St. Joseph Hill Academy is an American private Pre-K 3 through

12th grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...

Catholic school, located in the Arrochar neighborhood of

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

. Located on a scenic campus (which eponymously stands atop a hill, providing views of the Manhattan skyline), the elementary school is coeducational and serves 500+ students from Pre-K 3 through 8th grade and the high school is all-girls with approximately 400 young women in the 9th through 12th grades. The school was founded and is operated by the Daughters of Divine Charity, although the school is independent of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The schools is accredited by the

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, also referred to as the Middle States Association or MSA, is an accreditor in the United States. Historically, it has accredited schools in the Mid-Atlantic states region of the northeas ...

. The elementary school principal is Mr. Lawrence Hansen, the high school principal is Ms. Elizabeth Campbell, and the president is Sr. Mary Coffelt, FDC.

History

The school began in March 1919, with the purchase of the estate of William Knauth by Reverend Mother M. Kostka Bauer. In May of that year, the Daughters of Divine Charity arrived on Staten Island and in the fall inaugurated tutoring classes for a group of twenty-five children who had come to them during the summer. These classes led to the institution of the academy. During the school's early years, it was also a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

. The school's first secondary-level classes were begun in 1930, and the first official commencement exercises were held for six high school graduates in June 1934. At that time, the school was affiliated with the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

, Washington, D.C. In 1938, the high school department received its charter of recognition and full accreditation from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. Since its foundation, multiple projects have been undertaken to provide for the ever-growing needs of the academy. The rapid pace of the school's growth was the prime factor which influenced Mother M. Fidelis Babos, then Provincial Superior of the Daughters of Divine Charity, to formulate plans for the erection of a new high school wing. The new wing was added to the already-existing elementary school building, which had been dedicated in 1953. Accordingly, on August 26, 1956, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the erection of the present building. On March 23, 1957, Most Reverend Joseph M. Pernicone,

Auxiliary Bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of New York, laid the

cornerstone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

. The formal dedication of the high school building took place on May 22, 1958, conducted by Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York. A construction project began in 1999 was completed during the 2000–2001 school year. A new gymnasium, four additional high school classrooms and a distance-learning lab, to enhance the WITAC (Women Integrating Technology And Curriculum) program, were added to the facilities. In 2009, the annex building Madonna Hall was added, named after the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

. Madonna Hall has been transformed into a fully functioning art studio.

References

External links

, the school's official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph Hill Academy 1919 establishments in New York City Catholic elementary schools in Staten Island Educational institutions established in 1919 Girls' schools in New York City Preschools in the United States Roman Catholic high schools in Staten Island