Xavier University Preparatory School was a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The

Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (SBS) are a Catholic order of religious sisters in the United States. They were founded in 1891 by Katharine Drexel as the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. During her life, Saint ...

founded, owned and operated the school, having opened it in 1915 as what would eventually become

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Roman Catholic, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU ...

. Andrew Vanacore of ''

The Times Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...

'' wrote in 2013 that "Xavier Prep has evolved over nearly a century into a symbol of achievement for girls from the city's black middle class." The school closed that same year, later reopened as

St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School (also known as Drexel Prep or SKDP) is a private Catholic high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school is named for the late Saint Katharine Drexel. She is the first saint who was born a U.S. citize ...

History

Xavier Prep was established in 1915 by

Saint Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American heiress, philanthropist, religious sister, educator, and foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. She was the second person born ...

; its first president was a Josephite priest. It was originally intended to be a revival of

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

, which had recently relocated from Uptown New Orleans to Baton Rouge due to racist opposition to an HBCU being in the neighborhood. The school would eventually change its name officially to Xavier, and in 1925 became

. The university would relocate to its current location in Gert Town while the high school remained uptown. The school was historically for black children only during

educational segregation in the United States Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

. It was coeducational until 1970, when it became an all girls' school. It opened to all races as a result of desegregation circa 1970. It was closed in 2013. Alumni then purchased the school building and reopened it as

the same year. According to Vanacore, the word "sisterhood" was used to describe the school community and its former students.

Athletics

Championships

Football championships (4) State Championships: 1936, 1937, 1940, 1941

Notable alumni

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Booker's unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. J ...

*Piper D. Griffin, Judge, Civil District Court in the Parish of Orleans (1980) *

Caroline Hunter Caroline Hunter (born September 5, 1946, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an anti-apartheid activist, chemist and educator. She co-founded the Polaroid Revolutionary Workers Movement which petitioned the Polaroid corporation to end its support of t ...

Alden Roche Alden Stephen Rochè Jr. ( ; April 9, 1945 – May 29, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, an ...

, NFL defensive end (

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

)

References

External links