As a college preparatory diocesan Catholic high school, Rosary Academy empowers the mind, body, and spirit of each young woman in a transformative educational experience. Guided by the Blessed Mother, Rosary Academy embraces and challenges its students with an innovative instructional curriculum to achieve academic success and ignite the call to serve the dear neighbor.
Rosary Academy, located within the Diocese of Orange, is a diocesan Catholic secondary school for young women. Our student body is comprised of those who plan to attend college or to pursue some other form of higher education upon their graduation from Rosary. Our school philosophy is founded on a common vision and understanding of Catholic beliefs, tradition, values, attitudes, and education as revealed in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.
The Rosary community includes faculty, staff, administration, students, alumnae, and families. We believe in the value of the family unit as the primary educational environment for our students; therefore, we work to assist the family in this endeavor. We strive to provide a faith community which accepts Jesus Christ as the Way to respond to one’s neighbor, the Truth to be communicated, and the Life to be shared. We uphold the dignity and uniqueness of each individual within the community experience. We endeavor to provide guidance for her journey of faith and opportunities for her growth and development as a daughter of God.
Rosary Academy offers a diversified college preparatory curriculum, complemented by an extensive co-curricular program. We challenge each student to acquire and refine the skills necessary for a fulfilled, well-balanced life. The faculty and staff are strongly committed to developing in our students academic excellence and technological competence in all areas. We seek to cultivate leadership skills, initiative, personal accountability, and an increased sense of self-worth.
The goal of the Rosary community is to empower each student to become a woman of faith and a citizen who is knowledgeable, creative, ethical, and responsible. In the face of our multi-cultural, constantly changing world, we call upon each young woman to become a contributing member of society and a lifelong learner who appreciates the value of both culture and creation. We are committed to helping each young woman recognize herself as a positive force within the greater human society.
The mission statement has most recently been subject to revision in fall 2016 as a result of faculty and staff beginning the current E3 process. The current verbiage was finalized before the present school year, and displayed in different locales including web, print, and classrooms.
The school philosophy has remained unchanged since the previous self-study. Leadership members considered revisions to the philosophy statement but ultimately decided that it strongly captures who we are.
All of these statements are promoted and put into effect first by making them central to our gatherings as faculty and staff. School employees and parent groups use these statements in conversation, in promotion and marketing, and as part of the educational process.
Rosary Academy provides an environment in which students become integrated, holistic young women who think critically, communicate effectively, and embody their religious faith.
A Rosary graduate is a person of faith who:
A critical thinker who:
An effective communicator who:
A holistic woman who:
The ISOs in their current form have existed for more than a decade, and began their life as ESLRs. During the current E3 cycle, home groups and the leadership team discussed the accuracy and importance of the ISOs, deciding that these attributes still accurately capture the desired outcomes for our graduates. As a tribute to their thoughtful incarnation, these ISOs have become well known on campus and are often used as a badge of honor – especially the piece about “holistic” women.
The ISOs are promulgated not just on classroom walls but in educational lesson planning. Teachers and academic departments use the ISOs to guide instructional outcomes, and every department of the school – from advancement to activities – uses the ISOs in event planning, coaching, communications, speech-giving, and every activity in between. The ISOs are a list of outcomes that our graduates proudly learn to acquire and even more proudly depart Rosary with; most importantly, these designations remain with our graduates and reinforce their future successes and challenges.
What Makes A Rosary Royal?
SHE ACTS HER AGE. A table of freshmen competing in a spontaneous dance off during lunch, music thumping as a crowd gathers around them. A trio of friends sitting on the lawn between classes, their laughter joyful and carefree. Students jumping up and down on swaying gym bleachers, euphoric in red and gold face paint as their Royals win. At Rosary, girls stay girls longer. Real life can wait.
SHE EMBRACES HER FAITH. She goes to church with her family on Sundays, and she attends the Rosary Father-Daughter Masses. But something is different now. When they talk about religion at Rosary, her heart stirs. Her faith feels more alive, more personal. Her relationship with God is playing a meaningful role in her everyday life. It is reshaping her decisions away from campus. She had hoped to become a better student at Rosary. She never expected to become a better person.
SHE FINDS HER VOICE. Her friends choose other high schools. Everything at Rosary is new to her. But the faculty go out of the way to engage her. She begins to see them as mentors. She bonds with the other girls like long-lost sisters. For the first time in memory, no one is judging her. She speaks up in class. She asks incisive questions. She debates big ideas. Rosary is cultivating a part of her she never knew existed. She is finding her voice. It is true and it is strong. She will never let it go.
SHE THINKS DIFFERENTLY. Collaborative. Competitive. Confident. Creative. Funny. Humble. Independent. Innovative. Intelligent. Kind. Loyal. Open-minded. Optimistic. Passionate. Resilient. Spiritual. She is all these things and more. She embraces Rosary’s traditions, but she is not a traditional thinker. While others prepare for the future she is creating it. When someone asks “Why?” she asks “Why not?” As she walks
on stage to address the audience at Red & Gold, she is reminded that Rosary isn’t a
school for girls. It’s a school for women who think differently.
SHE IS FEARLESS. Her expert teachers challenge her to take risks in the classroom,
even if that means sometimes making mistakes. So she designs robots from sensors,
motors, and screws. She critiques black and white photography at the Getty. She
experiments with programming, recoding syntax into syntactic sugar. She is a big sister
to wide-eyed new freshmen. She studies AP French. Ce n’ est pas facile. She does not
always succeed but she is always learning. She is a fearless young woman.
SHE INSPIRES. The acceptance letters arrive one by one. USC. Marist. Harvard. She
receives letters from the best colleges in the country. Some day, she will lead men and
women in the U.S. Navy, her decisions changing lives on land and sea. She will write
movies people watch on nervous first dates and rainy Sunday afternoons. She will take
the hand of an anxious mother in the emergency room and she will tell her that her child
is going to be fine – and then make it so. She is a Rosary Woman and she is inspiring.
SHE IS A MORE COMPLETE WOMAN. Some of what she has learned at Rosary
cannot be measured by a test. Here, she has learned to be a more thoughtful daughter;
a more affectionate sister; a more loyal friend; a more empathetic human being. She
has learned to stand for those who can’t stand for themselves, and to try to recognize
the face of God in the strangers she meets. She remembers St. Paul’s words: “But now
faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” She strives to live
this kind of love. She is a more complete woman.