Immaculate Heart Preparatory School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Immaculate Heart Preparatory School |
|
 |
|
| Established | 1930 |
| Type | Private Catholic |
| Headmaster | Dan Ethridge |
| Students | 450 |
| Grades | Kâ12 |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona USA |
| Accreditation | North Central Association |
| Colors | White & Blue |
| Mascot | Knights |
| Website | www.ihmtucson.org |
Immaculate Heart Preparatory School is a co-ed Catholic school in Oro Valley, Arizona,USA a suburb of Tucson. The school is divided into three parts: An elementary school, a middle school and a high school. All schools are governed by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, although most of the daily operations of the schools have been handed over to lay staff during the past decade.
Contents |
[edit] Breakdown
Immaculate Heart Preparatory School
- Immaculate Heart Academy
- Immaculate Heart Middle School
- Immaculate Heart High School
[edit] Structure
The current headmaster is named Dan Ethridge. Under the school's current structure, the headmaster oversees all three campuses. His or her main duties are at the high school, with another principal overseeing the day-to-day operations of the lower levels. This is a relatively new management system for Immaculate Heart, which has sought to create more cooperation between the entire K-12 program, in part, to boost enrollment at the high school.
Even though all grade levels now fall under Immaculate Heart Preparatory School umbrella, many still refer to the high school as Immaculate Heart High School.
[edit] History
The mostly European Immaculate Heart order began in Spain in 1868 with a mission to educate, and first sent sisters to Tucson in 1917. In 2002, the order reported having 27 nuns living in Tucson, most of them at Immaculate Heart Lodge, 410 E. Magee Road, and at St. Ann's Convent, which is part of the Immaculate Heart Noviciate, 3820 N. Sabino Canyon Road. St. Ann's is where many of the older sisters live.
[edit] Downtown
In 1930, the sisters established Immaculate Heart Academy at 35 E. 15th St. near downtown Tucson. It was a private boarding school for girls, built of stone harvested from "A" Mountain â a famous peak that sits on the outskirts of the city. In 1962, the high school portion - to this day, the oldest continuously running Catholic high school in Tucson - moved to its present site, 625 E. Magee Road in Oro Valley, before there was such a thing as Oro Valley.
The former downtown academy on 15th Street was sold in the early 2000's and in 2006 it was being converted into the Academy Lofts â 36 loft-style apartments with high ceilings, deep windows and views of the downtown area.
[edit] Suffolk Hills
The neighborhood surrounding the school's campuses is known as Suffolk Hills, named for the countess of Suffolk, who was a snowbird from England many decades ago. It is her estate the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart purchased for use as an elementary school when the grade school moved out of Tucson. The caretaker's building became the school office. Stables were converted to classrooms. The former multicar garage now houses sixth-grade classes. The house itself is still home to eight sisters.
By the late 1990's, the area surrounding Immaculate Heart had become one of Tucson's fastest-growing and most affluent communities. The school has stunning views of the Santa Catalina Mountains and is walking distance from trails and wildlife preserves.
[edit] Changes
The sisters aren't part of the Catholic Diocese of Tucson and aren't associated with a parish, so for a long time the school's biggest source of income came from boarding, which continued well into the 1990s. In 1973, the school went co-ed. Fourteen years later, the grade school moved to the Northwest as well, and in 1994 the sisters built the middle school nearby. All three campuses, walking distance from one another, are now known collectively as Immaculate Heart Preparatory School. The high school was briefly named Suffolk Hills High School in the 1980's. The mascot, now a Knight, used to be a Rebel, but was changed over concern from some that it did not portray the values that Catholic students should hold.
The school bills itself as a small, close-nit campus with a focus on college preparatory curriculum. Historically, it has been viewed as more conservative than other Catholic schools in the area.
The sisters have been successful in raising money for the school through various fundraising and capital improvement campaigns. In recent years, the school has tried to build a gymnasium, which is nearing completion.
[edit] Struggles
Recently, the high school has struggled to stay open. It entered its 75th year in August 2005 with an enrollment of fewer than 60, compared with more than 100 in 2000. The future of that part of the campus is uncertain, although the lower grades are still well-respected and financially stable.
The school's failure to attract an audience is troubling to administrators because Catholics make up the largest organized faith group in Tucson, about 27 percent of the population. Still, the nationwide situation is grim as established Catholic schools in urban areas are shutting their doors. During the 2004-2005 school year, 173 Catholic schools closed or consolidated, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. Only 37 new schools opened that year.
Immaculate Heart faces competition from three other Catholic high schools in the Tucson area: Salpointe Catholic High School, St. Augustine and San Miguel. But according to enrollment numbers, those schools are also struggling. One reason given is a series of high-profile sexual abuse cases against the city's diocese. Although the schools don't receive any financial support from the diocese, the cases have been a public relations nightmare.
[edit] Future
In late 2005, Immaculate Heart made known that it was in the process of developing a strategic plan to try to revive the high school campus. According to the sister's Web site, "The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary have been preparing in recent months to move into a comprehensive strategic planning process to help refine the vision and strategies that will guide the work of the Province for the next 5 to 10 years."
It goes on to say: "There is much energy and excitement surrounding this project as we contemplate the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. We have reached the point where we need the insight and counsel of some of our closest friends and advocates."
[edit] Timeline
- 1868
- Immaculate Heart Order begins with a mission to educate
- 1917
- Sisters first arrive in Tucson
- 1930
- Sisters open a school in downtown Tucson
- 1962
- The high school moves to Northwest Tucson
- 1973
- The school goes co-ed
- 1994
- The sisters open a middle school next to the high school
- 2004
- Enrollment is down sharply at the high school from just a few years earlier
- 2005
- After being sold to a developer, plans are announced for the original downtown building to be converted to trendy loft condos
- Rumors circulate that the high school will not re-open for another school year. Administrators say it will stay open
- The sisters begin exploring ways to revive the school
