Devon Preparatory School
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Devon Preparatory School is a college preparatory school in Devon, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1956 by the Piarist fathers. It is divided into a middle school (grades 6-8) and an upper school (grades 9-12), both located on the same campus of 22 acres. The school operates independent and with the blessing of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
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| Name | Devon Preparatory School |
| Address | 363 North Valley Forge Road |
| Town | Devon, Pennsylvania, 19333 |
| Established | 1956 |
| Community | Suburban |
| Type | Private (Independent) |
| Religion | Catholic (Piarist) |
| Students | Male |
| Grades | 6 through 12 |
| Mascot | Tide |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Motto | "The Devon Difference" |
| Web site | DevonPrep.com |
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[edit] Campus
The 22 acre campus features seven buildings, and the Edwin D. Keller Memorial Field, which is home to two soccer fields (new in 1990), and a baseball field (new in 1990). The newest building, "St. Anthony's Hall" was completed in 2004 and blessed by Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia. The school is situated on the estate once owned by Philadelphia publisher Dr. Charles M. Lea.
Calasanctius Hall-The "old building" or "mansion" built in 1913 is now home to the Middle School, with six classrooms on the second floor. Calasanctius Hall also houses the Art Center and the school's Admissions Office. A large first floor hall has hosted presentations, school plays, and receptions. The Piarist Fathers live on the third floor.
Upper School Classroom Building - Built in 1961, the main building includes nine classrooms, a Biology Lab, and a Physics Lab. Devon's Bookstore, Health Center. Various administration offices are also located in the main building.
Gymnasium - A full-sized basketball court hosts home games for the Middle School CYO team and the Upper School JV and Varsity teams. Weekdays after school feature intramural games. A large stage makes the gym an all-purpose auditorium for student assemblies, theatrical performances, guest speakers, and dances. A major addition to the Athletic Facility was completed in 1999, adding additional locker room space, Coach's Room, and weight-training equipment.
Chemistry Building - Once the carriage house, this building has been converted into a Chemistry Lab on the first floor, and a Music Center on the second floor.
St. Mary's Chapel - Formerly a stable, this is now the School Chapel seating over 100 comfortably. Devon uses the chapel for masses and smaller gatherings.
Activities House - A guest house of the estate is now used as a meeting place for several student activities, including the school yearbook, The Calasanctian.
Edwin D. Keller Memorial Field - Improved in 1990, the athletic fields are capable of hosting two consecutive soccer games, or a baseball game. During the spring break of 2007, the school added dugouts for the baseball field and redid the pitchers mound and the home plate area.
St. Anthony's Hall - This new building features six new classrooms, a Computer/Technology Center, a new Library, and new Science Lab. It was dedicated by Cardinal Rigali on Oct. 2, 2004.
[edit] Athletics
The school colors are blue and gold, and the mascot is the Tide. The school teams participate in the Bicentennial Athletic League. The school has teams for a variety of varsity sports in the high school, including: soccer, golf, cross country, winter track, basketball, tennis, baseball, and track and field. There are also freshman teams for basketball and soccer. New this year (2006-2007) is a Junior Varsity Lacrosse team, with plans to add a varsity lacrosse team in the future. For middle school students, soccer, basketball, and baseball are available.
[edit] Student Activities
[edit] Academic Competition
Devon takes part in both the Varsity and JV divisions of the CCIU Academic Challenge Competition, in which students from different schools in the area compete in a quiz game to test their general knowledge. In the 2006-2007 season, the JV team placed 2nd in the league finals. In the 2007 season, the Varsity team went to the semifinals match where they narrowly lost, while the JV team advanced to the finals achieving second place.
[edit] Yearbook: The Calasanctian
Each year, students on the yearbook committee meet regularly and compile photos of students and campus life for the yearbook, named the Calasanctian.
[edit] Chess Team
Students from the upper and middle school learn and practice the game of chess. The high school has a chess team which plays other local schools in the area.
