Saint Rose Academy, located in Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

, Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 atop Red Mountain

Red Mountain, Birmingham, Alabama

Red Mountain is a long ridge running southwest-northeast and dividing Jones Valley from Shades Valley south of Birmingham, Alabama. It is part of the Ridge-and-Valley region of the Appalachian mountains...

, is a private, co-educational Catholic elementary school run by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia

The Congregation of St. Cecilia, commonly known as the Nashville Dominicans, is a religious order within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church located in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a member of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, one of the two organizations which represent women...

.

History

Saint Rose Academy was established in 1956. The school was originally the home of Terrance Mackin who gave his home to the Dominican sisters of Nashville so that a school could be created. His sister Sister Aloysius Mackin helped with the creation of the school. In 1962 more classrooms were added to the Mackin house. A few years later it was the first private school in Birmingham to desegregate. In 1993 the gym building was built which contains three classrooms as well as a multipurpose sport court and music room. A few years later the school bought the Discovery Place building.

Campus

Saint Rose Academy's campus is located just above the Red Mountain Expressway Cut

Red Mountain Expressway Cut

The Red Mountain Expressway Cut also known as the Red Mountain Geological Cut is a section of Red Mountain that was blasted and removed in the 1960s to allow the Red Mountain Expressway to enter downtown Birmingham, Alabama. This highway linked Birmingham with its southern suburbs of Homewood,...

. The school has three buildings on its campus - The Mackin House, a gymnasium that also houses classrooms and the primary building that was formerly part of the Discovery Place. The school is in the process of raising funds for major building renovations.

Students, faculty, and administration

Saint Rose Academy has an average class size of 22 with one class per grade. The faculty is made of a mixture of Dominican sisters and lay teachers. The position of principal is filled with a Dominican sister while other positions are filled based on need. Sisters typically do not stay at Saint Rose Academy for more than a few years as their assignments are determined by the Motherhouse in Nashville.

Uniforms

Students may wear several shirts, including burgandy polo shirts. Girls may wear skirts, shorts or pants. Boys may wear shorts or pants. Brown shoes are required.

On Mass days, (mostly Fridays) students must wear oxford shirts and boys must wear ties. Girls must wear skirts.

Athletics

Saint Rose Academy is a member of the Toy Bowl league, a sports division for Catholic schools in Birmingham. They participate in volleyball and basketball as well as a track and field meet that takes place at John Carroll Catholic High School in May. They are also part of the John Carroll Middle School sports program that is part of the Alabama High School Athletic Association

Alabama High School Athletic Association

The Alabama High School Athletic Association , based in Montgomery, is the agency which oversees interscholastic athletic programs for public schools in Alabama....

. The current athletic director is Jeff Belcher.
Staff- Cheryl Palisaince,Ann Fondren, Sr. Annunciata, Raine Greene, Karen Tuggle, Kim Rothery, Andrew Rothery, Sr. Mary Clare, Senora Reaves, Ginger Hensely,Debby Alfano, Sr. Mary Emmanuel. Jeff Belcher, John Armdt.