In the spring, lacrosse, track and field, and soccer are played.

Fine arts

The Upper School stages several plays throughout the school year, including musicals, dramas, and student-directed plays. The theater program auditions boys from area boys' schools or co-ed schools for male parts, and sometimes recruits girls from the Lower School for child parts, e.g. for the orphans during a staging of ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ope ...

''. The music program in the Upper School includes a vocal choir, a handbell choir, and a liturgical choir. Two concerts are staged each year, one in the spring and one at Christmas. The Lower School also holds Christmas and Spring concerts. The school has an art gallery where student work is displayed and, sometimes, sold. Art shows are also held in conjunction with the Upper School Spring and Christmas Concerts.

Notable alumnae

* Madonna Buder, Catholic religious sister and triathlete, known as the ''Iron Nun'' * Pauline Pfeiffer, journalist; second wife of

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century f ...

* Mary Engelbreit, 1970, graphic artist, designer, author, illustrator, entrepreneur * Lucille Mullhall, attended 1899–1900, America's first 'Cowgirl' declared by Teddy Roosevelt *

Belle Hunt Shortridge Belle Hunt Shortridge (, Hunt; 1858 – November 24, 1893) was an American author of poetry, novels, short stories, and juvenile literature. She was the first person of European descent to be born in Wise County, Texas. She was a versatile and pro ...

(1858–1893), American author *Katherine Fogertey, 2001, Chief Financial Officer at

Shake Shack Shake Shack is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew. In 2004, it received a permit to open a permanent kiosk wit ...

* Katie Walsh, 2003, American politician

Notes and references

External links

School Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Visitation Academy Of St. Louis

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

Roman Catholic secondary schools in St. Louis County, Missouri Girls' schools in Missouri Educational institutions established in 1833 Private K-12 schools in Missouri Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis 1833 establishments in Missouri