Mount St. Joseph Academy

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Page: ABOUT MSJ

ABOUT MSJ

Mount St. Joseph Academy’s beginnings are inextricably tied both to the founding of the Rutland community of the Sisters of St. Joseph and to the early years of St. Peter Parish and School.  Many of the earliest alumni recount stories of dedication and trial that were part of the Sisters’ experiences in making Mount St. Joseph Academy a reality.
Mother M. Austin Keane, a native of Loretto, Pennsylvania and foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph at the corner of Meadow St. and Convent Avenue, stepped off the train at Rutland and exclaimed joyfully that the hills of her new home looked much like the hills of western Pennsylvania, the place of her birth.  It was here in these Vermont hills that the new religious community was born in 1873.
Almost from the moment the small band of Sisters arrived, they began the task of building a school to serve the local population.  St. Peter School opened two weeks after the Sisters came to Rutland and was the first Catholic school in the area.  In 1882, the Sisters built a new convent and opened within it the all-girls Mount St. Joseph Academy.
As early written histories of Mount St. Joseph Academy attest, the Academy “always reflected the needs of the community and of the times.”  This was a significant part of the charism of any Sister of St. Joseph school.  The schools in Rutland, and elsewhere, sought to educate all students and to prepare them for the era in which they lived.
In its earliest years as an all-girls academy, Mount St. Joseph Academy offered courses in Geometry, Physics, Astronomy, History and the Humanities.  In addition, diplomas were offered in Music and Commercial Courses.  Often multiple courses were taught by one talented Sister who sought nothing more than the development of the whole student for the greater glory of God.
Eventually, the local population desired for all of its children the diverse and rigorous education that had been provided for its daughters.  The Sisters, in cooperation with the Rutland Catholic community, built a larger facility next to the Motherhouse and opened as a co-educational academy in 1927.
Again, this was a response to the needs of the community and the signs of the times.  The rigorous curriculum continued.  However, the advent of boys brought the introduction of a full athletics program for its day that included football, basketball and baseball.  The music program grew to include a full marching band and orchestra; and diplomas were offered in specialties such as piano and violin.  Drama became an integral part of the complete Mount St. Joseph experience.  All of this was offered in order to develop the complete person in mind, soul and body.
Numerous alumni have stories of dedicated teachers, mentors and coaches making the extra effort to assist students.  One alumnus, and benefactor of the Academy, credits the dedication of the Sisters who guided and taught him with his acceptance into a highly competitive college and his academic success there.
The success of the Academy continued through the years.  Graduates entered colleges and universities in ever-increasing numbers.  They pursued graduate degrees in Medicine and Law.  Alumni became university professors, priests and leaders in the arts and in their communities.
As the reputation of Mount St. Joseph Academy grew, so did the enrollment.  In fact, people in Rutland saw the Academy as very much a school of the community.  1957 saw the addition of another building that included “state of the art’ science laboratories and a new gymnasium.  Students came to the Academy from all parts of the city to take advantage of its educational, athletic and artistic opportunities.  Catholic families sent their teens to Mount St. Joseph for a complete experience that included faith formation.  At its height in the mid-1960s, enrollment swelled to over 500 students.
Glancing through the pages of the yearbook, or in speaking with alumni, it is easy to sense the special ethos or spirit that lived at Meadow St. and Convent Avenue.  There was a hum about the place.  Students knew that this was a place where they belonged.  Success in the classroom spilled over to athletic championships and first place awards in regional, state and New England drama and music competitions.  Mount St. Joseph Academy became the school of choice for those who sought admission to competitive colleges and universities.
Even as the enrollment began to decline through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s and costs increased, Mount St. Joseph Academy always prepared its students for academic and professional success.    Students competed at the highest levels, meeting the challenges of standardized tests, the gridiron and the stage.  Also, it was during this time period that there was a clearer articulation of the need to reach out to the wider community through active community service.  As poverty increased in the neighborhoods surrounding the Academy, the students responded with “Project Help:” a food distribution initiative during the Christmas Season.  By the late 1990’s, community service grew from a single school-wide project to a graduation requirement.  The focus, again, was on forming the entire student and responding to the needs of the times.
Mount St. Joseph Academy entered a period of serious self-reflection by undertaking a professional self-assessment in November 2007.  It was apparent that enrollment was in steady decline.  In conjunction with Christ the King School, Catholic School Management was asked to assess the situation at Mount St. Joseph Academy.  A report was written that identified the strengths and weaknesses of the Academy in attracting and retaining students.  Alumni, parents, current students, faculty and staff participated in the assessment process.
This report, along with a five year strategic plan, has served to guide the revitalization of Mount St. Joseph Academy.  Key to this revitalization is recognizing and responding to the signs of the times.  Initiatives for growth have been undertaken in the areas of curriculum, sources available through Virtual High School and local colleges, guidance programs that respond to the needs of all students, a trimester system that allows for greater flexibility in scheduling, among other enhancements, are current responses to the needs of the community and the signs of the times.
The core mission of Mount St. Joseph Academy remains the same as the intentions of the first women who began Catholic education in the Rutland region over 125 years ago:  to educate the whole person in mind, spirit and body.  True to this mission is the continued belief that a Mount St. Joseph Academy education should remain accessible to all in the Rutland Region who desire a challenging Catholic educational experience.

