St. Patrick High School (Chicago)

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St. Patrick High School
Motto "Taking the young men of Chicago where they want to go."
Established 1861
Type Private all-male secondary
Affiliations Christian Brothers
President Br. Konrad Diebold, FSC
Principal Dr. Joseph Schmidt
Faculty 101
Students 962 (as of August 23, 2007)
Grades 9-12
Location Portage Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Colors Green and Gold
Mascot Shamrocks
Website St. Patrick High School

The school was founded in 1861 by Christian Brothers under the name St. Patrick Academy. The school was located at the intersection of Des Plaines and Adams streets. In 1953, the school was moved to its present location at the intersection of Belmont and Austin in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. Over the years the school has gone through many building expansions. The most recent being "Vision 2000." The 6.5 million dollar building and program expansion project was completed in July 2000 and includes an atrium, a state of the art library/media center, a 299 seat theater, music and art facilities, an auxiliary gymnasium, and additional office space.[1]

Saint Patrick High School is Chicago's oldest Catholic high school for boys, and for over 140 years it has remained at the forefront of education, administering to the needs of young men in the Chicago area.

By the 1940s, the student population had begun to diminish as the area became more industrial. Consequently, in 1953, Saint Patrick was moved to its present location in Portage Park at Belmont and Austin Avenues in order to serve the growing population of Chicago's Northwest Side. Over the next three years, demand for entrance into the school was great enough to warrant the construction of the "round" building, which was completed in September, 1956.

As the school continued to grow, so did the need for curriculum and facility expansion. The construction of the swimming pool, a handball court, and additional classrooms was completed in September, 1967. In 1991, due to the ever-increasing demand for technological advances, the top floor of the "round" building was reconfigured to accommodate a high-tech Computer Learning Center. The lab presently houses 120 computers and facilitates a network of over three hundred Internet-accessible computer stations that are used to integrate all areas of the curriculum.

The administrative structure changed in 1987 when the position of President was created. The existence of a President/Principal style of leadership effectively addressed the needs of both students and the larger community. In 1990, a Board of Trustees model was incorporated and adopted by the Christian Brothers. Currently, the twenty-five member board comprises men and women who represent various career backgrounds, and includes among its members representatives of the Christian Brothers and Saint Patrick alumni.

The Administration and Board of Trustees became instrumental forces in the strategic planning and development of the school's first-ever capital campaign, Vision 2000. The 6.5 million dollar building and program expansion project was completed in July 2000 and includes an atrium, a state of the art library/media center, a 299 seat theater, music and art facilities, an auxiliary gymnasium, and additional office space.

Throughout its history, Saint Patrick has remained a technologically advanced institution highly competitive within all areas of the curriculum.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Philosophy

Saint Patrick High School is a Catholic school. In religion class the student will learn what responsibilities he has personally to his God and to his neighbor. The formal study of religion will mean relatively little unless the knowledge is carried into daily practice through signs of genuine concern for others. The theory which is taught and developed must expand itself through values which must permeate the entire curriculum.

Theory is hollow unless the student has strengthened his own faith and convictions through an active participation in the liturgy and an honest reception of the Sacraments. It is for this reason that the school frequently offers the student body an opportunity to take part in the community liturgical events and the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the school year.

There are also opportunities for the students to develop their sense of commitment to their God and neighbor through days of recollection and closed retreats.

[edit] Mission

Rooted in the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle, Patron of all Teachers, the schools values are:

  • We believe in the strength of community,faculty, students, parents, alumni, and friends


[edit] Drug Testing Program

St. Patrick High School initiated its mandatory drug testing policy in September, 2004. Statistics from a study conducted by the University of Michigan indicated that 20-30% of 15-year olds and 50% of 18-year olds experiment with illegal drugs.

"Our goal is to be proactive and address this issue now rather than the alternative later. Saint Patrick High School is committed to taking your son where he wants to go..... DRUG FREE." [2]

[edit] Extra-curricular activities

St. Patrick's athletic teams are called St. Patrick Shamrocks. The school participates in the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) for most of their sports, which include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling.[3] The school also has an academic team, a chess team, band, FIRST robotics, and cheerleading & dance. At football and basketball games, the student section is known as the "Stud Section."

The school Water Polo team competes with schools such as Fenwick High School and Brother Rice High School, and won the state championship in 1997. Also, on June 3, 2006, the baseball team finished 2nd place in State. Their run through the playoffs is arguably one of the best Cinderella stories in Illinois state baseball history since they started the playoffs with a losing record (15-18).[4] The St. Patrick 2006 soccer team won the schools first Regional Championship in its history, after going 9-12-1 during the regular season. The Shamrock Volleyball team has captured 3 straight regional championship. On October 11th 2007, The Shamrock golf team qualified for the IHSA 3A State Championship. This was the first time in school history that the golf team qualified for the State Championship.

[edit] School Song

(Sung to the tune of You're a Grand Old Flag)

"You're a grand old school,
And our one golden rule,
Is to cherish and laud your name.

You're the guide of youth
The home of truth
In manhood we'll love you the same, RAH! RAH!

Every heart grows bold
'Neath the Green and the Gold,
Which we'll follow as years unfold,
Lest alma mater be forgot
Keep your eye on Saint Patrick High"

[edit] Theatre Department

Since 2002 the St. Patrick Theatre Department has set a standard of excellence for student theatre productions. In 2005 the Illinois High School Theatre Festival Committee recognized this by choosing the play "Over the Tavern" to be performed at the all-state festival in January 2006. The Theatre Department strives to present productions that may not be attempted by other high schools. Past musicals have included Les Miserables, Guys and Dolls,Damn Yankees, Into the Woods, and 1776 in spring of 2007 . The style of the school's Theatre Department is that it puts on and performs one play in the fall, one musical in the spring, and one miscellaneous play in the summer as part of its Community Theater Initiative. The comedies performed so far have been Odd Couple, Dark of the Moon, The Foreigner, and Over the Tavern, and Inspecting Carol in November 2006. The Summer Theatre performances have been Your A Good Man Charlie Brown in the summer of 2005, Lost in Yonkers in the summer of 2006, and Bus Stop in 2007.

- The St. Patrick Theatre Department is under the direction of Geoffrey Arndt. Geoffrey has worked as an actor, director, and assistant designer in various positions in professional, community, and educational theatre. He holds a BS in directing and an MS in Theatre History and Criticism, both from Illinois State University. While at Illinois State University, he worked in the School of Theatre's costume shop, the ISU Center for the Performing Arts, and taught a breakout of Experiencing the Theatre. He also co-coordinated the American College Theatre Festival while it was hosted at Illinois State University.


The 2007-2008 season is The Servant of Two Masters in the fall of 2007, Man of the Mancha in the spring of 2008, and Picnic in the summer of 2008.

[edit] Famous Alumni

  • Ray Meyer, Former DePaul men's basketball coach
  • Tim McGarigle, Linebacker, St. Louis Rams
  • Robert S. Straz, Mayor of Palos Heights, a south suburb of Chicago.
  • Dan Santucci, Offensive Lineman, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Jacob Zachar, Rusty on the TV series Greek.
  • New Colony 6, 1st Chicago rock band to reach national prominence (5 of 6 are class of '64: Chic James (James Chitkowski), Ray Graffia, Wally Kemp, Pat McBride and Gerry Van Kollenberg)

[edit] External links