Timeline
➜ 1851-1900
- 1851 - January, 1851, St. Agnes Academy is founded by 6 bold Dominican Sisters. Doors open for classes in February.
- 1853 - The first graduates of St. Agnes Academy were Miss Mary Boyle of Arkansas and Miss Cecilia Rabb of Mississippi. Since that time, almost 6,000 young women have graduated from the Academy.
- 1861 - Sisters take charge of the City Hospital nursing wounded soldiers.
- 1862 - General Sherman pitches his tents on the grounds of St. Agnes Academy.
- 1867, 1873, and 1878 - The city experiences multiple yellow fever outbreaks. The sisters keep the school open while ministering to the sick inthe community.
- 1878 & 1900 - Fire devastates the school, but the sisters rebuild.
1901-1929 ➜
- 1903 - St. Agnes Alumnae Association is founded.
- 1918 - The Memphis Conservatory of Music opens on the grounds adjoing the campus.
- 1922 - The school expands to include St. Agnes College
- 1926 - The first yearbook, the Aquila, is published.
- 1928 - St. Agnes varsity basketball team wins the Loyola Trophy in the Southern Catholic Tournament.
➜ 1930-1949
- 1932 - The Mother's Club is founded.
- 1939 - St. Agnes College becomes Siena College.
- 1940-1945 - During the war years, St. Agnes students help the Red Cross.
- 1940-1945 - Due to a shortage of precious metals, the traditional class ring is replaced with a smaller class pin.
- 1946 - The first Miss St. Agnes is crowned.
1950-1969 ➜
- 1950 - SAA students first began wearing uniforms around 1950, and the plaid uniform skirt was first introduced during the 1955-56 school year.
- 1951 - St. Agnes Academy celebrates 100 years and moves to its current location on Walnut Grove.
- 1956 - The idea for a Catholic school for boys is realized, and St. Dominic School opens on the campus of St. Agnes Academy.
- 1966 - Madonna Hall is built, housing plays, Rose and Ring Ceremonies, receptions, and other special events.
- 1968 - Virginia Pretti is appointed the first lay Principal at St. Agnes Academy, and establishes the Board of Directors.
➜ 1970-1989
- 1974 - First Black student graduates from St. Agnes Academy
- 1976 - St. Agnes Academy celebrates its 125th anniversary.
- 1978 - The Dominican Sisters unite St. Agnes and St. Dominic as one faith community governed by a single Board of Trustees. Sister Marina Gibbons, O.P., is named the first President of St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School (1978-1994).
- 1978 - Marian Swicker becomes Dean of the Upper School (1978-1999) and serves until 1999 when she is named Dean Emerita.
- 1988 - The library is expanded, and John Murphy is named Dean of St. Dominic School (1988-2016).
1990-2009 ➜
- 1990 - Buckman Hall is built to house math and science classrooms and labs.
- 1994 - Barbara Daush, O.P.A., becomes the first lay President of St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School (1994-2016).
- 1998 - "Creating the Dream Together" capital campaign raises $9 million - The Early Childhood Center and Siena Hall are added to campus.
- 1999 - Joy Maness is named Dean of St. Agnes Academy Upper School (1999-2022).
- 2000 - Kathy Boccia becomes Dean of St. Agnes Lower School (1999-2023).
- 2001 - St. Agnes Academy celebrates 150 years. The Alumnae Association establishes the Alumnae Hall of Fame and inducts the first 150 members.
- 2002 - SAA-SDS becomes the first one-to-one laptop K-12 school in the nation. Sr. Joye Gros, O.P., SAA Class of 1964, is named President of the Governing Board of the Sisters of St. Catharine, and serves on the Board of Trustees of SAA-SDS.
- 2006 - St. Dominic School celebrates its 50th anniversary. The "Reaching for the Stars and Suns" Capital and Endowment Campaign is launched.
- 2008 - The Veritas Research Center is completed and dedicated on September 17, 2008 by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.
- 2009 - The Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, KY merge with six other Dominican orders to form the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
➜ 2010-2026
- 2010 - The R.D. "Johnny" Davis Early Childhood Center opens.
- 2011 - St. Agnes Academy celebrates 160 years of academic excellence in the Dominican tradition. The school has a record enrollment of over 900 students.
- 2012 - SAA-SDS is named an Apple Distinguished School for the 5th year in a row. SAA wins the Best of the Preps Award for the second straight year - the only private school since 1984 to win back-to-back.
- 2016 - Tom Hood is appointed President of St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School.
- 2020 - The COVID pandemic hits in March closing schools throughout the country. SAA-SDS immediately transitions to virtual learning and education never stops.
- 2020 - The SAA Golf team wins its 16th straight regional championship.
- 2021 - Heather Valdez is named Dean of St. Agnes Academy Upper School
- 2022 - Jenn Wojcik is named Dean of St. Agnes Lower School
- 2022 - The Go Light the World Campaign launches raising over $20 Million, including $5 Million for the endowment.
- 2024 - Jefferson Brant is named Dean of St. Dominic School.
- 2024 - The Math and Science Center opens for learning. This 33,000 sq. ft. STEM center includes 17 classrooms, four new science labs, and a flexible lab space.
- 2025 - Sponsorship of the school transfers to the Dominican Veritas Ministries.
- 2025 - The Upper School launches the Women in Aviation Program
- 2026 - St. Agnes Academy celebrates 175 years of boldly empowering generations of women to lead, serve, and transform the world.