Notable New Orleanians: A Tricentennial Tribute

Perhaps the most influential individual
who brought Mount Carmel Academy into
the twentieth century was Mother Clare
Coady. Mother Clare instituted professional
training for teachers and accredited high
school programs. She believed the Sisters
should be properly educated and trained to
teach students properly. Clearly focused, she
expected nothing less than excellence.
During the turmoil of WWI, Mother Clare
had a vision for a new motherhouse and
school and chose the Lakeview area in the
1920s. Six years later, the order built a
four-story building, providing a residence for
the Sisters and housed a day and boarding
school, a novitiate, and a Catholic Normal
School to train teachers. The Motherhouse
remains home for the nuns today and
houses the Cub Corner, the school child
development program.
Under the direction of Sister Camille Anne
Campbell, who became principal in 1980,
and later president, the school continued to
grow, with several buildings erected for a
classroom, a fine arts building, as well as a
new Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
They were named for Mother Clare and
Mother Thèrése. There have only been four
principals at Mount Carmel Academy: Sister
Mary Angela Duplantis, Sister Mary Grace
Danos, Sister Camille Anne Campbell and
Beth Ann Simno, current principal.
Today, Mount Carmel Academy continues
the mission of Sister Thérèse, Sister Clare,
and the Carmelite Sisters who devoted
their lives to educating young women in
New Orleans. On December 12, 2016, the
Most Reverend Archbishop Gregory Aymond
blessed and dedicated the Phyllis M. Taylor
Maker Lab, the newest addition (a laboratory)
to its state-of-the-art school.
The enrollment was sixteen students in the
1926-1927 school year. It continued to grow
under the nuns’ direction and at the end of
the 2004-2005 school year, it had grown
to 1,245 students when enrollment was
stabilized. Class sizes remain in the range of
fifteen to eighteen.
The Mission of Mount Carmel Academy
is the same today as it was at the school’s
founding, to provide young women the
opportunity to develop their God-given
talents through academic excellence and cocurricular
programs, as well as to empower
them to develop zeal for their faith with a
commitment to prayer and service.
The Academy’s business plan is founded
in the value of spiritual growth for each of
her students, faculty, staff, and parents. The
school remains faithful to the teaching of
the Catholic Church and continues to remain
on the frontlines of educational change to
graduate young ladies who will promote a
just and peaceful world relying on the grace
of God.
Top: Sister Mary Angela Duplantis
(principal from 1926-1955) with a student
in 1945-1946.
Above: Radio Broadcast with Sister Augusta
Marie Cousson, 1947-1948.
QUALITY OF LIFE
153