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St. Cecilia Academy Named a Newman Guide Recommended School

5/7/2026

St. Cecilia Academy recently became the first and only elementary or high school in Tennessee to be named a Newman Guide Recommended School by the Cardinal Newman Society.

“We are pleased to be recognized as a Newman Guide Recommended School,” said Sister Josemaria Pence, O.P., Principal of St. Cecilia Academy. “It is a testament to the quality of academics, athletics, and the arts we offer in a faithfully Catholic environment.”

Newman Guide Recommended elementary and secondary schools are unwavering in upholding the standards of Catholic education and curriculum based on Church teachings. Administration and faculty of recognized schools are aware of and commit to the following requirements:

Catholic education is inspired by and rooted in the divine, salvific mission of the Catholic Church.
Catholic education models Christian communion and Catholic identity.
Catholic education teaches students to encounter Christ in prayer, Scripture, and Sacrament.
Catholic education integrally forms students as physical, intellectual, and spiritual beings called to perfect humanity in the fullness of Christ.
Catholic education imparts a “Christian view of the world, of life, of culture, of history,” ordering “the whole of human culture to the news of salvation.”

“Our mission is to form children for a life of virtue, rooted in friendship with Jesus Christ, who is Truth,” explained Sister Dominic Quinn, O.P., President of Overbrook Catholic School and St. Cecilia Academy. “It is wonderful to have the Cardinal Newman Society acknowledge the important work our exemplary faculty and staff do for the salvation of souls every day on the Dominican Campus.”

The public can experience the school’s Catholic offerings in music, dance, and camp through the St. Cecilia Music Conservatory, St. Cecilia Dance Academy, and Camp St. Cecilia. To learn more, please visit stcecilia.edu.

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