Jesuit High School (Oregon)

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Jesuit High School

Motto: Age agis "Do well whatever you do"
Established	1956
Type	Private coeducational secondary
Principal	Sandy Satterberg
Faculty	84
Students	1,144 (2005-06)
Grades	9–12
Location	Portland, Oregon USA
Colors	Green and gold
Mascot	Crusaders
Website	www.jesuitportland.org

Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, is a Catholic high school founded by the Society of Jesus in 1956. It is a college-preparatory school and accepts students of all faiths. Its curriculum is based on Jesuit principles. It is a coeducational school with approximately 1200 students, and in recent years has been known for its achievements in sports, winning its 12th consecutive OSAA All-Sports Award and 24 state championships in various sports since 2000. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Founding

The school was the 43rd Jesuit high school to be established in the United States. Though it was not finally established until 1956, the process of founding a Jesuit high school in Portland began in 1907, when property was purchased by the parish of St. Ignatius and set aside for a future high school. A lay appeal to the Jesuit Provincial for a high school in 1929 came to nothing. In 1954 the Holy Cross Fathers of Portland announced the closing of Columbia Prep., and a plan for the Jesuits to take over the premises was discussed, but again dropped. Finally in 1955, the Jesuit Father Provincial was asked by the Archbishop to set up a school. Hillsdale Dairy Farm, a 55-acre plot to the west, some 15 minutes drive from downtown Portland, was chosen. The property changed hands for $165,000. Jesuit priests and Holy Cross priests raised pledges of $117,000 by Wednesday of the first week of a fundraising campaign in churches, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised by door-to-door canvassing. Jesuit High School opened its doors to its first class of Freshmen on September 10, 1956. The school opened its doors to women in 1993. ^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Student activities

Jesuit has a record of consistent success on the Oregon prep sports scene. In the 2005-2006 academic year, Jesuit won seven state championships in various sports and activities, have won the Oregon 4A All Sports Award 12 years running, and were the recipients of the prestegious Oregonian Cup for the last 2 years. The men's tennis team recently achieved an undefeated season, an accomplishment Jesuit had previously never witnessed. Several Crusaders have thrived at the next level, including Pete and Stan Brock (football), Mike Dunleavy (basketball), Mike Caulkins (ATP tour tennis player), and Mike Hass (Chicago Bears Practice Squad).

Jesuit High School has also demonstrated continued excellence in endeavors outside of the field of athletics. It has, for a number of years, fostered a successful combination of both the visual and performing arts. Jesuit has also seen continued success for its drama department, in addition to garnering success in musical endeavors. The school's choirs have done consistently well, with the choir winning the Metro League Championship in 2006 in addition to placing sixth in State competition. The entire Choral department received the Academic All-State award for having the highest average Grade Point Average in 2006.^{[citation needed]}