Ursuline Academy of Dallas
Encyclopedia
Ursuline Academy of Dallas (commonly referred to as Ursuline or UA) is a Catholic
college preparatory high school
for girls located on Walnut Hill Lane, in the area around Preston Hollow
in Dallas
, Texas
(USA
). It is a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
and was founded in 1874, making it the oldest school in the city of Dallas.
Founded by the Ursuline Sisters
under the motto of "Serviam," Latin
, Ursuline is a relatively small high school, enrolling a mean of 800 students each year with a 10:1 average student-teacher ratio. Ursuline also shares close ties with its brother school, the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
. The Mission Statement of the school reads as follows:
in Brescia
, Italy
, in 1535. Merici stated: "Love your daughters equally; do not prefer one more than another, because they are all creatures of God. And you do not know what He wants to make of them."
Angela's vision and mission quickly spread throughout Europe
and the education of girls became a primary ministry of the Ursuline order. The first religious order to reach North America, the French Ursulines
founded a school in Quebec
in 1639. They opened a convent and academy in New Orleans in 1727, and built their Galveston, Texas
, house in 1847.
In 1873, Monsignor Claude M. Dubuis, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston and Texas' second Catholic Bishop, determined that the fledgling city of Dallas needed the Ursulines. On 28 January 1874, six Galveston Sisters, led by Mother St. Joseph Holly with US$
146 in their common purse, arrived in Dallas by train to establish a school in the frontier town. Their luggage had been lost and they had not been able to sleep. Incredible hardships lay ahead.
It was an unusually severe winter and the four-room frame house Bishop Dubuis had built for them supplied little shelter from the weather. Water froze indoors and broke pitchers on the washstands; rain and snow dripped through the roof, soaking the beds, bedding and other furniture; only one room had a stove. Nonetheless, the Sisters set about their work. On 2 February 1874, less than a week after they arrived, the Ursulines opened their school with seven day students.
By the end of the first term, Ursuline Academy had grown to 50 students and the Sisters borrowed money to erect a better two-story building. By 1875, the Ursulines were able to establish their new convent and a day and boarding school. But they would still have to deal with and transcend the hot Texas sun, which had burned vegetables in the ground that summer; the bitterly cold winter that followed - so cold that the rock foundation crumbled and had to be replaced—and the nationwide economic depression of the 1870s.
In 1882, the Sisters began construction of their third building on a 10 acres (4 ha) site in east Dallas
. In 1883, work was completed on the handsome Gothic
structure designed by Nicholas J. Clayton
, who had planned many of Galveston's beautiful structures.
News of the Ursulines' presence in Dallas quickly spread to other areas and newspapers praised the Academy and its curriculum. In 1878, Ursuline Academy of Dallas was chartered by the Texas State Legislature. By 1890, the Academy was drawing students from many states and Mexico
, as well as from some of Dallas' most prominent families. The Ursuline Academy Alumnae Association was formed in 1899.
In 1950, Ursuline moved to a new building at 4900 Walnut Hill Lane in north Dallas
, site of the present-day campus. Growing steadily over the years, the Academy's expanded facilities now include 16 buildings beautifully situated on nearly 28 acre (0.11331208 km²) in the park-like setting.
Ursuline Academy has been an important part of the Dallas community in many ways. The Ursuline motto is Serviam, Latin for "I will serve." A key goal is for students to embrace a lifelong commitment to community service.
Progressive methods of education are characteristic of the Ursuline tradition. Today every student has a laptop computer, an approach that has broadened the educational venture, in and out of the classroom. In 1996, Ursuline was one of six schools in the United States to pioneer the "Anywhere, Anytime Learning" program in partnership with Microsoft
and Toshiba
. Through e-Serviam, student teams now create Web sites for non-profit agencies that do not have funds to develop their own.
