Holy Names Academy
Encyclopedia
Holy Names Academy is a Catholic
private all-girls college-preparatory 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. Of the graduating class of 2011, 100% were admitted to 184 different colleges and universities, located in 21 states, the District of Columbia and two foreign countries. A record 85% of the Class of 2011 earned college scholarships, collectively valued in excess of $17.3 million. The school sends many of its students to highly selective universities every year.
For 2011-2012, Holy Names Academy has enrolled 675 students. The student-teacher ratio is currently 14:1, and the average class size 22. Tuition is $1,033 a month in 2011-2012, totaling $12,396 for the school year. Approximately 31.2% of current students receive financial aid. Of the current enrollment, 33.3% are students of color. Nearly 26% of current students are of a faith other than Roman Catholic.
, 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 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood began in 1906 and was completed in 1908.
Holy Names Academy 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.
, an all-boys Catholic school, for social events such as dances like Homecoming and Winter Ball, though the Academy hosts its Junior and Senior proms separately from O'Dea. In addition, the school now hosts its own homecoming.
Each color corresponds to a name. The names are as follows:
Green: (voted on by the 9th grade at the beginning of the year)
Yellow: Cadets
Blue: Pipers (formerly orange)
Red: Skippers
In March 2011, the Academy's basketball team crowned an undefeated season (29–0) by winning the Washington state 3A girls championship. It was the first State basketball championship in school history, following a second-place finish in 2010 and third in 2009.
In May 2011, the Academy's track team won the State 3A girls championship, besting their nearest opponents by 15 points. It was the fifth State track title in the school's history. The school's athletes have also previously won Washington state titles in golf (three times), soccer, and swimming. For the entire 2010-2011 school season, HNA teams collectively won the Seattle Metro League's All Sports Trophy for the fourth consecutive year, winning the league championships in four of the 10 sports in which the school competes in the Metro League.
Music ensembles include a concert choir, vocal ensemble, jazz band, chamber ensemble and orchestra, which give at least two concerts per year, travel to competitions, and perform at school events. The school provides students with inhouse, state-of-the-art music recording and production studios, featuring advanced editing software.
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
, the highest award an American school can receive.
As of 2007, the school was one of only five schools nationwide to be honored as a Blue Ribbon School on four separate occasions.
In 2008, Washington CEO Magazine named Holy Names Academy as one of the best 100 companies to work for in Washington state.
Roman Catholicism in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Pope. With more than 68.5 registered million members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population...
private all-girls college-preparatory high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located on the east slope of Seattle's
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
Capitol Hill
Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
Capitol Hill is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the center of the city's gay and counterculture communities, and is one of the city's most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts....
at 21st Avenue East between E. Aloha and E. Roy Streets. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
The Archdiocese of Seattle is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Seattle, the archdiocese encompasses all counties in the state west of the Cascade Range. Its cathedral is St. James Cathedral, and its present archbishop is J...
, the school has been named a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the U.S. Department of Education four separate times. Of the graduating class of 2011, 100% were admitted to 184 different colleges and universities, located in 21 states, the District of Columbia and two foreign countries. A record 85% of the Class of 2011 earned college scholarships, collectively valued in excess of $17.3 million. The school sends many of its students to highly selective universities every year.
For 2011-2012, Holy Names Academy has enrolled 675 students. The student-teacher ratio is currently 14:1, and the average class size 22. Tuition is $1,033 a month in 2011-2012, totaling $12,396 for the school year. Approximately 31.2% of current students receive financial aid. Of the current enrollment, 33.3% are students of color. Nearly 26% of current students are of a faith other than Roman Catholic.
History
Holy Names Academy was founded on November 9, 1880, by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and MarySisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is a teaching order founded at Longueuil, Québec, Canada in 1843 by Blessed Mother Marie-Rose for the Christian education of young girls.Their motto is: "Jésus et Marie, Ma Force et Ma Gloire" .Since 1843, the...
