St. Louis University High School

St. Louis University High School (SLUH), a Jesuit Catholic high school for boys founded in 1818, is the oldest secondary educational institution in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River, and one of the largest private high schools in Missouri. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

History

SLUH was founded in 1818 by the bishop of St. Louis, Bishop Dubourg, ^[1] as a Latin school for boys known as St. Louis Academy. Classes were held in a one-story house owned by Madame Alvarez on the northwest corner of Third and Market Street. It quickly grew to include a college division, and the college was granted university status in 1832. The high school retained the identity of St. Louis Academy on the university campus until 1924 when it moved to its own facilities and incorporated separately under the name of St. Louis University High School. The school's new home, on Oakland Avenue, was a gift of Mrs. Anna Backer in memory of her late husband and alumnus George Backer. That facility, also known as Backer Memorial, has grown considerably over the years and remains the school's home. SLUH has been successful in its city location while many other private high schools have followed population moves to the western suburbs.

In 1984, Mr. Paul Owens became the school's first lay principal, and in 2005, Mr. David J. Laughlin was hired as the school's first lay president.

Academics

Since the school is part of the Jesuit network that consists of 59 high schools and 28 colleges and universities in the United States, SLUH provides an education infused with the tradition and philosophy of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Therefore, theology/philosophy classes are conducted daily.

According to figures released on SLUH's website in 2011, the median ACT score for SLUH students is over 30. By composite score, it ranks among the top seven per cent of schools in the United States. Over 50% of SLUH's class of 2011 achieved a score of 30 or higher on the ACT. And, since 2005 already a total of 24 students have received the highest score, 36, on the exam. Four members of the class of 2012 have already achieved this score.

In September 2010, 23 students from SLUH were named National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists. This number far exceeded the number of semifinalists at any other school in Missouri. In October 2011, 17 students were named National Merit Semifinalists, while 28 were named National Merit Commended Scholars.

Advanced Placement (AP) courses have been offered through SLUH for half a century. AP courses are now offered for 22 disciplines. In 2010, 345 students took 790 AP exams. Eighty-seven percent scored a 3, 4 or 5, grades that qualify them for college credit.

The humanities receive a strong emphasis within SLUH's curriculum, which is particularly evidenced in the language department that has offered four year programs in Russian and Chinese since the 1960s. In keeping with its strong Jesuit Catholic heritage, courses in Latin and Greek are offered, as are the popular choices of French and Spanish. SLUH also has strong programs in the natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, fine arts, and literature.

Virtually all SLUH students immediately enter colleges or universities upon graduation. Members of the Class of 2011 were accepted at 203 different colleges and universities and will be attending 72 different colleges and universities throughout the United States. These students accepted over 300 scholarships totaling nearly $2 million.

Facilities

Since the original building was completed in 1924, the campus has expanded several times. The first major addition was completed in 1944, when a new wing was added to the Jesuit residence. In 1945, a basement was excavated under the main building, which was used to create a recreation room. Using investment gains in the Backer Endowment Fund, the school completed a major expansion in 1956 which included locker rooms, music facilities and the Backer Gymnasium. This gym replaced the original gym in the main building, which became an auditorium. A new library, which was later named for long-time history teacher Dr. James Robinson, was completed in time for the start of the 1971 academic year.

In 1978 under the leadership of Fr. Thomas Cummings, S.J., the school began soliciting funds for the "Triple E" program (standing for "Education, Endowment, and Expansion"), which helped to remodel the interior of the school, build the endowment and erect an upper field, faculty parking lot and the current football stadium on the Oakland Avenue side of the school.

In 1992, the Jesuit community moved out of the front wing of the school due to the declining number of priests. The Jesuit Wing was then renovated creating new Theology and Fine Arts classrooms as well as new office space for the school administrators. Today the SLUH Jesuit community resides in two houses in the neighborhood adjacent to the school's campus.

1996 saw a major renovation of the interior of the original building, including new HVAC systems, electrical updates, energy-efficient windows and additional classrooms. Also completed in 1996 was a new Fine Arts complex which included the Joseph Schulte Theater, a dance studio and two new music classrooms. The theater was named for long-time SLUH drama teacher and St. Louis theatre figure F. Joseph Schulte. The Schulte Theater has 356 permanent seats, and the capacity is expandable to 610 when the additional 254 bleacher seats in the balcony-like loge section are utilized. The theater is often rented to outside groups to perform plays and other functions.

In 2001, the basement rec room was named the "Fr. Hagan Rec Room" to honor Martin Hagan, S.J., a retired priest who spent more than 40 years on the SLUH faculty and was a longtime supervisor of the recreation room and the rifle coach. The Fr. Hagan Rec Room includes over 20 billiard tables and also contains foosball, ping pong, bumper pool, and shuffle board. The Fr. Hagan Rec Room is a favorite hang out for students, especially freshmen. The SLUH Rifle Range is right next door to the Rec Room, and the Pettit Fitness Center and Weight Room is across the hall.

