Providence Catholic High School - History

History

Providence Catholic High School began as St. Mary Academy for Girls, a commercial school in Joliet, Illinois run by the Sisters of Loretto. The school opened in 1880, though the original building was not opened until 1883. Eventually, academic classes were added. In 1918, the Diocese of Joliet invited the Sisters of Providence to take over the school. On October 22 of that year, the school's name was changed to "Providence High School". In 1931, the academic classes were stopped as the Great Depression took its toll on the school. In 1932, the school was reverted to a two-year commercial school, with a four-year secretarial program opened in 1938. Though the academic courses were reinstated after the Depression, the school building was condemned as a fire hazard in 1959. From 1959 through 1962, the school met at St. Mary's Parish. A popular story in the school community is that students would visit the site of the demolished school and scavenge undamaged bricks to sell in order to raise funds for a new school which was already in development.

In 1962, the modern Providence High School was opened. The most obvious change was location: the school had left Joliet, and was now located a few miles to the east in New Lenox. The other major change was the shift to a coed school. Though a relatively brand new school, the area of New Lenox, at the time was not heavily populated. Enrollment dropped, and the school began suffering financially. Father Roger Kaffer (later Bishop R. Kaffer) was named the new principal and arrived in 1970 and began a campaign to improve the academic standing of the school, and to improve transportation options for students traveling great distances. It was his practice to visit every family who had a child enrolled in the school. The 1971 enrollment of 490 reached 785 by 1975. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the need for additions to be built on to the school.

The Order of Saint Augustine was invited by the Diocese to take control of the school after the 1984–85 school year. An addition of a college preparatory curriculum was one initiative, as was a refocus on the spiritual mission of the school. Attention was made to upgrading the religious studies course work, and a retreat program was started. The name of the school was changed to "Providence Catholic High School" to reflect these changes. In 1998, the school decided to limit enrollment in order to retain a more personal atmosphere with students. Since 1998, the enrollment has hovered between 1,000 and 1,200.