Sharing gospel vision and values, Ursuline educators around the globe empower their students to be a transforming presence in today's world. With strong support from parents, alumnae and friends in the community, Ursuline Academy of Dallas continues its mission to prepare young women to be strong Christian leaders. St. Angela Merici's dictum—to treat each young woman individually—is still the time-honored approach to education at Ursuline Academy.
consists of a copyrighted red
, white
, and navy
plaid
skirt
.
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior students wear white shirts, navy sweaters, and white socks. Seniors are given more uniform choices: navy shirt
s, white sweater
s, and navy sock
s.
All students wear saddle shoes with white shoelaces every day. Students are also permitted to wear a navy or red fleece purchased from the school store Bear Necessities each day. On Wednesday, all students can wear a sweatshirt of their choice from either Ursuline, Jesuit, or Cistercian. Wednesdays have to come to be called "Wooly Wednesday." Blazer
s with the official school crest are worn on days when the school attends Mass
or for other important school assemblies.
Appearing on the blazer are school pins, which are given out to all students at Freshman Convocation and the Sophomore Serviam celebration, and also to student members of organizations such as National Honor Society
, Ambassadors, and the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
and have a Big Sis/Little Sis picnic on the lawns of St. Joe's, located behind the convent on the east side of campus. The program is intended to give incoming students access to a mentor who can give them much needed advice for navigating such a rigorous school, but students only get out of it what they put into it. Some students become fast friends with their Big Sis, while others remain merely acquaintances. Despite this, the program creates strong ties between the Freshman and Junior classes and the Sophomore and Senior classes, which are most notably seen at Intramurals.
During Intramurals, students compete in a variety of ways:
Spirit : The main competition. The score is graded on amount of cans collected in the can drive, amount of cheering and/or class effort during volleyball games, ability to sing the Alma Mater, amount of cheering during hallway decoration, and amount of cheering during lunch periods, etc. Members of each class also wear clothing in their class color with their Ursuline skirt. Points are deducted from the final spirit score of each class for offenses such as unsportsmanlike behavior. Only three classes have won spirit all four years of attending Ursuline. The two most recent being the class of 2006 and the class of 2010.
Hallway Decoration : Each grade is given a section of Main Hall to decorate based on their class color and their chosen theme. Creativity, effort and artistic merit are taken into consideration for scoring.
Volleyball Games : Each class's volleyball team plays the others'. The winner is determined in the same manner as a typical round robin tournament.
Skit : Each class creates a skit relating to their theme and performs it for the school. The skit must involve all class members and incorporate themes of the other three classes. The skit is graded on audibility, humor, and creativity. Crude or cruel jokes result in disqualification of the class, but are usually disregarded and are more prominent with juniors and seniors.
Mural : Each class creates a mural of their theme which incorporates the other classes as well. Artistic merit is the most important factor in this competition. Note: Judges disqualify murals for semantics and technicalities.
From the 2004 games on, Intramurals prizes are awarded to the class which earns the most points per category. The competitions are judged by a panel of faculty and alumnae.
Another unique aspect of Snowball is the selection of queen and court. Unlike typical homecoming celebrations, the queen and court are not selected by a popularity vote; instead, Ursuline uses a unique random selection method. Members of the senior class each receive a cupcake
, some of which contain almonds for the court, and one in particular contains a walnut
. The recipient of the walnut-filled cupcake is crowned queen, while the court is made up of those who receive the other nutty cupcakes.
Sophomore Serviam occurs much later in the school year, also as a formal Mass. One student is selected to give a speech at the ceremony based on her response to a questionnaire handed out and returned to the Campus Ministry Department and her total number of logged service hours. Every student then receives another pin to be worn on her blazer. It is a silver shield with green accents in the shape of the school crest with the word 'Serviam' printed beneath it on a ribbon.
