Gonzaga College High School | |
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Location | |
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19 I Street Northwest 20001 United States | |
Coordinates | 38°54′06″N77°00′38″W / 38.90167°N 77.01056°W |
Information | |
Former names |
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Type | Private Catholic All-male college-preparatory day school |
Motto | Latin: Ad maiorem Dei gloriam English: For the Greater Glory of God |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic (Jesuit) |
Patron saint(s) | St. Aloysius Gonzaga |
Established | 1821 |
Founder | Anthony Kohlmann, S.J. |
School district | Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools [1] |
CEEB code | 090085 |
President | Fr. Joseph E. Lingan, S.J. [2] |
Headmaster | Thomas K. Every, II |
Faculty | 81.1 (on an FTE basis) (2019–20) [3] |
Gender | All-male |
Enrollment | 964 (2019–20) [3] |
• Grade 9 | 244 |
• Grade 10 | 248 |
• Grade 11 | 237 |
• Grade 12 | 235 |
Student to teacher ratio | 11.9 (2019–20) [3] |
Color(s) | Purple and white [4] |
Song | Alma mater |
Athletics conference | WCAC |
Team name | Eagles |
Accreditation | MSA [5] |
Publication | The Gonzaga Magazine |
Newspaper | The Aquilian |
Endowment | $75,000,000 [6] |
Tuition | $31,630 [7] |
Website | www |
Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century. Gonzaga is the oldest boys' high school in Washington, D.C. [8]
This section needs additional citations for verification .(October 2017) |
Gonzaga was officially founded by Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, a Jesuit, in 1821, though there is some evidence the school began a few years earlier. It is the oldest educational facility in the original federal city of Washington and was at first called Washington Seminary, operating under the charter of Georgetown College (now Georgetown University), which was becoming too crowded for its space at the time. [8] Gonzaga's original location was on land offered to the Society of Jesus by William Matthews [9] on F Street near 10th Street, N.W., in a building adjoining Saint Patrick's Church. The purpose of this school was to train seminarians, but soon after opening, it began admitting lay students. [10] The school was immediately popular among Catholic families and was well enough known in its early years to attract the attention of President John Quincy Adams, who visited the school to test the boys' Latin and Greek. However, there were financial problems that caused the Jesuits to withdraw in 1827: their order prohibited the charging of tuition at a day school for youth. It continued to be run by laity until the Jesuits returned some twenty years later (with the ordinance regarding tuition changed); President Zachary Taylor presided at the commencement exercises in 1849.
In 1858, Gonzaga was granted its own charter by Congress as a college empowered to confer degrees in the arts and sciences, which accounts for its name (Gonzaga College) to this day. Although some students did receive bachelor's degrees in the 19th century, Gonzaga no longer confers degrees, other than honorary doctorates presented to commencement speakers or other notable guests. In 1871, the school moved to a building (now called Kohlmann Hall) in a neighborhood called Swampoodle located just north of the U.S. Capitol. It was located on the same block as St. Aloysius Church – built in 1859 and now on the U.S. Register of Historic Buildings with a high Roman Catholic population surrounding it. Enrollment declined owing to the distance of the new neighborhood from the center, but the Jesuits persevered and by the end of the 19th century the school was once again flourishing. A theater was built in 1896 and a large new classroom building (previously the Main Building and now called Dooley Hall) was opened in 1912.
John Gabriel Smith, Gonzaga's first African-American graduate, entered the school in 1951. He wanted to prepare to be a priest and none of the schools for black children offered the necessary prerequisites, including Latin. When he decided to try out for the varsity football team, the school was unable to schedule games against public schools, which were still segregated at the time. He was ultimately prevented from playing by an injury. He graduated in 1954. [11]
The curriculum of Gonzaga from its founding until the late 20th century was at once rigorously classical and emphatically Catholic. Mastery of Latin and deep involvement in the Catholic religion were at its core. Standards were high, and many hopeful boys who lacked the necessary qualities for success were denied admittance. To this day, Gonzaga admits approximately one third of applicants.