Mount St. Joseph Academy’s beginnings are inextricably tied both to the founding of the Rutland community of the Sisters of St. Joseph and to the early years of St. Peter Parish and School.  Many of the earliest alumni recount stories of dedication and trial that were part of the Sisters’ experiences in making Mount St. Joseph Academy a reality.

Mother M. Austin Keane, a native of Loretto, Pennsylvania and foundress of the Sisters of St. Joseph at the corner of Meadow St. and Convent Avenue, stepped off the train at Rutland and exclaimed joyfully that the hills of her new home looked much like the hills of western Pennsylvania, the place of her birth.  It was here in these Vermont hills that the new religious community was born in 1873.

Almost from the moment the small band of Sisters arrived, they began the task of building a school to serve the local population.  St. Peter School opened two weeks after the Sisters came to Rutland and was the first Catholic school in the area.  In 1882, the Sisters built a new convent and opened within it the all-girls Mount St. Joseph Academy.

As early written histories of Mount St. Joseph Academy attest, the Academy “always reflected the needs of the community and of the times.”  This was a significant part of the charism of any Sister of St. Joseph school.  The schools in Rutland, and elsewhere, sought to educate all students and to prepare them for the era in which they lived.

In its earliest years as an all-girls academy, Mount St. Joseph Academy offered courses in Geometry, Physics, Astronomy, History and the Humanities.  In addition, diplomas were offered in Music and Commercial Courses.  Often multiple courses were taught by one talented Sister who sought nothing more than the development of the whole student for the greater glory of God.

Eventually, the local population desired for all of its children the diverse and rigorous education that had been provided for its daughters.  The Sisters, in cooperation with the Rutland Catholic community, built a larger facility next to the Motherhouse and opened as a co-educational academy in 1927.

Again, this was a response to the needs of the community and the signs of the times.  The rigorous curriculum continued.  However, the advent of boys brought the introduction of a full athletics program for its day that included football, basketball and baseball.  The music program grew to include a full marching band and orchestra; and diplomas were offered in specialties such as piano and violin.  Drama became an integral part of the complete Mount St. Joseph experience.  All of this was offered in order to develop the complete person in mind, soul and body.

Numerous alumni have stories of dedicated teachers, mentors and coaches making the extra effort to assist students.  One alumnus, and benefactor of the Academy, credits the dedication of the Sisters who guided and taught him with his acceptance into a highly competitive college and his academic success there.

The success of the Academy continued through the years.  Graduates entered colleges and universities in ever-increasing numbers.  They pursued graduate degrees in Medicine and Law.  Alumni became university professors, priests and leaders in the arts and in their communities.

As the reputation of Mount St. Joseph Academy grew, so did the enrollment.  In fact, people in Rutland saw the Academy as very much a school of the community.  1957 saw the addition of another building that included “state of the art’ science laboratories and a new gymnasium.  Students came to the Academy from all parts of the city to take advantage of its educational, athletic and artistic opportunities.  Catholic families sent their teens to Mount St. Joseph for a complete experience that included faith formation.  At its height in the mid-1960s, enrollment swelled to over 500 students.

Glancing through the pages of the yearbook, or in speaking with alumni, it is easy to sense the special ethos or spirit that lived at Meadow St. and Convent Avenue.  There was a hum about the place.  Students knew that this was a place where they belonged.  Success in the classroom spilled over to athletic championships and first place awards in regional, state and New England drama and music competitions.  Mount St. Joseph Academy became the school of choice for those who sought admission to competitive colleges and universities.

Even as the enrollment began to decline through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s and costs increased, Mount St. Joseph Academy always prepared its students for academic and professional success.    Students competed at the highest levels, meeting the challenges of standardized tests, the gridiron and the stage.  Also, it was during this time period that there was a clearer articulation of the need to reach out to the wider community through active community service.  As poverty increased in the neighborhoods surrounding the Academy, the students responded with “Project Help:” a food distribution initiative during the Christmas Season.  By the late 1990’s, community service grew from a single school-wide project to a graduation requirement.  The focus, again, was on forming the entire student and responding to the needs of the times.

Mount St. Joseph Academy entered a period of serious self-reflection by undertaking a professional self-assessment in November 2007.  It was apparent that enrollment was in steady decline.  In conjunction with Christ the King School, Catholic School Management was asked to assess the situation at Mount St. Joseph Academy.  A report was written that identified the strengths and weaknesses of the Academy in attracting and retaining students.  Alumni, parents, current students, faculty and staff participated in the assessment process.

This report, along with a five year strategic plan, has served to guide the revitalization of Mount St. Joseph Academy.  Key to this revitalization is recognizing and responding to the signs of the times.  Initiatives for growth have been undertaken in the areas of curriculum, sources available through Virtual High School and local colleges, guidance programs that respond to the needs of all students, a trimester system that allows for greater flexibility in scheduling, among other enhancements, are current responses to the needs of the community and the signs of the times.

The core mission of Mount St. Joseph Academy remains the same as the intentions of the first women who began Catholic education in the Rutland region over 125 years ago:  to educate the whole person in mind, spirit and body.  True to this mission is the continued belief that a Mount St. Joseph Academy education should remain accessible to all in the Rutland Region who desire a challenging Catholic educational experience.

127 Convent Ave. Rutland, VT 05701 802.775.0151