The last formal ceremony of the year is Junior Ring, held in the spring. Students wear red gowns similar to graduation gowns worn by other high schools and colleges. Each girl creates her ring in January using the school's design as a base and adding her own personal touches (i.e., the metal, stone, an interior inscription, etc.). Some students do not purchase rings, opting not to have a class ring or using one which has been passed through the family for years. No matter what, the school makes sure that each girl has a ring to receive at the ceremony, whether or not she will be keeping it. After the Mass, there is a small reception, during which students twist one another's rings in an effort to build up good luck.
A softball field is also located on campus, just south of the gym and it is used for home softball games/tournaments, summer camps and DPL play-off games.
Other facilities used by the Athletic Department are at Greenhill (swimming, soccer), the Village (tennis), Jesuit (soccer, lacrosse, track & field), Loews Natatorium (swim/dive, soccer), Bachman Lake (crew), Norbuck Park (cross country) and University of Dallas (lacrosse).
On February 25, 2011, the Ursuline Academy of Dallas varsity soccer program was featured in a Yahoo! homepage article, debating the legitimacy of the state championship streak.
from the school manufactured by Toshiba
. Every couple years, the incoming freshmen receive an updated version of the laptop, with the current model being a Portege M750. Currently, any necessary classroom software is included with the laptop, along with a four year warranty, on-site service, the ability to get a "hot spare" loaner laptop during repairs, and wireless access throughout the school.
. Anywhere in the campus, students may access the Internet as well as print to printers located in each class room and in the library. Signal strength, of course, varies, but with the implementation of the 802.11b system in fall 2003, coverage and speed vastly improved.
was implemented by the school's technology department as a student and faculty resource in the spring of 2003 on the basis that many colleges and universities utilize it on a daily basis, and as part of her college preparatory education, the Ursuline student should familiarize herself with its intricate and often convoluted inner workings.
Many classes now use the built-in digital dropbox and quizzing system in lieu of the more analogue and traditional hard-copies. Some teachers are greening up their classrooms, while others are simply speeding up the grading process. Some clubs and other student organizations use its forum system to communicate and send mass emails.
, China
. In June 1997, Ursuline Academy of Dallas formed a partnership with Huaxia Academy of Beijing, the first private girls school to open in China since the Cultural Revolution
of the late 1960s. The unique partnership was formalized in a written agreement, the first of its kind between private secondary schools in the U.S. and China. The agreement calls for five steps of educational and cultural exchange:
Ursuline Academy has served as a model in the development of Huaxia, providing the pattern for educational features ranging from curriculum and structure to the design of school uniforms. In establishing the partnership, the Huaxia school leadership found Ursuline's long heritage particularly appealing, as well as its emphasis on moral education, academic excellence, and tradition. The exchange has also built friendships and understanding across cultures and continents.
Huaxia Academy was founded in 1996 with just over 100 students. Today the Beijing school has an enrollment of more than 1000 young women.
Exchanges with Huaxia students, teachers and administrators continue at least once a year. During these visits, schools exchange ideas about curriculum, student life, and school management. Members of visiting delegations attend classes, tour historic landmarks, and participate in other activities to learn more about the distinctive culture of the host country. Visiting students reside with host families and students during their stay.
.) Each year at the end of May, the young women of Ursuline Academy don their final Ursuline uniform: A long, white dress.
The graduation ceremony is a very formal affair, with Ursuline students performing a deep bow on the front lawn in front of the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The school provides a white, wide-brimmed hat and a dozen red roses for each student. The graduating class is also asked to sing a song of their choosing.
The Academy is affiliated with Ursuline Education Services (UES), National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and The College Board, and is a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).
Ursuline's pioneering approach to the use of laptop computers has been a model for schools across the U.S. and around the world. The Computerworld Smithsonian Awards named Ursuline a 1998 Laureate as an "innovative user of information technology." Ursuline's case study was entered into the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology and Society in Washington, D.C.
The program was also recognized in 2000 as a Selected Program for Improving Catholic Education at the 1999 SPICE Symposium, sponsored by NCEA.