[edit] CAP
This student-run club sponsors various food drives, collections, and service projects throughout the year.[1] Aimed with helping needy families in surrounding areas, CAP donates the proceeds of its fund raisers to nearby shelters and soup kitchens. In 2007, at an all night fund raiser, CAP raised over $26,000 for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Devon Prep was the first and is currently the only high school in the nation to participate in this college-dominated program.
[edit] Computer Club
Students interested in technology have the opportunity to learn about the implementations of modern technology at Devon, take part in hands on projects, and discuss recent issues and ideas relating to technology.
[edit] Film Club
The Film Club allows students to take an active role in video productions as they write, direct, act, edit, and produce numerous film projects through the year.
[edit] Devon Dialogue
Students from the upper school collaborate to write articles for the school newspaper. The articles range on topics about the school to contemporary CD and movie reviews.
[edit] Math Counts
Devon middle schoolers have the opportunity to practice their math skills and compete against other schools in the annual Math Counts Competition against area schools.
[edit] Mock Trial
Students from the high school emulate a civil or criminal law trial by preparing a complete prosecution and defense for a predetermined case. They then compete against other teams in the mock trial competition. The 2008 team finished in 4th place at the state competition in Harrisburg out of 295 teams state-wide.
[edit] Model UN
Students from the high school participate in the YMCA Model United Nations Program, in which they take on roles as delegates to the UN from various nations across the globe. The students learn about debate, public speaking, negotiations, diplomacy, and international law.
[edit] Science Olympiad
All students are invited to participate in the interscholastic Science Olympiad competition, in which there are a wide variety of science related activities in which to take part. The team placed 10th in the competition in 2006 and 19th in 2007.
[edit] Music and Theater
Led by Dr. Valentin Radu, the Devon Prep Music Society is open to all Devon members and consists of several performing groups. Students receive academic credit for their musical work.
Jazz Band With approximately 30 members each year, this group is responsible for bringing big band, swing, and jazz charts to the Devon stage, as the musicians learn style, technique, and theory.
[edit] Choral Tide and Rip Tide
Members of these two choral groups sing all genres of music and perform both inside and outside of Devon.
[edit] Fall Drama
The Fall Drama is annually performed in early November by students from Devon Prep and its surrounding sister schools.
[edit] Spring Musical
The Spring Musical, usually a Broadway musical, is performed in early spring by students from Devon Prep and its surrounding sister schools. Recent productions include Les Misérables, Guys and Dolls, and South Pacific. This year's production is The Scarlet Pimpernel.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Kevin Magee ’72 - Executive Vice President of Fox News, executive in charge of Fox Business Network, Fox News Radio and "The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet"
- Robert Ambrogi ’67 - Director of the American International School of Johannesburg, formerly served as superintendent of the International School of Islamabad, Pakistan
- Mark Malseed ’93 - author or several books including The Bureau and the Mole, slated to become a Jerry Bruckheimer film, and two books about the Bush presidency in which he collaborated with Bob Woodward.
- Dr. Anthony Coletta ’71 - Local surgeon who pioneered laproscopic surgery.
- Frank M. Lesher’66 - retired Executive Vice President Sony Electronics Corporation.
- Matt Huenerfauth ’97 - an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the City University of New York (CUNY), Queens College.
- Robert Magee ’65 - Chairman and CEO of Totem Ocean Trailer Express
- Dr. Colin Phoon ’81 - Director of Pediatric & Fetal Echocardiography New York School of Medicine, NYU
[edit] Trivia
- On April 10, 2008, a small fire broke out in the school's gymnasium. At 7:03 PM, during the final rehearsal of the school's production of "The Scarlet Pimpernel," a stage light allegedly got too hot and came into contact with a stage curtain. Soon the curtain caught fire. Stage crew director Timothy Gallen took immediate action, instructing all students to leave the gymnasium promptly and quietly. Once the fire had been contained, Gallen proceeded to call the fire department. Nevertheless, the musical production went on and performed in front of a sell out crowd the next night.
