Boston College High School

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Boston College High School
Address
150 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts, (Suffolk County), 02125  United States
Coordinates	42°18′58″N 71°2′47″W / 42.31611°N 71.04639°W / 42.31611; -71.04639Coordinates: 42°18′58″N 71°2′47″W / 42.31611°N 71.04639°W / 42.31611; -71.04639
Information
Type	Private, All-Boys
Motto	"Ut Cognoscant Te"[1] (That they may know you.)
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Established	1863
Founder	John McElroy, SJ
President	William Kemeza
Principal	Stephen Hughes
Vice principal	William Gartside, Robert Hamblet, Gerard Morelli
Faculty	120 (approx.)
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	1,550 (approx.)
Student:teacher ratio	13:1 [2]
Campus size	40 acres
Color(s)	Maroon and Gold
Athletics conference	Catholic Conference
Team name	Eagles
Accreditation(s)	New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Publication	The Botolphian (literary magazine)
Newspaper	The Eagle
Yearbook	Renaissance
Alumni	16,000 living
Academic Dean	Charles Drane
Dean of Students	Nelson Miranda
Admissions Director	Michael Brennan
Athletic Director	John Bartlett
Website	http://www.bchigh.edu

Founded in 1863, Boston College High School (also known as BC High) is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,550 students and is located on a 40-acre (160,000 m²) campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester section of Boston, Massachusetts. A graduate of BC High who goes on to Boston College is known as a "Double Eagle." If he then goes on to Boston College Law School, he is then known as a "Triple Eagle."

[edit] History

BC's founder, Fr. John McElroy, SJ

On March 31, 1863, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved a charter for the incorporation of Boston College. Fr. Johannes Bapst, SJ, was selected first president and presided over the original grounds on Harrison Avenue in Boston's South End. For most of its early history, BC offered a singular 7-year program corresponding to both high school and college. Its first entering class of 22 students ranged in age from 11 to 16 years. The curriculum was based on the Jesuit Ratio Studiorum, emphasizing Latin, Greek, philosophy and theology. While BC's mission, as articulated by founder Fr. John McElroy, SJ, was to "educate pupils in the principles and practice of the Catholic faith," its founding documents reflect the historical realities of the time. The great influx of immigrants to Boston in the nineteenth century corresponded with growing anti-Catholic sentiment among the city's Brahmin elite. As a result, BC's charter was revolutionary for its time in stating that "the profession of religion will not be a necessary condition for admission to the College."

By the turn of the century, BC's enrollment had reached nearly 500. Expansion of the South End buildings onto James Street enabled increased division between the high school and the college. The 1907 purchase of farmland for a new college campus in Chestnut Hill allowed BC High to fully expand into the South End buildings, though it remained a constituent part of Boston College until 1927 when it was separately incorporated. Nonetheless, traditional ties between BC High and BC have survived, and Boston College remains a leading destination for BC High graduates. Alumni who graduate from both institutions are called "Double Eagles" (with "Triple Eagles" going on to Boston College Law School).

BC High's original campus in Boston's South End. the building has been converted to residential condominiums. On the right a corner of the Jesuit Urban Center can be seen.

Following the Great Depression, BC High was characterized by increasing enrollment and aging facilities. By the 1940s, the South End buildings proved inadequate once again. Overcrowding and a demand for athletic fields led President Fr. Robert A. Hewitt, SJ, to purchase 70 acres (280,000 m²) on Columbia Point, in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester in 1948, a move that was controversial at the time. At a cost of US$240,000, critics warned that BC High would be abandoning its city roots and moving to an undeveloped part of the city. But Father Hewitt had a vision, and he dreamed of "a modern high school with a full range of scholastic facilities, including science laboratories, and a library; the necessary ecclesiastical facilities, including a Jesuit faculty residence and a church; a wide range of athletic facilities, including a gymnasium, field house, and outdoor areas for a variety of sports, both interscholastic and intramural, and areas for general recreation, faculty walks, parking and campus landscaping."

Father Hewitt's dream began to see fruition in 1950, with the opening of McElroy Hall and the relocation of the junior and senior classes to the new campus. By 1954, the entire student body had moved to Columbia Point, though members of the Jesuit Community remained at the South End Residence until 1957. In that year, Loyola Hall, the new Jesuit residence, was completed. Successive building campaigns saw the opening of the Walsh Hall Science Center in 1965, the Student Training, Athletic and Recreation Complex (S.T.A.R.) in 1975, Corcoran Library in 1997, and the multi-use McNeice Pavilion in 1988. William J. Kemeza is the current president of Boston College High School. He was the founder of BC High's Renaissance Campaign.

