Nazareth Academy was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

all-girls Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

high school in

Wakefield, Massachusetts Wakefield is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston, greater Boston metropolitan area, municipal corporation, incorporated in 1812 in the United States, 1812 and located about north-nor ...

History

This independent school opened its doors on September 9, 2009. In February 2009, after the

Sisters of Charity of Nazareth The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) is an American Catholic order of religious sisters founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky. There, three young women responded to Bishop John Baptist Mary David's call for assistance in ministering to t ...

announced the decision to close Our Lady of Nazareth Academy in

, a group of parents, alumnae, and community business leaders started an organizing effort for a new girls' school, independent of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, with performing arts department head Patricia Tamagini as the new head of school. On April 14, 2009, by unanimous vote of the Wakefield School Committee, the new Nazareth Academy was granted official school status by the Town of Wakefield in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, indicating approval of the Academy's

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

and state recognition for its graduates'

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

s. Nazareth Academy graduated its first class of 17 seniors in May 2010. In 2016, with a student body of less than 30, it was announced that Nazareth Academy was closing. Girls and their families who were interested in an all-girls educational environment were invited to atten
The Academy at Penguin Hall
a new school in Wenham, located in a mansion which had served as a residence for the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious institute (Catholic), institute of religious sisters, founded to teaching order, provide education to the poor. The i ...

from 1962 until the mid-1990s. Nazareth Academy graduated its final class of 8 seniors in May 2016.

Campus

Nazareth Academy was housed at the former Hurd school on Cordis Street in Wakefield, near

Lake Quannapowitt Lake Quannapowitt is a lake in Wakefield, Massachusetts. It is one of two large lakes in Wakefield, the other being the man-made Crystal Lake. The lake is named after Quonopohit, the Naumkeag Native American man who signed a deed to the town t ...

. The academy was the sole respondent to a request for proposals the town issued in March 2009 to use the vacant building.

Statistics

References

External links

Nazareth Academy website (via archive.org)The Academy at Penguin Hall
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 2009 Girls' schools in Massachusetts Catholic secondary schools in Massachusetts Schools in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Wakefield, Massachusetts 2009 establishments in Massachusetts