History

List of 16 items.

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  1860

  Bishop James Whelan, O.P., the second Bishop of Nashville, asked Dominican Sisters from Somerset, Ohio to establish a school that could provide an excellent faith-based education for young women. Four sisters left Ohio in August of 1860 to start the school, and St. Cecilia Academy opened its doors for classes on October 4, 1860.
  
• 

  1861

  During the summer of 1861, the Civil War began. However, St. Cecilia Academy remained open. Despite the ongoing war, the sisters decided to begin construction on the school’s first permanent building, which was completed in time for St. Cecilia Academy’s first graduation in June of 1862.
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  1862

  St. Cecilia Academy had its first graduating class, which included Nellie Doyle and Sallie Shipp.
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  1904

  As time went on, the sisters continued to acquire more land. The third wing of construction of the St. Cecilia Motherhouse and Academy was completed. It included the music conservatory, dining hall, private student bedrooms, and art and science rooms.
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  1923

  The sisters bought 92 acres of land on Harding Road for $180,000, and grazed cattle on it while the finalized the plans for the campus.
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  1957

  St. Cecilia Academy moved to the Harding Road location, and the community dedicated the building in conjunction with the Feast of Saint Cecilia (November 22).
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  1976

  The school broke ground on the new library, theater, and fine arts wing.
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  1991

  The United States Department of Education awarded St. Cecilia Academy the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Education, a distinction we retain.
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  2001

  The school completed construction of the science wing, administrative offices, and Alumnae Hall and dedicated the space.
• 

  2004

  The Cardinal Newman Society named St. Cecilia one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in the US, an accomplishment that we have maintained over the years.

   
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  2007

  USA Weekend named St. Cecilia Academy’s production of Beauty and the Beast the best high school musical in Tennessee, confirming the consistent excellence of SCA’s drama and fine arts programs.
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  2009

  St. Cecilia Academy opened a newly refurbished track and soccer field complex, which it shares with Overbrook Catholic School.

   
• 

  2010

  St. Cecilia Academy celebrated 150 years of educating young women.
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  2019

  In March, St. Cecilia Academy opened a new Fine Arts Center, which features 9,500 square feet of new visual art and dance studio space, as well as 5,900 square feet of renovated drama and music conservatory space.

   
• 

  2022

  St. Cecilia added a 7th and 8th grade to become a 7 through 12 school. Adding the program to our existing campus did not feel like a new school within SCA but an extension of what we have done for 160 years. We are a community, a family rich in history, knowledge, faith, and love for one another.
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  2023

  Incoming freshmen began the 2023-2024 school year with a new opportunity to expand their understanding of the human intellect to grasp truth by means of reason. The newly-established philosophy program was created to: develop logical reasoning in the students and help all students come to appreciate the dignity and power of human reason.