| The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Bourg was founded by the Reverend Peter Medaille, SJ, in
LePuy, France. |
| Four Sisters arrived by boat in Baton Rouge. The first school
and the orphanage were located on what is today Seventh Street
and was later moved to a location that is presently Fourth and
Florida streets. |
| St. Joseph's Academy was granted a charter under the laws
of the State of Louisiana. |
| Miss Josephine Bahlinger became the first graduate. |
| SJA was accredited by the State of Louisiana. |
| Membership was achieved in the Southern Association of Colleges
and Secondary Schools. SJA continues to be certified by SACS. |
| Campus was relocated to Broussard Street. |
| Medaille Hall was built. |
| Construction was completed of the convent, children's home,
chapel and cafeteria. SJA integrated its student body with four
African-American students enrolled in the junior class. |
| The SJA Foundation of Baton
Rouge, Inc. was established. |
| As part of the 100-year celebration, the Sisters appointed
lay advisors to serve on the SJA Advisory Board. |
| Kindergarten was closed after 1969-70 school year. Plans were
made to phase out elementary grades. |
| SJA became a high school, grades 9-12 only. |
| SJA's first capital campaign for building and renovation,
"A Season of Excellence," was announced. |
| Dedication ceremonies marked the completion of the Activity
Center and the renovation of the former gym and stage areas
into the library/media center and foreign language department. |
| The Sisters dissolved SJA's Lay Advisory Board and established
the SJA Board of Directors, a policy-making board responsible
for the viability of the school. Corporate members were charged
with ensuring faithfulness to the mission. |
| SJA was named a Blue
Ribbon National School of Excellence by the U.S. Department
of Education. A 1991 alumnae was named a Rhodes Scholar. |
| Two firsts for SJA seniors: one was named a Presidential Scholar
and another received appointment to the United States Naval
Academy. |
| The mathematics center opened in the library as a result of
a grant received from the Louisiana State Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education. |
| SJA celebrated its 125th anniversary. As part of the celebration,
a bronze plaque was dedicated and placed on the original site
of SJA, now the site of Bank One/Albemarle. Through the work
of the SJA Dads' Club, a memorial entrance was added for the
main building. The iron sign that welcomed visitors to the Church
Street entrance in the late 1800s and early 1900s continues
that tradition today. |
| SJA Board of Directors approved an academic audit to ensure
the continuing quality of the academic program. SJA's swim team
and golf team both won the state championship. |
| SJA was again named a Blue Ribbon National School of Excellence
by the U.S. Department of Education. A record 10 percent of
seniors were recognized in the 1996 National Merit Scholarship
Program. |
| SJA announced its Campaign for Advancement, a capital campaign
to build a science center. The walkway between Medaille Hall
and the main building was rebuilt, covered and expanded. |
| The laptop computer program was introduced. Construction began
on the Irene W. Pennington Science Center. Wireless access to
the Internet was installed campus-wide. The SJA volleyball team
won the state championship. Blake Ives, PhD, wrote the SJA Case
study. |
| Irene W. Pennington Science Center was completed for the beginning
of school. Compaq approved SJA as the first high school to maintain
its own help desk. |
| LSU and SJA partnered to receive a grant from the National
Science Foundation to study the impact that technology immersion
has on career choices. |
| An SJA student received the school's first appointment to
West Point. For the third time, SJA was named a Blue Ribbon
National School of Excellence and was one of three schools in
the nation recognized by the United
Stated Department of Education for excellence in technology. |
| The Mission Effectiveness Team was established to ensure a balance between the three pillars of the SJA mission statement: faith development, academic excellence and personal growth. |
SJA implemented a new president/principal administrative model, with Sister Adele Lambert, CSJ, a 1954 graduate, becoming SJA’s first president and Linda Fryoux Harvison, class of 1966, becoming the first lay principal. |
The school’s enrollment grew to more than 1,000 students as SJA accepted 250 New Orleans-area students displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Nearly all returned to their homes and schools for the start of the spring 2006 semester.
The Academy began to build upon its fine arts program by adding new electives in the visual and performing arts as a complement to the academic core curriculum. SJA was designated as Baton Rouge's first Local Historic Landmark by the Metropolitan Council of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge. |
The SJA Foundation Board was reestablished.
A full-time campus minister was hired for the 2006-07 school year.
SJA was reaccredited as a member of the Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). SJA has been a continuously accredited member since 1931.
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SJA moved to DyKnow software, the new Office 2007 Suite and the Toshiba Tablet personal computer to enhance the effectiveness of technology in the expanding curriculum.
The Mother St. Jean Fontbonne Prayer Garden was dedicated on the SJA campus to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the refounding of the Congregation of Saint Joseph in Lyon, France. |
Academy students, faculty and staff contributed more than 28,500 hours of service to the community. These hours were pledged in celebration of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States and in honor of his birthday.
SJA is the 2007-2008 winner of the Southern Quality Ford Cup as the most outstanding overall athletic program in Class 5A. SJA is the first all-girls school to win the competition.
SJA celebrates its 140th anniversary this year. |
SJA celebrated the 10th year of its laptop computer program and student-run Help Desk.
Science teacher Linda Messina was the recipient of three national awards: the U.S. Department of Education’s American Star of Teaching; the National Catholic Educational Association’s Catholic Secondary Education Award; and the National Association of Biology Teachers’ Outstanding Biology Teacher for Louisiana.
The Academy announced and kicked off the public phase of the Always the Academy Capital Campaign to build an Academic Performing Arts Center and specialty classrooms for choral music, dance, drama and performance.
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