Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School

For the Visitation Monastery located in Alabama, see Convent and Academy of the Visitation.

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
Founders Hall, the main academic building
Address
1524 35th Street, N.W. Washington , DC 20007 United States
Coordinates	38°54′34″N 77°4′9″W
Information
Type	Private High School
Motto	Fides et Scientia (Faith and Knowledge)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic (Visitandines)
Founded	1799 (1799)
School district	Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools
President	Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM
Dean	Sue Foreman
Principal	Leonor Limarzi Ponzio
Headmaster	Barbara McGraw Edmondson
Chaplain	Fr. Patrick Kifolo
Faculty	48
Grades	9–12
Gender	Female
Enrollment	Approximately 500
Student to teacher ratio	9:1
Campus	Urban, 45 acres (0.18 km2)
Color(s)	Green, Gold and White
Song	Cor Jesu
Athletics	21 teams
Athletics conference	Independent School League
Sports	13 sports
Mascot	The Gold Team - Tigers The White Team - Bears
Team name	The Cubs
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Tuition	$32,600
Affiliation	Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
Website	visi.org

Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School is a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory school for girls located in the historic Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Georgetown. Founded in 1799 by the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (also known as the Visitation Sisters), it is one of the oldest continuously-operating schools for girls in the country and the city as well as the oldest Catholic school for girls in the original Thirteen Colonies. It is located within the Archdiocese of Washington.

History

Georgetown Visitation was founded in 1799. It is the oldest Catholic school for girls in the original 13 colonies. The school opened near Georgetown College because its fourth President, Father Leonard Neale, S.J., (later Bishop and Archbishop) co-founded the Academy and Convent. He invited Alice Lalor, Maria McDermott and Maria Sharpe to join him; these founders would come to be called "The Three Pious Ladies."

Rome recognized the Georgetown Visitation Order in 1816; on May 24, 1828, the Sisters were incorporated by Congress, an act signed by President John Quincy Adams, who, a few months later, handed out awards at the commencement exercises. By this time, students were learning geography, history, mythology, astronomy, chemistry, French, Spanish, and vocal & instrumental music.

From 1800 to 1862, Georgetown Visitation subsidized its mission by the forced labor and sale of enslaved people, 121 of whom have been identified, either by name or brief description. Primary sources tell of manumissions, self-emancipations, and the freeing of all people whom Visitation enslaved with the District of Columbia Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862.

The school continued to grow and evolve in the 20th century, focusing on high school and Junior College students. Beloved traditions such as Marshmallow Roast, a good-natured class competition with skits that "roast" faculty, and Gold-White, a school-wide intramural athletic competition, began in the early decades of this century. By the mid-sixties, the school started seeing a decline in the number of resident students and Junior College students; the Junior College was closed in 1964 and the boarding school was closed in 1975.

Fire and rebuilding

On July 8–9, 1993, a fire destroyed the historic main academic building of the campus, the Starkweather Academy Building, causing an initially estimated $3.5 million in damages. Trailers were brought in to serve as temporary classrooms in time for the start of the 1993–1994 academic year. The building was restored and rededicated as Founders Hall on May 5, 1995. Since then, the campus has been revitalized with the Catharine E. Nolan Center for the Performing Arts and the Sarah and Charles T. Fisher Athletic Center completed for the bicentennial of the school in 1999, and the renovation of both St. Joseph's Hall and the St. Bernard Library in 2002 and 2003. In 2019 ,the school opened Berchmans Hall, named for Sister Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM, '48 & '50, a two-story addition to St. Joseph's Hall with classrooms, science labs, and an art studio. The covered walkway between St. Bernard Library and St. Joseph’s Hall became the Saints Connector, with common areas and the McNabb Innovation Lab, named for Sister Mary de Sales McNabb, VHM, '48. Modern facilities are located side-by-side with historic buildings boasting a myriad of architectural styles, ranging from Victorian to Neo-Gothic.

Student life

Located on more than 23 acres (93,000 m²) of land in the heart of Georgetown, the Visitation campus offers its students state-of-the art academic, sports, and performing arts facilities. Students enroll in a wide variety of Advanced Placement courses, and 100 percent of Visitation students attend college. Students play on a wide variety of athletic teams, including lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, tennis, basketball, track, cross country, swimming and diving, and crew. The Visitation Masqueraders mount musical and theatrical productions each year in the Catharine E. Nolan Center for the Performing Arts. There are also a Dance Ensemble, Choir, Instrumental Ensemble, and Madrigal Singers. The groups have performed at various events around the city, including in the Kennedy Center’s Christmas program.

