Salpointe Catholic High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Salpointe Catholic High School |
|
 |
|
| Established | 1950 |
| Type | Private co-educational secondary |
| Faculty | ~139 |
| Students | ~1,275 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona USA |
| Accreditation | North Central Association |
| Mascot | Lancers |
| Head of School | Fr. Frederick Tillotson, O.Carm. |
| Literary magazine | Reflections |
| Newsmagazine | The Crusader |
| Website | www.salpointe.org |
Salpointe Catholic High School is a co-ed Catholic high school in Tucson, Arizona, run by the Carmelite Order.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Founding and Early Development
 |
Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. This article has been tagged since January 2007. |
Salpointe was founded in 1950 as a school for 100 pupils, and is named for Arizona's first Bishop, Jean-Baptiste Salpointe, who worked as a missionary in the Arizona Territory from 1866 to 1885. Much of Salpointe's early development was headed by Helena S. Corcoran, who donated $8-$10 million for construction of the Salpointe infrastructure ($10M, in 1963 dollars, is $61,080,225 in 2005 dollars). Under her sponsorship, the school grew from 400 to 1,000 pupils, and the physical infrastructure that forms today's campus was established.
[edit] Salpointe Today
According to Salpointe statistics, the current enrollment is 1,217 students—647 males and 579 females[1]. Of the 139 faculty, staff and administrators, 134 are laypersons. There are three Carmelite priests, one diocesan priest and a nun.
As one of the two largest private high schools in Arizona, competition for admission to Salpointe has typically been quite fierce. However, the number of applicants peaked in the late 1990s, and has steadily declined since. [2] Administration officials blame a number of factors: additional Catholic high schools, new attractive and high-performing public schools in affluent Tucson districts, and scandals erupting within the Catholic church. [3] Enrollment today is down from 1,450 in the mid- to late '90s. Over the past 10 years, the number of freshman applicants has dropped by 200 or more. It is believed that the opening of Catalina Foothills High School, and Ironwood Ridge High School of Amphitheater School District, likely put a dent in Salpointe's numbers.
The school is the smallest in Tucson to achieve the Arizona Interscholastic Association's largest classification (5A), and Salpointe voluntarily competes with this division's much larger schools in various athletic and extracurricular activities.
Salpointe is accredited as a College Preparatory school by the North Central Association.
[edit] Mission and Core Values
Mission Statement[4]: Salpointe Catholic High School is a co-educational college-preparatory institution serving the diverse student/parent population of Southern Arizona. Working in concert with parents, we offer our students a holistic education which inspires the pursuit of excellence, affirms the dignity of individuals, encourages faith and commitment to service and develops an awareness of the world community in the Carmelite tradition.
"Lancer" Values[5]:
- Love for Justice and Peace
- Academic Excellence
- Nurturing the Whole Person
- Community
- Evangelization
- Responsibility and Respect
- Solidarity
[edit] Financials
Salpointe's annual budget is approximately $9 million. Its educational endowment stands at approximately $1.5 million, though a major development campaign is under way. By way of comparison, Salpointe's chief in-state rival - Brophy College Prep - has raised more than $35 million in recent years as part of its major gifts campaign. Given that the two schools maintain a comparable enrollment, and that Brophy tuition costs $10,500 while Salpointe tuition costs $6,350, the outcome of Salpointe's major gifts campaign should have a significant impact on its ability to compete with other Arizona schools on a resource-per-capita basis.
Due to this financial situation, much of Salpointe's year-to-year financial aid is derived from voluntary contributions to the CTSO, an organization that orchestrates community contributions to tucson Catholic schools under the auspices of the Arizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit Law. Salpointe awarded 182 scholarships in 2004, based upon $422,997 in contributions (less CTSO operating expenses).
Significantly, according to the Arizona Corporation Commission, Salpointe has not established 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
[edit] Admissions
[edit] Policies and Procedures
Admission to Salpointe is by competitive application. Although admissions decisions are made without regard to ethnicity, race, or economic background, applicants should note that it is difficult to gain admission to Salpointe if one has a history of disciplinary problems at past schools. In addition, while Salpointe works to make provision for those students who have additional learning needs, Salpointe caters to students from "average" to "exceptional" ability, and often will not accept students with "very low" academic capability. [6]
Admissions decisions are made on the basis of information provided on several application forms, recommendations, transcripts, and an optional personal interview.[7]
The admissions process starts quite early in the semester BEFORE a student intends to enroll at Salpointe. During the Christmas vacation, several important admissions-related events are held at Salpointe.
