Loretto Academy (El Paso, Texas)
Private, all-girls for grades 6-12 school in El Paso, , Texas, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Loretto Academy is a private Roman Catholic school in El Paso, Texas. It was opened in 1923 and was founded by Mother M. Praxedes Carty. is a part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. Grades Pre-K3-5 are coeducational, while grades 6-12 are all girls.[2]
| Loretto Academy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
1300 Hardaway Street , , 79903 United States 31°47′10″N 106°26′5″W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, All-Girls for grades 6-12 |
| Motto | A Tradition Of Excellence/ Let Loretto Be Loretto Forever |
Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1923 |
| Founder | Mother M. Praxedes Carty |
| President | Nicole Ortega Cobb |
Principal | High School: Homero Silva Middle School: Mary Ann Olivas |
| Grades | Pre-K–12 (Boys PreK-5, girls all grades) |
| Colors | Yellow, Black and White |
| Slogan | Four Core Values: Faith, Community, Justice & Respect |
| Mascot | Angels |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
| Newspaper | The Prax |
| Affiliation | Sisters of Loretto |
| Elementary Principal | Norma Lopez |
| Athletic Director | Angela Glover |
| Architects | Trost & Trost |
| Website | http://www.loretto.org |
Background
The Sisters of Loretto had previously established several schools in Las Cruces and El Paso.[3][4] In the early 1920s, Mother M. Praxedes Carty of the Sisters of Loretto came to El Paso to establish a new school.[5] On March 20, 1922, she purchased 19 acres of land in the Austin Terrace area, which was considered a bad place to put the school.[6][7] The area was open desert on a hilltop and was accessible by streetcar.[8] For the time period, it was considered to be a long distance from the downtown area.[6] Because of the location, people were unsure if parents would send their children to the school.[8] People began to call the project "Praxedes' Folly."[8]
The building was designed by Trost & Trost.[9] Gustavus A. Trost was friends with Mother Praxedes and may have done most of the primary architectural drawings.[10] The buildings were "designed to face Mexico" in a welcoming gesture for all people to join the community.[4] They were built using stuccoed brick and red Spanish tile on the roof.[9] The first building was started in the fall of 1922.[11] The cornerstone for the chapel was laid down on March 20, 1924.[7] The entire campus was not complete until the 1930s.[9] However, the first school building was ready in 1923. Loretto Academy in El Paso opened on September 11, 1923 with 186 students, of which 20 lived at the school as boarders.[7] In 1928, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools admitted Loretto as a member.[12]
The boarding school closed in 1975.[13] Students from Ciudad Juarez also attend the school.[4] As of the early 1990s the school had over 900 students.[14]
After 22 years, in 2022, Sister Mary E. "Buffy" Boesen stepped down as president of Loretto.[15] Loretto alumna, Nicole Ortega Cobb, became the next president of the school in June 2022.[15]
Notable attendees
- Patricia Roybal Caballero.[16]
- Michelle Dipp.[17]
- Veronica Escobar
- Mago Orona Gándara.[18]
- Mary Helen Garcia.[19]
- Alicia Gaspar de Alba.[20]
- Maria-Elena Giner
- Amirah Kassem.[21]
- M. Sue Kurita.[22]
- Karla Martínez de Salas.[23]
- Maureen McDonnell.[24]
- Pat Mora.[21]
- Stevie Nicks.[25]
- Angelica Rosales.[26]
- Andi Teran.[27]
- María Guillermina Valdes Villalva.[28]
