Presentation Academy - Louisville's original Catholic high school

Presentation Academy is a Catholic college-preparatory academy for young women seeking the confidence and skills to become 21st-century leaders. Louisville’s original Catholic high school, Pres was founded in 1831 by Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. The campus is located at the corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets in downtown Louisville – a dynamic and diverse cultural setting that benefits its students greatly.

Exclusively for young women in grades 9-12, Pres accepts students of all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and religious backgrounds. Presentation Academy enjoys a truly diverse population, attracting bright and unique girls from over 50 zip codes throughout Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt and Shelby counties; southern Indiana; and the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa.

Mission
In the spirit of Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Presentation Academy strives to create a diverse community that promotes academic excellence and challenges young women to develop their greatest potential as leaders in a global society.

Vision
Presentation Academy enriches students, faculty, and the community spiritually, physically, socially, and intellectually by advancing the tradition of academic excellence and innovation in a vibrant, diverse, embracing and inclusive institution. ​

History of Presentation Academy

Nearly 10 years after Spalding ownership, Presentation became an independent entity. Since 2005, the Academy has been governed by a Board of Trustees, with the President and Principal overseeing day-to-day operations. Funding for the school comes from tuition, charitable contributions, and financial grants. In 2010, Pres and the Sisters of Charity entered into a Covenant relationship of prayer, joint activities and partnership in mission. The Sisters continue to support the school financially annually.
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The newest addition to the downtown campus came in 2009 when the Arts & Athletic Center was built on the opposite corner of Fourth and Breckinridge. This state-of-the-art building includes a 700-seat gymnasium, a theater, a visual-arts classroom, a dance studio, a fitness center, locker rooms, a conference room, and offices.

​As Louisville’s original Catholic high school, Presentation Academy belongs to a special part of history. Whether a graduate of the early 1900s or today, the women who have walked and will walk these halls – Pres Girls – share a connection to one another and to this iconic institution.

Presentation Academy was founded on November 21, 1831, by Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Providing both elementary and secondary education for students of different faiths and statuses, Presentation originally operated from the basement of St. Louis Church (now the undercroft of the Cathedral of the Assumption). Years later, as the city of Louisville expanded and the population of the region exploded, the Sisters purchased land at the corner of Fourth and Breckinridge Streets. In 1893, the academic building was constructed and the school moved to its present site.
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In the 1930s, Presentation survived several catastrophes. A fire in 1935 destroyed the school’s auditorium, followed by the Great Flood of 1937, which caused extensive damage. In the wake of such misfortune, Pres experienced a period of unprecedented development. A new gymnasium was added in 1938 and a new wing 10 years later. In 1945, the elementary school closed to accommodate the rapidly growing population of the girls’ high school, which peaked in the 1950s and 1960s.During the late 1980s, enrollment declined while tuition increased. Faced with daunting financial challenges, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth announced in January 1995 their decision to close the Academy at the end of the school year. The community’s response to this shocking news was swift. Students, parents, alumnae, and friends raised over $750,000 in less than a week, providing necessary financial security for Spalding University to oversee governance of the school and keep the doors open.

​Board of Trustees

Executive Committee
Mary Beth Arnett Meagher '88, Chair 
Marketing Executive
Commitee: Executive

Katie Denzinger Horsmann '75, Vice Chair
Retired
​Committee: Education

Stephen C. James, CPA, Secretary
President & CEO
SCJ Consulting Services
Committee: Executive

Melissa Koellner '99, Treasurer
Vice President, Healthcare Service Compliance & Risk Management
Humana
​Committee: Finance, Executive, Investment

​Members
James Beatty
Co-Owner
Nerve Collective
Committee: PR/Marketing

Jamie Cox
Attorney
Vice, Cox & Townsend PLLC
​Committee: Executive

Mary Gene Frank, ’68, MBA, BS, MT (ASCP)
Retired Laboratory Manager
​Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital
Committee: Facilities

Charlotte Stengel '84
Co-Owner
Stengel-Hill Architecture, The Champagnery
Committee: Advancement

John C. Stone
President
The Sound Factory
Committee: Facilities

Mark Vogt
SVP Finance
Stored Value Solutions (SVS)
Committee: Advancement, Executive

Barbara Wine '67
Retired Principal
Presentation Academy
Committee: PR/Marketing, 2x6 Program

​Kay Winfield, SCN
Staff Nurse
Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital
Committee: Education

Julie A. Wood '91
Senior Director, Public Relations
GE Appliances, A Haier Company
Committee: PR/Marketing

Ex-Officio
Laura Dills '94
President