Mount Carmel High School (Chicago)

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For other schools with the same name, see Mount Carmel High School.
Mount Carmel High School
Motto "Building Character For A Lifetime"
Established 1900
Type Private All Male
President Fr. Carl Markelz O.Carm
Students 800
Grades 9–12
Location Chicago, Illinois USA
Campus Urban
Colors Brown and White
Mascot Caravan
Yearbook Oriflamme
Newspaper The Caravan
Website http://www.mchs.org

Mount Carmel High School is an all boys Catholic high school in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The school is operated by the Carmelite order of priests and brothers, some of whom live in the nearby Saint Cyril Priory. These Carmelites as assisted by several lay faculty and a nationally recognized coaching staff. Mount Carmel's student body is highly diverse; a tribute to its mission on Chicago's heavily segregated south side.

Mount Carmel is occasionally confused with Carmel High School in Mundelein, Illinois, and Mount Carmel High School in Mount Carmel, Illinois. The former is also a Carmelite school, while the latter is the town of Mount Carmel's only public high school.

Contents

[edit] History

At the invitation of Archbishop Patrick E. Feehan, the Carmelites established St. Cyril College at 54th and Jefferson Avenue (now Harper Avenue) in the fall of 1900. In the first year there were 13 students (nine of them seminarians) and five priest teachers. The following year the college was moved to 64th and Washington (now Blackstone) because of the need for a larger building and better access to public transportation. Then in 1902 the St. Cyril College Building at 64th and Star (now Dante) was completed, and classes began with 137 students and 11 faculty members.

At first the college has three departments: (1) Academic, which included both a junior high and a high school program; (2) College, a four-year program with emphasis on Greek and Latin; (3) Commercial, a three-year course. In 1918, with young men being called to serve in World War I, the college curriculum was dropped while the high school department was enlarged and improved.

In December of 1922, Father Elias Magennis, General of the Carmelite Order, and Archbishop Mundelein of Chicago agreed on the need for the immediate construction of a new St. Cyril High School Building. In the spring and summer of 1924, the present main high school building was erected by Thompson-Starrett Construction Company with Zachary Taylor Davis as the architect and William Lynch, a St. Cyril College graduate, in charge of construction. In November 1924, the new school was dedicated as Mount Carmel High School.

[edit] Campus

The current Mount Carmel Campus is centered around the intersection of 64th and Dante Avenue. The oldest of the surviving buildings is the Main School, built in 1924 as the largest Catholic High School west of the Appalachian Mountains. Adjacent to this building was the original Priory and Chapel for the Carmelites.

In the 1950s and the 1960s, Mt. Carmel saw the addition of two buildings: the Student Center and the two-story Learning Center, which connects the main building to the Student Center. Since then, the campus has gradually been enlarged, beginning with the student parking lot and the athletic field on the south end of the property. As a result of a Capital Campaign Case Study that began in 1988, the campus was further expanded to include the Scott School property, the construction of a new monastery for the Carmelites in 1992, and the addition of the Graham Center- a new science and computer center on the site of the old Carmelite Monastery. Although the old Priory was demolished to make room for the Graham Center, the original Chapel was saved and given a facelift.

The school again expanded in 2005 by adding the Mt. Carmel Convocation Center; a $17 million building which houses three gyms, an indoor track, weight room, offices, locker rooms, meeting areas for alumni and faculty, a student center/dining hall, as well as new computer and science labs. In addition to the Convocation Center, Mt. Carmel's athletic facilities include Carey Field for football, Haggerty Field for baseball and soccer and the 'Old Gym,' which still hosts the school's 'Fight Night' boxing event. The original four lane, 20 yard pool under the old gym hosts the Swimming and Water Polo teams. Off-campus facilities used by the school include the Jackson Park trails and practice fields and the Homewood-Flossmoor ice arena.

[edit] Academics

Academic excellence is the trademark of Mt. Carmel High School. Mount Carmel offers a curriculum that is as comprehensive as that of any Catholic High School in Chicago. With four programs of study, the school serves the needs of all types of college bound students:

The Honors/Advanced Placement Program

The Honors Program challenges students to maximize their potential by placing them in accelerated courses, and enriches their experience through Advanced Placement courses in Literature, American and European and World History, Physics, Calculus and Foreign Languages.

