Academy of the Holy Angels

Academy of the Holy Angels
The Journey of a Lifetime Begins Here
Address
315 Hillside Avenue Demarest, NJ (Bergen County), 07627
Coordinates	40°56′34″N 73°56′42″W
Information
Type	Private, All-Female, High school
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1879
Oversight	Archdiocese of Newark
CEEB Code	310-390
President	Sr. Virginia Bobrowski, SSND
Principal	Jennifer Moran
Faculty	46.5
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	539  (2009-10)
Grade 9	147
Grade 10	133
Grade 11	157
Grade 12	151
Student to teacher ratio	11.6:1
Campus size	25 acres (100,000 m2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Blue and White
Athletics conference	Big North Conference
Team name	Angels
Accreditation(s)	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Publication	Blueprint (Literary Magazine), AHA International (International Events Newsletter)
Newspaper	'Chips'
Yearbook	'Echoes'
Affiliation	School Sisters of Notre Dame
Dean of Students	Sr. Karen Kane, SSND
Admissions Director	Margaux Pena
Athletic Director	Patti Gorsuch
Website	www.holyangels.org

For the school in Richfield, Minnesota, see Academy of Holy Angels.

The Academy of the Holy Angels is an all-female Roman Catholic college preparatory high school located in Demarest, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grade. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. The Academy of the Holy Angels draws students from North Jersey, Rockland County, New York, and surrounding areas.

As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 539 students and 46.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis) for a Student–teacher ratio of 11.6.

The Academy of the Holy Angels is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association and the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.

Mission

"Rooted in the conviction of the School Sisters of Notre Dame that 'the world can be changed through the transformation of persons,' education at the Academy empowers each young woman to reach the fullness of her potential spiritually, morally, intellectually, socially, and physically, so that she, in turn, may share her gifts with others. The vision of a new global community based on gospel values permeates life at the Academy, impelling each young woman to embrace generous leadership."

History

The Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private school in Bergen County. Founded in 1879 by Sister Mary Nonna Dunphy, one of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the school was opened in Fort Lee, New Jersey as a boarding and day school for girls from kindergarten to twelfth grade. In 1890 it was incorporated as Holy Angels, Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies and Preparatory School for Little Girls. Its motto was then and remains now "Vitae Via Virtus." The Holy Angels Board voted to change the name of the school to the Academy of the Holy Angels in 1934 when Sister M. Angeline Hughes was Principal. The school accepted a developer's offer for the school's location in Fort Lee and purchased a large property in Demarest. The school had operated a grammar school in addition to the high school for decades and many graduates were known as "12 year Angels." The grammar school was discontinued completely in 1964 prior to the move from Fort Lee. Building commenced and the school relocated to its current location in Demarest in 1965.

Awards and recognition

During the 1999-2000 school year, the Academy of the Holy Angels was awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive.

Furthermore, the Corporation for National Service selected the Academy of the Holy Angels as a National Service-Learning Leader School, due to its excellence in service learning. Holy Angels is one of two Catholic high schools nationwide to receive this honor.

Middle States program

The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools, one of six regional accrediting, peer-administered organizations that offers institutions protocols for evaluation and improvement. AHA chose Accreditation for Growth, a strategic planning method in which diverse constituent groups participate in discussions, which are then used as a method for growth and improvement, both academically by the students, as well as by the institution.

Technology

Since 2007, upon entering the school, each student is required to buy a Fujitsu Tablet, which students use these tablets during school and at home to complete assignments, access the internet for research, take notes, as well as communicate with the faculty. Equipped with a pen and with a screen that can function as a notebook, students are able to use these tablets for all subjects such as History and Math. Remarkable features such as the Dropbox and Student Commons allow students to access notes and papers from the teachers on the school network, as well as place their own completed assignments within the folders on the network and in effect decrease the amount of paper used.

In addition, AHA is currently using Turnitin, a website that scans finished papers and assignments for plagiarism and helps prevent it as well. Also, beginning with the class of 2011, AHA has recently introduced LiveText, an online storage site in which each student is able to upload their best papers and projects, ultimately creating their own ‘online resume.’ With this new addition, each student is given an edge that many students from other schools do not have as this program allows each student to create their own video introducing themselves to prospective colleges.

Activities

The Academy of the Holy Angels provides a range of clubs and organizations that students can join based on their own interests and availability. In addition to after-school activities, the schedule of AHA allows a 45-minute activity period at the end of the day once a cycle, during which students can participate in in-school clubs and organizations. There are two cycles that alternate, and students can, therefore, choose two in-school activities to participate in.

In-School activities

• AHAnime
• Angels over Africa
• Asian Cultural Alliance
• Black and Hispanic Cultural Society
• Blueprint Literary Magazine
• Bookmaking
• Card-Making with Rubber Stamps
• Chess
• Chips (School Newspaper)
• Chocolate Making
• Chorus
• CSI Angels
• Conversational French
• Drawing from the Model
• Eastern European Cultural Society
• Echoes Yearbook
• Evolution of Sci-Fi
• Film Appreciation from a Technical Standpoint
• Free Spirits
• Free Your Butterflies
• French Club
• French National Honor Society
• Go Green
• History Society
• Institute for Educational Achievement
• Instrumental Ensemble/Orchestra
• Irish Step Dancing
• Italian Club
• Just Angels
• Kiddie Lit
• Math Tutoring
• M.E.D.S.
• Mind Games
• Music Makers
• NJ Bar Association Mock Trial
• Operation Smile
• Origami
• Outreach
• Photoshop
• Northern European Cultural Society
• Orchestra
• Quick and Easy Crafts
• Shakespeare on Film
• Spanish Club
• Spanish National Honor Society
• Student Athletic Association
• Student Council
• Study Period
• Technology and the PSAT/SAT
• Tomorrow’s Children Club
• Walking for Fitness
• Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow’s Music

After-School activities

• AHA Chorus
• AHA Dance Team
• AHA International Newsletter
• AHA JV Cheerleaders
• AHA Reads - Book Club
• Angel Ambassadors
• Bergen Catholic Varsity Cheer
• Crew
• Debate
• Habitat for Humanity
• Handbell Choir
• Joining Old and Young
• Latino club
• Middle Eastern Student Association
• Model United Nations
• Poetry Club
• Random Acts of Poetry
• Spectrum
• Stage Crew

Athletics

The Academy of the Holy Angels now competes in the Big North Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Prior to realignment in 2010, the school competed in the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, which consisted of public and private high schools located in Bergen County, New Jersey and Passaic County, New Jersey. Basketball coach Susan Liddy was recognized in the fall of 2008 for having reached a milestone 600th win.

The Academy of the Holy Angels has a long-standing rivalry with fellow Catholic school, Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington Township.

The cross country team won the Non-Public A state titles in both 2006 and 2009.

Below is a listing of the sports offered to students at AHA:

Fall Sports

• Cross country running
• Tennis
• Soccer
• Volleyball

Winter Sports

• Basketball
• Bowling
• Fencing
• Indoor Track

Spring Sports

• Golf
• Lacrosse
• Softball
• Track and Field

External links

• Academy of the Holy Angels
• Data for the Academy of the Holy Angels, National Center for Education Statistics