Father Ryan High School

Father Ryan High School
Address
700 Norwood Drive
Nashville, Tennessee, 37204
United States
Coordinates 36°5′53″N 86°46′1″W / 36.09806°N 86.76694°W / 36.09806; -86.76694Coordinates: 36°5′53″N 86°46′1″W / 36.09806°N 86.76694°W / 36.09806; -86.76694
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Motto A Tradition of Faith, Knowledge, Service.
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1925
President Jim McIntyre
Principal Paul Davis
Chaplain Gervan Menezes
Faculty 10.5
Grades 9–12
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 910 (2010)
Color(s) Purple and White
Team name Irish
Accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Newspaper The Moina
Yearbook Irish Pride
Feeder schools St. Henry School, Christ The King School, St. Ann School, St. Pius X School, St. Joseph School, St. Edward School, Holy Rosary Academy, St. Bernard Academy, Overbrook School, St. Matthew School, St. Rose of Lima School
Website http://www.fatherryan.org

Father Ryan High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1925, it is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville and named for Father Abram J. Ryan.

Campus

Father Ryan High School's first campus was at 2300 Elliston Place, which was dedicated in 1929. Father Ryan remained here for 62 years and expanded twice, but eventually it outgrew these facilities and during the summer of 1991 relocated to its present home on Norwood Drive in the Oak Hill area of Nashville, TN.[1] The school's original name was Nashville Catholic High School for Boys.

This 40-acre (160,000 m2) site includes an academic building containing computer labs, science labs, and classrooms. There is also an administrative cloister building which houses art and drama rooms, band room, dining hall, and the St. James Chapel. The field house contains three full size basketball courts, a wrestling room, workout areas, locker rooms, and coaching offices. The site also has softball, baseball, soccer, football fields and a track. Recent additions include a freestanding Library and Center for the Arts. Tennessean editor emeritus John Seigenthaler, a 1945 alumnus, said of the new campus, "In moving from one part of town to another, in expanding the campus to what looks like a junior college, Father Ryan was ahead of the curve. And now again, with these dramatic changes, Father Ryan is making its students better prepared than ever to live, work, and thrive in a changing world."[2]

In the fall of 2009 Father Ryan's first ever on-campus football stadium â€“ Giacosa Stadium at the Jim Carell Alumni Athletic Complex â€“ opened. Father Ryan played their first home game against Hillwood High School and won 42-0. The Irish finished the season 5-1 at Giacosa Stadium and hosted their first-ever playoff game against Briarcrest Christian School in November 2009, a 45-35 victory.[2]

In 2011, a controversy arose over the naming of the stadium after former teacher Father Charles Giacosa, who bequeathed approximately $1 million for the construction of the stadium.[3] Father Ryan alumnus and local businessman Charles Michael Coode, who also claimed that he was abused by a former Father Ryan priest in 1953 before Father Giacosa's tenure, wrote letters to the Father Ryan Board of Trustees criticizing the decision to honor Father Giacosa.[3] As detailed in an opinion of the Tennessee Supreme Court reversing a grant of summary judgment to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Father Giacosa and Bishop Niedergeses were aware in 1986 that Father McKeown "had sexual contact with approximately thirty boys over the past 14 years."[4] The Nashville Diocese sent Father McKeown to in-patient treatment at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut, from October 1986-March 1987. Father Giacosa and Bishop Niedergeses transferred Father McKeown back to Nashville in the spring of 1987. "Although the Diocese putatively forbade McKeown's access to youth, . . . McKeown heard children's confessions, participated openly in various Diocesan youth activities including overnight, 'lock-ins," and spent time individually with minor boys with whom he had made contact through the Diocese. . . . The record also indicates that Bishop Niedergeses and Father Giacosa became aware of some if not all of these activities no later than February 1989."[4] Father Giacosa and Bishop Niedergeses finally took action because, according to their notes from a meeting in 1988 with Father McKeown, they "worried about the Diocese being exposed in sensationalistic news television."[4] Father Giacosa's notes from that meeting were labeled "'Top Secrecy' 'Could hurt your church'" and indicated that "they wanted the Diocese to avoid financial liability for his sexual misconduct."[4] Father Giacosa and Bishop Niedergeses finally induced McKeown to depart from Diocese property in 1989 after McKeown presented a minor boy with a condom at a Christmas party, but the Diocese continued to pay McKeown until early 1994. According to the Tennessee Supreme Court, "[i]n 1995 Bishop Kmiec, Bishop Niedergeses' successor, became aware that a parent in Knoxville alleged that McKeown had molested her son several years earlier."[4] From 1995 to 1999 McKeown sexually abused two minor boys whom he often accompanied "on the sidelines during football games at a Diocesan high school."[4] Finally, after years of the Nashville Diocese's failure to report Father McKeown, he was convicted after the two boys and their parents reported the abuse to the Nashville Metro Police Department.