, 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
International District, Seattle, Washington
The Chinatown-International District of Seattle, Washington is an ethnic enclave neighborhood and is the center of Seattle's Asian American community. The neighborhood is multiethnic, consisting mainly of people who are of Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino ethnicity...
. Construction of the present building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood began in 1906 and was completed in 1908.
Holy Names Academy originally incorporated a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
and grade school, and a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
was added in 1908. The normal school closed in 1930, the grade school in 1963, and the boarding school in 1967.
Student life
Holy Names Academy 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 2011-2012, the school offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 16 subjects; 95% of the graduating class of 2011 took one or more AP exams. Over the 31-year history of AP offerings at Holy Names Academy, 79% of students have earned AP exam scores of 3 or higher, compared to 65% nationally. HNA often pairs with O'Dea High SchoolO'Dea High School
O'Dea High School is a Catholic boys' high school located on Seattle's First Hill, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. The school is named after Edward John O'Dea who was bishop of Seattle when the school was built....
, an all-boys Catholic school, for social events such as dances like Homecoming and Winter Ball, though the Academy hosts its Junior and Senior proms separately from O'Dea. In addition, the school now hosts its own homecoming.
School Spirit
Students at Holy Names Academy demonstrate 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 9th-grade students are always green, and the rising sophomore class adopts the color of the previous year's seniors, which they keep until their own graduation.Each color corresponds to a name. The names are as follows:
Green: (voted on by the 9th grade at the beginning of the year)
Yellow: Cadets
Blue: Pipers (formerly orange)
Red: Skippers
Athletics
Holy Names Academy fields highly competitive teams in 12 sports, and nearly 95% of current students participate in at least one during their years at the Academy. In the fall, crew, volleyball, soccer, cross country, and golf are offered. Basketball, gymnastics, and swimming are the winter sports. In the spring, lacrosse, golf, softball, crew, tennis, and track are offered. Teams in 10 of the 12 HNA sports compete in the 3A-level Metropolitan League (or Metro League); crew and lacrosse are non-league, club sports. In each athletic season, at least one non-cut sport is offered: crew and cross country in the fall, swimming in the winter, track and crew in the spring.In March 2011, the Academy's basketball team crowned an undefeated season (29–0) by winning the Washington state 3A girls championship. It was the first State basketball championship in school history, following a second-place finish in 2010 and third in 2009.
In May 2011, the Academy's track team won the State 3A girls championship, besting their nearest opponents by 15 points. It was the fifth State track title in the school's history. The school's athletes have also previously won Washington state titles in golf (three times), soccer, and swimming. For the entire 2010-2011 school season, HNA teams collectively won the Seattle Metro League's All Sports Trophy for the fourth consecutive year, winning the league championships in four of the 10 sports in which the school competes in the Metro League.
Theatre and Music
Every year Holy Names Academy performs theatre productions for the students and the community. In the fall, the department puts on a play; in the winter, a musical. The New Works Festival, in the spring, consists of one-act plays and short films written, directed, acted, and produced by students. Advanced, state-of-the-art lighting equipment and software were installed in the school's auditorium in 2011.Music ensembles include a concert choir, vocal ensemble, jazz band, chamber ensemble and orchestra, which give at least two concerts per year, travel to competitions, and perform at school events. The school provides students with inhouse, state-of-the-art music recording and production studios, featuring advanced editing software.
Clubs and Activities
More than 40 student-initiated clubs and activities cover interests ranging from art and books and investment to Japanese anime and Harry Potter. A Multicultural Student Union provides venues for the 33% of enrollment who are students of color, including the Black Student Union, Asian/Pacific Islander Focus Group, and El Movimiento de Mujeres Hispanas. A National Honor Society is active, as are competitive teams in Speech and Debate.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 SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
As of 2007, the school was one of only five schools nationwide to be honored as a Blue Ribbon School on four separate occasions.
In 2008, Washington CEO Magazine named Holy Names Academy as one of the best 100 companies to work for in Washington state.