In 1993, Ursuline Academy was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a "Blue Ribbon School."
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"...
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....
for girls located on Walnut Hill Lane, in the area around Preston Hollow
Preston Hollow, Dallas, Texas
Preston Hollow is a neighborhood in north Dallas, Texas, USA.-History:In 1924 Ira De-Loache bought a farm in 1924. Preston Hollow's first lots were carved out of the former farm parcels. De-Loache and Al Joyce developed Preston Hollow, with development largely occurring in the 1930s. Initially...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
). It is a member of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on July 15, 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. The diocese's cathedral is the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe....
and was founded in 1874, making it the oldest school in the city of Dallas.
Founded by the Ursuline Sisters
Ursulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
under the motto of "Serviam," Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Ursuline is a relatively small high school, enrolling a mean of 800 students each year with a 10:1 average student-teacher ratio. Ursuline also shares close ties with its brother school, the Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas
Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas is a private, college-preparatory school for young men under the direction of the Society of Jesus and home to the Jesuit Dallas Museum in Dallas, Texas...
. The Mission Statement of the school reads as follows:
Founded in 1874, Ursuline Academy of Dallas is an independent Catholic college preparatory school for young women sponsored by the Ursuline Sisters.
The mission of Ursuline Academy is the total development of the individual student through spiritual formation, intellectual growth, service to others, and building of community.
History
The mission of Ursuline Academy is rooted in the vision of St. Angela Merici, who founded the Order of St. UrsulaUrsulines
The Ursulines are a Roman Catholic religious order for women founded at Brescia, Italy, by Saint Angela de Merici in November 1535, primarily for the education of girls and the care of the sick and needy. Their patron saint is Saint Ursula.-History:St Angela de Merici spent 17 years leading a...
in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 1535. Merici stated: "Love your daughters equally; do not prefer one more than another, because they are all creatures of God. And you do not know what He wants to make of them."
Angela's vision and mission quickly spread throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the education of girls became a primary ministry of the Ursuline order. The first religious order to reach North America, the French Ursulines
Ursulines of Quebec
The Ursuline Convent of Quebec City, , founded in 1639, is the oldest institution of learning for women in North America...
founded a school in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1639. They opened a convent and academy in New Orleans in 1727, and built their Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, house in 1847.
In 1873, Monsignor Claude M. Dubuis, Bishop of the Diocese of Galveston and Texas' second Catholic Bishop, determined that the fledgling city of Dallas needed the Ursulines. On 28 January 1874, six Galveston Sisters, led by Mother St. Joseph Holly with US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
146 in their common purse, arrived in Dallas by train to establish a school in the frontier town. Their luggage had been lost and they had not been able to sleep. Incredible hardships lay ahead.
It was an unusually severe winter and the four-room frame house Bishop Dubuis had built for them supplied little shelter from the weather. Water froze indoors and broke pitchers on the washstands; rain and snow dripped through the roof, soaking the beds, bedding and other furniture; only one room had a stove. Nonetheless, the Sisters set about their work. On 2 February 1874, less than a week after they arrived, the Ursulines opened their school with seven day students.
By the end of the first term, Ursuline Academy had grown to 50 students and the Sisters borrowed money to erect a better two-story building. By 1875, the Ursulines were able to establish their new convent and a day and boarding school. But they would still have to deal with and transcend the hot Texas sun, which had burned vegetables in the ground that summer; the bitterly cold winter that followed - so cold that the rock foundation crumbled and had to be replaced—and the nationwide economic depression of the 1870s.
In 1882, the Sisters began construction of their third building on a 10 acres (4 ha) site in east Dallas
East Dallas
East Dallas comprises many communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas, .- Neighborhoods :*Baylor/Meadows*Belmont*Hilltop*Bryan Place*Buckner Terrace*East Grand*Casa Linda Estates*Cochran Heights*Casa View*Claremont*Deep Ellum*Eastwood...
