“The strength in community at Visitation is unmatched. The girls are so welcoming, I think that’s something you can only find at an all girls school like Visitation. Everything they do they do so passionately. It is really inspirational to be in an environment like this. Your teachers and your classmates really care about you and your success.”
Empowering Girls
“Lead those in your care with a kind and understanding heart.” St. Jane de Chantal
At Visitation, we are empowering the next generation of female leaders. The women who will lead us forward must have a strong moral foundation and know how to effectively collaborate and communicate in order to address and solve the real problems facing our world today.
A Visitation education is tailored to provide the training and preparation girls need to grow into leaders. Rooted in the Salesian Spirituality of St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales, our program emphasizes virtues like perseverance, honesty, humility, courage, simplicity, generosity, patience, and optimism.
Hospitality is a value lived each day in Visitation’s classrooms. Teachers foster a warm, welcoming environment that helps students feel at ease and, therefore, thrive. Here, young women feel empowered to engage in thoughtful - and challenging - classroom dialogue.
At Visitation, faith is lived in relationship and our young women learn in relationship, receiving guidance and coaching not only from their teachers, but from their peers.
The intimate environment at Visitation fosters strong bonds among teachers and students. In our small classes, every student is seen as an individual and is actively encouraged to participate, to speak her mind. Our teachers know that affirmation and encouragement are far more effective motivators than harsh criticism.
Why Visitation
"I definitely think I am prepared for college. I’ve learned to study well. I’ve learned to communicate with my teachers. I’ve learned how to utilize my time really well. I’m very proud to carry what I’ve learned here and take it with me through the rest of my life."
"I love the all girls school experience. I honestly think it makes me so much more comfortable to speak out in class and to raise my hand to ask a question…or to give an answer! It also provides a great system of support."
“Sisterhood at Visitation is really about community and everyone being there for each other. Everyone is so supportive and engaged with what’s going on with your life.”
"I’ve learned so much about leadership at Visitation. It makes me feel a lot more prepared for the rest of my life."
Signature Programs
Physics First is the foundation of our science program. All freshmen take Conceptual Physics because physics gives girls a strong foundation for chemistry and biology and has a symbiotic relationship with Algebra, which freshmen also take. Girls love the class because it hands-on and fun!
As a culminating project in the sophomore-level Honors Modern World History, students examine the European refugee crisis from multiple perspectives to gain knowledge of modern Europe. By studying historic events, conducting research and original interviews, reviewing national and international news, and producing a final presentation for the class, girls come to understand the political, economic, and national security issues involved in the crisis and how historical events have shaped the present situation.
Visitation has one of the top chapters in the National Spanish Honor Society. Nearly 20 students have won either the Bertie Green Travel Award (an all-expense-paid trip to a Spanish-speaking country) or a $1,000 college scholarship. More than 30 students have been published in the National Spanish Honor Society’s literary magazine, “Albricias.”
The junior-year research paper helps girls learn to create a strong thesis statement and argument, conduct research, identify proper sources and cite them correctly, and write an in-depth research paper. In the process, juniors are taught and expected to use resources in Georgetown University’s Lauinger Library.
Our Bridge Program allows qualified seniors to take college courses for a nominal fee. Classes taken by previous participants include: Multivariable Calculus, Microeconomics Principles, Intro to Philosophy, Intro to Proof/Problem Solving, Principles of Accounting, Intro to Cultural Anthropology, and Intro to Sociology.
The Visitation charism calls each of us to Live Jesus. During junior year, each student completes a Praxis Project, working in small groups to research, evaluate, and act to combat a social injustice. Praxis projects have focused on the environment, human trafficking, immigration, sexual assault, and racial injustice.
Academic Learning Support
Learning Support and Strategies (LSS) is a course that meets daily for freshmen and every seven days on a rotating basis for sophomores who were enrolled as freshmen.
LSS takes the place of an academic course. Students choose whether to defer world language, physics, or freshman history (Global Patterns). Our role is to ensure our learners are confident and prepared for their classes. It is a chance for students to:
- Discuss reading they have completed independently in preparation for their academic courses;
- Seek clarification on assignments, plan their time, and manage their academic workload;
- Learn how to be successful students at Visitation, including study strategies, preparation of assignments and projects, and studying for exams; and
- Learn and demonstrate self-advocacy skills in the classroom and beyond.
Social Emotional Component
In Learning Support and Strategies (LSS), we learn about how to be a reliable, organized Visitation student. We talk about the importance of believing in ourselves, and keeping our academic performance in perspective. We demonstrate curiosity, empathy, integrity, responsibility, self-advocacy, and respectful communication, towards others and ourselves.
Specialized Support
Students are enrolled in LSS as part of the admissions process. Students outside of Learning Support, as well as upperclassmen no longer in Learning Support, are welcome to make appointments for support, by emailing the appropriate teacher.
Foreign Language
Madame Claire Brinkmann supports the development of foreign language skills, including French, Spanish, and Latin.
Mathematics
Dr. Jake Collamore supports students in mathematics both in-person and virtually by appointment.
Humanities
Mrs. Kerry Kaminski is here every day, serving as the teacher supporting humanities classes, including history, English and religion.
"Every child is someone’s miracle. I treat them as such, one conversation at a time. Praise their wisdom, their fortitude, their pursuit of knowledge. Acknowledge the gift that they are, every chance I have. When they fall short, work to bring them back to themselves, and to their full potential in the eyes of God."
Kerry Kaminski,
Director of Academic Learning Support