Vision 2000

In the late 1990s, a large capital campaign to fund growth and expansion projects began under Fr. Paul Sheridan, S.J. Called VISION 2000 (V2K), the plan included reducing class sizes, better integrating technology into the curriculum and increasing class options. More resources have been poured into academic enhancements than to any other part of the V2K plan, but the most visible aspects of V2K are the construction projects.

The early phases of the program included the addition of new teaching and counseling positions in order to reduce class size and teaching loads and to expand the curriculum. Over a period of eight years, 18 new teaching and counseling positions were added.

The physical improvements began in 2004 when the football stadium was upgraded with the installation of artificial turf to expand its usability. That same year, a new entry boulevard to the west of the campus was constructed jointly with the adjacent St. Louis Science Center. The construction continued with the addition of a soccer–track complex and Sheridan Stadium, a new baseball field. Green space was added to the campus, and a new student parking lot was also constructed jointly with the St. Louis Science Center.

In 2009 SLUH completed the new Danis Field House, a free-standing field house which contains two gymnasium spaces, offices and meeting space for the athletic staff, and locker facilities. An additional portion of the field house serves as the wrestling gym during the winter season, but can be used as a test-taking center and study area during the fall and spring seasons.

SLUH is planning to renovate the "Commons", the old gymnasium and the area leading into it, in the summer of 2011. This has led to some controversy among the students and teacher, however the arguments were usually simply about the costs of certain parts of the renovation, such as the carpet used on the new floors replacing the gymnasium's wood floors.

The plan is to turn the area into a large assembly area-cafeteria, with chairs, tables, a carpeted floor, and a large stained-glass window facing out. Many at the school said that the school needed a "main entrance" , so another part of the planned renovation is making the entrance to the "Commons" the main entrance to SLUH.

Activities

SLUH sponsors active retreats and community service programs. It also requires daily, reflective silence, dedicated to the Examen of Consciousness; daily mass is celebrated, though participation is voluntary; and, individual class or entire school liturgies are held on a regular basis.^[2]

SLUH was among the first Jesuit schools to introduce a Senior Service Project (or Senior Project). At the start of the Spring Semester seniors are granted three weeks away from their studies so that they can work full time on a service project with a not-for-profit agency. Most students serve in or nearby the St. Louis, Missouri area. But some serve overseas, in Honduras or other places across the globe. SLUH regards activities of this type as critical to its Jesuit mission of educating “men for others.”

One of SLUH’s most valued student organizations is a Community Service Program (CSP), which sends students to sites across the area to work with the poor, disabled and aged. Other organizations include: Prep News, Missouri's first weekly high school newspaper; Sisyphus, a literary magazine published in February and April; "Gadfly", a culture and satire magazine with an accompanying television program; and the Dauphin Players, a theatre group that stages four productions each year. Many students at SLUH also participate in the fine arts, including chorus, dance, band, drawing, painting and ceramics.

SLUH is competitive in many academic events, such as math contests, Math League, Speech Team, Mock Trial and Quizbowl (Academic Team). SLUH has placed as the top scoring high school in the Missouri chapter of Math League for five years running.^[3] The Quizbowl team of 2006-07 won the title for SLUH's district, won second place at the state competition, and won the individual second place medal at the state level.^[4]

SLUH's Latin Club also competes yearly in Missouri Junior Classical League's Certamen competition in Columbia Missouri. In 2009, both the freshmen and varsity team took first place. In 2010, the beginner, intermediate, and varsity teams all placed second in the state tournament.

Student Council sponsors a seniors-only "Blue Crew" cheering section at inter-school sports competitions. Intramural activities run throughout the year and include events such as Music Trivia, Guitar Hero, basketball, and "bashball", a sport popular among students at SLUH that is best described as a mix of rugby, ice hockey, water polo, team handball and American football.

Tuition and financial aid

According to the homepage, tuition for the 2011-12 school year is set at $13,765. More than 30% of students receive financial aid, with awards ranging from $1,000 to full tuition. The use of technology at SLUH is included in the tuition.

Sports and rivalries

SLUH's athletic teams are known as the Junior Billikens, or Jr. Bills. They compete in the Metro Catholic Conference.

Missouri state titles

• Football (1970)
• Cross Country (four times, 1961, 1999, 2007, 2009) - Coached by Mr. Jim Linhares, who has recently completed his 25th year as head coach, as well as Mr. Joseph Porter.
• Soccer (1972, 1990 and 2003)
• Basketball (4 times, most notably beating Bill Bradley and his Crystal City, Missouri, team in 1960)
• Tennis (1970, 1981 and 2006, as well as a 2007 singles state title)
• Track and field (2006)
• Lacrosse (2009)
• Water polo (14 times, most recently 2011)
• Swimming (twice as a team, most recently 2003, with numerous individual champions)
• Volleyball (six times).
• Rugby (seven times, most recently 2000).