. In 1883, work was completed on the handsome Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
structure designed by Nicholas J. Clayton
Nicholas J. Clayton
Nicholas Joseph Clayton was a prominent Victorian architect in Galveston. Clayton constructed many early public buildings in the city including the First Presbyterian Church .-External links:...
, who had planned many of Galveston's beautiful structures.
News of the Ursulines' presence in Dallas quickly spread to other areas and newspapers praised the Academy and its curriculum. In 1878, Ursuline Academy of Dallas was chartered by the Texas State Legislature. By 1890, the Academy was drawing students from many states and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, as well as from some of Dallas' most prominent families. The Ursuline Academy Alumnae Association was formed in 1899.
In 1950, Ursuline moved to a new building at 4900 Walnut Hill Lane in north Dallas
North Dallas
North Dallas is an expensive area of numerous communities and neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas . The phrase "North Dallas" is also sometimes used to include any suburb or exurb north of Dallas proper within the metropolitan area. The majority of North Dallas is located in Dallas County while a small...
, site of the present-day campus. Growing steadily over the years, the Academy's expanded facilities now include 16 buildings beautifully situated on nearly 28 acre (0.11331208 km²) in the park-like setting.
Ursuline Academy has been an important part of the Dallas community in many ways. The Ursuline motto is Serviam, Latin for "I will serve." A key goal is for students to embrace a lifelong commitment to community service.
Progressive methods of education are characteristic of the Ursuline tradition. Today every student has a laptop computer, an approach that has broadened the educational venture, in and out of the classroom. In 1996, Ursuline was one of six schools in the United States to pioneer the "Anywhere, Anytime Learning" program in partnership with Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
. Through e-Serviam, student teams now create Web sites for non-profit agencies that do not have funds to develop their own.
Sharing gospel vision and values, Ursuline educators around the globe empower their students to be a transforming presence in today's world. With strong support from parents, alumnae and friends in the community, Ursuline Academy of Dallas continues its mission to prepare young women to be strong Christian leaders. St. Angela Merici's dictum—to treat each young woman individually—is still the time-honored approach to education at Ursuline Academy.
School uniforms
The Ursuline 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...
consists of a copyrighted red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
, white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, and navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
plaid
Plaid
Plaid may refer to:Material* A plaid or full plaid is a pleated cloth worn with the modern kilt, made from the same tartan and worn cast over the shoulder and fastened at the front* The belted plaid or "great kilt", earlier form of the kilt...
skirt
Skirt
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In the western world, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions...
.
Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior students wear white shirts, navy sweaters, and white socks. Seniors are given more uniform choices: navy shirt
Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for almost any garment other than outerwear such as sweaters, coats, jackets, or undergarments such as bras, vests or base layers...
s, white sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
s, and navy sock
Sock
A sock is an item of clothing worn on the feet. The foot is among the heaviest producers of sweat in the body, as it is able to produce over of perspiration per day. Socks help to absorb this sweat and draw it to areas where air can evaporate the perspiration. In cold environments, socks decrease...
s.
All students wear saddle shoes with white shoelaces every day. Students are also permitted to wear a navy or red fleece purchased from the school store Bear Necessities each day. On Wednesday, all students can wear a sweatshirt of their choice from either Ursuline, Jesuit, or Cistercian. Wednesdays have to come to be called "Wooly Wednesday." Blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
s with the official school crest are worn on days when the school attends Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
or for other important school assemblies.
Appearing on the blazer are school pins, which are given out to all students at Freshman Convocation and the Sophomore Serviam celebration, and also to student members of organizations such as National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, Ambassadors, and the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion.
