Characteristics of an Ursuline Education
Characteristics of an Ursuline Education
The Christ-centered spirit of St. Angela Merici is a guiding factor in the school
The recognition of the dignity and gifts of all students
An emphasis on the development of the whole person
Academic excellence in all subject matters
Commitment to Christian service
An emphasis on diversity within the school
Personal care for the individual
A spirit of optimism and openness
A strong family spirit within the school

Vision
St. Ursula Villa, a coeducational Catholic School in the Ursuline tradition, is a virtue-based, independent, and a recognized leader in instructional excellence, academic achievement, and whole-child development.

As a Catholic school serving preschool through grade 8, St. Ursula Villa provides a Christian virtue-based education in a safe environment. It holds equally its principles of faith, family, and education: each serving as an extension of the other, all three working toward the same goal of educating and nurturing its children.

While St. Ursula Villa's physical presence is its historic Manor House and additional buildings, the true essence of the school is its infrastructure of parents, students and faculty who hold the highest expectations of one another and recognize their own responsibility to live up to these unilateral expectations. This intense dedication to educating the "whole" child is what interweaves family and education, with faith being the common thread that creates a secure, seamless grafting of home and school.

Mission
St. Ursula Villa of Cincinnati, Inc., a Catholic school established in the spirit of St. Angela Merici, has as its mission to nurture the growth of the student as a whole individual -- spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically. St. Ursula Villa will foster academic excellence and instill awareness, responsibility and commitment to society. Working together, the Ursulines of Cincinnati, the Board of Trustees, staff, parents and students of St. Ursula Villa all strive to achieve this mission.

Philosophy
Our school is an independent Catholic school. "Catholic schools strive to relate all human culture to the news of salvation, so that the light of faith will illumine the knowledge which students gradually gain of the world, of life, and of humankind." (Vatican II, Document on Education, 8)

"The educational mission of the Church is an integrated ministry embracing three interlocking dimensions: message, community, and service. Catholic schools afford the fullest and best opportunity to realize this threefold purpose of education among children and young people." (National Council of Catholic Bishops, To Teach As Jesus Did, 101)

In light of these Church teachings, St. Ursula Villa is committed to the education of children in partnership with parents who recognize that, for people of faith, the wisdom and culture transmitted by a school are enriched and put into perspective by the gospel message of Jesus.

We believe...
...our school should strive to educate the whole person by promoting the spiritual, moral, physical, and intellectual development of each student in a Christian environment.

...our school should strive to instill in each student a respect for oneself, for others, and for all of God's creation.

...our school should challenge the unique, individual abilities of each student in such a manner as to enhance self-worth and to attain academic excellence.

...our school should seek to motivate students to live as part of a believing community which works to serve the needs of society; to foster love of life, love of family, and love of country; to enable students to recognize and appreciate the beliefs of other cultures and to respect and reverence this plurality of cultures as a wonder of God.

...our school should be committed to caring leadership, competent teaching, and cooperative endeavors with parents.

1. A faith in the life-giving presence of Jesus sustains the members of the school community in their educational goals and provides their sense of mission.
2. Each person is respected as free and worthy of support and affirmation.
3. The good of people in the practical immediate sense and in the broader global sense is held out as a basic concern for all so that individual rights are viewed in the light of corresponding duties in justice to others.
4. The happiness and fulfillment of the individual is deemed important. There is effort to enable each person to take responsibility for his/her life in loving relationship to God, self, and others by using opportunities and talents well.
5. The human condition requires a continual need for conversion resulting in reconciliation with God and with others. This understanding motivates the school community to constantly look for ways to promote healing, growth, and development for individuals and for its structure.
6. In the spirit of stewardship there is concern and continuous striving to be an excellent school on the academic level.
7. An experience of Christian community is celebrated in worship both in the school as a whole and in the classroom.
8. The school shall acknowledge through its philosophy, curriculum, and administration the proper authority of the Archbishop in all matters of faith, morals, and discipline.

History
In 1910, at the invitation of Archbishop Henry K. Moeller, Mother Fidelis Coleman and a small group of 20 sisters arrived in Cincinnati to begin the task of educating the city's youth in the Ursuline tradition. That first year, 63 pupils enrolled at St. Ursula Academy in Walnut Hills. The grade school was co-educational while the high school was for girls only. In the ensuing years, guided by the writings of St. Angela Merici, the Sisters established a reputation for academic excellence.

In 1960, in order to accommodate continued expansion, the Sisters bought the R.K. LeBlond estate in Mt. Lookout, which had been willed to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Archbishop Paul F. Leibold formally blessed the new property on January 2, 1961. The following day, eager 7th and 8th graders began attending classes in the Manor House of St. Ursula Villa School. With Sister Mary Lawrence Hartmann as the first principal, a new multipurpose building was constructed in 1962. Increasing enrollment necessitated the building of additional classroom space in 1971.

Today over 400 children from preschool through eighth grade are enrolled at the Villa. The buildings and grounds of the 20-acre estate have been modified to provide for the needs of an active student body. School facilities now include preschool and kindergarten classrooms, a multipurpose room, science and computer labs, a library, a gym, athletic fields, extensive lawn and wooded areas, and well-equipped playgrounds. An addition of a primary building was opened in August 1999 to accommodate Grades 1 to 3 in six classrooms and a gym.

Expanded enrollment has led to an expanded faculty, including art, music, foreign language, enrichment program, and physical education teachers, computer and library science instructors, a speech pathologist, counselor, and learning and remedial specialists. After-school care and summer programs are also offered.

An ongoing commitment by parents to various volunteer activities continues to provide a spirit of community within the School. In the early 1990's, both the Sisters and parents saw the wisdom of transferring the school's governance to an independent Board of Trustees. This development gives St. Ursula Villa a solid foundation upon which to continue its tradition of academic excellence.