Verbum Dei High School

Last updated

Verbum Dei High School
VerbDeiHS.png
Location
Verbum Dei High School
11100 South Central Avenue

Los Angeles
,
California
90059

United States
Coordinates 33°56′5″N118°15′12″W / 33.93472°N 118.25333°W / 33.93472; -118.25333 Coordinates: 33°56′5″N118°15′12″W / 33.93472°N 118.25333°W / 33.93472; -118.25333
Information
Type Private, Roman Catholic all-male secondary education institution
MottoWorking in the Jesuit Tradition
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Established1962;60 years ago (1962)
FounderSociety of the Divine Word
PresidentStephen A. Privett, SJ
PrincipalBrandi Odom Lucas
Grades 9–12
Enrollment325
Average class size17.8
Student to teacher ratio12:1
Education systemJesuit Ratio Studiorum
Color(s) Blue  and  Gold 
SloganThe School That Works for the 21st Century!
Athletics conference CIF Southern Section
Santa Fe League
Sports
List
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Cross country
  • Track and Field
Nickname Verb
Team nameEagles
Accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges [1]
NewspaperPresent Dei
Tuition$2,700
Affiliation Cristo Rey Network
Website verbumdei.us

Verbum Dei High School, "the Verb", is a private, Catholic, all-boys college preparatory school run by the USA West Province of the Society of Jesus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1962 to serve students from the Watts neighborhood and the surrounding communities who are economically and academically under-served. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles with the sponsorship of the West Province of the Society of Jesus in the United States. [2]

Contents

Verbum Dei is known for sending its graduates to some of the more selective colleges in the United States and has held a 100% success rate for sending graduating seniors to college. [3] [4] The school is located in the Watts residential district of Los Angeles, California, a few blocks north of Interstate 105 (I-105) and a few miles east of Interstate 110 (I-110).

History

Verbum Dei was founded in 1962 by the Society of the Divine Word with the permission and recommendation of Cardinal James McIntyre to serve the educational needs of the black community of South Los Angeles. The school was named after one of Jesus' epithets, Verbum Dei ("the Word of God"). Bishop Joseph Francis, S.V.D., led the founding team and was the school's first principal. The Society maintained a presence at the school until December 2006, when the long-time Verbum Dei faculty/staff member Br. Richard "Rich" Morrill, S.V.D., [5] left because of terminal illness. It remains to be seen if the Society will provide another of its members to Verbum Dei.

At some point, the school expanded its mission in order to also serve the educational needs of the Latino community of South Los Angeles.

Verbum Dei's performance began to decline in the 1980s and suffered further during the neighborhood gang wars of the 1990s; it experienced declining enrollment and instability within the administration. However, it received significant financial help in the mid-1990s and improvements were made in various buildings on campus and new buildings were added.

In 2000, Cardinal Roger Mahony asked the California Province of the Society of Jesus to assist in the administration of the school, asserting that the school had to improve significantly by 2006 to avoid permanent shutdown. Verbum Dei became recognized as a Jesuit school at that point. [6] Leading the Jesuit team was Rev. Bill Wood, S.J. The school became a member of the Cristo Rey Network and adopted its current scholastic model (see Corporate Work Study Program below) in 2002. The school has joint accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA). Verbum Dei also has accreditation by the West Province of the Society of Jesus. [2]

The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary have been providing a sister to the Verbum Dei staff for several years.

Corporate Work Study Program

Like other members of the Cristo Rey Network, Verbum Dei assigns students to jobs that are "donated" by local white-collar companies and non-profit entities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This experience is intended to acclimate students to corporate culture, build their character and provide a motive for seeking higher education and productive careers.

The money earned by the students defrays the cost of the students' education. Participating organizations give one "full-time equivalent" student internship for a fee of $28,000. The position is filled by carefully selected young men from low-income families with an average work attendance of 99 percent. Each student works five full days a month on a rotational basis, and they attend classes and participate in extracurricular activities the remaining days. Ninety-seven percent of the student interns receive a performance evaluation of good or excellent. While almost all students benefit from various internship experiences, 37 percent of seniors have remained at the company they were placed with in their freshman year. [7]

Verbum Dei provides transportation, insurance, workers' compensation, and work permits for its student interns. The CWSP staff has a program coordinator to co-manage the students. [8]

Activities

Verbum Dei High School's teams have won national championships in various sports, including basketball. [9]

Students can choose from 22 extracurricular activities, [10] including working to produce films in partnership with Underground film company with the assistance of J. J. Abrams and Will Smith. [11]

Notable alumni

See also

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References

  1. ↑ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools" . Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Who Is Verbum Dei". www.verbumdei.us. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Verbum Dei Celebrates National Commitment Day", Los Angeles Sentinel, May 27, 2011
  4. ↑ "Every Student at This L.A. High School Got Accepted to College". Time. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Flickr". Flickr. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Jennings, Angel. "Next stop for Verbum Dei High's disadvantaged students: college". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  7. ↑ "A Model for Success". www.verbumdei.us. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Quick Facts about the Corporate Work Study Program" Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Verbum Dei website
  9. ↑ "Verbum Dei CIF Championships" Archived July 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Verbum Dei website
  10. ↑ "Activities". www.verbumdei.us. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Underground's High School Mentorship Takes Aim at Hollywood Diversity". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  12. ↑ "L.A. Basketball Legend: Raymond Lewis" at raymondlewis.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ Player biography, UCL Bruins website. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Sean Waters, "State Crown Signals Verbum Dei's Return to Glory : In the 1970s, the Eagles Soared With Some of the Greatest Squads Ever to Compete in the Southern Section", Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1995. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  15. ↑ Kenny Fields at basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  16. ↑ Kenneth Miller, "Hardy Nickerson: Former Steeler living the hearty life after football", Los Angeles Sentinel, January 29, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  17. ↑ Profile at nba.com
    "Against All Odds, Miller Marked for Success" Continuum, Vol. 9 No. 1 Summer 1999, University of Utah. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  18. ↑ Profile at nfl.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  19. ↑ at espn.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  20. ↑ Profile at nfl.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.

Further reading