Meet Rosati Kain's class of 2012. These 102 young women are the 98th class to graduate from the Catholic high school, which has been located at the corner of Lindell and Newstead for 91 years. The school, which draws its 400 students from all over the city and county, has a strong academic tradition with a 100% college acceptance rate.
Rosati-Kain began in the early 1900's as The Rosati Center and Kain High School, staffed by the Sisters of Notre
Dame and Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. They operated as two free
learning centers for young women. In 1912 the two centers merged to
create Rosati Kain High School and moved to the St. Vincent Seminary
site at Grand and Lucas. The sisters covered their expenses by teaching
needlework, giving music lessons, and with subsidies from their
respective motherhouses.
For the first nine years of its existence, the school was located at the St. Vincent Seminary site at Grand and Lucas. It operated as two free learning centers for young women. The Rosati Center and Kain High School were staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame and Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The sisters covered their expenses by teaching needlework, giving music lessons, and with subsidies from their respective motherhouses. The two orders eventually combined the learning centers to form Rosati-Kain.
In 1919, Rosati-Kain moved to the Hayes Mansion at Lindell and Newstead. Three years later construction began on the current school building, a 3-story classical structure designed by Henry P. Hess (partially visible above) at 4389 Lindell.
In July I stopped by during an ice cream social the school hosted to "get to know the neighbors." That's when President Sister Joan Andert, a Sister of Notre Dame, took me on an informal tour of the facility. The poster in the main hallway (above) shows a much earlier graduating class, left, juxtaposed with a photo of two recent graduates. I was amazed to learn that in the 1940's there were over 1000 young women attending Rosati-Kain in two shifts, morning and afternoon.
Another photograph shows cheerleaders from the 1960's, and
Kougar cheerleaders photographed during the 2010 athletic season, above.
Rosati-Kain has launched a Capital Campaign "Build the Dream…Live the Legacy" to raise 6.8 million dollars to fund construction of a new 24,416 s.f. three-story building in place of the two-story building above. The new building will house science labs, a library, a learning resource center, and virtual classrooms. To view the plans for this addition, look here.
Sister Joan said it's a misconception that the Archdiocease of St. Louis supports all the needs of Rosati-Kain. Faithful alumnae have always come through when the school needed money. She said former graduates have already donated $2 million dollars toward the total goal. The school however has never asked its alumnae for large capital gifts or gone to corporate sponsors, but to build this new structure they are reaching out to the community for help.
The other day as I drove past the school, incoming freshman, oblivious to the busy scene on Lindell, were divided into teams playing games intended to build friendships; and I thought how wonderful it is to have this visible sign of happiness and promise as part of the fabric of the neighborhood.
If you would like more information about how you can support the Capital Campaign, please contact Antonia M. Ponder, Director of Advancement, at 314-533-8513 ext. 216 or [email protected].
Rosati-Kain, 4389 Lindell, (314) 533-8513.
Julie: Thank you so much for your wonderful comments about Rosati-Kain. I have had several very nice emails from other alumnae and you all echo the same glowing praise for the school. Thanks again.
This is a terrific article about my alma mater. I have made a pledge to the campaign and I hope that others who read this will contribute. R-K is a “jewel” in the CWE. I treasure the education I received there. While a student in the 60’s, I learned to love our city. May R-K live forever!