[edit] Administrative Structure
[edit] "Leadership Team" Model
Following a 5-year experiment with a "president-principal" model of school administration, the Salpointe board opted to implement a more hierarchical administrative structure on an experimental basis. Under the new plan, the office of the school President was elevated to "Head of School," whereby the occupant would be explicitly and directly involved with the day-to-day operations of the school, while ultimately responsible for accomplishing the school's overarching development initiatives.[8]
The current administrative structure is comprised of a "leadership team." The power held by members of this team falls into two classes. The first class, occupied by the Chief Executive Officer and Head of School, Fr. Frederick Tillotson, O.Carm. retains supervening authority over all matters of the school administration. The second administrative class is occupied by 7 "leadership team members", heading departments of the school, and reporting directly to the Head of School.
[edit] Current Leadership Team Members
Mr. Jeff Mounts
- Associate Head of School for Academics
Mr. Mike Urbanski
- Associate Head of School for Student Services
Ms. Kathy Rother
- Associate Head of School for Faculty and Professional Development
Ms. Kay Sullivan
- Director of Development
Mr. Greg Aiken
- Director of Operations
Mr. Phil Gruensfelder
- Director of Athletics
Mr. Michael Glynn
- Director of Salpointe Institute
[edit] The Board of Directors
Salpointe's ultimate governance falls to its Board of Directors, which constitute the leadership of the Salpointe Catholic High School corporation. The Head of School is responsible to this group. The Board of Directors crafts long-term strategy for the School, and - along with the Carmelites - retains ultimate authority over its direction. Members of the Board are selected from the Salpointe community.
[edit] Academics
[edit] Overview
Salpointe has maintained robust academic standards throughout its history, particularly given its mission to serve the entire Tucson community. Despite the lure of specializing as a purely college preparatory institution, Salpointe has also worked hard to offer a meaningful educational experience to those students who require assistance with learning difficulties. Also, consistent with Salpointe's Carmelite identity, Salpointe seeks to attract students of all economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
[edit] "College Preparatory" education
In 1987, Salpointe became the first school in southern Arizona and the third school in the state to be accredited "college preparatory" by the North Central Association. Although Salpointe was a relative latecomer to the effort to create Advanced Placement classes (there was only one course that was designated AP on the Salpointe campus in the year 2000), its students have benefited from historical relationships with nearby community colleges and universities. Salpointe's early development was guided by the principle that vocational development was crucial, which caused difficulties in the 1970-80s as the vestiges of vocational training restrained the school's development into a college preparatory institution. Today, due to reform efforts in the late 1980s, as well as the efforts of Ruth Jenson and Jeff Mounts, the failure to implement AP courses has been rectified, and Salpointe boasts a high-school-to-college conversion rate of 98%. Many instructors hold advanced degrees, and a recent push to develop infrastructure in the sciences has greatly enriched the college preparatory curriculum. The school-wide learning outcomes Salpointe currently seeks are enumerated on its website. [9]
[edit] Academic Departments
- English Department
- Applied Sciences Department
- Fine Arts Department
- Humanities Department
- Mathematics Department
- Modern Language Department
- Science Department
- Social Studies Department
- Theology Department
[edit] The Humanities Program
Salpointe offers a unique educational opportunity to its most motivated students with its Humanities program. During the first two years at Salpointe, the academic options that are available to students roughly mirror those available at public schools (with the notable exception of the religion curriculum). Freshmen and Sophomores are able to take "regular" or "honors" versions of the standard courses in world history, English, mathematics, the arts, et cetera. However, in their junior year, students may opt to avail themselves of the "humanities experience," which collapses traditional disciplinary distinctions between departments to form a set of intensive courses in the mold of the liberal arts. Many of the school's most effective students and teachers are brought together in an integrated, fast-paced, and rewarding educational environment that cross-culturally examines the human experience from literary, religious, artistic, and historical perspectives.
