| Seton Hall Preparatory School | |
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Hazard Zet Forward
Latin: Despite hazard,forward
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| Address | |
| 120 Northfield Avenue West Orange, NJ, (Essex County), 07052 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private, All-Boys |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Elizabeth Ann Seton |
| Established | 1856 |
| Headmaster | Msgr. Michael Kelly |
| Assistant Headmaster | Michael Gallo |
| Faculty | 71.3 (on FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 941 [1] (2009-10) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 13.2:1[1] |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 55 acres (220,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Song | Alma Mater sons be loyal, keep her name in purest light. Never waver from her precepts, guard her banner blue and white. O sing her praise to highest skies and be ye faithful in her eyes, for she will foster all your dreams, her name is Seton Hall. Her name is Seton Hall. |
| Athletics conference | Super Essex Conference |
| Mascot | Pirate |
| Nickname | SHP or The Prep |
| Team name | Pirates |
| Accreditation(s) | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2] |
| Publication | Spectrum (literary magazine) |
| Newspaper | 'The Pirate' |
| Yearbook | 'Tower' |
| Tuition | $11,150 |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark; New Jersey Association of Independent Schools |
| Dean of Faculty | Kevin McNulty |
| Dean of Men | Mark Smith |
| Dean of Studies | Matthew Cannizzo |
| Athletic Director | Joseph Walsh |
| Admissions Director | Matthew Cannizzo |
| Website | www.shp.org |
Seton Hall Preparatory School, generally called Seton Hall Prep, is a Roman Catholic boys' high school located in the suburban community of West Orange in Essex County, New Jersey, operating under the supervision of the Archdiocese of Newark.[3] Founded in 1856 with an original enrollment of five boys, Seton Hall Prep was originally located on the campus of Seton Hall University where it became commonly known as "The Prep" as a way to distinguish it from "The University."[4] In 1985, The Prep moved to its present location which was, at the time, West Orange High School. Seton Hall is the oldest Catholic college preparatory school in New Jersey.
As of the 2009-10 school year, the school had an enrollment of 941 students and 71.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.2.[1]
Seton Hall students follow a college preparatory program, with four-year requirements in the English language, mathematics, and theology. After completing a traditional core program during the first two years, students may establish a curriculum geared to their college and career plans from a wide selection of courses in science, history, language, fine arts, English and physical education. College-level Advanced Placement (AP) courses are available in 17 areas.
"The Prep" is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Secondary Schools[2] and is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.[5]
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Founded in 1856, Seton Hall Preparatory School is the oldest Catholic college preparatory school in New Jersey.
Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark and nephew of Elizabeth Ann Seton, began to plan and organize Seton Hall. Bayley purchased an estate in Madison, New Jersey, using money donated by Catholic Charities. Five priests and eight laymen formed a Board of Directors, which transformed the site into a Catholic preparatory school, college and seminary. The inaugural class was five students on December 1, 1856.
By the end of 1857 the growing institution needed larger facilities; Seton Hall President Rt. Rev. Bernard McQuaid purchased an estate in South Orange, to which the school moved in 1860. The Prep subsequently would spend the next 125 years on the institution’s South Orange campus.
Until 1928 the President of Seton Hall College was also the head of the Preparatory Division. At that time, Rev. D.A. Mulcahy became the high school’s first director. The following year Rev. William Bradley was named director, then principal and ultimately the school’s first headmaster in 1938.
The Prep school’s population grew further over the next decades, with booms during World War II and in the mid 70’s and with a significant portion of the student body boarding on campus. The school occupied three main buildings on the university campus— Mooney Hall, Duffy Hall and Stafford Hall. The last of the boarding students graduated in the mid-1950s.
In the early and mid twentieth century Prep drew its students principally from Essex and Union counties, but as the state’s transportation system expanded in the sixties and seventies, the Prep began to draw students from further afield, with growing contingents from Morris, Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Middlesex counties.
In 1980, Rev. Michael E. Kelly became the first alumnus headmaster. Five years later The Prep acquired an 11-acre (45,000 m2) campus of its own in nearby West Orange, and became self incorporated in that location.
In 1993, the school purchased a 44-acre (180,000 m2) tract of land on nearby Prospect Avenue, overlooking the New York City skyline. Beginning in 1993 The Prep began construction on the Edward D. and Helen M. Kelly Athletic Complex there.
In 2005 the school celebrated two milestones, marking The Prep’s 150th anniversary, as well as the 25th anniversary of Msgr. Kelly’s headmastership.
The Prep offers an co-curricular activities program, with numerous academic, service, performance, cultural, publication, and recreation clubs and activities. Additionally, the Prep offers fifteen interscholastic sports, most with accompanying sub-varsity level teams. The main campus, accessible to Interstate 280 and several bus and train routes, is augmented by a nearby 44-acre (180,000 m2) site, The Kelly Athletic Complex (KAC), providing auxiliary athletic facilities, including a 400m all-weather track, a game field for lacrosse and soccer, and practice fields.
