St. John Villa Academy is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school on Staten Island in New York, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Background
St. John's Villa Academy to close - St. John Villa Academy announced its elementary and high school in Staten Island will close at the end of the academic year. (Wochit video/Photos Bill Lyons, Staten Island Historical Society,...
St. John Academy was established in 1922 by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist. It is still run and operated by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist. St. John Villa Academy is located in Staten Island, New York, overlooking the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. It is both an elementary school and an all girl's high school. The elementary school are grades K-8. While the high school are grades 9-12. St. John Villa Academy is only one of many Catholic schools located on Staten Island. Enrollment in St. John Villa Academy is open to girls who have graduated from elementary school and who want a secondary level, college-preparatory education. Recently, Villa has added a new state-of-the-art building. As a result of high enrollment over the past decade, SJVA developed a campus facility plan that would renovate existing buildings and increase the amount of space in our high school. Specifically, several of the oldest buildings on campus have proved unable to meet the space and program needs of faculty and students. In order to maintain programs and to expand other areas of the curriculum, SJVA proposed a $5 million renovation and construction project. A three-story wing is now completed and connected to the current two-story high school. All new classrooms will be provided with "T1" Internet access lines. The project broke ground in December 2004 and was completed in September 2006. Of the $5 million in renovation and construction, $1 million must be raised from a capital campaign.
Recent News
On Saturday, January 26, 2014 Villa Senior Dorothy O'Neill became the newest member of the 1,000 point club during a basketball game against Bishop Kearney HS. The 5-foot-4 O'Neill, who finished with 17 points (three 3-pointers), became only the fourth Villa player to reach 1,000 career points. She joins Christie Marrone, Nicole Capurso and Stephanie Klingele on the Bears' list of highest scorers.
St. John Villa Academy Elementary School and St. John Villa Academy High School are set to close at the end of the 2017-2018 academic year. Lack of adequate personnel anf faculty, a declining enrollment, and growing maintenance expenses of an aging facility forced the closure.
History
St. John Villa Academy, owned and operated by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, is located on the east shore of Staten Island, in the town of Arrochar, overlooking the Verrazanoâ€"Narrows Bridge and Lower New York Bay. St. John Villa Academy, founded in 1922 on Staten Island, was purchased by the Sisters of St. John the Baptist.
In September 1923, the Sisters opened a school called St. John's Novitiate and Boarding School. The first elementary school class graduated in June 1926 and by the early 1930s, high school classes were added. The boarding school ceased operation in the 1970s. The main dormitory buildings can still be seen from Narrows Road South and are currently used as either classrooms or offices.
The School campus has grown. Additions include the construction of the current elementary school building in 1931, of a new chapel in 1938, of the high school building in 1957, and in the mid-1980s, of the gym. Today, it is a private, Catholic elementary school and high school proud of the education it provides the children of Staten Island and Brooklyn. Currently, St. John Villa Academy has approximately 267 boys and girls in the elementary school and 583 young women in the high school.
SJVA offers specialized classes. These classes include Advanced Placement and College Credits for St. John's University (New York).
Academics
St. John Villa Academy is a college preparatory high school that offers a wide range of academic challenges, while following the New York State Curriculum. This means that along with meeting Villa's own high standards, students must take and pass the New York State Regents subject examinations in order to graduate. Students must take and successfully complete three years of physical and biological science, three of English, three of a foreign language, four of mathematics, two of computer applications, and obtain one art credit to graduate. Along with these, a wide range of academic and pre-professional electives and AP (Advanced Placement) courses are also offered.
St. John Villa Academy also boasts an accelerated Scholars program in which students can begin taking AP classes in their sophomore year. Advanced classes in English, science, history, foreign language and mathematics are mandatory beginning in the freshman year for Scholars. New for the 2011-2012 school year, all students in the Scholars program must take Latin in their freshman and sophomore years.
Athletics and Clubs
St. John Villa Academy offers athletics and many after school clubs. After school athletics are important at St. John Villa. There are many athletic teams available for students to join, such as basketball, cheer-leading, soccer, softball, golf, tennis, lacrosse, swimming, and track. St. John Villa is recognized as a competitive athletics school and has received much recognition.
The following are clubs available for students: Art Club, Christian Service, Culture Club, Dance Club, Junior Statesmen of America, Lectors Club, newspaper (Villa Voice), Peer Leaders, Drama Club, Stage Crew, Student Council, Video Yearbook, and yearbook (Precursor).
Villa is also a member of the following national societies: National Honor Society, National Science Society, National Math Honor Society, and the International Thespian Society.
High school
St. John Villa Academy is an accredited Catholic high school for young women and was established as such in 1932.
Current enrollment is 583 girls. The student-teacher ratio is 15:1 with an average class size of about 32.
SJVA offers college preparatory program for all students. Around fifty percent of seniors graduate eligible to receive college credits as a result of having satisfactorily completed Advanced Placement courses and courses taken through the St. John University Extension.
Villa's facilities include a full-size chapel, a multi-media library with 10,000+ volumes and 12 computer stations (all with internet access), a fully equipped gym/auditorium, two newly renovated biology and chemistry labs, Channel 13 Learning Link, a computer lab with 36 individual stations, an "Anytime, Anywhere Learning" laptop program, 23 TV/VCR stations with link hookups, and an art studio.
Notes and references
External links
- School Website
