La Salle Academy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| La Salle Academy |
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| Motto: Remember: You Are La Salle | |
| Established | 1848 |
| Type | Private all-male secondary |
| President | Br. Michael Farrell, FSC |
| Principal | Mr. John Quinn |
| Assistant Principals | Mrs. Candace D. Hammonds, Dr. Gregor S. Drozdek |
| Faculty | 45 |
| Students | 480 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Manhattan, New York, New York USA |
| Oversight | Archdiocese of New York |
| Accreditation | Middle States Association |
| Colors | Red and white |
| Mascot | Cardinals (6 sports) |
| Website | www.lasalleacademy.org |
- This article is about the high school in New York City. For the school in Iligan City, see La Salle Academy-Iligan.
La Salle Academy is a private Catholic high school in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Founded in 1848 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, La Salle was first known as St. Vincent's School when it first opened on Canal Street. It moved to Second Avenue in 1856 and changed its name to La Salle Academy in 1887. Throughout its history, La Salle has been home to anywhere from 90 to 950 "Brothers' Boys."
[edit] History
It was founded in 1848 when John Hughes, then Bishop of New York, invited the Christian Brothers to establish a school in the city. They opened their first school, La Salle, in a church basement on Canal Street. In 1856, the 26 brothers who were staffed at the school built a five-story building in a lot on Second Avenue that belonged to Washington Irving.
Two of the most famous graduates of La Salle are Patrick Hayes and George Mundelien, the former being the head of the Archdiocese of New York and the latter being the head of the Archdiocese of Chicago, both being cardinals of the church. The New York State Board of Regents granted La Salle a charter in 1896.
During the beginning of the 20th century, La Salle's enrollment grew immensely, from 98 in 1906 to 950 in 1948.
La Salle was at the time most famous for its Forensic Society, which in 1945 won the state championship. The school's Glee Club, which was directed by Phil Carney, performed for Martin Luther King at New York City Hall in 1965. By 1966 the school purchased the Moskowitz and Lupowitz Restaurant on the corner of Second Avenue and 2nd Street, which became the school's annex, that houses the Guidance Department, the Academic Support Center, the Art Department, and more classrooms.
As was occurring in many parts of the world, the decline in the numbers of religious led to the integration of many lay faculty members. Now they teach over 90% of the classes. In 1997. La Salle received accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and in 1998 celebrated its 150th Anniversary. Over 15,000 students have graduated from La Salle, as of 2006. The Class of 2004 had a 99% college acceptance rate.
An identically named school, La Salle Academy, Providence, is a co-ed sister school in the De La Salle Christian Brothers network located in Providence, Rhode Island.
