Academy of Holy Angels

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The Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is a Catholic, coeducational high school located in Richfield, Minnesota. Holy Angels educates more than 850 students each year in grades nine through twelve from around the Twin Cities metropolitan area. A nationally recognized college preparatory school, it offers a rigorous, broad-based curriculum and numerous opportunities to excel in co-curricular activities, arts and athletics.

Contents

1 History
2 Athletics
3 Notable alumni
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

History

The Academy of Holy Angels was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph on September 15, 1931, when the newly constructed building was opened.[History of Holy Angels] The initial enrollment of 107 students in grades 1-12 grew to 182 by the end of the 1931-1932 school year. The original grounds included a formal English garden in the courtyard, tennis courts, a 9 hole golf course, and a ice skating rink during the winter.

The school was accredited in 1932, and that same year the school had its first graduating class of 13 members. In 1935 the Alumnae Association was established with most of it's efforts directed toward communication, reunions, special events for alumni and the annual alumni phonathon. In 1946, after St. Peter's Parish opened next door and established an elementary parish school, Holy Angels closed their elementary grades. The 1952-1953 school year was the last year for boarders to live at Holy Angels, and 1953 marked the beginning of Holy Angels solely as a day school.

In September of 1972, the Academy became a coeducational school. The class of 1976 was the first full four-year co-ed class. Because the school was now co-ed, the Angies became the co*Stars and varsity athletics began. Today the athletic program has grown to 33 teams representing 18 varsity sports for both girls and boys. In 1989 a middle school and theater school were established. In 1996, to enhance the campus and revenues, Holy Angels built the StarDome; a $2 million, year-round athletic facility (the first high school in the United States to have a facility of this type). The complex includes bleachers, a concession building and a playing field for Holy Angels sports and activities.

In 1998 Holy Angels was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education. That same year, although it had not even been open a decade, Holy Angel's middle school was closed. But, depsite this closing, the high school was still growing, expanding their classroom space by 15%. In 2003 Holy Angels purchases the 26-acre campus from its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, at a substantial discount. In that same year, they built and dedicated a new 70,000-square-foot addition that included a Convocation Center and classrooms.

Athletics

The Academy of Holy Angels is in the Missota Conference, which is part of the Minnesota State High School League. In 2005, both the boys and girls hockey teams won the state championship, the first time in Minnesota that the boys and girls hockey championships were from the same school.

State Championships
Season	Sport	Number of Championships	Year
Fall	Soccer, Girls	1	2003
Winter	Hockey, Girls	1	2003
	Hockey, Boys	2	2002, 2005
	Basketball, Girls	1	1975
Spring	Golf, Boys	3	1994, 1998, 1999
Spring	Softball, Girls	1	2000
Total		9

Notable alumni

Troy Bell, a professional basketball player[Troy Bell Profile]
Kelly Carlson, actress[Kelly Carlson Mini Profile]
Larry Fitzgerald, a professional football player in the NFL[Larry Fitzgerald Profile]
Susan King, professional basketball player in the WNBA[Susan King Profile]
T.R. Knight, actor

References

External links

[Official Website]