Ursuline Academy is an independent college preparatory school for young women in grades 7–12. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, United States, it is sponsored by the Ursuline Educational Foundation. The academy is a private Catholic school located on a 28-acre campus in Dedham, Massachusetts. It provides education in all areas and offers over 20 clubs and 15 varsity sports. The Boston Globe has praised Ursuline's athletes, the Bears, as winning the Singelais Award for maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher and excelling in their chosen activity.
| Ursuline Academy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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85 Lowder Street , , 02026 United States | |
| Coordinates | 42°14′42″N 71°11′3″W / 42.24500°N 71.18417°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Serviam (I will serve.) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1819 |
| Sister school | Xaverian Brothers High School |
| President | Kathleen Nolan Levesque[1] |
| Principal | Mary-Kate Tracy-Robidoux |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Gender | Girls |
| Enrollment | approx. 400 |
| Color(s) | Dark Green and White |
| Slogan | Serviam |
| Song | "Serviam" |
| Mascot | Bear |
| Nickname | UA |
| Team name | Bears |
| Accreditation | New England Association of Schools and Colleges[2] |
| Publication | Serviam Magazine |
| Newspaper | The Blazer |
| Yearbook | Olim |
| Website | www.ursulineacademy.net |
History
editThe first Ursuline Academy in the Boston area opened in Charlestown in 1819 by the Ursuline Sisters. After the Ursuline Convent riots, the Ursulines left Boston.[3] They would not return until the 1940s when they were invited by Cardinal Richard Cushing to open a new school for girls.[3] In 1957, the growing school relocated to its present site in an estate on Dedham's Federal Hill.[3][4]
On October 18, 2024, a mass was held in the schools gymnasium to mark the transfer of sponsorship from the Ursuline Sisters to the Ursuline Education Foundation, a lay-led organization.[3] During the mass, a silver ciborium was transferred from Sister Elisa Ryan, the prioress of the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province, to Kate Levesque, the head of school.[3]
The ciborium was originally used by the French Navy in the 1700s and eventually was given to a Boston priest, possibly Bishop Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus.[3] It was used in the Charlestown convent before the riot, and was saved when a group of sisters hid it below a clump of asparagus in the garden.[3] It eventually made its way into the Boston College archives before being returned to Ursuline Academy for the transfer of sponsorship.[3]
Athletics
editUrsuline Academy competes at the Division III or IV level (dependent on the sport) within the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Teams are offered at the Junior High (grades 7 and 8), JV, and Varsity levels.[5]
In the fall, cross country, field hockey, soccer, swimming and diving, and volleyball are offered. Winter sports include basketball, downhill skiing, ice hockey, and indoor track. The spring sports are golf, lacrosse, sailing, softball, tennis, and track and field.[5]
Notable alumna
edit- Marian Walsh, Massachusetts State Senator
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Libon, Daniel (July 13, 2018). "Ursuline Academy Names New President". Patch.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- ^ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Cipolla, Wes (October 25, 2025). "Ursuline Academy celebreates transfer of sponsorship". The Pilot. Vol. 195, no. 41. p. 2.
- ^ History Archived 2006-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Official site.
- ^ a b "Overview". Ursuline Academy. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
External links
edit- Ursuline Academy
- Massachusetts Department of Education directory profile