St. John's College High School
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| St. Johns College High School | |
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| The Official Seal of St. John's College High School
Religio Scientia
(Latin: Religion and Knowledge) |
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| Location | |
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| Washington, D.C., USA | |
| Information | |
| Head teacher | Brother Thomas Gerrow F.S.C. |
| Students | 1,100 |
| Faculty | 75, with 70% hold a master’s degree or higher |
| Type | Lasallian / Military |
| Campus | 2607 Military Road NW Washington, D.C. 20015 |
| Color(s) | Scarlet and Gray |
| Established | 1851 |
| Homepage | http://stjohns-chs.org/ |
St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., established in 1851, is the third oldest Catholic Christian Brother's school in the United States, and the oldest JROTC school. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
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[edit] History
The third oldest Christian Brothers school in the United States, St. John's College was established for young men by Brother John of Mary, F.S.C., and two other Christian Brothers in St. Matthew's parish, 15th and H Streets NW. The three men had been members of the faculty of Calvert Hall College, Baltimore, since its founding in 1845.
A JROTC program that is now optional was established in 1915 under the guidance of the United States Army and Major J. Dupray. As such, St. John’s is the nation’s oldest JROTC program, as well as one of the largest and most prestigious, consistently winning top honors. In addition to regular classroom instruction, cadets participate in regional and national competitions as members of Raiders (called the Rangers until changed in 1994), the Drill team (called the "McGovern Riffles", see Notable alumni below) and Rifle team (Marksmanship club) and Color guard. The Regiment participates in many high-profile events each year, such as the annual Cherry Blossom Parade, and Presidential inaugurations (including the 2005 Inauguration of George W. Bush). As of 2005, fifty percent of the students participate in the JROTC Program.
Because of space limitations, the Brothers moved the school to Carroll Hall at 10th and G Streets NW in 1866 at the invitation of Father Walter. In 1868, the Brothers returned to St. Matthew's parish at the request of Father Charles White, who had built a new school named St. Matthew's Institute at the corner of 16th and L Streets NW.
In 1878, the Brothers purchased the 1225 Vermont Avenue NW site of St. John's from the estate of General Montgomery C. Meigs. In August of the same year, the construction of the building was begun. At first it was known as St. John's Collegiate Institute, and finally, in 1887, it assumed its title of St. John's College. In that year, the college as incorporated under the District of Columbia statutes with the power to confer the academic degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts. At the commencement of June 24, 1892, the bachelor's degree was conferred on six young men.
As the undergraduate departments of Catholic University and Georgetown University expanded, it was decided in 1921 by the Board of Trustees of St. John's to discontinue the college department and devote the school facilities to secondary education alone. In the meantime, St. John's did pioneer work in commercial education by opening a school of commerce and finance at 13th and Massachusetts Avenue NW. Three years after the college department was discontinued, the annex building, housing the gym, swimming pool, and freshman classes, was built.
St. John's continued to prosper for the next thirty years, until it became apparent that the Vermont Avenue facilities were no longer adequate. With further expansion in mind, the Brothers purchased the present campus bounded by Rock Creek Park. This property, together with the spacious mansion located there, provided sufficient space for the freshman classes and athletic events.
As the Vermont Avenue buildings became less useful, the Brothers decided to build a new school on the Military Road Campus. The new St. John's opened to more than one thousand students in September 1959.
St. John's has, since its inception, consistently played a prominent role on the Washington scene. The School has produced thousands of graduates, among them leaders in the civil, religious, and business life of the Washington area. Steeped in tradition, St. John's has begun its second century as one of the oldest and most outstanding educational institutions in the District of Columbia. In 1991 St. John's became a co-educational military optional institution.
[edit] Curriculum and statistics
St. John’s enrolls a student body that is ethnically and economically diverse. The student population of approximately 1,100 students is drawn from many communities in the Washington metropolitan area; a number of international students are welcomed each year as well.
The ethnic breakdown of the student body is as follows: Caucasian, 54%; African American, 29%; Hispanic, 9%; Asian, 6%; other, 2%.
In 2005 there are 280 students in the ninth grade; 281 in the tenth grade; 271 in the eleventh grade; and 246 in the twelfth grade.