Students coming from ten New Jersey counties and Staten Island, the breadth of background the students bring to academic and extracurricular activities is a source of great pride. Drawing students from such a wide area, more than 130 towns, even Staten Island, the Prep draws its student population from points as far as Jamesburg and Edison and White House Station, to Chester and Denville, to Lyndhurst and Montville, to Pompton Plains and Kinnelon as well as Paterson and also Hoboken. At the same time more than 80 students come from West Orange itself, 75 from neighboring South Orange/Maplewood and East Orange, and large contingents from close-by Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, the Caldwells, Verona, Morristown, Florham Park, East Hanover, Livingston and Morris Plains.
Seton Hall takes as its mission the development of the whole man—spiritual, intellectual, social and physical. Seton Hall community proceeds from a belief that growth as a whole person is not limited to secular knowledge but involves the spiritual fulfillment that has been a central concern in its educational tradition. In as much as such growth and maturity are rooted in personal and social responsibility, a code of conduct and expectations is in place to guide the student community in their daily activities. Consequent to its Catholic identity, the Prep seeks to foster an ecumenical and diverse community, faithful to a Judeo-Christian heritage.
The Seton Hall Prep Pirates participate in the Super Essex Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.[6]
Following the 2007 baseball season, the Pirates were ranked 1st in the country by a number of media outlets. The team was led by Rick Porcello who was selected by the Detroit Tigers as the 27th pick overall in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.[7] He signed a contract with the Tigers in August for $7 million, the richest deal ever for a high school player. In its May 28, 2007 update, Baseball America ranked Seton Hall Prep third in the country, the only New Jersey school on its Top 50 ranking.[8] The team won the Baseball - North A state sectional championship with a 3-0 shutout of Immaculata High School in the tournament final.[9] The 2007 team moved on to win the North A State Championship with a 10-1 win against St. Joseph High School.[10]
Seton Hall Prep currently has 24 state baseball championships. The Prep also has 4 North championships.
The boys basketball won the 2005 Non-Public, North A, state sectional champion, defeating Saint Joseph Regional High School, 63-54 in the final game.[11] The team went on to win the 2005 Tournament of Champions, with a 63-60 win over St. Patrick's High School, in a game played at Continental Airlines Arena.[12]
The Basketball team's long time head Coach Bob Farrell has achieved his 700th career win during the 2007-2008 season, the same night that then senior Ashton Gibbs broke Kevin McDonald's all time scoring record.
Also in 2008, senior guard Ashton Gibbs, broke Keven McDonald's over 30-year old all-time scoring record of 1,774 points. Gibbs was a highly touted recruit and currently attends the University of Pittsburgh and has seen considerable playing time as a freshman, most recently in the elite eight loss to Villanova University on March 28, 2009.[13]
In 2008, freshman Sterling Gibbs was ranked fourteenth from Hoop Scoop's exclusive ranking of the top players at the Freshman All American camp at Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, Virginia
Seton Hall Prep has had three professional basketball players, Ira Bowman, Brevin and Brandin Knight. Brevin plays for the Utah Jazz, while Brandin had a short stint with the Houston Rockets.
The boys soccer team won the 2005 North A state sectional championship with a 5-0 win over Don Bosco Preparatory High School. In 2007 the team achieved a number one statewide ranking from The Star-Ledger and a number five ranking in a national coaches' poll. The 2007 team won the North A state sectional championship with consecutive 3-2 wins over No. 1 ranked Don Bosco, and then the new No. 1 team and rival Delbarton in the North Jersey Final.[14] The team moved on to win the Non-Public A State Championship with a 2-0 win over Christian Brothers Academy.[15] They finished the season at 22-1, with several school records: 16 shutouts, 22 wins, 95 goals.
In 2009, the Seton Hall Prep Soccer team had another banner year with another state championship; defeating Christian Brothers Academy 1-0. SHP finished the season Number 1 in the state and Number 8 in the nation. In 2010, the Seton Hall Prep Soccer team was ranked Number 1 in the nation but failed to secure back to back championships/
Throughout the last decade, Seton Hall track has produced individuals and relay teams that consistently compete on the conference, state, and national level. A select number of pirates have even competed on the international level for the United States and Jamaica. Several of these athletes have continued their athletic careers at premier college programs including but not limited to: Notre Dame, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Fordham University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, University of Miami (FL), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Syracuse University, Bucknell University, Rutgers University, Marist College, and the University of Maryland at College Park.
In 2007, the Pirates established a school record 4 X 400M relay time of 3:13.83, which won the NJ Meet of Champions in 2007, and also won a State Championship for track. The relay team consisted of Grant Mayes (Syracuse University), Corey Alexander (George Mason), Patrick Blackie (University of Miami), and Clayton Parros (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill).
"The Prep" offers many activities. Most students are involved in some type of after school program. Some of these clubs are as follows.
Other organizations at "The Prep" include Future Business Leaders of America, the Future Lawyers Club, and Future Physicians of America.
List of Seton Hall Preparatory School alumni
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