Old Military School is Nestled in the Anaheim Colony Historic District

Nestled in the heart of Anaheim's Historic Colony District sits an old military school, now named St. Catherine's Academy. Founded in 1889, this campus is located behind many mature and beautiful palm trees on Harbor Blvd. Most people drive down this busy boulevard everyday, unaware of its interesting story, much less its existence.

St. Catherine's Academy -- 215 N. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, Ca. 92805

In the 1980s, when I attended St. Catherine's, it was named St. Catherine's Military School, which is how I still refer to it. Unfortunately, Military Schools sometime carry a negative connotation of institutions of strict discipline for troubled boys, which certainly does not define St. Catherine's. In order to dispel this concern, the school was renamed St. Catherine's Academy, which is now branded as a "Boy's Catholic School with a Military Tradition." As seen below, the old name still perseveres, which I think the alumni may appreciate.

St. Catherine's Academy

Built in 1957, the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel is the most visible part of the campus from Harbor. This unique chapel's interesting architecture and artistic elements warranted its own extensive blog article which is already posted here.

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel

The Chapel is not only used for regular services for the cadets, it is also used for special ceremonies.

Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

St. Catherine's current President is Sister Johnellen Turner and she genuinely cares about the school and everyone associated with it. It is clearly evident that the school is doing very well under her leadership. In 2013, St. Catherine's was awarded the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce's Non-Profit Organization of the Year Award (Please see Sister Johnellen's acceptance video). At present, there are nearly 150 students, which includes about 58 resident students who reside in the below pictured dormitory building (Built in 1925). St. Catherine's would like to boost enrollment to just under 200.

Front of the Dormitory Building

Pictured below is the back side of the dormitory building which faces St. Boniface Church property. For those somewhat familiar with this area, this building and the entire south side of the campus used to face Chartres Street, which was later closed to through traffic.

Back of the dormitory building

The gymnasium sits on top of some of the classrooms.

Here is a recent photo of cadets in military formation outside the gym building. The cadets have formations in this area throughout a normal school day. Its nice to see there is still a strong military tradition, which really makes St. Catherine's special. The current Commandant is Colonel Barry Bizzell (USMC Retired) and I have been assured the military program has been elevated to new heights under his watch. I encourage you to explore this web site for information on St. Catherine's military department. There are many more excellent photos.

Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

St. Catherine's cadets are known as the Knights, but this has not always been the case. I specifically remember all of the cadets voting on a mascot name around the 1985-1986 school year, and "Knights" won. Is there a former alumnus out there that will claim credit for the name? Notice the nice suit of armor in the back corner.

St. Catherine's also has a fully enclosed pool which has recently been fully renovated. This is a unique amenity for any school in Orange County, but especially for a K-8 school. Interesting fact: Former student Vince Morris attended St. Catherine's from 1929-1934 and learned to swim in this pool. He later became a US Navy rescue swimmer and served in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, which was the largest sea battle in World War II.

St. Catherine's recognizes the importance of modernizing its facilities. Here is a newly renovated science laboratory classroom.

Here is the cadet brigade during a formal drill which only happens a couple times a year. How often does anyone really see such young men, most around 10-13 years old, participate in such an event?


Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

The stairwell pictured below leads to the dining hall. When I attended, cadets waited in formation outside and were called inside to eat in order based on how well they maintained their formation. My steadfast discipline was always perfect during lunch time!

This older photo shows the same building in the background. There clearly has been modifications over the years, both in building appearance and cadets' uniform style. As always, the numerous palm trees are an enduring part of St. Catherine's campus.

Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

In 1955, St. Catherine's campus was used as the back drop for the film, "The Private War of Major Benson." Except for the leading roles, real cadets were included in the film. Pictured below is actor Charlton Heston (right) with the St. Catherine's Commandant, Major Charles Schmitt. The film was good, but it still has not been released on DVD, so getting a copy of the film is difficult unless you still own a VCR.

Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

The cadets often march in local parades, especially Anaheim's annual Halloween Parade, which is the longest running Halloween Parade in Orange County. Overall, St. Catherine's is an integral part of the Anaheim Colony Historic District and an Anaheim institution. To get a better feel for campus life I recommend this great video: Welcome to St. Catherine's!

Image Credited to St. Catherine's Academy

I would like to thank the St. Catherine's Director of Development, Mrs. Joanna Ronan, for taking the time to provide me with a tour of the campus. If you are an alumnus, I strongly encourage you to call Mrs. Ronan and schedule a tour for yourself. I was welcomed back like long lost family and I'm sure you will be too. If you are unrelated to the campus, I apologize but St. Catherine's is a closed campus and special tours must be arranged through the front office.