There are many clubs and publications at the school. Student publications include the award-winning student newspaper The Wicket, the Green Gate yearbook, and also a literary magazine produced and edited by students entitled The Georgetowner. Students also participate in the Think Pink Society, Model United Nations Club, Kaleidoscope Club, Peer Educators Club, and Black Women's Society, among others. Students have the opportunity to serve as representatives of the student body in the Student Government Association, the Athletic Association, and the Honor Board, which is charged with ensuring the integrity and of the Visitation Honor Code.

Each graduate performs at least eighty hours of community service, but many students offer hundreds of hours of their time throughout their four years at Visitation. Community service trips take place domestically and abroad. Recent trips have been to Peru, Camden, New Jersey, the poorest city in America, St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, and an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Each year, several Georgetown Visitation students also participate in Vistory, a week-long program of Salesian sisterhood and community service with students from other Visitation schools around the country. Some students make long-term service commitments through tutoring programs with local public schools, Best Buddies, and Saturday School, a program on the Visitation campus. Students also share their community service experiences with their parents through programs like Together for Others, McKenna's Wagon, and Gleaning of the Fields.

Many students participate in the theatre program on campus as well as at the theatre program at Gonzaga College High School. Two shows are performed each year, on average, on the Nolan Center stage. While many of the boys who participate in the shows come from Gonzaga College High School, it is not unusual to find boys from such schools at Bishop O'Connell, St. Anselm's Abbey School, and several others.

Traditions

There are many traditions at Georgetown Visitation. Prior to her first day at Visitation, each student is assigned to either the Gold Team or the White Team. The mascot of the White Team is a bear named Nicodemus, a name that is a lasting tradition for this team. The Gold Team's mascot is a tiger, officially named Ferdinand in 2010 via a team-wide vote. All family members are assigned to the same team to prevent intra-family strife. Throughout the year, the teams compete to win points through athletic competitions, quiz bowls and canned food drives. Students can also earn points throughout the year by trying out for and participating in sports teams and theatre productions, or by earning academic honors. Faculty and administrators join in, especially for the big fall and spring Gold/White field hockey and basketball games. Other popular Visitation events include Marshmallow Roast (classes come up with their own themed skits "roasting" their teachers, and the first year teachers vote on the winner), Father/Daughter Masses and dances, Grandparents' Day, Diversity Day, Junior Ring Ceremony, Together for Others, Class Retreats, Snowball and Snowflake (winter formal dances).

Visitation traditionally held its graduation ceremonies in the Odeon, an auditorium where John Quincy Adams addressed the graduates of 1828. After the Odeon was destroyed in the fire of Founder's Hall, graduation ceremonies were moved to Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall. Starting with the class of 2005, graduation has been held on Visitation's McNabb Field. Graduates are outfitted in matching white custom-made gowns and process through the historic Green Gate wearing long white gloves and carrying long-stem red roses. One student is elected by her class to give a speech at graduation.

Georgetown Visitation Monastery

Main article: Georgetown Visitation Monastery

Notable alumnae

• Bay Buchanan, treasurer of the United States
• Emily Warren Roebling, known for her contribution to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge
• Marian Canney (1921–2019), faculty member and Korean War widow
• Ella Loraine Dorsey (1853–1935), author, journalist, translator
• Jennifer Dougherty, first female mayor of Frederick, Maryland
• Margaret Durante, country music artist
• Mary Early, sculptor
• Harriet Lane, U.S. first lady
• Sister Margarita of Jesus, Princess of Mexico; daughter of Agustin de Iturbide, Emperor of Mexico
• Liz McCartney, cofounder of the St. Bernard Project, 2008 CNN Hero of the Year
• Harriet Monroe, founder and editor of Poetry magazine
• Bertha Honore Palmer, (1849–1918), impressionist art collector, entrepreneuse, philanthropist
• Evan Ryan, assistant for intergovernmental affairs and public liaison for vice president Joe Biden
• Alice Smith, singer

Popular culture

In 1850, John H. Hewitt wrote the Grand Promenade March and dedicated it to the Sisters of the Academy of Visitation, Georgetown.

External links

• Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School official website