Gonzaga benefited greatly from the fact that the row houses built in Swampoodle were largely occupied by Irish Catholics from the late 19th century on. Although Gonzaga always drew students from other parts of the city as well, the departure of the Swampoodle Irish for the suburbs in the mid-20th century, and more especially their replacement by poorer non-Catholics, brought on another period of difficulties. A decline in enrollment and the great inner-city riot of 1968 led some to suggest that Gonzaga should be closed, or moved to a more affluent area. However, the Jesuits once again persisted and the school survived. In the last years of the 20th century Gonzaga expanded, adding several new buildings and a large playing field and field house. By 2007 Gonzaga had regained its former status and a Wall Street Journal editorial referred to it as "the premier Catholic high school of Washington." [12]
St. Aloysius is a parish church physically attached to Gonzaga through the entrance building Dooley Hall. The church was built in 1859. It is used for Masses, concerts, some school assemblies, and graduation. The large painting above the altar is the work of Constantino Brumidi, famous for painting the frescoes on the interior of the United States Capitol dome.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(December 2014) |
Gonzaga's athletic teams are called the Eagles. Gonzaga fields seventeen different varsity teams, [13] most of which compete in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
The Gonzaga soccer team won four consecutive WCAC championships from 2007 to 2010, [14] and is consistently one of the best teams in the Washington area. [15] They added additional championships in 2012, 2016, and 2017, beating national powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in each. [16]
Gonzaga rugby has won 12 consecutive Potomac Rugby Union Championships and finished the 2010 season ranked #2 in the nation. In the middle of the 2011 season, Gonzaga beat the #1 ranked team in the nation and rival, Xavier, and became the #1 team in the nation. During the 2011 National Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah, Gonzaga finished 3rd. The Eagles won the High School Rugby National Championship in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018. [17] In 2023, Eye St Rugby won their 5th National Championship, [18] and received the newly named Lee Kelly Memorial Cup, named in honor of long time Gonzaga coach Lee Kelly.
The Gonzaga crew team won the Stotesbury Cup Regatta on the Schuylkill River, Philadelphia in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016. Runner up years include: 2009, 2017, 2018, and 2023. [19]
Out of the past 17 seasons (2000-2016) Gonzaga Cross Country has finished in first, second, or third place in the WCAC Championship race every time. The team won the WCAC championship in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Additionally, in 2010 the Gonzaga Cross Country team won the "triple crown" with first-place finishes in the WCAC Championship, the MD/DC Private/Independent Schools Championship, and the Jesuit Championship. The Eagles XC squad has won the Jesuit Championships in 1987, 2002, 2009, 2010, and 2016. The team also added their first victory at the DC State Championships during the 2016 season. 2016 marked another milestone for Gonzaga Cross Country. The JV Boys team managed to complete the "triple crown", winning the JV WCAC Championship, the JV MD/DC Private/Independent Schools Championship, and the JV Jesuit Championship. [20] [21]
Varsity 2 hockey won their respective Mid Atlantic Prep Hockey League (MAPHL) “A” league in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Varsity 1 hockey won their “AA” division in 2017 and 2018. Gonzaga is the first school in MAPHL history to have a back-to-back sweep of both divisions in two consecutive years. In the 2018–2019 season, Varsity 1 defeated Spaulding 5–1 to win their third straight MAPHL AA championship, a huge accomplishment for a team with two freshman goalies that year.
Buchanan Field is the home field for football and lacrosse and also serves as the practice facility for rugby, soccer and track and field. The Carmody Center hosts basketball and select wrestling matches. Old Gym is the wrestling home match site. The Fort Dupont Ice Arena hosts ice hockey games. Gravelly Point is the home grounds for rugby matches and Long Bridge Park is the home facility for soccer games. The game and practice venue for baseball is located at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy. [22]
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No. | Name | Years | Ref. |
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Presidents of the Washington Seminary | |||
1 | Anthony Kohlmann SJ | 1821–1824 | [23] |
2 | Adam Marshall SJ | 1824–1825 | [24] |