The remaining school facilities have since been sold to other parties. The building immediately facing Harrison Avenue was renovated into an apartment complex by Boston University reserved for the students of its nearby graduate health schools. Recent urban renewal and the influx of young professionals into the South End have led to the conversion of the other buildings into luxury condominiums.

BC High's new front in Dorchester.

[edit] "Renaissance" Campaign

BC High completed a 63,000 ft² (5,900 m²) addition in the spring of 2005. The project included a new state-of-the-art science building, new administrative offices, a new cafeteria, and a general commons. Afterward, during the fall of 2005, President William J. Kemeza announced "Renaissance: The Campaign for Boston College High School," a US$40 million fundraising effort. The campaign raised over US$51 million at it's conclusion in June 2008. As part of the campaign, the school underwent a US$12.5 million renovation project which included the renovation of the Cushing, Walsh and McElroy buildings. The Corcoran Library has also been updated with the addition of a "Great Books Room", which alone is said to have cost US$500,000. The same US$12.6 million has also been used for an outdoor space with new entrance gates, a new road through campus, a second synthetic turf athletic field, and multi-purpose open spaces including plazas, athletic fields, and gardens. With the commencement of the 2007-2008 school year, the new performing arts center, the Bulger Center (formerly Dever Auditorium) will be available for use by BC High's numerous performing groups, as well as for small school functions.^[2]

Drawings of the Campus-wide Renovation

[edit] Grades 7 and 8

On January 11, 2006, BC High announced the addition of a seventh and eighth grade to its high school program beginning in September 2007.^[3] These classes are conducted in the newly renovated Walsh building. These grades are in addition to the traditional 9-12 grade system that is already in place and will be known as the Arrupe Division.^[4] The name Arrupe comes from the late Father Pedro Arrupe, who was a missionary living on the outskirts of Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. In the aftermath, he turned his novitiate into a hospital in order to provide any medical attention he could. The Arrupe Division offers a variety of classes. The language classes offered are Latin, French, Esperanto, Chinese and Spanish. It is the only known Secondary School to offer Esperanto officially, the only collegiate program being at The International Academy of Sciences San Marino.

[edit] Buildings

McElroy (3 floors) Cushing Hall (2 floors) Walsh Hall (Arrupe Division) McQullian Hall (3 floors-new in 2005) McNeice (Gym) Bulger (Theater)

[edit] Athletic Achievements

[edit] State Championships

The 2009 Indoor Track Relay Team won the Massachusetts State Relays.^[5][6]

Track 2008-2009 season MA State Champions

[edit] School Facts

• 1,550 student enrollment
• 16,000-plus living alumni
• 40 acre campus on Boston Harbor
• 12:1 student to faculty ratio
• 45,000-plus hours of community service performed by seniors each year
• 99% of students go on to attend 4 year colleges
• 128 elective courses are offered to students
• 22 Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses are offered each year
• 50 students earned National Merit Commendations from 2004 to 2006
• 28 students earned National Merit Commendations or Semifinalist Designation in 2007
• 4 class maximum for faculty
• 85%-plus of the faculty hold masters degrees
• 45% of students receive some form of financial aid
• Students scoring in the 90th percentile and above on HSPT entrance exam awarded some level of academic scholarship.
• 65% of total students are from the South Shore notably Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Milton,Scituate, Norwell, Hanover and Hingham.
• 30% of total students are from urban areas
• 20% of total students are minorities
• 120 Extracurriculars currently offered
• Sister school, Notre Dame Academy serves as BC High's cheerleading squad for football and basketball season.
• Fierce rivals with the Scarlet Knights of Catholic Memorial High School, from West Roxbury, Massachusetts and Xaverian Brothers High School from Westwood, Massachusetts. Also fierce rivals with St. Johns Prep in Danvers, Massachusetts.
• In Boston Magazine's "The Best High Schools 2006" BC High was chosen as the best high school for "Politicians in Training" for the local and state government level. ^[7]
• Jazz/Rock Ensemble won the Silver Medal at the All State Jazz Competition in 2006.^{[citation needed]}
• Ranked #10 on SI.com's list of Top High School Athletic programs-the only school in New England to be ranked. ^[8]

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/01/18/bc_high_group_dynamic/ http://news.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view/2009_01_18_BC_High_Eagles_rise_up:_Corey_Thomas_sets_record/srvc=home&position=recent Dane Kane

[edit] External links

• bchigh.edu Official homepage