This was not the first time that sexual abuse had been an issue for Father Ryan. In 2003, after the sexual abuse investigations in Boston, allegations began to surface that Father Ryan principal Ronald Dickman had been forced to resign in 1987 due to reports of molesting two students.[5] Mark Cunningham, a local Catholic businessman, reported that he had alerted Father Giacosa in 1991 that Mark Cunningham's late brother John Cunningham, Jr., had been molested by Ronald Dickman.[6] In 1991, Ronald Dickman left the priesthood, and in 1992 left his job as executive director of Nashville's Crisis Intervention Center after officials at the center received multiple reports that Ronald Dickman had molested children.[5] In taped conversations between Mark Cunningham and Nashville Diocese attorney Gino Marchetti, Gino Marchetti refused to acknowledge that Ronald Dickman was removed from the priesthood due to the allegation of molestation but admitted: "Now you don't have to be a damn rocket scientist to figure out somebody who has been in the priesthood for, you know, whatever, 20 years - that, you know, somebody comes in August or September of '91 and then December 1, '91 he, quote, leaves the priesthood, unquote. ... I mean, like I said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out."[6] After Mark Cunningham released recordings of his conversations to The Tennessean, Rick Mussachio (a spokesman for the Nashville Diocese) conceded in January 2003 that "Gino only acknowledged to Mark that a conversation between Mark and Father Giacosa took place in 1991 and that someone might draw a conclusion that there was a connection between that meeting with Giacosa and Dickman's departure from the priesthood. However, any inference that this conversation confirms an allegation of the sexual abuse of a minor is simply incorrect."[6] Another Father Ryan alumnus, David Brown, came forward in 2005 (when the Diocese of Nashville released victims from confidentiality agreements) with allegations that former biology teacher Rev. Paul Frederick Haas had molested children at Father Ryan in the 1960s before his transfer to Kentucky. Brown had initially alerted the Nashville Diocese in 1996, but the Nashville Diocese induced him to settle the case after Bishop Kmiec told him: "Yours is an isolated case. . . . We don't know of any others."[7]

Curriculum

Father Ryan High School is a college-preparatory secondary school. Core courses in English, mathematics, science, social studies, and foreign languages are supplemented by a variety of electives. Father Ryan offers its students courses at five levels (Cooperative Support, College Preparatory, Advanced, Honors, and Advanced Placement). Student selection for Advanced, Honors and Advanced Placement courses is based upon successful completion of prerequisite courses, teacher recommendations and standardized test scores. Twenty-six Advanced Placement courses are offered.

Beginning with 2006-07 school year, Father Ryan replaced its traditional six to seven period day with block scheduling. Block scheduling allows students to earn a maximum of eight credits per year by extending class time to include four classes each day.

The minimum number of credits required for graduation is 25. The credits must be earned in the following distribution: 4 credits Theology (one for each year enrolled at Father Ryan), 4 credits English, 4 credits Mathematics, 2 credits Social Studies (one must be U.S. History), 3 credits Science (recommended one Physical and one Biological), 2 credits Foreign Language (the same Foreign Language), 1 credit Physical Education, 1 credit Fine Arts, ½ credit Health, ½ credit Technology, and enough elective credits to meet total requirements.

Student life

Student activities include student government, honor societies, subject area and interest clubs, student publications, theater, speech and debate, choral music and band are available on the Ryan campus. In addition, students are required to participate in community service programs.

Father Ryan's student groups include: Environmental Awareness Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Spanish Club, Forensics (Speech, Acting, and Debate), Future Teachers of America, Junior Classical League (Latin Club), Science Olympiad, Science Academy, the Gadfly creative arts magazine, Irish Pride Yearbook staff, Moina Newspaper staff, Chess Club, Climbing Club, Photography Club, Skateboarding Club, Competition Dance Team, Performance dance team, Father Ryan Singers, Music Ministry, Purple Masque Players, Mock Trial, Model United Nations, and Youth Legislature. Honor Societies at Father Ryan include: Father Black Honor Society, National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society, French Honor Society, Latin Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.[8]

Band and Instrumental Music Programs

The school's music programs have enjoyed much success in recent years. Students are consistently successful in solo and ensemble, mid-state, and all-state performances; and the marching band, winter drumline, and winterguard regularly win or place in state, regional, national, and world championships.

The Father Ryan Marching Band has won the Small Division Mayor's Cup at the Music City Invitational 11 times â€“ a feat no other band can claim â€“ and was named the overall Grand Champion in 2011. The band was named the Grand Champion of the Bands of America (BOA) Jacksonville Regional in 2011. They are only the second band in 26 years from the state of Tennessee to win a BOA regional competition. The band is also a five-time BOA Regional finalist, a three-time BOA Regional class champion, and a two-time BOA Grand National semi-finalist. In 2008 they were runners-up for the BOA Class A Grand National Championship.

The Father Ryan Winter Drumline is a three-time World Champion and has made the finals at every Winter Guard International (WGI) World Championship except 2010. The winter drumline was invited on a tour of Europe for 2008 by sponsors Dynasty USA and Muremo Music in Europe. They performed at the 2008 Indoor Percussion Europe (IPE) Championships and at clinics and shows throughout Europe. The Winter Drumline did not compete in the 2011 season.[9]

The Father Ryan Winterguard is the two-time winner of the Southeastern Color Guard Circuit (SCGC) Scholastic A Championship â€“ 2010 and 2011.[10]

The Band Directors are Jeff Schletzer (who also serves as Fine Arts Chairman), Jeremy Frey, Derek Schletzer, and Dustin Schletzer.[11]

On April 18, 2011 it was announced that the Father Ryan Marching Band was chosen from over 150 applicants to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to be held on November 22, 2012. Macy's parade director, Bill Schermerhorn, came to Father Ryan and announced that the group has been selected as one of only 11 bands in the nation to perform in the 2012 Parade.[12] The parade organizers invited three members of the Father Ryan Drumline to participate in the opening of the 2013 Macy's Day Parade.[13]

Athletics

Father Ryan is a member of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association and Division II Class AA E/M Region. The Father Ryan athletic program includes football, basketball, soccer, golf, baseball, track, cross country, volleyball, golf, swimming & diving, tennis, softball, wrestling, lacrosse, ice hockey, bowling, cheerleading and rugby. Father Ryan sports teams have won a total of 49 state championships since 1927.[14]

Accreditations and affiliations

Accredited By: Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Father Ryan was the first school in the Southeast region receive dual accreditation from these two organizations. Membership In:

Notable alumni

References

External links

Father Ryan High School

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