The Academy of Our Lady of Peace
Encyclopedia
Academy of Our Lady of Peace (locally called "OLP"), is a Catholic
high school
for young women in San Diego, started by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ)
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
, OLP's mission statement is as follows: "to assist and enable parents to fulfill their role as the primary educators, and to inspire its students to grow as committed Christians who are building Christ’s kingdom of justice, love and peace." Though the school itself is Catholic, the student body represents a diverse body of religious, racial and social backgrounds, and serves the communities of San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. Its local partner, or 'brother school', is Saint Augustine High School for young men, commonly called "Saints".
The Holy Family Event Center replaced the swimming pool in 1997, and plays host to the Academy's sporting events, physical education classes and school assemblies. The school gained national attention when it was featured in the 2000 film Bring It On
starring Kirsten Dunst
, and also in an episode of SciFi's The Invisible Man (2000 series). The school has also been chosen as the site to film a part of the TV series Veronica Mars
.
The Academy prides itself on having received the blue ribbon. Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award each year it has entered the evaluatory contest: 1988-1989, 1992–1993, and 1999-2000. In the past two years 2008-2009 the school's Academic Decathlon Team has finished in second place overall among all San Diego County schools participating.
The Academy has strained its relationship with the surrounding neighborhood by advancing an expansion plan while in violation of its current conditional use permit. On Sept. 24, 2007, Code Compliance Judge Mandel Himelstein ruled that the Academy must cut enrollment by more than 100 students, reduce staff, and pay more than $100,000 in fines and court costs for violating City of San Diego building codes. Should the Academy fail to reduce enrollment to 640 students and cut staff from 60 to 45 by July 1, 2008, penalties could reach a maximum of $250,000.
OLP is the plaintiff in a a lawsuit against the City of San Diego, charging that its plans to further its expansion by the demolition of two historically-designated homes have been rejected by the City in a manner that violates their freedom of religious expression. The City Council of San Diego has twice voted to not hear arguments related to a settlement before trial.
OLP's Alma Mater was composed by Ada Nisbet, who graduated from OLP in 1924.
is provided by the Mills Company, and students are required to wear it every single day. However, there is a lot of flexibility in the uniform itself, which is a recent development.
Just this year, a new rule was introduced. The class of 2013, and all others preceding it, will have to wear their skirts to their knee, while all classes above them can have it 4 inches above the knee.
Two types of free dress are offered: regular "free dress" consists of wearing a modest non-uniform outfit without any jean material, and "jeans days" require students out of uniform to wear jean pants or modest jean skirts and shorts. Often, special occasions
such as food drives or spirit days merit a jeans day pass. Birthday girls are given passes for free dress. These free dress days are optional, although most girls choose to participate.
or French
(4 semesters), two semesters of Fine arts. Two semesters of Physical education
are taken in the freshman year, and semester-long Health and Speech
classes are taken during the sophomore year.
Girls are encouraged to not only follow but exceed the University of California
's Undergraduate Admissions Requirements, which correspond closely with the OLP graduation requirements, when selecting their courses each year. Classes may be taken at local community colleges and counted for graduation credit if pre-approved by the Registrar, otherwise girls are encouraged to either complete their requirements through the school during the regular year or over the summer. AP classes are available in many subjects. Students must also complete at least 75 hours of community service for graduation in areas including environment, school/parish work, and community awareness.
, Kiwins, Amnesty International
, and many more independent student-run co-curricular activities. Students may also choose to assist in compiling the annual yearbook; however, the Academy has historically not allowed a school newspaper.
Annually, the Academy celebrates Grandparents Day, St. Joseph’s Day, Parish Day, Community/Play Day, and holds a Christmas Candlelight Procession. Various informal dances are held at Saints, and OLP organizes one semi-formal "Miss OLP" dance in the winter and one formal joint Prom with Saints. Prom is organized by the Junior Class councils of each school. Homecoming is exclusively put together by Saints.
Each year, OLP sponsors a Fall musical and a Spring drama, both of which allow participation from Saints and other neighboring schools. Each semester, the Academy provides the students with an Arts assembly, showcasing the choir, drama classes and productions, as well as the individual talents of gifted students. The long-running tradition of Spring Sing—a musical production exclusively run by students—is a yearly highlight, and often draws the participation of over 100 girls from each class. This year's theme is Seasons, with each class having one season.
