St. Ignatius College Preparatory

Saint Ignatius College Preparatory
Address
2001 37th Avenue
San Francisco, California
United States
Information
Type Private, college-prep
Motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
"For the Greater Glory of God"
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Established 1855 (1855)
Principal Patrick Ruff
Grades 9 - 12
Gender Coeducational
Enrollment 1,468[1] (2012-13)
Campus Urban
Color(s) Red and Blue         
Mascot Wildcats
Average SAT scores 1760
Publication The Quill (literary)
Genesis (alumni)
Newspaper Inside SI
Yearbook Ignatian
Tuition $20,225 (2015-2016)
Website siprep.org

St. Ignatius College Preparatory (SI) is a private, Catholic preparatory school in the Jesuit tradition, serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1855. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, in the Sunset District of San Francisco, St. Ignatius is one of the oldest secondary schools in the U.S. state of California.

History

St. Ignatius was founded as a one-room schoolhouse on Market Street by Fr. Anthony Maraschi, a Jesuit priest, just after the California Gold Rush in 1855. Maraschi paid $11,000 for the property which was to become the original church and schoolhouse. The church opened on July 15, 1855, and three months later, on October 15, the school opened its doors to its first students.

SI was the high school division of what later became the University of San Francisco, but it has since split from the university and changed locations five times due to the growth of the student body and natural disaster. In the 1860s, the school built a new site, adjacent to the first, on Market Street in downtown San Francisco. In 1880, SI moved its campus to a location on Van Ness Avenue in the heart of San Francisco, and by 1883, SI had become the largest Jesuit school in the nation.

Within 26 years of the relocation, however, St. Ignatius would be completely destroyed. Though the school would survive the tremors of the 1906 earthquake with only moderate damage, the subsequent fires destroyed the school and church, forcing SI to find a new location near Golden Gate Park, a hastily constructed "temporary" wooden building, affectionately known as the "Shirt Factory", which housed the school for more than 20 years, from 1906-29.

In 1927, the high school was separated from the university, becoming St. Ignatius High School. Two years later, SI relocated its campus once more, this time to Stanyan Street, where it remained for 40 years. In the fall of 1969, Father Harry Carlin moved SI to its current Sunset District campus, whereupon the current name, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, was adopted.[2]

Though originally founded as an all-boys school, SI became coeducational in 1989 and is home to over 1,400 male and female students. The school celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005.

Academics and student body

SI values three different characteristics: academics, co-curriculars (clubs, sports and activities) and campus ministry. The Jesuits have experience with excellence in education. They opened their first school in 1548, and Saint Ignatius was founded in 1855. Since 1855, Saint Ignatius has been preparing students for selective universities all across the world.[3]

In 2004 the faculty was one of 12 schools nationwide to be honored by Today's Catholic Teacher magazine for excellence and innovation in education.[4]

St. Ignatius offers honors courses and Advanced Placement classes. In 2010, students took 1,422 Academic Placement tests and passed 1,142, breaking the school record. Students scored more than 700 4s and 5s on these tests. This performance ranks SI among the top 150 schools in the nation, or top 2/3 of 1 percent.[5]

Additional information:

Athletics

The school has 66 athletic teams with over 70% of students participating. The Wildcats generally participate in the Western Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) in the Central Coast Section of California, though for some sports teams belong to other leagues.

The men's rowing team won the US Rowing Youth National Championships in 1997, 2005, and 2006.[10] In addition, the crew competed in the Henley Royal Regatta in England, where St. Ignatius won Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 2006.[11]

The boys' lacrosse team won the state championship and was ranked nationally in 2008.[12]

The school's soccer team has been nationally ranked by ESPN. The boys won the WCAL championship in 2009, 2010, 2011, and the CCS championship in 2009.[13]

The SI football team was WCAL champions in 1967 and 2006, as well as CCS Division III champions in 2006 and 2011. In 2012 St. Ignatius placed first in the WCAL and competed in the CCS Division I playoffs.

SI Swimming - 2014 Boys placed 3rd CCS Div I and had a 200 Free Relay team break the CCS Record and then was ranked 10th nationally in the All-American rankings. 2015 Placed 4th in CCS Div I with a CCS champion in the 200 Freestyle, who place also 6th at the Inaugural California State Championship.

Rivalry with Sacred Heart Cathedral

St. Ignatius' traditional rival is Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, also located in San Francisco. The SI-SH rivalry began with a rugby game on St. Patrick's Day in 1893.[14] SI and SH compete against each other in football, basketball, and baseball for the Bruce-Mahoney Trophy, which is named after one SI and one SH alumni who died in World War II. SI has a significant edge over SH, with a winning record of 45-20 for the trophy.[14]

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. St. Ignatius College Preparatory website. "School Statistical Profile". Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  2. St. Ignatius College Preparatory website. "About SI". Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  3. Academics, siprep.org; accessed February 3, 2016.
  4. "CATHOLIC SCHOOLS FOR TOMORROW AWARD". Today's Catholic Teacher Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  5. "Genesis V" (PDF). Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "SI at a Glance". "Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  7. "Genesis Magazine - Fall 2013 Annual Report" (PDF). "Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  8. "Spiritus Magis:The History of St. Ignatius College Preparatory". "Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  9. "Statistical Profile Academic Data". "Saint Ignatius College Preparatory. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  10. Results
  11. Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup#2000 onwards
  12. Lacrosse, laxpower.com; accessed February 3, 2016.
  13. Soccer, cifccs.org; accessed February 3, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Rugby
  15. "SI Performing Arts Graduates". St. Ignatius College Preparatory.
  16. Office of the Governor - About Retrieved April 11, 2011
  17. John Joseph Montgomery
  18. "Igor Olshansky profile". Retrieved January 13, 2011. (Olshansky) first-team all-league at SI.
  19. Genesis IV, Spring 2005, pp. 34–36; retrieved December 30, 2013.
  20. History Supplement: Admiral William Callaghan '14, Genesis IV: The alumni magazine of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory (2005), pp. 34–35. Retrieved on December 30, 2013.
  21. Hirsley, Michael (January 26, 2002). "Bay Area school generates athletes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  22. CIF All-Century honors, San Francisco Chronicle, March 5, 2015; retrieved April 3, 2015.

External links

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