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Santa Catalina School is a small independent Catholic school located in Monterey, California, United States that was founded by Sister Margaret Thompson and the Dominican Order in 1950. Situated on 36-acre hacienda-style campus, the school serves both boys and girls in the Lower School (Preschool through 8th grade) and only girls in the Upper School (grades 9 - 12). Students in both the Upper and Lower Schools are required to wear uniforms. The school emphasizes building a sense of community that challenges it's students mentally and spiritually. Santa Catalina is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In addition, the school is associated with the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Boarding Schools, National Catholic Educational Association, and the National Coalition of Girls' Schools.

Ranch Beginnings and Religious Background
The original Santa Catalina Convent was founded by Sister Marie Geomaere, a Dominicn sister, in what is now downtown Monterey in 1850, when Monterey was the capital of California. With the help of Rev. Joseph Alemany, Bishop of Monterey, she created the first Catholic school in California, excluding mission schools. Student were predominately daughters of local town residents and of nearby Spanish landowners and classes were taught in Castilian Spanish. In 1854 the school was moved to Benicia, the new state capital, where it was renamed St. Catherine's Academy.

In 1950, Sister Margaret Thompson, Mother General of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, California, decided to reestablish Santa Catalina in Monterey. After buying the 36-acre campus from a local cattle rancher, Col. Harold Mack, the school opened in the fall of 1950, with Sister Mary Kieran as the first principal. When Sister Kieran died in 1965, Sister Carlotta became principal, a title she held for 35 years. As principal, Sister Carlotta's goal was to "educate the whole child...by guiding young people toward intellectual attainment and social, physical, and spiritual well-being".

Transition to Co-Education and New Leadership
Boys were allowed to enroll in Preschool and Kindergarten at the request of Sister Jean and Sister Carlotta encouraged male students to continue their education at the school through 8th grade.

Sister Claire, after having served as Head of Upper School since 1982, became Head of School in 2002. Sister Claire and Sister Christine are the only two Dominican nuns who still reside on campus and hold administrative positions, but no longer teach.

Enrollment
There are 269 students in the Lower School, 60% of which are girls and 40% are boys.

Class Size and Student Teacher Ratio
Class sizes are generally small, but vary by grade level as follows:

Tuition
Tuition varies by grade level and the school offers need-based financial aid. Below is tuition and financial aid for the 2010-2011 school year.
 * Pre-K: $9,700
 * Kindergarten: $15,000
 * Grades 1-8: $18,250
 * 25% of students receive financial aid

Enrollment, Class Size, and Student-Teacher Ratio
As of 2010, there are currently 240 girls enrolled at Santa Catalina; 111 of them are resident students and 129 are day students. 12% of the student body are international students. The average class size is 14 students and the student to teacher ratio is 7:1.

Tuition
Upper School tuition varies between resident and day students and need and merit based financial aid are offered.
 * Boarding: $42,500
 * Day: $27,500
 * 30% of students receive financial aid
 * Incoming freshmen and sophomores are offered a chance to apply for The Merit Scholarship, which covers 20% of tuition.

Mission
Santa Catalina Lower School "encourage[s] each boy and girl to work effectively, to communicate articulately, [and] to approach life with a sense of purpose and competence" as well as prepares students for secondary schooling.

Santa Catalina Upper School aims to "combine a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, modern educational technology, and solid Christian principles" in order to prepare its students for college and beyond. The single-sex environment, Catholic background, and college preparatory courses are emphasized to "teach the importance of becoming leaders in our communities by serving others". The school attempts to develop each girls abilities and emphasize balancing intellectual growth with spiritual awareness. Santa Catalina also seeks diversity in order to enhance a student's sense of responsibility to her community and herself.

Requirements

 * 4 years of English, religious studies, and the arts.
 * 3 years of math, foreign language, and lab sciences.
 * Extra-circular activities are required for each of the three athletic seasons. Students have a choice each season between sports, performing arts (theater, dance, and music), and physical education. Juniors and seniors are not required to engage in extra-curricular activities during the winter season.

Admissions
Santa Catalina accepts students on the basis of academic achievement and personal qualification without regard to "race, creed, color, or national and ethnic origins". In addition the admission office requires a questionnaire and writing sample, school transcript, teacher recommendations, parent statements, SSAT scores, an interview, and an optional personal recommendation. Non-native English speakers are required to take the TOEFL. The acceptance rate is 66%.

