Archbishop Shaw High School

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Archbishop Shaw High School
Reason, Religion and Kindness
School type	Private
Established	August 19, 1962
Affiliation	Catholic
Grades	8-12
President	Rev. James McKenna, SDB
Principal	Rev. Michael Conway, SDB
Staff	55
Students	900 (approx.)
Athletics	Shaw Eagles
Colors	Green and White
Location	1000 Barataria Boulevard Marrero, Louisiana, U.S.A.
Information	(504) 340-6727 (Voice) (504) 347-9883 (Fax)
Website	http://www.archbishopshaw.org/

Founded in 1962, Archbishop Shaw High School is an Archdiocesan school administered under the Salesians of St. John Bosco. It is approved by the Louisiana State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. It is located at 1000 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero, Louisiana.

1 Shaw History
2 Rivals
3 Scandals in the Early 2000s
4 Extracurricular
5 Post-Katrina Football
6 Links

[edit] Shaw History

On August 19, 1962, The Archbishop of New Orleans, Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel dedicated Archbishop Shaw High School. The school was named after the Archbishop of New Orleans, John W. Shaw, because of his interest in the development of the Catholic community of the West Bank (the side of the Mississippi River opposite New Orleans). From 1918-1934 Archbishop Shaw was in charge of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. During that time, 29 schools and 33 churches were established. In 1924 Archbishop Shaw appointed the first pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Marrero. Six years later, he dedicated the buildings for Hope Haven Institute, an orphanage and foster home. On that same property, a school in Archbishop Shaw’s name opened 32 years later.

The school's founding principal in 1962 was Rev. Paul P. Avallone, S.D.B. A small complex which is now only used for summer camp was built to meet the needs of the developing West Bank School. In 1962, the first freshman class with only 95 students (all boys), walked the halls of the newly opened school. Monthly tuition was $15. The staff included six Salesian priests and brothers. In 1963 a sophomore class was added. In that same year, the school colors (green and white), crest, and uniforms were adopted. In February 1966, the completion of the main building brought a new addition to the school. The school established a four year program boosting the number of enrollment to 436, with 74 seniors in its first graduating class. By 1967 the gymnasium was complete, and three years later Shaw competed in interscholastic athletics with an AAAA status.

From 1968 to the present, Archbishop Shaw has continued its growth. In the early 1970s a baseball stadium, a track, a swimming pool and a soccer field were all added. In 1975 the new St. Francis de Sales chapel in the main building was dedicated. An eighth grade was added during the 1984-85 school year, as well as a new cafeteria with seating for over 500. That same year, the old cafeteria became a chapel and meeting complex known as Don Bosco Hall, named after St. Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian order that manages the school.

After years of capital campaigning, discussions, and planning, the 2004-2005 school year finally saw the opening of a newly constructed 20-classroom building with an elevator and a second floor access walkway to the administrative building and science/math/fine arts wing.

Archbishop Shaw High School's crest includes the three principles of the Salesians' preventive system: Reason, Religion, and Kindness. The school motto is "Excelsior: Ever Striving, Ever Achieving".

[edit] Rivals

Located in Metairie, Louisiana on Severn Avenue, Archbishop Rummel High School was completed in 1962, around the same time as Archbishop Shaw High School. Named after Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel, Rummel High School has competed with Shaw in all major sports. The most well known is the Megaphone Game. Every year both football teams clash in a battle for the most prized possession, the Megaphone. Half painted in Red (one of Rummel's colors), the other half in Green (one of Shaw's colors), after every Megaphone game the score is written on the side of the Megaphone and presented to the winners, who keep the trophy until the next year.

[edit] Scandals in the Early 2000s

Archbishop Shaw was forced to forfeit several football games of the 2001 season, due to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's ruling that the team played ineligible players and dispensed illegal financial aid to its players. The coaching staff was ultimately wiped out, with a new staff made up by several Shaw alumni taking over in 2002.

This was followed in 2002 by another scandal of a fiscal nature, with a group of the school's teachers and administrators attempting to push the Salesian order out of the school. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the school replaced much of the administration in 2003, along with all teachers involved.

[edit] Extracurricular

Archbishop Shaw High School has had great successes in many areas. The school's cheerleaders, from its sister schools of Archbishop Blenk and Immaculatta, have won several UCA national championships, and its dance team, the Eaglettes, has been successful in many competitions across the country. The Archbishop Shaw High School Band, "The Pride of the West Bank", is a focal point at athletic events, and has won many awards of its own, in both concert and marching activities, including two State Sweepstakes Awards from the LMEA. The bands of Archbishop Shaw are often invited to participate in invitational competitions around the country, as well as internationally. Two recent international appearances were in Edinburgh, and Paris.

[edit] Post-Katrina Football

The Archbishop Shaw Eagles enjoyed a successful football season in 2006 comprising a 14-0 record in District 4-A competition as of December 1, 2006. The Eagles defeated St. Thomas 10-0 in their 4th playoff game of the season on December 1, 2006, leaving them with one remaining game: the state championship on December 8, 2006 in the Louisiana Superdome against 4A powerhouse Bastrop High School. The Shaw Eagles were an underdog in this game against a very powerful Bastrop team that many people consider to be a superior football team. However, the Eagles are sporting a strong defense with 3 shutouts in the 2006 playoffs and 6 shutouts in the 2006 regular season. Bastrop won 28-14, but the Eagles are expected to be just as good for the 2007-2008 year.