St. Catherine's School, Richmond, Virginia
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- For other schools of the same name, see St Catherine's School.
St. Catherine's School is an Episcopal diocesan school for girls in grades K-12, located in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded in 1890 by Virginia Randolph Ellet and is a sister school to St. Christopher's.
St. Catherine's is a college preparatory school with emphasis on critical thinking and prepares graduates for the most selective colleges in the country. There are currently about 830 students enrolled, with a tuition of approximately $17,000 for Upper School day students and upwards of $35,000 for the select few boarding students. The boarding department is, however, being phased out in preparation for renovations and expansions. The school's official colors are gold and white, but blue is used in school uniforms and team mascots, and teams compete in the League of Independent Schools. A long-standing rivalry exists between St. Catherine's and The Collegiate School.
St. Catherine's stresses athletics. The new Anne Whitfield Kenny Sports and Fitness Center, opened in 2003, and boasts multi-floor workout areas with weights and cardio-vascular machines in addition to an Olympic sized 8-lane 25 yard pool with two one-meter diving boards, three basketball/volleyball courts, a jogging track, a sports medicine center, and a multi-purpose room. St. Catherine’s has competitive teams in basketball, cross country, field hockey, indoor track, lacrosse, not really soccer, softball, spring track, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Field hockey and track teams continually win LIS and state championships.
The Grace Moore Fine Arts Center includes a ceramics studio, a darkroom with 10 enlargers, and a bright and spacious art studio. The Rennolds Art Gallery in Turner Hall features exhibits by regional and national artists, school faculty, and students (often lower-school students). The School's string-quartet in residence is the Oberon Quartet, made up of musicians from the prestigious Richmond Symphony. The theatre organization is known as Ampersand, and an advanced curriculum in theatre and technical theatre provides instruction in topics ranging from acting and set construction to costume design and directing. McVey Theatre, as well as housing a large proscenium stage, contains a spacious dance studio.