Departments
Academics are divided between the following departments: Art, Drama, English, Foreign Language (including French, Spanish, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese), History, Math, Music, Religion, and Science.

Honors and AP Opportunities
Santa Catalina School offers 18 AP (Advanced Placement) and 13 Honors courses.

College Counseling and Acceptance
The school has college counselor on campus who works closely with seniors and assists with students' college applications and SAT and ACT registration. In addition, the school has an online resource for students called, Family Connection, which provides further college counseling. In addition, approximately 65 colleges and universities, from within the United States and abroad, send representatives to Catalina to discuss their school with students throughout the school year. The average SAT score of students is 1732. 100% of graduates attend college and within the past five years the most attended colleges were UC Davis (20 students), UCLA (11 students), Boston University (11 students), New York University(9 students), and Loyola Marymount University (9 students). Out of the 2010 graduating class, 6 students attend UCLA, 4 students attend UC Berkley, and 3 students went to both UC Santa Barbara and University of the Redlands.

Lower School Academics
From Kindergarten to Fifth Grade, students take courses in Art, Computer Studies, Language Arts, Math, Music, Physical Education, Religion, Science, and Social Science. Spanish classes are introduced in the 4th Grade. In Grades 6 – 8 students take classes in Art, Computer Science, English, Foreign Language (Latin or Spanish), History, Math, Music, PE, Religion, and Science.

Faculty/Administrators
Despite the school's religious background, some of the current administrators are lay people and not affiliated with a religious order.


 * Head of School - Sister Claire Barone


 * Assistant Head of School - John Amie


 * Head of Upper School - Dr. John Murphy


 * Assistant Head of Upper School - Sister Christine Price


 * Lower School Division Head, Grades 5 – 8 - Linda Mutty


 * Lower School Division Head, Grades PreK-4 - Christy Pollacci

The Upper School is ranked among the top 20 boarding school for faculty education because a high percentage of the faculty has advanced degrees.

Facilities
In 2003, a new outdoor aquatic center was completed, which features an 25 yard by 30 meter pool that is connected to the gym's locker rooms. This 10 lane pool is used for physical education classes and the Upper School swimming and diving and water polo teams.
 * Aquatic Center

Located next to the pool, the gym basketball and volleyball courts, bleachers, and dressing room facilities. PE classes and Upper and Lower School basketball and volleyball teams use the facility. The gym overlooks the pool and a regulation size softball and soccer field, which is encircled by an-all weather track. In addition, the gym is adjacent to 6 regulation size tennis courts, including one lighted court with stadium seating.
 * Bedford Family Gymnasium Complex

Resident students live in one of three dorms either in a single or double room, with faculty members living on each floor. Each room has a bed, desk, drawers, and lockable closet and there are common bathrooms for each floor. The dorms also come equipped with wireless internet, laundry facilities, and vending machines.
 * Dormitories

Thompson Dormitory—This dorm is used primarily for freshman (but also some sophomores) and also has faculty housing.

Hills Hall—For juniors, seniors, and faculty.

Greer Family Dormitory—This is the newest dorm and houses sophomores, juniors, and faculty.

Originally the Upper School classroom building, this 70 year old building now houses Upper School Admissions Office, Business Office, and Development Office.
 * The Hacienda

This building houses a 150 seat recital hall, a dance studio, and music studios for private lessons. The building is primarily used for student music lessons and recitals.
 * Mary L Johnson Music Center

The chapel is located in the center of campus and was built in 1954 as a donation from by Mrs. Marcia Ferrell Hart. San Francisco architect, Germano Milano, was commissioned to design the building. One of the primary features is the chapel's stained glass windows. Today the chapel is used for daily morning, which is offered for students and faculty, weekly masses for resident students, on campus faculty, and the public, and special events.
 * The Rosary Chapel

This building includes the student health center and the dining hall. The school uses Bon Appétit food services, who were the winners of the National Resource Defense Council's 2009 Growing Green Award for their commitment to sustainable food. Therefore menus often feature locally grown, low carbon food and leftovers are composted.
 * Santo Domingo Hall

Finished in 1967, the library holds about 34,000 volumes, 40 in-house periodicals, 500 media items, online databases, and 30 computers for students and teachers. It is used for both the Upper and Lower Schools.
 * Sister Mary Kieran Memorial Library

The Performing Arts Center is a 500 seat, state of the art theater that is used for Lower School Spring and Christmas concerts, various recitals, and Upper School performances (three every academic year).
 * Sister Carlotta Performing Arts Center

Upper School morning assembly is conducted daily in this building, which contains a desk for every student that are arranged by class. There are also a limited number of lockers available for student use.
 * Study Hall

Lower School
Competitive sports are offered, but not required, for students in Grade 6 - 8. Teams compete by grade level with other public and private schools in their area.