Traditions
As the oldest school in the city of Dallas, Ursuline has had over 130 years in which to develop strong traditions in which all members of the community participate at one time or another. Although some have come and gone over the years, some have remained strong since their induction and are still practiced at the school today. They are the main factor contributing to the school's intense pride and the strong community of current students, alumnae, and parents who support Ursuline.Big Sister/Little Sister program
The incoming Freshman class is paired with a Junior at the beginning of the year. They decorate each other's lockerLocker
Locker may refer to:* Locker , various kinds of storage compartment or container* Footlocker , a storage box* In nautical usage, a "locker" may be a storage place that in other environments would not be referred to as a locker, such as cupboards on board ships for keeping stores, anchor lockers,...
and have a Big Sis/Little Sis picnic on the lawns of St. Joe's, located behind the convent on the east side of campus. The program is intended to give incoming students access to a mentor who can give them much needed advice for navigating such a rigorous school, but students only get out of it what they put into it. Some students become fast friends with their Big Sis, while others remain merely acquaintances. Despite this, the program creates strong ties between the Freshman and Junior classes and the Sophomore and Senior classes, which are most notably seen at Intramurals.
Intramurals
One of the high points of the Ursuline school year is Intramurals, which occur in November during the last week before the Thanksgiving holiday. Classes compete in hallway decoration, volleyball games, skit, and spirit, which includes a canned food drive to help local social service agencies. Each class chooses a theme to base their spirit around and is represented by a color:- Freshmen - Green
- Sophomores - Yellow
- Juniors - Red
- Seniors - Blue
During Intramurals, students compete in a variety of ways:
Spirit : The main competition. The score is graded on amount of cans collected in the can drive, amount of cheering and/or class effort during volleyball games, ability to sing the Alma Mater, amount of cheering during hallway decoration, and amount of cheering during lunch periods, etc. Members of each class also wear clothing in their class color with their Ursuline skirt. Points are deducted from the final spirit score of each class for offenses such as unsportsmanlike behavior. Only three classes have won spirit all four years of attending Ursuline. The two most recent being the class of 2006 and the class of 2010.
Hallway Decoration : Each grade is given a section of Main Hall to decorate based on their class color and their chosen theme. Creativity, effort and artistic merit are taken into consideration for scoring.
Volleyball Games : Each class's volleyball team plays the others'. The winner is determined in the same manner as a typical round robin tournament.
Skit : Each class creates a skit relating to their theme and performs it for the school. The skit must involve all class members and incorporate themes of the other three classes. The skit is graded on audibility, humor, and creativity. Crude or cruel jokes result in disqualification of the class, but are usually disregarded and are more prominent with juniors and seniors.
Mural : Each class creates a mural of their theme which incorporates the other classes as well. Artistic merit is the most important factor in this competition. Note: Judges disqualify murals for semantics and technicalities.
From the 2004 games on, Intramurals prizes are awarded to the class which earns the most points per category. The competitions are judged by a panel of faculty and alumnae.
Powder-Puff
Every year in the fall, the school's juniors go head to head with the seniors in a 'friendly' flag football game. Both sides pick a theme, while sporting the grade's colors: seniors in blue and juniors in red. The week before the game the rivalry is at its strongest and lines are being drawn. Generally, the game is won by seniors, the only classes to win as juniors were the classes of 2012 and 2013. On the day of the game, players paint their faces and dress in their special Powderpuff shirts. In recent years, the date of the game has been moved to the same day as the Jesuit Homecoming football game, which has received some criticism from the student body. The focus of the game has been shifted from a junior/senior rivalry to "community building," in tandem with the mission of the Academy.Snowball
Snowball is the formal dance for Ursuline seniors, held in December before the Christmas Holidays. Because it is sponsored solely by Ursuline, males are only allowed to the dance if they have a date, and, until very recently, students could not attend unless they had acquired a male date. Males are normally asked in creative ways, some of which include writing the question on his car or unveiling a large sign at a school function. Many times multiple people, including his parents, are involved in the asking.Another unique aspect of Snowball is the selection of queen and court. Unlike typical homecoming celebrations, the queen and court are not selected by a popularity vote; instead, Ursuline uses a unique random selection method. Members of the senior class each receive a cupcake
Cupcake
A cupcake is a small cake designed to serve one person, frequently baked in a small, thin paper or aluminum cup...
