Loretto Academy (El Paso, Texas) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Loretto Academy
Address
1300 Hardaway Street El Paso , (El Paso County) , Texas 79903 United States
Coordinates	31°47′10″N 106°26′5″W / 31.78611°N 106.43472°W / 31.78611; -106.43472
Information
Type	Private, All-Girls for grades 6-12
Motto	A Tradition Of Excellence/ Let Loretto Be Loretto Forever
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1923
Founder	Mother M. Praxedes Carty
President	Nicole Ortega Cobb
Principal	High School: Homero Silva Middle School: Mary Ann Olivas
Grades	Pre-K–12 (Boys PreK-5, girls all grades)
Color(s)	Yellow, Black and White
Slogan	Four Core Values: Faith, Community, Justice & Respect
Mascot	Angels
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Newspaper	The Prax
Affiliation	Sisters of Loretto
Elementary Principal	Norma Lopez
Athletic Director	Angela Glover
Architects	Trost & Trost
Website	http://www.loretto.org

Loretto Academy is a private Roman Catholic school in El Paso, Texas. It opened in 1923. Mother M. Praxedes Carty started the school. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of El Paso. Boys and girls attend Pre-K to 5th grade. Only girls attend grades 6 through 12.

History of Loretto Academy

The Sisters of Loretto had already started other schools in nearby cities. In the early 1920s, Mother M. Praxedes Carty came to El Paso. She wanted to build a new school there. On March 20, 1922, she bought 19 acres of land. This land was in the Austin Terrace area. Many people thought it was a bad spot for a school.

Building the School

The area was like an open desert on a hilltop. It was far from downtown El Paso. People could only get there by streetcar. Because of the location, some people wondered if families would send their children. They even called the project "Praxedes' Folly."

The famous architects Trost & Trost designed the school. Gustavus A. Trost was friends with Mother Praxedes. He likely drew many of the first plans. The buildings were made to face Mexico. This was a friendly gesture to welcome everyone. They used stuccoed brick and red Spanish tiles on the roofs.

Construction on the first building began in the fall of 1922. The cornerstone for the chapel was placed on March 20, 1924. The whole campus was not finished until the 1930s. However, the first school building was ready in 1923.

Opening and Growth

Loretto Academy in El Paso opened its doors on September 11, 1923. There were 186 students that first year. Twenty of these students lived at the school as boarders. In 1928, the school became a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This showed that Loretto met high educational standards.

The boarding school part of Loretto Academy closed in 1975. Students from Ciudad Juárez in Mexico also attend the school. In the early 1990s, the school had more than 900 students.

In 2022, Sister Mary E. "Buffy" Boesen stepped down as president. She had served for 22 years. Nicole Ortega Cobb, a former student of Loretto, became the new president in June 2022.

Well-Known People from Loretto

Many notable people have attended or worked at Loretto Academy.

Famous Alumni

• Stevie Nicks
• Maureen McDonnell
• Karla Martínez de Salas
• Amirah Kassem
• Michelle Dipp
• Mago Orona Gándara
• Mary Helen Garcia
• Alicia Gaspar de Alba
• M. Sue Kurita
• Pat Mora
• María Guillermina Valdes Villalva
• Patricia Roybal Caballero
• Andi Teran, an author

Notable Teachers

• Lilliana Owens
• Jacqueline Grennan Wexler