Austin Preparatory School

Austin Preparatory School
Schola Praeparatoria Austin
Address
101 Willow Street
Reading, Massachusetts, 01867
United States
Coordinates 42°31′47″N 71°7′37″W / 42.52972°N 71.12694°W / 42.52972; -71.12694Coordinates: 42°31′47″N 71°7′37″W / 42.52972°N 71.12694°W / 42.52972; -71.12694
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s) Catholic
Patron saint(s) Saint Augustine
Established 1961
Headmaster James Hickey
Faculty 60
Grades 6–12
Enrollment 700 (2012)
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Green, White and Black             
Athletics conference Catholic Central League
Mascot Cougar
Team name Cougars
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Publication Austin Magazine (literary/art magazine)
Newspaper The Legend
Tuition $18,500 (2016-2017)[2]
Website www.austinprep.org

Austin Preparatory School is a co-educational Catholic school located in Reading, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1961. The institution is colloquially referred to as Austin Prep and serves students in grades 6-12.

History

Though founded in 1961, Austin Prep enrolled its first students in September 1963.

The School was founded by members of the Order of Saint Augustine, Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. Since 1973 the School has been operated by a lay Board of Trustees, and is a fully incorporated, not for profit, 501-C3 organization. The Augustinians continued to serve formally at Austin Prep until 1992. While there are no Augustinian friars currently on the faculty, the present staff does include two priests and one Affiliate member of the Order of Saint Augustine.

In 1987 Austin opened a Middle School Program, and further expanded in 1992 by admitting young women to become fully co-educational. The current enrollment (2010–2011) of 700 students is almost equally divided between young men and women. The Middle School enrolls roughly 200 students and the Upper School enrolls approximately 500 students.

Demographics

Students commute to Austin from over 50 towns from the northern suburban communities of Boston reaching north through the Merrimack Valley Region and North Shore communities and also southern New Hampshire. [3]

Patron saint

St. Augustine of Hippo as pictured during the Renaissance

The original motto of the school is "In lumine tuo videbimus lumen" ("In your light we see light"), from Psalm 36, however in 2001 the School adopted a new motto, "God, Self, Neighbor" based upon the Great Commandment. Austin's current motto is "Unitas, Veritas, Caritas," which means "Unity, Truth, Caring." The School's patron is Saint Augustine. The "Austin" in Austin Prep is a shortened form of Augustine. Augustine was a key figure in the doctrinal development of Western Christianity and is often referred to as a "Doctor of the Church" by Roman Catholics. Two of his many surviving works, namely "The Confessions" (his autobiography) and "The City of God" are Western Classics, and are read and studied by Christians of many denominations around the world. Augustine is also considered to be one of the theological fountainheads of Protestant Reformation, because of his teaching on salvation and grace; Martin Luther himself also having been an Augustinian friar. Augustine was not a Biblical fundamentalist.

Other American Augustinian Schools with the same patron include Malvern prep in Malvern PA, Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, PA, Villanova Prep in Ojia, CA along with Richland, New Jersey; San Diego, California - as well as Villanova University in Villanova PA (The Augustinian flagship college.) and Merrimack College in North Andover, MA - just 15 minutes from Austin Prep.

Athletics

As an all-boys school in the 1970s and early 1980s Austin competed in the Merrimack Valley Conference and then the Catholic Conference. With the addition of the Middle School program, a built in feeder system was established for the school. The coming of co-education at Austin brought the addition of young women athletes and co-ed athletic teams were introduced at Austin.

Austin Prep is a member of the Catholic Central League, in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Their rivals include Bishop Fenwick, Arlington Catholic, Archbishop Williams and St. Mary’s as well as some much larger schools in the area including St. John’s Prep and Central Catholic High School.

Notable alumni

Notes and references

  1. ↑ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  2. ↑ "Affording Austin Prep".
  3. ↑ Austin Prep Fast Facts

External links

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