, some of which contain almonds for the court, and one in particular contains a walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
. The recipient of the walnut-filled cupcake is crowned queen, while the court is made up of those who receive the other nutty cupcakes.
Freshman Convocation, Sophomore Serviam Ceremony, Junior Ring Ceremony
These services mark members of each class as members of the Ursuline community. At Freshman Convocation, each student receives a pin of a white cross with a rainbow swooping out to the side. Intended to be worn on her blazer, each pin is handed out during a processional ceremony during a formal Mass held after school. Big Sisters are asked to attend to show their support for their Lil' Sisters.Sophomore Serviam occurs much later in the school year, also as a formal Mass. One student is selected to give a speech at the ceremony based on her response to a questionnaire handed out and returned to the Campus Ministry Department and her total number of logged service hours. Every student then receives another pin to be worn on her blazer. It is a silver shield with green accents in the shape of the school crest with the word 'Serviam' printed beneath it on a ribbon.
The last formal ceremony of the year is Junior Ring, held in the spring. Students wear red gowns similar to graduation gowns worn by other high schools and colleges. Each girl creates her ring in January using the school's design as a base and adding her own personal touches (i.e., the metal, stone, an interior inscription, etc.). Some students do not purchase rings, opting not to have a class ring or using one which has been passed through the family for years. No matter what, the school makes sure that each girl has a ring to receive at the ceremony, whether or not she will be keeping it. After the Mass, there is a small reception, during which students twist one another's rings in an effort to build up good luck.
Serviam
Serviam, meaning "I will serve", is a major part of Ursuline life. Girls are required to perform a set number of hours each semester, adding up to a total of 100 hours by graduation. However, most students easily exceed the required number of hours by far. Services hours can be accumulated over all breaks and holidays, including summer vacation between school years, and seniors are set up with local charities, hospitals, and public schools to perform community service on Monday mornings in lieu of classes. During the 2005-2006 school year, students performed over 630,000 hours of service in both local and international communities.Athletics
Ursuline Academy offers:- BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- CrewRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- LacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
- Soccer
- SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
/DivingDivingDiving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one... - TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- TrackTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
- VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
Athletic facilities
The Jane Neuhoff Athletic Center, completed in 1996, is used for home volleyball matches/tournaments, basketball games, summer camps and DPL play-off/all-star games for volleyball and basketball.A softball field is also located on campus, just south of the gym and it is used for home softball games/tournaments, summer camps and DPL play-off games.
Other facilities used by the Athletic Department are at Greenhill (swimming, soccer), the Village (tennis), Jesuit (soccer, lacrosse, track & field), Loews Natatorium (swim/dive, soccer), Bachman Lake (crew), Norbuck Park (cross country) and University of Dallas (lacrosse).
Soccer
Ursuline Academy's nationally renowned varsity soccer team has won 21 consecutive state titles, the first in the streak having been won in 1991. The program is typically nationally-ranked. The school, however, does not have a soccer field on campus. The program relies on outside facilities to conduct practices and host home games.On February 25, 2011, the Ursuline Academy of Dallas varsity soccer program was featured in a Yahoo! homepage article, debating the legitimacy of the state championship streak.
Laptop program
In 1996, Ursuline joined a program called Anytime, Anywhere Learning. As part of this program, all incoming students purchase a laptopLaptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
from the school manufactured by Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
. Every couple years, the incoming freshmen receive an updated version of the laptop, with the current model being a Portege M750. Currently, any necessary classroom software is included with the laptop, along with a four year warranty, on-site service, the ability to get a "hot spare" loaner laptop during repairs, and wireless access throughout the school.
Wireless access
The Ursuline campus is fully wirelessWireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
. Anywhere in the campus, students may access the Internet as well as print to printers located in each class room and in the library. Signal strength, of course, varies, but with the implementation of the 802.11b system in fall 2003, coverage and speed vastly improved.