Seniors typically enjoy "free", or non-uniform, dress on a day of their choosing, the privilege of wearing white shoes with their uniform, monthly outside lunches (from local restaurants such as Rubio's or In-N-Out), the Father-Daughter Night and Mother-Daughter Luncheons, Senior Privilege Day, a Sober Grad Night with Saints, Baccalaureate Mass and Award ceremonies, as well Grad Night at Disneyland. They also can design their class sweater, which can be worn any day of the week, and their class T-shirt, which they may wear on Fridays. Their class council petitions on their behalf to the administration for these allowances.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
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....
for young women in San Diego, started by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ)
Sisters of St. Joseph
The title Sisters of St. Joseph applies to several Roman Catholic religious congregations of women. The largest and oldest of these was founded in Le Puy-en-Velay, France...
. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the western region of the United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, with a Catholic population of 1,981,057...
, OLP's mission statement is as follows: "to assist and enable parents to fulfill their role as the primary educators, and to inspire its students to grow as committed Christians who are building Christ’s kingdom of justice, love and peace." Though the school itself is Catholic, the student body represents a diverse body of religious, racial and social backgrounds, and serves the communities of San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. Its local partner, or 'brother school', is Saint Augustine High School for young men, commonly called "Saints".
History
Founded in 1882, the school was actually co-ed until the late 1890s. Its popularity grew, and the Sisters of St. Joseph purchased the Vandruff Estate in what is now San Diego's Normal Heights area. Those 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land overlooking Mission Valley originally was host to spacious gardens, a swimming pool, an observatory, a chapel and three large buildings (two that served as residences and one for a scientific laboratory). Later, these properties were converted into classrooms, a small music building and the current library.The Holy Family Event Center replaced the swimming pool in 1997, and plays host to the Academy's sporting events, physical education classes and school assemblies. The school gained national attention when it was featured in the 2000 film Bring It On
Bring It On (film)
Bring It On is a 2000 teen comedy film about two competing high school cheerleading squads, starring Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union...
starring Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
, and also in an episode of SciFi's The Invisible Man (2000 series). The school has also been chosen as the site to film a part of the TV series Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
.
The Academy prides itself on having received the blue ribbon. Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Award each year it has entered the evaluatory contest: 1988-1989, 1992–1993, and 1999-2000. In the past two years 2008-2009 the school's Academic Decathlon Team has finished in second place overall among all San Diego County schools participating.
The Academy has strained its relationship with the surrounding neighborhood by advancing an expansion plan while in violation of its current conditional use permit. On Sept. 24, 2007, Code Compliance Judge Mandel Himelstein ruled that the Academy must cut enrollment by more than 100 students, reduce staff, and pay more than $100,000 in fines and court costs for violating City of San Diego building codes. Should the Academy fail to reduce enrollment to 640 students and cut staff from 60 to 45 by July 1, 2008, penalties could reach a maximum of $250,000.
OLP is the plaintiff in a a lawsuit against the City of San Diego, charging that its plans to further its expansion by the demolition of two historically-designated homes have been rejected by the City in a manner that violates their freedom of religious expression. The City Council of San Diego has twice voted to not hear arguments related to a settlement before trial.
Alma mater
Set on a hill over valley royal, mountain and sea afar,
Built by a love and devotion loyal stands Villa Montemar.
Though years may pass other cares abringing, and you may not be near,
Turn back our thoughts, your [now "our"] hearts are singing to those memories dear.
So sing to Villa Montemar, where our hearts will be always;
Sing once more to Our Lady of Peace who deserves all our tribute and praise.
With your shoulders back and heads up high, and a bright gleam in your eye,
Stand and cheer, loyal daughter, for your Alma Mater with a hail, hail, hail!
OLP's Alma Mater was composed by Ada Nisbet, who graduated from OLP in 1924.
Uniform
The school uniformSchool uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
is provided by the Mills Company, and students are required to wear it every single day. However, there is a lot of flexibility in the uniform itself, which is a recent development.