3 | William Matthews SJ | 1824–1848 | [25] |
4 | Jeremiah KeileySJ | 1826–1827 | [25] |
5 | John E. BloxSJ | 1848–1851 | [26] |
6 | Samuel BarberSJ | 1851–1854 | [27] |
7 | Hippolyte J. De NeckereSJ | 1854–1857 | [28] |
8 | Burchard Villiger SJ | 1857–1858 | [29] |
Presidents of Gonzaga College | |||
9 | Charles H. Stonestreet SJ | 1858–1860 | [30] |
10 | William Francis Clarke SJ | 1860–1861 | [31] |
11 | Bernardin F. WigetSJ | 1861–1868 | [32] |
12 | James Clark SJ | 1868–1874 | [33] |
13 | Charles K. JenkinsSJ | 1874–1881 | [34] |
14 | Robert J. Fulton SJ | 1881–1882 | [35] |
15 | John J. MurphySJ | 1882–1885 | [36] |
16 | Edward A. McGurk SJ | 1885–1890 | [37] |
17 | Cornelius Gillespie SJ | 1890–1898 | [38] |
18 | John F. GalliganSJ | 1898–1899 | [39] |
19 | Edward X. FinkSJ | 1899–1907 | [40] |
20 | Joseph J. Himmel SJ | 1907–1908 | [41] |
21 | Charles W. Lyons SJ | 1908–1909 | [42] |
22 | Eugene De L. McDonnellSJ | 1909–1915 | [43] |
23 | Francis P. DonnellySJ | 1915–1916 | [44] |
24 | Paul R. ConniffSJ | 1916–1922 | [45] |
25 | John C. GealeSJ | 1922–1927 | [46] |
26 | Michael F. FitzpatrickSJ | 1927–1932 | [47] |
27 | Lawrence J. KellySJ | 1932–1938 | [48] |
28 | Henri J. Wiesel SJ | 1938–1944 | [49] |
Presidents of Gonzaga College High School | |||
29 | Cornelius J. GarganSJ | 1944– | [50] |
William F. GrahamSJ | 1965–1968 | [51] | |
34 | Allen Paul NovotnySJ | 1994–2010 | [52] |
35 | Joseph E. LinganSJ | 2010–2011 | [53] |
36 | Stephen W. PlanningSJ | 2011–2021 | [53] |
37 | Joseph E. LinganSJ | 2021–present |
St. John's College High School is a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. Established in 1851, is the third oldest Christian Brothers school in the United States, and was one of the oldest Army JROTC schools until the program was abolished in 2019 in pursuit of a private “leadership academy” program with no relationship to the United States Armed Forces.
Georgetown Preparatory School is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre campus. It is the only Jesuit boarding school in the United States.
Anthony Kohlmann was an Alsatian Catholic priest, missionary, theologian, and Jesuit educator. He played a decisive role in the early formation of the Archdiocese of New York, where he was the subject of a lawsuit that for the first time recognized the confessional privilege in the United States, and served as the president of Georgetown College from 1817 to 1820.
Joseph Burchard Villiger was appointed Santa Clara University's fourth president in 1861 after the presidency of Felix Cicaterri. Burchard Villiger had served as the president of two Jesuit Colleges in the east. During his presidency at Santa Clara University in California United States he had built the Science Building, a Jesuit Residence, and the Facade of the Old Mission Church. He served as president till 1865 which coincided with the Civil War. Later Villiger was rector of the College of the Sacred Heart in Woodstock, Maryland.
William Matthews, occasionally spelled Mathews, was an American who became the fifth Roman Catholic priest ordained in the United States and the first such person born in British America. Born in the colonial Province of Maryland, he was briefly a novice in the Society of Jesus. After being ordained, he became influential in establishing Catholic parochial and educational institutions in Washington, D.C. He was the second pastor of St. Patrick's Church, serving for most of his life. He served as the sixth president of Georgetown College, later known as Georgetown University. Matthews acted as president of the Washington Catholic Seminary, which became Gonzaga College High School, and oversaw the continuity of the school during suppression by the church and financial insecurity.
Adam Marshall was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. He briefly served as president of Washington Seminary, and later became the first Catholic chaplain in the United States Navy, albeit unofficially.
Charles William Lyons was an American Catholic priest who became the only Jesuit and likely the only educator in the United States to have served as the president of four colleges. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he attended the local public schools before entering the wool industry. He abandoned his career in industry to enter the Society of Jesus. While a novice in Maryland, he suffered a nervous breakdown and was sent to Georgetown University as prefect. He then resumed his studies at Woodstock College, teaching intermittently at Gonzaga College in Washington, D.C. and Loyola College in Baltimore. After his ordination, he became a professor at St. Francis Xavier College in New York City and at Boston College.
Anthony Francis Ciampi was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church and member of the Society of Jesus.
