ANAHEIM, CALIF. (July 16, 2010) St. Catherine’s Military Academy announced that it will change its name to St. Catherine’s Academy beginning on August 1, 2010. A new tag line, “A Boys’ Catholic School with a Military Tradition,” will accompany the change in title. St. Catherine’s is the oldest Catholic school in Orange County. The Academy emphasizes that there will be no changes to its unique program.
“We found that many people had an incorrect impression about who we are and what we do,” says Academy principal Sister Johnellen Turner, OP. In many people’s minds, military schools have become synonymous with reformatory institutions. St. Catherine’s has struggled for years against this false image. “First and foremost, we are a Catholic school. The military tradition is used to motivate students and teach leadership. It is just one component of the well-rounded education our students receive. We hope this shift in our name will better reflect our true reality.”
The decision to change the name was not taken lightly. The possibility of a change first arose during a 2006-2007 study conducted by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, who founded the school in 1889 and continue to administer it. In response to the study, a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) was formed. After intense examination, the SPC and staff members suggested that the name be changed. The school Board of Directors ratified the decision soon after.
“We want to be clear that we are not changing the military program in any way,” says Colonel Barry Bizzell (USMC, Retired), Commandant of Cadets at St. Catherine’s. “We will continue to teach leadership, self-discipline, honor, and respect through the military tradition, just as we have throughout our rich history.”
The 85-year-old military tradition was originally instituted in order to provide positive male role models to the Academy’s population of orphan boys. The primary objectives of the military department are, “to develop within each cadet a keen sense of honor, commitment, cooperation, initiative, discipline, leadership, and respect.”
St. Catherine’s Academy, founded in 1889 by the Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, is an independent Catholic school with a military tradition for boys in grades kindergarten to 8th grade. The school offers both day and boarding opportunities.