St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio)


St. Ursula Academy is Toledo's oldest, all-female, Catholic fully accredited, college preparatory school serving girls in grades 6-12 and has been in business since 1854.
St. Ursula's motto is "Soli Deo Gloria" meaning "For the Glory of God alone".

History

In December 1854, four Ursuline nuns arrived in Toledo, Ohio. Several days after their arrival from nearby Cleveland, Ohio, they began to operate classes on Cherry Street in downtown Toledo. These classes were offered roughly two hundred students, ranging in grade level. The nuns moved into a property located on Cherry and Erie streets in 1859. The early curriculum consisted of courses in English, German, French, history, art, music, natural sciences, mathematics, cooking, and sewing. There were two primary departments in the school: elementary and collegiate.
In 1905, the school relocated to Collingwood Boulevard to a recently purchased facility that included a new convent and academy. As the school began to expand and Mary Manse College opened in 1922, the Ursulines decided to move to a new location on Indian Road. The new building opened for the first time for classes in 1959. Renovations in 2000 included the addition of the Mary Ann LaValley Activities Center, which added four new classrooms, athletic offices, a field house, fitness center and a dance studio.

Academics

SUA operates on the collegiate block schedule. Students take four 80-minute classes in each semester and rotate most classes at the end of the first semester. Exceptions to this are extended AP courses or 9-week, "term-long" classes. In the middle of the day, students also have a "seminar" period in which they can work on homework, seek assistance from teachers, and collaborate on group projects.
Core courses provide a student with 23 academic credits for graduation, out of 31.5 units of academic credit required: English, Math, Social Studies, Science, Foreign Language, Theology, Computer Application, Health, Fine Art, Physical Education, and Personal Finance.
Eighteen of these classes are offered in honors, such as English, American Literature, Pre-Calculus, Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, World History, French, German, Satellite Remote Sensing, Spanish, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music. Sixteen classes are offered at an AP level as well, including Calculus, Chemistry, English Literature, Human Geography, Psychology, Statistics, Latin, US Government, and US History. A 5.0 GPA is achievable by getting A's in honors classes.
SUA also offers many elective courses, including Engineering, Film, Speech, Science and Literature, Economics, Geoscience, Computer Web Page Design, Single Survival Life Skills, Psychology, Women's Health, and Minority Voices.

Student life

Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry focuses on spiritual growth and sponsors Lenten Projects, supports Catholic Heartwork mission trips, and plans annual class retreats, including Kairos. Campus Ministry encourages students to reach out by volunteering and helps them to earn 60 hours of volunteer credit required for graduation. In 2006, SUA students volunteered more than 11,000 hours working in nursing homes, tutoring underprivileged children, and assisting with disaster relief.

Athletics

St. Ursula has summer camps, a personal trainer, and a brand new fitness room to support its fifteen varsity sports, including basketball, bowling, crew, cross country, dance, diving, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, and volleyball. SUA had been a member of the Toledo City League for all athletic competition until joining the Three Rivers Athletic Conference in 2011. SUA also has many club sports, such as broomball, equestrian, fencing, and sailing teams.

State championships

There are language and culture clubs, such as the Afro-American Club, German Club, Anime Club, Chinese Club, Hispanic Club, Latin Club, Spanish Club, and French Club. Government and law clubs include the Mock Trial Team, Model UN, Peace and Justice Club, Princeton Model Congress, and Student Council. There are several fitness clubs, as well: Dance Team, Fencing Club, Equestrian Team, Sailing Club, and Yoga Club. Academic and leadership clubs are available, such as Go Girl Leadership Club, Quiz Bowl, Future Teachers of America, JETS, National Honor Society, and. Technology, and Teen Institute. A few clubs even do performances, such as the Hip hop Club, Drama Club, and Speech Team.
Many other clubs are created each year. Some of these include the Art Club, Fashion Club, Knitting Club, Video Club, Website Design, Yearbook, Zonta Club, Newspaper, Harry Potter Club, Science Club, Spirit Club, and Architecture Club.

Campus

SUA's campus on Indian Road sits on a property adjacent to the Ursuline Center, which is home to many Ursuline sisters and other residents. The school campus includes the school building, a softball field, and a multi-use recreational field. Soccer and lacrosse games take place on this space in the fall and spring, respectively. They are also getting new renovations to the school this upcoming summer. Some of these renovations include an improved cafeteria eating space, a blackbox theatre, and a new science lab.

Notable Alumnae