St. Francis de Sales High School (Chicago, Illinois)

St. Francis de Sales High School
Address
10155 South Ewing Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60617
USA
Coordinates 41°42′37″N 87°32′06″W / 41.71037°N 87.5349°W
Information
School type private, coed
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Opened 1893
Oversight Archdiocese of Chicago
President Ray Nedohon[1]
Principal Mary Kay (McGuan) Ramirez[1]
Teaching staff 24[2]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 319[3] (2008)
Campus urban
Color(s)      navy blue
     gold[3]
Athletics conference Chicago Catholic League;
Girls Catholic Athletic Conference
Nickname Pioneers[3]
Accreditation North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
Newspaper Sales Talk
Yearbook Mitre[5]
Website http://www.sfdshs.org

St. Francis de Sales High School is a private, Roman Catholic High School in Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the southeast side of the city, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

History

The school is named for St. Francis de Sales (1567–1622), a Bishop of Geneva and Doctor of the Church.

The school was started by the School Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Joliet; who staffed the St. Francis de Sales parish schools, starting in 1893. In the late 1890s the school began to offer high school courses, though the school did not become a four-year high school, until 1937. In the 1950s, enrollment saw a significant increase and it became evident that if the school were to meet the educational challenges before it, an expansion of facilities was eminent.

Ground was broken for a new school occurred on February 19, 1956; and two years later, on April 20, 1958 the new building was dedicated. In 1962, the Archdiocese of Chicago officially took over operation of the school.

The current facility houses 30 classrooms and laboratories, a cafeteria, gymnasium, multi-purpose rooms and a chapel.[6]

Campus

St. Francis de Sales is located in Chicago, at 102nd and Ewing. The school is accessible by public transportation, but does provide limited transportation to students not otherwise served by public transportation.

Academics

Accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, St. Francis de Sales’ academic program is guided by standards designed to provide a competent faculty, and a variety of instructional strategies, which allow each student to be successful.

The departments of Art, Technical Graphics, English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Theology, Science and Social Studies each offer comprehensive, four-year programs.

Athletics

St. Francis de Sales is a member of two athletic conferences. Teams for young men compete in the Chicago Catholic League.[7] Teams for young women compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC).[8] The men's teams are called the Pioneers, while the women's teams are called the Lady Pioneers.[3] St. Francis de Sales is also a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois, as well as sponsoring many of the state championship tournaments.

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball and soccer. Young women may also compete in cheerleading, softball, and volleyball. Young men may also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling.[7][8]

The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA state tournaments or meets:[9]

Notable alumni

External links

References