Education

NEW NAME. SAME SISTERHOOD

Rosary Academy takes a new name as it moves into next 50 years

By Anelisa Silva, OC Catholic Intern     9/29/2015

In September of 1965, Rosary High School opened its doors to young girls looking to expand their education in an all-girls Catholic environment. Fifty years later, Rosary High School has formally changed the school name to Rosary Academy to better embody what the school stands for and promote the personalized education from an all-girls experience. The new slogan: “Forward. Thinking. Women.” exemplifies what Rosary Academy strives for in their students.

Head of School, Jen Almand, said, “A typical  high school, in a lot of ways, has to be all things to all people due to the expectations of the community it serves. At Rosary, we have the flexibility to be specialized and innovative  because of who we serve. The word academy, ideally, denotes in peoples’ minds that we are specialized. As the school vision states, we are ever faithful to our Catholic identity. We continue to incorporate this into every program and every aspect of the institution. We are not changing the identity of a  Rosary student or the unique experience she has here. Rosary’s goal is to align our messaging to more  effectively and efficiently express our identity.”

In addition to changing the name of the school, Rosary Academy has implemented other changes that have had a positive impact on the school. For example, complete renovation of the campus chapel, remodeling of several classrooms and assembly hall and enhancing the gym with new audiovisual components and equipment. As far as uniforms are concerned, Rosary is in a transition period. Freshman currently wear Rosary Academy branded uniforms and the school is working to slowly phase out previous apparel to minimize cost to families. Rosary has also taken a step forward by hiring several new experts such as Director of Advancement, Director of Admissions & Marketing, Director of Athletics and expert  faculty and staff.

The school website and most campus signage was updated over the course of the summer to reflect the name of the school. When asked what it means to be a “forward thinking woman” English teacher, Rory Bevins said: “A forward thinking woman is someone who has the ability to think outside of the box and not wilt under the pressures that society puts on them in terms of who they should be.”

Rosary Academy is headed in a positive direction and students are thrilled with the changes that have taken place. Junior, Sabrina Lee, said, “I love that Rosary Academy stands out and expresses our strong academics and sisterhood, as opposed to an ordinary high school.” 

As Rosary Academy continues to celebrate the 50th year anniversary, the academy continues embellishing their model of the Blessed Mother and keeping its sense of community.