Upper School
Students can chose to participate in one sport per season. Teams compete in the Mission Trail Athletics League (MTAL) and the CIF / Central Coast Section (CCS). The Volleyball, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer, Water Polo, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, and Softball teams compete at both the Varsity and Junior Varsity Level.

Performing Arts
Students can also participate in performing arts, instead of athletic teams, after school. Students can chose between theater and dance.


 * Theater: In addition to offering drama classes, the school performs 2 musicals (in the fall and spring) and one drama (in the winter) a year, which students can choose to participate in.


 * Dance: Dance classes are offered in the following forms: ballet, tap, and jazz. Dance classes meet every day.


 * Music: In addition required extra-circular athletics or performing arts, private musical and vocal lessons are available. Furthermore, there are school-wide recitals and a school choir.

Community Service

 * Upper School - There are 4 days (one for each class) designated for mandatory community service. Students choose between the following sites: Dorothy's Place, St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Salvation Army Youth Center, Ave Maria Convalescent Center, Ag Against Hunger, Gateway Center, Harbor Project, STAR Riders, and Food Bank of Monterey County. In addition, certain sites are offered for students two afternoons per week.


 * Lower School - The entire Lower School is involved in one community service project a month.

Student Government
Student/ Faculty Senate: manages student affairs, discussion of issues or problems, initiates programs, responds to student needs

Resident Council: made up of faculty members and elected students who discuss the needs and issues concerning resident life

Day Student Council: deals with day student concerns and activities

Prefects: resident students who are chosen by administrators to serve as leaders for dorm and academic life

Lower School: Student Council = grades 4 – 8 with two elected representatives from each class and President, VP, Secretary, and Treasurer from 8th grade

Summer Camp Program
For girls 8 – 14

Day and boarding

2, 3, and 5 week sessions

Mission: “Summer at Santa Catalina is dedicated to the physical, social, and spiritual growth of girls. Our summer program strives to nurture girls as they begin to build their independence and self-reliance. We aim to help campers develop the virtues of honesty, kindness, and respect for others. Our goal is that campers receive and contribute to the support of a caring community and leave camp with greater self-confidence, eager to be contributing members of their own communities”

Class Choices: Aquatic Games, Beginning / Intermediate Swim Lessons, Beginning Springboard Diving, Intermediate Springboard Diving, Inner-tube Water Polo, Ballet, Riding Horsemanship, Basketball Clinic, Golf, Soccer Clinic, Volleyball Clinic, Tennis, Musical Theatre Workshop, Voice Class, Cooking, Creative Writing, Jazz Dance, Yoga, Intro to Black and White Photography, Digital Photography, Outdoor exploration, Printmaking, Ceramics, Sketching, Marine Biology, Hip-Hop, Advanced Black and White Photography, Self Portraits, Sketchbook

Notable Alumni

 * Wendy Clark Duffy, Associate Justice, California Court of Appeal, Sixth District
 * Patricia Hearst, newspaper heiress, former member of Symbionese Liberation Army
 * Abigail Folger, coffee heiress, civil rights activist
 * Sharon Gless, actress, most famously in 1980's crime drama Cagney and Lacey
 * Maria Imelda Marcos, (Class Valedictorian) Filipino Congresswoman, daughter of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos & Imelda Marcos
 * Monica C. Lozano, Publisher and CEO of the Spanish language La Opinión newspaper in Los Angeles
 * Leslie Cockburn, producer, director, writer, including co-producer The Peacemaker with George Clooney
 * Lauren Meek, associate producer of the Sherlock Holmes (2009 film) directed by Guy Ritchie
 * Kate Mitchell, CEO and co-founder of Scale Venture Partners and chairman of the National Venture Capital Association
 * Dr. Cynara Coomer, a surgeon who anchors a health segment on Fox News
 * Pamela Butler, Superior Court judge, Monterey County