Before the inauguration of a state-wide Missouri football title in the late 1960s, the Jr. Bills football squad won ten city championships, retiring the St. Louis Globe Democrat City/County trophy, which sits proudly in one of the trophy cases by the school's switchboard.

In the modern era, SLUH's biggest rivals in athletics include other all-male Catholic schools, e.g. Chaminade College Preparatory School (Missouri), De Smet Jesuit High School, and Christian Brothers College High School (CBC). The De Smet and Chaminade rivalries are a relatively recent development, since De Smet has only been open since 1967, and Chaminade formerly had a smaller enrollment. The fact that both SLUH and DeSmet are operated by the Jesuits, however, brings a special fervor to their competitions.

The archrivalry with CBC (est. 1850), dates back to the late 19th century. For years the schools were located just two miles apart along Oakland Avenue/Clayton Road. The intensity of the rivalry was showcased for years at an annual football game played in Busch Stadium rather than on either school's home field. That practice ended in 1995 when Busch Stadium was remodelled into a baseball-only facility. In 2003, when both schools had nationally-ranked soccer teams, the district playoff between them was attended by over 6,000 fans. This rivalry has continued to the most recent events for the Soccer State Championship and the Hockey state championship in 2009. Perhaps the signature event of the rivalry is the Running of the Bills, an annual event during which many members of the student body run to a football game from nearby Forest Park clad in blue paint to cheer on the Jr. Bill football team.

The school is one of very few in the area to have a rifle range and team. The "Riflebills" have won many awards over the years, including national titles, in both .22 calibre smallbore rifle and air rifle competitions. In 2007, the team switched to the exclusive use of air rifles. In the summer of 2008, the Varsity Rifle team finished second in the nation in the three position competition at the Junior Olympics.

Notable alumni

Business

• Jack Boehm, former President and CEO of Valvoline Oil Company.^[5]
• Kevin P. Mansell, President of Kohl's Department Stores.^[6]
• Stephen Pelletier, President of Prudential Annuities
• George A. Schaefer, retired CEO of Caterpillar Inc..^[7]
• John T. Schuessler, Retired Chairman of the Board and CEO of Wendy's International.^[8]
• Thomas R. Voss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ameren Corporation ^[9]

Clergy

• William S. Bowdern S.J. conducted an exorcism, some details of which were portrayed in William Peter Blatty's novel, The Exorcist, as well as in the movie based upon that novel. Timothy Dalton played the role of Fr. Bowdern in his attempt to present a more accurate version of events in the movie Possessed.^[10]
• Most Reverend Michael J. Sheridan, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs^[11]

Entertainment

• Chris Albers, Emmy Award-winning comedy writer.^[12]
• Michael Beugg,^[13] Academy Award nominated movie producer.^[14]
• Dave Giuntoli, actor
• James Gunn, filmmaker and screenwriter.^[15]
• Brian Gunn, screenwriter
• Matt Gunn, writer for HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher.^[16]
• Sean Gunn, actor.^[17]
• George Hickenlooper, award-winning filmmaker.^[18]
• Robert Hyland, radio executive who created the talk radio format.^[19][20]
• Ken Kwapis, film and TV director.^[21]
• Dan Potthast, ska musician and member of MU330, named after the class in which its constituents met.^[22]
• Hubert Schlafly, inventor of the teleprompter.
• Timothy J. Sexton, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter.^[23]

Government

• Alfonso J. Cervantes, former mayor of St. Louis^[24]
• Joseph Darst, former mayor of St. Louis^[25]
• Raymond Gruender, federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit^[26]
• Mel Price, former U.S. Congressmen from southern Illinois^[27]
• William F. Quinn, first governor of the state of Hawaii, and former president of Dole Pineapple.^[28][29]
• Eugene R. Sullivan, former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals (Armed Forces), counsel on Richard Nixon's defense team during the Watergate hearings, and governor of Wake Island.^[30]
• Raymond Tucker, former mayor of St. Louis. Also, former chair of mechanical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis^[31]
• Daniel Isom, current St. Louis City Chief of Police^[32]
• Chris Koster, current Missouri Attorney General ^[33]
• George Buzz Westfall, AKA Buzz Westfall, former County Executive, and former chief prosecutor of St. Louis County.^[34]

Historical

• Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, son of Sacagawea and Toussaint Charbonneau, members of The Corps of Discovery/Lewis and Clark Expedition, pictured as an infant on the U.S. One Dollar Coin.^[35][36]