Blackboard
BlackboardBlackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. is an enterprise software company with its corporate headquarters in Washington, D.C. and is primarily known as a developer of education software, in particular learning management systems. Blackboard was founded by CEO Michael Chasen and chairman Matthew Pittinsky in 1997 and...
was implemented by the school's technology department as a student and faculty resource in the spring of 2003 on the basis that many colleges and universities utilize it on a daily basis, and as part of her college preparatory education, the Ursuline student should familiarize herself with its intricate and often convoluted inner workings.
Many classes now use the built-in digital dropbox and quizzing system in lieu of the more analogue and traditional hard-copies. Some teachers are greening up their classrooms, while others are simply speeding up the grading process. Some clubs and other student organizations use its forum system to communicate and send mass emails.
China
The Ursuline name, known globally, has been brought in a unique way to BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. In June 1997, Ursuline Academy of Dallas formed a partnership with Huaxia Academy of Beijing, the first private girls school to open in China since the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
of the late 1960s. The unique partnership was formalized in a written agreement, the first of its kind between private secondary schools in the U.S. and China. The agreement calls for five steps of educational and cultural exchange:
- Principal visits
- Student communications
- Exchange of curriculum and technology ideas
- Use of technology to expand joint communications
- Teacher and student exchanges
Ursuline Academy has served as a model in the development of Huaxia, providing the pattern for educational features ranging from curriculum and structure to the design of school uniforms. In establishing the partnership, the Huaxia school leadership found Ursuline's long heritage particularly appealing, as well as its emphasis on moral education, academic excellence, and tradition. The exchange has also built friendships and understanding across cultures and continents.
Huaxia Academy was founded in 1996 with just over 100 students. Today the Beijing school has an enrollment of more than 1000 young women.
Exchanges with Huaxia students, teachers and administrators continue at least once a year. During these visits, schools exchange ideas about curriculum, student life, and school management. Members of visiting delegations attend classes, tour historic landmarks, and participate in other activities to learn more about the distinctive culture of the host country. Visiting students reside with host families and students during their stay.
Notable alumnae
- Melinda French Gates, 1982 Valedictorian, Philanthropist, Businesswoman, Wife of Bill GatesBill GatesWilliam Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
- Dina PowellDina PowellDina Habib Powell , born 1973, is the former Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs for the United States government. She was in charge of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, a part of the State Department...
, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs - Becky Wade, 2007, National Champion in the 3000m steeplechase event at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Championship, represented Team U.S.A at the 2008 IAAF World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Graduation
Ursuline graduation is the culmination of four years of "spiritual formation and faith development, respect for the uniqueness of the individual, development of the whole person, development of a nurturing community spirit, a commitment to peacemaking, and Serviam (I will serve) as a lived reality" (from the Ursuline mission statementMission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
.) Each year at the end of May, the young women of Ursuline Academy don their final Ursuline uniform: A long, white dress.
The graduation ceremony is a very formal affair, with Ursuline students performing a deep bow on the front lawn in front of the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The school provides a white, wide-brimmed hat and a dozen red roses for each student. The graduating class is also asked to sing a song of their choosing.
Accreditations and affiliations
Ursuline Academy is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), and the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department (TCCED).The Academy is affiliated with Ursuline Education Services (UES), National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), and The College Board, and is a member of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS).
Ursuline's pioneering approach to the use of laptop computers has been a model for schools across the U.S. and around the world. The Computerworld Smithsonian Awards named Ursuline a 1998 Laureate as an "innovative user of information technology." Ursuline's case study was entered into the Smithsonian Institution's Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology and Society in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The program was also recognized in 2000 as a Selected Program for Improving Catholic Education at the 1999 SPICE Symposium, sponsored by NCEA.
In 1993, Ursuline Academy was designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a "Blue Ribbon School."