Joseph J. Himmel was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. For much of his early life, he was a missionary throughout the northeast United States and retreat master. Later in life, he was president of Gonzaga College and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Charles Henry Stonestreet was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served in prominent religious and academic positions, including as provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province and president of Georgetown University. He was born in Maryland and attended Georgetown University, where he co-founded the Philodemic Society. After entering the Society of Jesus and becoming a professor at Georgetown, he led St. John's Literary Institution and St. John the Evangelist Church in Frederick, Maryland. He was appointed president of Georgetown University in 1851, holding the office for two years, during which time he oversaw expansion of the university's library. The First Plenary Council of Baltimore was held at Georgetown during his tenure.
Jerome Daugherty was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served in many different capacities at Jesuit institutions throughout the northeast United States, eventually becoming president of Georgetown University in 1901. Born in Baltimore, he was educated at Loyola College in Maryland, before entering the Society of Jesus and becoming a member of the first class at Woodstock College. He then taught various subjects, including mathematics, Latin, Ancient Greek, rhetoric, and the humanities in Massachusetts, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and served as minister at many of the institutions there.
Arthur Aloysius O'Leary was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit, who served as president of Georgetown University in from 1935 to 1942. Born in Washington, D.C., he studied at Gonzaga College before entering the Society of Jesus and continuing his education at St. Andrew-on-Hudson and Woodstock College. He then taught at St. Andrew-on-Hudson and Georgetown University, where he eventually became the university's librarian, and undertook a major improvement of the Georgetown University Library. O'Leary then assumed the presidency of the university in the midst of the Great Depression and, later, World War II.
William Francis Clarke was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who held several senior positions at Jesuit institutions in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Born in Washington, he descended from several early colonial families of Maryland. He was educated at Gonzaga College and its successor institutions during the suppression of the Society of Jesus, followed by Georgetown College. After his entrance into the Jesuit order, he taught for several years at Georgetown, and became the pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Baltimore, where he took uncommon measures to integrate black Catholics and Italian immigrants into parish life.
Cornelius Gillespie was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served as the president of Gonzaga College in Washington, D.C., and twice as president of Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia. He was the first head of Saint Joseph's College to have been an alumnus of the school.
Joseph Eugene Gallery was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. He studied sociology at Georgetown University, before serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. Upon his return, he graduated, and entered business in Washington, D.C. He then entered the Society of Jesus in 1931, and was later ordained a priest. He became a professor of sociology at the University of Scranton, and also worked in child welfare and in arbitrating industrial disputes. In 1947, Gallery became the president of the University of Scranton. During his presidency, the university's graduate school was established. His term came to and end in 1953, and he continued to teach sociology at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia.
Edward Ignatius Devitt was a Canadian American priest, Jesuit, and historian of the American Catholic Church. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, he moved with his family to Boston, Massachusetts, at a young age. He studied in public schools in the city before enrolling at the College of the Holy Cross. Devitt spent two years there, and then entered the Society of Jesus in 1859. He studied at the novitiate in Frederick, Maryland, and at the newly opened Woodstock College. He briefly taught at the Washington Seminary during his studies, and after graduating, was a professor for the next thirty years at Holy Cross, Woodstock, and Georgetown University.
Robert James Fulton was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who twice served as the president of Boston College, from 1870 to 1880 and 1888 to 1891. He was influential in the early years of Boston College, as he was in charge of all the school's academic affairs.
James Clark was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who led the College of the Holy Cross during the American Civil War as president from 1861 to 1867. Born in Pennsylvania, he was educated at the United States Military Academy and served as an officer in the U.S. Army for one year, before converting to Catholicism and later entering the Society of Jesus.
Edward A. McGurk was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was the president of Loyola College in Maryland from 1877 to 1885 and the president of the College of the Holy Cross from 1893 to 1895. Born in Philadelphia, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1857. He taught at Holy Cross before becoming the president of Loyola College, where he liquidated some of the school's debt, which had accrued during the Civil War. In 1885, McGurk became the president of Gonzaga College in Washington, D.C. During his tenure, he constructed a new residence for the Jesuits and scholastics.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Conspicuous among the special guests was the Rev. Laurence J. Kelly, S.J., president of Gonzaga College in Washington, which is Father O'Leary's alma mater.
Hallisay graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1996 and spent summers toiling on Capitol Hill.
Traditionally, Gonzaga had a strong record of producing Division I football players. The program has even sent a few to the NFL, most notably Roman Oben, a 12-year veteran and member of the 2002 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, former Notre Dame standout and NFL wide receiver Malcolm Johnson and most recently, ex-Terps defensive back and current Houston Texans safety Curome Cox.