The average class size is twenty-three students. Admission to St. John’s is selective; approximately thirty-five percent of students receive some form of financial assistance. There are 75 faculty members, 70% of whom hold a master’s degree or higher.
| English | 4 years |
| Religion | 4 years |
| Laboratory Science | 3 years |
| Social Studies | 3 years |
| Mathematics | 3 years |
| Modern Language | 2 years |
[edit] Academics
Students at St. John’s must take at least 7 credits in freshman year and 6.5 credits for grades 10 -12. Twenty-six credits are required for graduation.
The Benilde Program is a program for students with diagnosed learning differences. Students in this program attend regular classes and participate fully in the co-curricular life of the school, but have scheduled time for assistance and skill-building; they are not grouped together in one class, but are dispersed in their grade.
The De La Salle Scholars Program is a four-year academic program that provides opportunities for in-depth study, small group discussion, and interdisciplinary, independent and experiential learning. All students must complete a senior thesis in order to graduate.
[edit] Class Ranking and GPA
St. John’s policy is not to rank its students. They claim that "a single determination of rank within a class would not be representative of students’ abilities and achievements". Classes are counted in a calculation of the grade point average, and noted on the transcript as a weighted average.
| Letter | Comment | Point Value |
| A | Excellent | 100 - 90 |
| B+ | Very Good | 89 - 85 |
| B | Good | 84 - 80 |
| C+ | Average | 79 - 75 |
| C | Below Average | 74 - 70 |
| D | Passing | 69 - 65 |
| F | Failure | Below 65 |
| W | Withdrawn | No credit |
| I | Incomplete | No credit |
[edit] Grading
There are two semesters in the St. John’s academic year. The final grade earned for a course is the average of the two semester grades. Semester grades are determined using the following formula: Quarter 1 (40%) + Quarter 2 (40%) + Semester Exam (20%). The following scale is used to determine letter grades:
[edit] Standardized testing
The middle 75% of the Class of 2003 scored between 600-610 on the verbal section of the SAT, and between 590-600 on the math section.
[edit] Advanced Placement and Honors programs
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[edit] Athletics
St. John's has especially in recent years, fielded competitive sports teams. All of their teams play in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
[edit] Football
In recent years, the St. John's football team has come to see massive success over previous losing decades. In the past four meetings with rival school Gonzaga College High School, St. John's has won four.[1] In the 2007 season, St. John's entered the WCAC in a three-way tie with Good Counsel and DeMatha. They lost the draw and ended up playing and losing to Good Counsel.
[edit] Girls Soccer
In 2007, the St. John's girls soccer team was ranked #1 in the nation in early September.[2] After finishing with only two losses on the entire season, they ended up at #6,[3] and went on to win the WCAC championship.
[edit] Rivalry
St. John's historic rivalry is with Gonzaga. The schools participate in a yearly football game. At this game, the St. John's JROTC Regiment follows the long established traditions of marching on the field before the game, saluting both Gonzaga and St. John's by singing each schools' song, and finally forming a tunnel, with officers' sabres drawn, to salute the SJC Cadet football team as it takes the field. This is one of the oldest high school rivalries in the United States.[citation needed]
[edit] Description of the school crest
- The American Eagle with the date of 1851 at the bottom is the symbol of the United States of America and the founding date of St. John's.
- The lamb and pennant is the symbol of St. John the Baptist for whom the school is named.
- The "Star of Faith" is the symbol of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
- The Crenel of Embattlements is the symbol of our national defense for which St. John's students have died.
- Two red stripes represent the colors of the flag of the District of Columbia.
- The obelisk represents the Washington Monument.
- The phrase "Religio Scientia" is the school motto which means "Religion and Knowledge".
[edit] The "Code of the Cadet"
The St. John's Cadet is a young adult of honor and integrity, who continually strives for excellence. Cadets respect the property of others and make every effort to fulfill their promises and obligations. As young men (and women – added in 1991) of their word, they insure their work is their own. When making a report, they are certain, to the best of their knowledge and belief that it is true, complete, and accurate.
[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] The McGovern brothers
First Lieutenant Robert M. McGovern (Class of 1946) and Second Lieutenant Jerome F. McGovern (Class of 1948). Robert was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Korean War and Jerome was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in the Korean War. They died in 1951 within 11 days of each other. The St. John's Drill Team is named "The McGovern Rifles" in honor of them. Their medals are on display at the school.
[edit] Other alumni
- Shane Salerno, screenwriter and producer of blockbuster motion pictures including Armageddon, Shaft, Ghost Rider, Alien vs. Predator and many others. Salerno was the first write-in class President at St. John's since it was founded in 1851. Also co-captain of football team.
