Alverno Heights Academy

Alverno Heights Academy, formerly Alverno High School, is an independent, Catholic, College-prep high school for girls located in Sierra Madre, California, near Pasadena. The school is on the former Villa del Sol d’Oro estate.[2][3][4][5][6] Due to Alverno High's unique architecture and grounds the school has been used in many TV shows and movies, also weddings.[7][8] On February 21, 2023, Alverno's trustees announced that its high school ("Upper School") will close on June 2, 2023. The K-8 "Lower School" will remain open.[9]

Alverno Heights Academy
Address
200 North Michillinda Avenue

Sierra Madre
,
(Los Angeles County)
,
California
91024

United States
Coordinates34°9′57″N 118°4′0″W
Information
TypePrivate, all-female
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1960
Head of schoolJulia Fanara
Grades9-12
Enrollment126 (2021-2022)
Average class size17
Student to teacher ratio12:1
Campus size13 acres (53,000 m2)
Color(s)Royal blue and White   
Athletics conferenceCatholic High School Athletic Association
SportsCross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, and Track and Field
MascotJaguar
Team nameJaguars
AccreditationNational Catholic Education Association, Western Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
PublicationCalliope (literary magazine)
AffiliationImmaculate Heart Community
Websitehttp://www.alvernoheightsacademy.org

History

The school building and grounds, were part of Villa del Sol d’Oro, owned and built by Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow and his wife Marion Brooks Barlow in 1924. Dr. Walter had architect Wallace Neff build the Italian Villa, completed in 1928. The Villa is a two-thirds scale replica of the 1534 Villa Collazzi near Florence, Italy.

1534 Villa Collazzi near Florence, Italy, inspiration for Villa del Sol d’Oro

The couple raise three children at the villa. Dr. Barlow was from New York and opened a tuberculosis sanatorium in Echo Park, Los Angeles in 1902, this later became the Barlow Respiratory Hospital. Dr. Barlow died in 1937 of tuberculosis. Five years after Walter died in 1942, Marion sold Villa del Sol d’Oro and its 13-acres to the Sisters of St. Francis, followers of St. Francis of Assisi. The Sisters hoped to use the Villa, now called "Provincial Center," as a convent, from which to provide education, childcare, and health care to Catholic immigrants in and around Sierra Madre. The Sisters, seeing a need for education for young women, started an all-girls high school originally called "Alverno Heights Academy," with classes beginning in 1960. The school added athletics and community service and other activities over the years. In 1978, the Sisters of St. Francis formally turned the school and property over to another religious order, the Board of the Immaculate Heart Community, the current legal sponsors of Alverno.

In 1982–83, the exterior shots for the NBC TV mini series "V" made use of the school and Villa for the Alien headquarters.

In the Summer of 2016 Lady Bird (film) was filmed at Alverno Heights Academy as a stand in for the Sacramento all girls Catholic high school St. Francis High School (Sacramento, California).[10]

In 2016 Alverno High School changed its name back to its original name Alverno Heights Academy.[11] [12]

Citing a 50% decrease in enrollment over the prior decade, the school plans to close its "Upper School" (high school) on June 2, 2023. The coed K-8 "Lower School" will remain open.[9]

See also

References
  1. WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  2. privateschoolreview.com, Alverno High School
  3. Year book, Alverno High School
  4. maxpreps.com, Alverno Heights Academy Girls Soccer
  5. sierramadreweekly.com, Alverno High School Welcomes New Director of College Guidance, July 6th, 2016
  6. Alverno High School Presents "Our Town, "Our Story" at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, November 4, 2015
  7. Movies Filmed at Alverno High School
  8. villadelsoldoro.org, Villa del Sol d’Oro
  9. "Alverno Heights Academy Upper School Will Close Its Doors in June". Pasadena Now. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  10. "Filming Locations for Lady Bird (2017), in California". The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  11. alvernoheightsacademy.org, About
  12. alvernoheightsacademy.org, History
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