Humanitarianism/Activism

• Thomas Anthony Dooley III, Humanitarian, medical doctor, activist, author and Congressional Gold Medal recipient. During the late 1950s he established and worked in numerous clinics in Viet Nam and Laos. The organization he helped establish (MEDICO) was later incorporated into CARE (relief agency).^{[37][38][39][40][41]}
• Henry Hampton, Civil Rights activist, recipient of the Heinz Award, film maker, and producer of the documentary Eyes on the Prize.^{[42][43][44][45]}
• E. Michael Harrington, Harvard professor, author, and founder of the Democratic Socialists of America. Included among his many books is The Other America, a book which had a significant impact on John F. Kennedy's and Lyndon B. Johnson's administrations.^{[46][47][48][49]}
• Max Starkloff, founder of Paraquad.^[50]
• Jack Warner, SJ, in 1979 founded Teatro la Fragua , a Theatre Group in Honduras that gives free performances and theatre workshops for the poor, in an attempt to help them express their lives and problems. Concerning his role as Jesuit and as a promoter of theatre among the poor, Warner has said: "Art and religion spring from our need to be in touch with something beyond the littleness we feel as human beings." ^[51][52][53]

Journalism

• Greg Burke, reporter for Fox News Rome bureau.^[54]
• George Michael, sportscaster for The George Michael Sports Machine^[55]

Medicine/Research

• Michael R. DeBaun, M.D., M.P.H. Pediatrician, Sickle-cell disease expert and 2004 Backer Award Recipient. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine.^[56]
• Phillip M. Farrell MD, PhD., expert on cystic fibrosis and Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical School^[57]

Military

• Michael Blassie, former unknown soldier for Vietnam War.^[58]

Scholars and scientists

• Joseph L. Badaracco eminent professor of business ethics at Harvard University.^[59]
• Barnaby Faherty, S.J., eminent historian and author of more than fifty books, one of which, "A Wall for San Sebastian" (1962), was the basis for the 1968 film La Bataille de San Sebastian starring Anthony Quinn and Charles Bronson.^[60]
• Gary Gutting, eminent professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. In his role as a public intellectual has engaged the famed evolutionary biologist and atheist, Richard Dawkins, in debate.^[61][62]
• Dennis W. Jansen, eminent professor of economics at Texas A&M University, and expert on the Federal Reserve System.^[63]
• Robert J. Scherrer, eminent professor of theoretical physics, developer of a model that explains dark matter and dark energy as two aspects of a single force, chair of Vanderbilt University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, author of many science fiction works, and 2010 winner of the Klopsteg Memorial Award.^[64][65][66]
• Keith Schwab quantum physicist and head of Schwab Research Group at Caltech. Conducts pathbreaking work concerning quantum nature of the physical world and concerning nanotechnology.^[67][68]

Sports

• Nelson Burton Jr., professional bowler
• Jay Delsing, professional golfer.^[69]
• Buzz Demling, professional soccer player and former member of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team^[70]
• Joe Germanese, former Major League Soccer player for the New England Revolution
• Cole Grossman, Major League Soccer player for the Columbus Crew
• Henry Jones, former All-Pro defensive back for the Buffalo Bills.^[71]
• Bob Kehoe, soccer player and former head coach of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team.^[72]
• William "Ty" Keough, sports broadcaster, retired professional soccer player and former member of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team.^[73]
• Ed Macauley, professional basketball player and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.^[74]
• Pat McBride, professional soccer player and member of the national soccer hall of fame.^[75][76]
• Joe Schultz, professional baseball player and manager ^[77]
• Hank Raymonds- Marquette University basketball coach (1961–1983)
• Frank Simek, defender for English soccer club Carlisle United F.C. and member of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team.^[78]
• Matt Sinclair, professional football player, Washington Redskins^[79]
• Taylor Twellman, Major League Soccer player for the New England Revolution, named the 2005 MLS Most Valuable Player and member of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team.^[80]

Other notable members of the SLUH Community

• Charles "Dismas" Clark, SJ, taught mathematics and served as an administrator at SLUH during the 1930s. After returning from service as an army chaplain during WWII, he became an advocate of prison reform and rehabilitation. In 1959 he founded Dismas House, the first half-way house for parolees and former prisoners in the United States. The Hoodlum Priest (film), a film about Clark, was made in 1961. Don Murray played the role of "Dismas" Clark.^{[81][82][83][84][85][86]}
• Walter Halloran, SJ, taught at SLUH during the 1970s. Prior to that he earned two Bronze Stars while serving as a paratrooper chaplain during the Vietnam War. In 1949 he assisted Fr. William S. Bowdern with what has since become a famous case of exorcism.^[87]

See also

• Saint Louis University

References

External links

• Saint Louis University High School
• Prep News