Saint Gertrude High School | |
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Address | |
3215 Stuart Avenue Richmond, Virginia 23221 United States |
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Coordinates | 37°33′32″N 77°28′45″W / 37.55889°N 77.47917°WCoordinates: 37°33′32″N 77°28′45″W / 37.55889°N 77.47917°W |
Information | |
Type | Private |
Motto | Ora et Labora (Pray and Work) |
Religious affiliation(s) |
Roman Catholic, Benedictine Sisters |
Established | 1922 |
Dean | Peggy Boon (Faculty & Academics) Nancy Carrig (Student Life) |
Head of school | Renata Rafferty |
Chaplain | Fr. Jim Griffin |
Staff | 19 |
Faculty | 27 |
Grades | 9–12 |
Gender | Girls |
Enrollment | 273 (2008) |
Average class size | 15 |
Student to teacher ratio | 9:1 |
Color(s) | Green and White |
Athletics conference | Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association |
Mascot | Gator |
Team name | Gators |
Rival | St. Catherine's |
Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
Publication | STET (Literary Magazine) |
Newspaper | Green Shield |
Yearbook | Tower |
Affiliation |
NAIS (VAIS) NCEA |
Director of Admissions | Meredith McNamara |
Website | www |
Saint Gertrude High School is an independent Catholic college preparatory day school for young women grades 9-12 in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded in 1922 by the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia, of Bristow Monastery, and is still owned and governed by the order, although the day-to-day operations are run by lay administrative and teaching staff. The school's goal is to provide young women with an academic education in an environment of Christian values and cultural diversity.
Saint Gertrude was built in 1913 to provide a home and a chapel for the Benedictine Sisters who taught at Saint Mary’s School on Fourth and Marshall Streets in Richmond. The building had two rooms used as a small private elementary school and housed a care center for exceptional children which was later discontinued.
In 1922, Saint Edith Academy, a boarding school for girls at Bristow, Virginia was closed, and the high school department was transferred to Saint Gertrude in Richmond. Sister Gertrude Head, the first principal, and a three-member faculty began the educational program for eight students. In the course of the first year the enrollment increased to twenty-six.
The school continued to operate solely in the original building until a new classroom wing was added in 1956. These two structures then made up the school building for nearly twenty years, until the 1973 addition was completed. The newest addition, dedicated in May 2005, houses a new library/media Center, athletic facility, and science labs.
At the very onset, the school was affiliated with the Catholic University of America. In 1925, Saint Gertrude was accredited by the Virginia State Board of Education and in 1942 by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1978, the school became a member of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools. Saint Gertrude’s accreditation continues to be through VAIS and SACS, which are affiliated with the Virginia Council of Private Education. Saint Gertrude High School was awarded "Blue Ribbon School" designation in 1996.