- James Kimsey, first chairman and CEO of America Online[4]
- Tom McGrath '72 behind-the-scenes player in reshaping modern media. Pioneer in videocassette rental business. Also, wrote an econometric paper on movie theaters and video competition that contributed to the US Justice Department lifting a 30-year old "Paramount Consent Decree" which had prohibited film companies from owning movie theaters. Former COO of Viacom Entertainment Group, current Senior Managing Director of Crossroads Media.
- Kevin Plank (Class of 1990), founder and owner of Under Armour, the performance apparel company.[5]
- Archbishop Philip Hannan (class of 1931) former Archbishop of New Orleans, a pioneer in Catholic media he as been the advisor to Presidents and Popes. 93 years young, he continues to serve the faithful of the New Orleans Diocese.
- Don Roth (class of 1961) is the Managing Partner and a founder of EMP Global. He served as Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank from 1988-1992. Prior to the World Bank, he was with Merrill Lynch for 17 years, during which time he served as Chairman and Chief Executive, Merrill Lynch Europe Ltd., and was responsible for all business operations in Europe and the Middle East during 1983-1985. Mr. Roth is also Adviser to the National Treasury Management Agency of Ireland.
- Joseph Rinaldi (class of 1944) World renowned jazz musician, he spent his early years with Big Bands such as Gene Krupa, Harry James and Tony Psater. He later fronted his own Dixieland Jazz Band The Foggy Bottom Six as well as his own Jazz Band, The Joe Rinaldi Jazz Quintet. He has also appeared with Judy Garland and as a performer at the Newport Jazz Festival. Currently Joe can be seen performing with the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble.
- Michael Carns (class of 1955) A retired four star general after 35 years of service with the U.S. Air Force, including service as vice chief of staff for the Air Force and as director of the Joint Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Michael graduated from the United States Air Force Academy as a member of its first class; the Harvard Business School, with distinction; and the Royal College of Defense Studies, London.
- Clarence Gibbs (class of 1943) Former Chief of Central Nervous Systems Studies and AIDS Coordinator at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Gibbs was nominated for the Nobel Prize for the Physiology of Medicine. He was in the Navy for forty years, becoming the Commanding Officer of the Naval Medical Commands, First Naval Reserve Support Unit in Washington DC. President Carter presented him with the Meritorious Service Medal for his contributions to our Country.
- Patrick Noonan (class of 1960) Conservation visionary and pioneer in bringing business and environmental interests together. Founder and Chairman Emeritus of The Conservation Fund. The Conservation Fund has pioneered a new approach to conservation based on collaboration not confrontation. Founded by Noonan in 1985, The Conservation Fund, using tools of the marketplace, has protected 3.5 million acres (14,000 km²) of America’s most important wildlife habitat, working landscapes, river corridors, and historic places.
- Norman "Mr. Notch" Howell (class of 1993) is a Hip hop, R&B, reggae, dancehall and reggaeton artist. Fluent in both American English and Jamaican patois, as well as in Spanish; some of his songs can be heard with him mixing all three. Norman was the founding member and lead singer of reggae duo Born Jamericans signed to Delicious Vinyl.
- Jim Speros, Clemson Football, Super Bowl winning strength coach with the Washington Redskins in 1982-1983 season, Owner of the Baltimore Stallions (Grey Cup Champs), and the Montreal Alloutes. Brother of Pete and George. St. Johns Hall of Fame candidate.
- Pete Speros, Penn State Football Nittany Lion of the year, Seattle Seahawks football, In the St. Johns Hall of Fame.
- Chris Wright (class of 2007) One of the top basketball players in the class of '07 who plays for Georgetown University. He is one of only two people to be a three time All-Met selection, competed at the McDonald's All American Game as well as other various tournaments.
[edit] References
- ^ Coach Joe Patterson enters his fourth season at the helm. From the St. John's website. Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
- ^ NSCAA/Adidas National and Regional Rankings: National 2nd Poll. National Soccer Coaches Association of America (September 18, 2007). Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
- ^ NSCAA/Adidas National and Regional Rankings: Final Regular Season Poll. National Soccer Coaches Association of America (September 18, 2007). Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
- ^ About James Kimsey. Kimsey Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- ^ Graham, Scott; Staff. "The man behind the 'armour'", Baltimore Business Journal, December 26, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-10-12.
- St. John's College High School website
- St. John's JROTC Program website
- Brotherhood of Soldiers at War - The McGovern Brothers
- The McGovern Brothers