Accelerated College Prep Program

Students in the Acclerated College Prep Program, who have demonstrated above average ability in grammar school, pursue a challenging curriculum developed to prepare them for acceptance into the college of their choice. All requirements meet the standards for college admission established by the Illinois Board of High School Education.

College Prep Program

The College Prep program prepares students of average ability to successfully meet the standards for college admission. To be admitted to this program, a student's standardized test scores must show college potential and his grammar school transcript and letters of recommendation must confirm a solid work ethic.

McDermott-Doyle Program

The McDermott-Doyle program meets the needs of young men with specific learning disabilities who seek a college education but require accomodations to achieve their goals. There a limited number of seats in this program, with preference given to students who are Catholic or graduates of Catholic grammar schools.

[edit] Athletics

Mt. Carmel has long been host to champions of the athletic field. The 1950 football team is considered by many to be the best in Illinois state history. Under coach Terry Brennan, who would later take the head coaching job at Notre Dame, the Caravan rolled to an 11-0-0 record that included both the Catholic League and Prep Bowl championships. In addition to 1950, Mount Carmel has captured city championships in 1927, 1932, 1933, 1939, 1943, 1951, 1952, 1960, 1967, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1993 and 2001.

In 1974, the Chicago Catholic League agreed to participate in IHSA state tournaments, marking the beginning of a new era of Mount Carmel athletics. The school's first State Championship was won by the Water Polo team in 1975, when they defeated perpetual powerhouse Fenwick High School in triple overtime. Since then, the school has won 10 IHSA State Football Championships under Bill Barz (1980) and active coach Frank Lenti (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002). Only Joliet Catholic Academy has won more IHSA state football championships (12).

Mount Carmel has also won state championships in Basketball, Ice Hockey and Wrestling. In 1985, coach Ed McQuillan and the Caravan captured the only AA Boys Basketball Championshipwon by a Chicago Catholic League School. From 1992-94, legendary coach Bill Weick and future Olympian Joe Williams led the Caravan to 3 consecutive IHSA Wrestling titles. Several other Caravan squads have placed in the finals for state, including Baseball's 2005 second place finish and Volleyball's 2000 third place finish. Caravan teams and individuals have also won countless Catholic League Championships in Football, Golf, Soccer, Cross Country, Wrestling, Basketball, Ice Hockey, Baseball and Track & Field.

Complete List of Competitive Activities:

  • Football (Varsity, Sophomore, Freshman)
  • Cross Country (Varsity, Junior Varsity)
  • Soccer (Varsity, JV)
  • Golf (Varsity, JV)
  • Ice Hockey (Club Varsity, Club JV)
  • Rugby (Club)
  • Swimming (Varsity, JV)
  • Wrestling (Varsity, JV)
  • Water Polo (Varsity, JV)
  • Volleyball (Varsity, JV)
  • Tennis (Varsity, JV)
  • Track and Field (Varsity, JV)
  • Bowling (Varsity)
  • Baseball (Varsity, Sophomore, Freshman)
  • Basketball (Varsity, Sophomore, Freshman)
  • Speech
  • Mock Trial
  • Scholastic Bowl (Varsity, JV)
  • Intramural Boxing

[edit] Notable alumni

Academics and Science/Research

Authors and Journalism

Business and Politics

Professional Athletes, Olympians and Sports Figures

Television and Hollywood

[edit] References

  1. ^ Associated Press, Richard Parker , 87, Egyptologist, Retired Professor, Boston Globe, June 7, 1993, at 17.
  2. ^ Baby Boomers on Mars, Marsrovers NASA spotlight, March 20, 2006, Features Section.
  3. ^ Sunday Lunch with Bob Cooley, Chicago Sun Times, August 27, 2006, by Debra Pickett.
  4. ^ Dunavant among 19 named to Futures hall, The Commercial Appeal, March 10, 2007.
  5. ^ The Life and Death of the Deadliest Man Alive, The Chicago Reader, July 14th, 2006, by Dan Kelly
  6. ^ When Denny McClain Stood Baseball on its ear, The Detroit News, March 1, 2003, by Mary Bailey.
  7. ^ Boys to Men; Mount Carmel's Lenti makes the grade on and off the field, American Football Monthly, November, 1999, by Stan Goff.

[edit] External links

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