Santa Margarita Catholic High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Santa Margarita Catholic High School
Established	1987
Type	Parochial secondary
Principal	Brother Lawrence Monroe
Students	1,653
Grades	9–12
Location	Rancho Santa Margarita, California USA
Mascot	Eagles
Newspaper	The Blueprint
Website	www.smhs.org

Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) is a coeducational Roman Catholic high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, USA. SMCHS is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange; although it follows the Catholic tradition, students of all faiths are accepted. As of the spring 2007 semester its enrollment was 1,653 students in grades 9 through 12.

SMCHS opened in the autumn of 1987, the first Catholic high school to serve South Orange County. Its 42-acre campus is adjacent to the San Francisco Solano parish church. Prominent features include a chapel with a bell tower and chimes, and the Von der Ahe Pavilion, donated by the family of the founders of the Vons supermarket chain. The associated food service buildings were donated by Ralphs Grocery Stores.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In 1997, it was awarded the status of Blue Ribbon School by the US Department of Education. SMCHS is also an International Baccalaureate World School.

The school's athletic teams, known as the Eagles, compete in the Trinity League. Their rivals, the Mater Dei monarchs, also compete in the Trinity League. The Eagles' most successful sport is Football and especially for boys varsity. The school's colors are blue and gold. The aquatics center for their award-winning water polo team is currently being built. The newest sport at SMCHS is lacrosse which is entering its' first year in CIF and second year overall.