Friday Flyover: Nazareth Academy
LA GRANGE PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- This week, we feature Nazareth Academy on ABC7's Friday Flyover, celebrating high school sports!
Fast Facts
In 1900, Nazareth Academy was founded by (and continues to be sponsored by) the Congregation of St. Joseph. Both Nazareth Academy and the Congregation of St. Joseph are celebrating 125 years in the La Grange Park area in 2024-2025.
Nazareth is a Catholic, Co-ed, College Prep high school with a long legacy of 100% college acceptance for its graduates. Nazareth transitioned from all-girls to co-ed in 1977 and remains the only high school in the area to successfully make that change. The current enrollment is 790 students strong.
With a mission centered around educating the whole person, Nazareth stresses the importance of Scholarship, Service, Spirit and Unity. Students consistently volunteer over 15,000 hours to local service partners each year.
Nazareth student-athletes compete as the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners' first IHSA State Title came in 2014 when the Football program won the Class 6A State Title, the first of 5 titles they've claimed. Three other programs - Girls Volleyball (2021), Girls Basketball (2023) and Baseball (2022, 2023) - have also won State Titles since 2014.
Nazareth celebrates all of the student-athletes who have continued to pursue their athletic careers at the college level and beyond. The first Naz alum to play professionally was Nicole Jeray who qualified for the LPGA in 1994. Currently, Roadrunners Julian Love and JJ McCarthy are playing in the NFL and Michael Prosecky and Ryan Smith are part of the MLB Minor League system.
Nazareth places a high value on fine arts education. The Band and Choir programs earned the SupportMusic Merit Award from the NAMM Foundation in 2024. The Drama program has been selected for the Illinois High School Theatre Festival 9 times. Naz Drama received an Illinois High School Musical Theatre Best Ensemble nomination and Best Director Award in 2024. Notable alumni in the arts include opera singer Meghan Picerno, actress Mary Grill and illustrator/author Andrea Campos.
Nazareth Academy is the only Catholic high school to partner with the Community Memorial Foundation in the Young Community Changemakers program. This application-based leadership development program is designed to educate and empower local youth to become our community's next generation of philanthropists.
