Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School Announces Expansion of St. Katharine Drexel Scholarship | Six Annual Upper School Grants for Historically Underrepresented Groups

Legacy of St. Katharine Drexel & Blessed Sacrament School History

In keeping with the mission of St. Katharine Drexel, Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School in Powhatan, VA,  is proud to announce the expansion of the St. Katharine Drexel Scholarships which will fund six annual $7,500 scholarship grants reserved for Upper School prospects from historically underrepresented groups* pursuing a college preparatory education. *African American, Native American, Asian, Non-White Hispanic and Pacific Islander.

Saint.Katharine Drexel, the second American-born saint, founded & funded more than sixty private schools across the country for African American & Native American students in the late 1800’s. She was passionate about education and saw it as a key way to break out of poverty. Her belief in quality education for those experiencing inequity or injustice and her tireless efforts to achieve it defined her life’s work.

Two of her schools were established in Powhatan, VA, on the grounds of Belmead Plantation. St. Emma Military Academy, the nations only military academy dedicated for educating young African American and Native American males was established in 1895 and St. Francis de Sales, a private school for African American and Native American females was established in 1899. When they ceased operations in the early ‘70’s, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, also founded by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, opened on the property.  In 1998, Blessed Sacrament & Huguenot Academy merged on the 40-acre Academy Road campus to form Blessed Sacrament Huguenot School.

$14M School Renovation & Renewed Commitment to Advance St. Katharine Drexel Legacy | “A Place of Conciliation”

During the recent launch and blessing of a new 18,000 square foot Brower Student Center at BSH, Bishop Knestout, Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond said of the newly renovated school, “This is a place of conciliation.” The student center launch marked the completion of a 5-year $14M campus-wide renovation for Blessed Sacrament Huguenot. “We have an initial endowment and pledges of $500,000 for the St.Katharine Drexel Scholarship grants,” announced Tracy Hamner, Head of School, “and plan to aggressively seek additional donors to expand this important offering.” The school looks forward to building and embracing a rich and diverse student population with the expansion of these scholarships and with a renewed plan and commitment to honor the legacy of St. Katharine Drexel.

“The past informs the present. The present creates the future.” 

Sister Maureen T. Carrol, Sisters of Blessed Sacrament, Executive Director, on the legacy of St. Katharine Drexel