Just this year, a new rule was introduced. The class of 2013, and all others preceding it, will have to wear their skirts to their knee, while all classes above them can have it 4 inches above the knee.
Two types of free dress are offered: regular "free dress" consists of wearing a modest non-uniform outfit without any jean material, and "jeans days" require students out of uniform to wear jean pants or modest jean skirts and shorts. Often, special occasions
such as food drives or spirit days merit a jeans day pass. Birthday girls are given passes for free dress. These free dress days are optional, although most girls choose to participate.
Academic Requirements
Entrance into the Academy is very competitive. The majority of entering freshmen are from parochial schools, although students from public schools and homeschooling environments do attend. Because they are not from private institutions, public and homeschooled students often set up an interview with the principal or assistant principal. Overall minimum requirements include:- - Achievement of no less than "C" grade in all subjects through middle school
- - A citizenship (conduct) grade demonstrating satisfactory behavior
- - A satisfactory attendance record (excessive absences and tardies noted)
- - An indication that effort expended in their present school is satisfactory
- - Satisfactory recommendation by principal and/or 8th grade teacher
- - An excellent grade on the entrance exam distributed by Scholastic Testing Services
Curriculum
To graduate, each girl must take at least 240 Carnegie credits, in the following subject areas: Religious Studies and English (8 semesters), Social Studies, mathematics, and electives, (6 semesters), Laboratory science and either SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
or French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
(4 semesters), two semesters of Fine arts. Two semesters of Physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
are taken in the freshman year, and semester-long Health and Speech
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
classes are taken during the sophomore year.
Girls are encouraged to not only follow but exceed the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
's Undergraduate Admissions Requirements, which correspond closely with the OLP graduation requirements, when selecting their courses each year. Classes may be taken at local community colleges and counted for graduation credit if pre-approved by the Registrar, otherwise girls are encouraged to either complete their requirements through the school during the regular year or over the summer. AP classes are available in many subjects. Students must also complete at least 75 hours of community service for graduation in areas including environment, school/parish work, and community awareness.
Tuition
Tuition is $12,160 per year (2010–2011); The school has a monthly payment plan available and financial aid is also offered.Activities
Official school organizations include the student government (ASB), the CSJ Leadership Conferences, Campus Ministry, the Big Sister-Little Sister program, Peer Leadership (Peer Counseling), Cheerleading, CIF Athletics and Carondelet Circle. OLP also has its own chapters of several national and international student organizations, including the International Thespian SocietyInternational Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students located at more than 3,600 affiliated secondary schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. The International Thespian Society was founded in Fairmont, West Virginia...
, Kiwins, Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, and many more independent student-run co-curricular activities. Students may also choose to assist in compiling the annual yearbook; however, the Academy has historically not allowed a school newspaper.
Annually, the Academy celebrates Grandparents Day, St. Joseph’s Day, Parish Day, Community/Play Day, and holds a Christmas Candlelight Procession. Various informal dances are held at Saints, and OLP organizes one semi-formal "Miss OLP" dance in the winter and one formal joint Prom with Saints. Prom is organized by the Junior Class councils of each school. Homecoming is exclusively put together by Saints.
Each year, OLP sponsors a Fall musical and a Spring drama, both of which allow participation from Saints and other neighboring schools. Each semester, the Academy provides the students with an Arts assembly, showcasing the choir, drama classes and productions, as well as the individual talents of gifted students. The long-running tradition of Spring Sing—a musical production exclusively run by students—is a yearly highlight, and often draws the participation of over 100 girls from each class. This year's theme is Seasons, with each class having one season.
Seniors typically enjoy "free", or non-uniform, dress on a day of their choosing, the privilege of wearing white shoes with their uniform, monthly outside lunches (from local restaurants such as Rubio's or In-N-Out), the Father-Daughter Night and Mother-Daughter Luncheons, Senior Privilege Day, a Sober Grad Night with Saints, Baccalaureate Mass and Award ceremonies, as well Grad Night at Disneyland. They also can design their class sweater, which can be worn any day of the week, and their class T-shirt, which they may wear on Fridays. Their class council petitions on their behalf to the administration for these allowances.