In recent years, the Humanities program has adapted its courses so that students studying at the highest level will also be prepared for Advanced Placement tests in American History, History of Art, World Literature, and English Literature & Language. [10]
[edit] The Summer Institute
The Salpointe Summer Institute is a recent development at Salpointe. The institute operates separately from the regular Salpointe curriculum, and the institute's head reports directly to the Head of School. The institute offers educational experiences that transcend what one might consider the typical high school experience, particularly since it reaches out to adult learners and those who might be interested summer school or Princeton Review SAT preparation in the Tucson community.[11]
[edit] Athletics
Salpointe offers 23 varsity sports to its students, and many of these have achieved state-wide success. Salpointe athletes have earned more Arizona Interscholastic Association scholar-athlete awards than any other school in Arizona. The Lancers' primary in-town rivals are the Bluedevils from Sunnyside High School. The Lancers' previous rival was the Dorados of Canyon del Oro High School, but they do not currently play them, as the Dorados moved to a different division. Salpointe's golf, soccer, football, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and swimming teams are perennially strong; each usually wins top regional honors, and several teams have become State Champions [12]. Individual State Champions include Tommy McGeorge (Tennis), Whitney Dosty (Track), and Bryce Livingston (Track). Salpointe athletes are frequently recruited to play NCAA athletics. Some well-known NCAA athletes of the school include Whitney Dosty, (University of Arizona, Women's Volleyball),Bryce Livingston, (West Point/Army, Track and Cross Country) Tyler Graunke, (Hawaii, Football) Jack Darlington, (Nevada, Football), and most recently Kris O'Dowd, (USC, Football). Starting quarterback Max Fritz will attend Army and his receiver, Matt Ransom, will attend Princeton.
[edit] The Lancer Fight Song
(Sung to the melody of the Notre Dame Victory March)[13]
We're going to tell you something tonight,
About the team that you're going to fight,
We're the Lancers, Salpointe High,
If we don't win we're willing to try!
Out on the field we're ready to fight, (FIGHT!)
We're going to fight with full force and might, (MIGHT!)
Win or lose we'll stick together,
Onward to victory!
Lancers, Lancers, Let's take State!
[edit] Pastoral Care
[edit] Campus Ministry
Under the guidance of the Carmelites, Salpointe has developed an active campus ministry. Students are encouraged to attend a number of retreats throughout their time at Salpointe, culminating in the Kairos experience during their junior or senior year.[14]
[edit] Counseling Services
Associate Head of School for Student Services Mr. Mike Urbanski heads Salpointe's counseling services. In addition to routine student counseling and schedule management, Salpointe's counseling department has undertaken a number of novel initiatives in recent years. Urbanski brought the "Community of Concern" program to Salpointe, which requires parents to attend informational forums about substance abuse and to pledge to prevent illegal parties from taking place in their homes.[15]
In addition to the "community of concern" effort, occasional drug-sniffing dogs on campus, and 'breathalizer' tests at prom, Salpointe has announced mandatory drug-testing for all students beginning in fall 2007. Hair samples will be taken at random from all enrolled students, which will be sent to Psychemedics Corp., an external testing company, to test for any drug usage within the prior 90 days.[16] Announcement of the program sparked polemical discussion on the local newspaper's online discussion boards, some of which came from former alumni upset with the announcement. Subsequent on-campus fora were less animated, with Head of School Tillotson arguing, "We don't need, in a private school, to have to go to parents to implement our values and our mission."[17]
[edit] Extracurricular Activities
[edit] Notable alumni
 |
The factual accuracy of this section is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page |
Notable alumni of Salpointe Catholic High School include:
- H Darr Beiser, award winning professional photographer, USA Today
- Antonio Nagore, international operatic tenor and recitalist
- Oscar Salvatierra, transplant surgeon, Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Renal Transplantation, Stanford University Medical Center
- Patricia Preciado Martin, award winning writer on Mexican-American culture
- Edward F. Joganic, plastic surgeon, founder of Southwest Craniofacial Center
- Jay John, Men's Basketball Coach, Oregon State University
- Dan Esparza, non-award winning (but still notable) photographer
- Robert Roberts, professional dog sledder; 1st to visit both north and south pole
- Marco Enriquez, founder of the Southern Arizona Society
- John Huppenthal Arizona State Senator
- Tairia Mims, Softball Olympic Gold Medalist and NCAA Softball Champion at UCLA
- Michelle Grenier, cancer survivor and hero to many.
- John Fina, NFL Buffalo Bills Offensive Tackle
