♦   H I S T O R Y  ♦

St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory boasts of a rich and unique history. 
 

The school was founded by St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1915 under the name Xavier University Preparatory School.  Drexel Prep gave African-American teenagers in the New Orleans metro area an opportunity to receive a quality Catholic education that would prepare them for life’s challenges at a time when segregation was still in effect. 

Co-ed until 1971, the school then became a single-sex school that served a diverse group of young ladies in grades 9^th through 12^th from various religious, intellectual, social, and economic backgrounds.  In 2003 the school added an 8^th grade followed by the addition of a 7^th grade in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina forced the two Archdiocesan middle schools to close.

The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament worked tirelessly to meet the financial challenges facing at the Prep; but after reviewing the financial projections for the 2013-2014 school year, they concluded that Prep no longer had a financially sustainable future.

In mid-February, 2013, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament announced that they were going to close the school at the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.  This announcement was the catalyst that triggered unprecedented action by the Xavier Prep Alumni Association.  In April, 2013, two months after the dismal announcement of the school’s impending closure, another more optimistic release was sent to the media proclaiming that six of the Xavier Prep Alumni had formed a corporation and that they were in negotiations with the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament to purchase the school in order that the legacy of quality Catholic education might continue.  One of the major stipulations mandated by the Sisters, however, was that the school could not keep the name “Xavier University Preparatory” even though the school’s mission and vision, student body, and staff would remain virtually the same.



For almost 98 years the students and staff of the school had been steeped in the vision of St. Katharine Drexel, which had been lovingly dubbed the “Drexel Dream,” it seemed logical that the new entity would be called “St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory.”  Now in its 106th year of operation, the school embraces this tradition which flows from the religious commitment, personal dedication and professional competencies of religious and lay persons who have devoted themselves to the education of youth.

Drexel Prep inherits a tradition of high-quality Catholic education from its foundress, St. Katharine Drexel, and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. This tradition flows from the religious commitment, personal dedication, and professional competence of religious and lay persons who have devoted themselves to the education of youth.

The school bases its philosophy on the belief that the total educational program nurtures and challenges the students, each of whom has unique gifts and talents. The focus of the program is the development of Christian girls through a harmonious blending of their spiritual, moral, intellectual, emotional, and physical strengths.

Drexel Prep cultivates individual self-esteem and encourages students to improve their local, national, and global communities. Preparing students to live with compassion, dignity, and responsibility in a constantly evolving world is Drexel Prep’s ultimate purpose. This includes preparation for a variety of post-secondary options. A strong discipline program, a challenging curriculum, varied co-curricular activities, and a community service program provide an integrated means for fulfilling this mission.

• To provide opportunities for developing faith community through liturgies, the counseling program, daily prayer, community service projects, campus ministry projects and involvement in church parish activities.

• To promote the dignity of each student by fostering esteem and respect for self and for all people.

• To promote self-discipline through a structured program which requires students to practice Christian Values.

• To develop academic excellence by demanding individual achievement in all subjects.

• To promote student leadership through programs initiated and implemented by students with faculty assistance.

• To prepare students to become responsible, committed members of the local, national and global communities by developing an understanding of government structures and their operation and by providing opportunities for each student to help with community projects.

• To teach effective decision-making skills by guiding students through a process of problem-solving.

• To foster an appreciation for all creation by developing environmental awareness and compassion.
  
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