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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Villa Angela Academy

Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School is a private Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The school's name is commonly abbreviated VASJ. It was formed by the 1990 merger of Villa Angela Academy (all girls) and St. Joseph High School (all boys). It is owned by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. The school's core values are grounded in those of the religious orders which had administered the two predecessor schools: the Society of Mary (Marianists) (Saint Joseph High School) and the Ursulines (Villa Angela Academy).

History

Villa Angela Academy

Villa Angela Academy was founded in the mid-1870s, as a boarding school and academy for girls, by the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland on property they had purchased on the southern shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of Euclid Creek. The school moved into a new building in 1972. Their athletic teams were nicknamed the Skylarks (Larks) Villa Angela Academy had over 6,000 graduates.

St. Joseph High School

St. Joseph High School was opened in 1950 on the site of Boulevard Hospital, a general hospital which closed in 1937 (originally, the Cunningham Sanitarium - a facility designed to use pressurized atmosphere as an aid in the treatment of disease). Bishop Edward Francis Hoban had asked the Society of Mary (Marianists) from Dayton, Ohio to administer the school. The school's mascot was the Viking due to the school's proximity to Lake Erie. St. Joseph has over 10,000 graduates.

Villa Angela - St. Joseph High School

In 1988, the Diocese announced plans to merge these two schools into a new co-educational school that would serve the needs of the east side of Cleveland. The new school would keep both schools' names and traditions. It would be named "Villa Angela - St. Joseph High School" and be located at the St. Joseph building.

The mascot would remain the Viking.

Academics

VASJ has several academic programs including:

Athletics

VASJ competes in Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).

VASJ competes independent of an athletic conference. VASJ was previously a member of the original Crown Conference from 1967-1980 (as St. Joseph), the North Coast League from 2004-2020, and the second iteration of the Crown Conference from 2021-2022. Beginning in 2026, VASJ will become a founding member of the Ohio Catholic Athletic Conference.

State championships

  • Boys basketball - 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2013, 2015, 2017
VASJ is the only Ohio high school to have won boys basketball state titles within all four OHSAA divisions.
  • Girls basketball - 1999
  • Boys cross country – 1965^, 1966^, 1968^, 1969^
  • Football – 1989^
  • Softball - 1995, 1996, 1997
  • Girls volleyball - 2001, 2005
  • Wrestling – 1990^

^ Championship won by St. Joseph High School before merging with Villa Angela Academy.

Sports offered

Notable alumni

Notable alumni from before the 1990 merger are identified with "SJHS" for St. Joseph High School and "VAA" for Villa Angela Academy.

Football

Basketball

Politics

News/Media

Law

References

  1. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  2. ^ High school football notes: Euclid, VASJ to renew rivalry ...
  3. ^ Euclid vs. VASJ basketball: Vikings sustain dominance over rival Panthers
  4. ^ No. 6 Cleveland Central Catholic rolls past No. 21 VASJ, 76-63
  5. ^ High school basketball: VASJ protects home court, rips Cleveland Central Catholic
  6. ^ OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association member directory". Retrieved 2010-02-17.
  7. ^ Francis, Sr. M. Michael, OSU (July 23, 1997). "URSULINE SISTERS OF CLEVELAND - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. A joint effort by Case Western University and the Western Reserve Historical Society. Retrieved 3 January 2013.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "Encyclopedia of Cleveland History:CUNNINGHAM SANITARIUM". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. A joint effort by Case Western Reserve University and the Western Reserve Historical Society. March 27, 1998. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  9. ^ "VASJ State Championships". VASJVikings.com. October 7, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  10. ^ "Distinguished Alumni". Villa Angela St. Joseph High School. April 8, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  11. ^ "St. Ed coaches, Tom Tupa, Ellis Burks headed to Hall of Fame". 17 July 2018.
  12. ^ Mary Jo Kilroy
  13. ^ Kelly O'Donnell
  14. ^ Tim Misny