St. Pius X / St. Matthias Academy

St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy
Address
7851 Gardendale Street Downey, California, (Los Angeles County), 90242 United States
Coordinates	33°55′9″N 118°9′36″W / 33.91917°N 118.16000°W / 33.91917; -118.16000Coordinates: 33°55′9″N 118°9′36″W / 33.91917°N 118.16000°W / 33.91917; -118.16000
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	2013
Principal	Erick Rubalcava
Grades	9-12
Average class size	23
Student to teacher ratio	15:1
Color(s)	Red and Black
Team name	Warriors
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges^[1]
Newspaper	The Pride
Website	www.piusmatthias.org

St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy is a coeducational private, Catholic high school for grades 9–12 located in Downey, California. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

History

The campus served as the co-ed Pius X High School from 1954 to 1995, when it became the new home of the all-girls St. Matthias High School, which had been founded in 1960. The decision to make the school co-ed again in 2013 led to its re-naming and rededication.

Pius X High School

Further information: Pius X High School (Downey, California)

Pius X High School (Pius X) was a co-educational, private, four-year (grade levels 9-12) high school. Named for Pope Pius X, it was founded in 1954.^[2] The present campus of St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy on Gardendale Street is Pius X's campus.

Fr. James W. Keefe was named principal in 1967, and the following year, instituted a concept of modern teaching, the Model School Project. Pius employed an educational model called "non-gradedness," which placed a student in a class where his or her present achievement was the deciding factor. Emphasis was put on progress and learning by the individual. The plan was discontinued after Keefe left in 1975.^[3]

Declining enrollment from the 1980s onward placed financial pressure on the Archdiocese's high schools, prompting Pius X to begin fundraisers and to form a new alumni association in 1986.^[4] A 25 percent drop in enrollment in 1992 prompted drastic cost-cutting, including the firing of two coaches and the elimination of many sports.^[5]

St. Matthias High School

A school was first established at Stafford Avenue and Belgrade Street in Huntington Park in 1926, to serve as the parochial school of the parish of St. Matthias, where Msgr. Patrick Shear was pastor.^[6] It was leveled in the 1933 Long Beach earthquake and rebuilt, then converted to St. Matthias High School in 1960.^[6] It was staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame.^[7]

St. Matthias High School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the United States Department of Education in May 2002 and was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Western Catholic Education Association. St. Matthias had a well-regarded fine-arts department, producing highly acclaimed productions in theater, music and art. Actress Sabrina Le Beauf was a 1976 graduate.^[6]

Merger

In early 1995, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced a school realignment that would make the Pius X campus co-institutional with the all-girl St. Matthias High School.^[8] The Pius X program was to be phased out over a three-year period, leaving the institution an all-girls school.

The merger plan was met with opposition from students, parents, teachers and civic leaders alike. Pius X students staged a walkout in February 1995 to protest the decision to make the school single-sex, and students, parents and teachers from St. Matthias staged their own protest against the closure of the Huntington Park campus.^[6] The plan proceeded, but the school continued to operate under capacity. In 2011, the St. Matthias Advisory Board and the Archdiocese asked Loyola Marymount University's Center for Catholic Education to conduct a detailed study on options for St. Matthias. The Center for Catholic Education study looked at how the school was achieving their Catholic education mission. It was decided to convert the facility back to a co-ed school, and the name St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy was chosen to honor the traditions of both institutions.

Athletics

St. Pius X - St. Matthias Academy competes with other southeastern Los Angeles County Catholic schools in the Santa Fe League, in the CIF Southern Section. As of 2015, they field teams in cheerleading, cross country, girls' volleyball, flag football, soccer, basketball, track, baseball, and softball.^[9]

References

↑ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved 2009-06-05.
↑ "School History: The First Ten Years", St. Pius X / St. Matthias Academy Alumni Information Site
↑ "The Model Schools Project: 1969-1975", St. Pius X / St. Matthias Academy Alumni Information Site
↑ "Schools Not Overly Blessed With Money", Los Angeles Times, October 23, 1986, retrieved November 19, 2015
↑ Paterno, Susan (July 30, 1992), "Pius X Principal Cuts Minor Sports to Save Money", Los Angeles Times, retrieved November 19, 2015
1 2 3 4 Lavin, Enrique (April 9, 1995), "Merger of Schools Off to Rocky Start", Los Angeles Times, retrieved September 19, 2015
↑ Dellinger, R.W. (August 14, 2013), "St. Pius X-St. Matthias Academy dedicated", Angelus, retrieved November 19, 2015
↑ "Archdiocese Plans to Consolidate 4 High Schools", Los Angeles Times, March 18, 1995, retrieved November 19, 2015
↑ "Teams", Pius Matthias website, retrieved November 19, 2015

External links

School Web site

Downey, California

Schools	Downey Unified School District Downey High School Warren High School St. Pius X / St. Matthias Academy

Libraries	County of Los Angeles Public Library

Landmarks	Downey Studios Johnie's Broiler Oldest McDonald's restaurant PIH Health Hospital - Downey Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center Stonewood Center

This list is incomplete.

Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Bishop of Two Californias	Francisco García Diego y Moreno

Bishop of Monterey	Joseph Sadoc Alemany

Bishops of Monterey-Los Angeles	Thaddeus Amat y Brusi Francisco Mora y Borrell George Thomas Montgomery Thomas James Conaty John Joseph Cantwell

Bishop of Los Angeles-San Diego	John Joseph Cantwell

Archbishops of Los Angeles	John Joseph Cantwell James Francis Cardinal McIntyre Timothy Cardinal Manning Roger Cardinal Mahony José Horacio Gómez

Auxiliary bishops, current	Thomas John Curry Gerald Eugene Wilkerson Edward W. Clark Oscar Azarcon Solis Alexander Salazar Joseph Brennan David O'Connell Robert Barron

Auxiliary bishops, former	Juan Alfredo Arzube Alden John Bell Stephen Blaire Joseph Patrick Dougherty Carl Anthony Fisher William Robert Johnson William Levada Joseph Thomas McGucken Donald William Montrose Manuel Duran Moreno Armando Xavier Ochoa Sylvester Donovan Ryan Joseph Martin Sartoris Thaddeus Anthony Shubsda John J. Ward Gabino Zavala George Patrick Ziemann

Priests who became bishops	Justin F. Rigali

Churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Archdiocese	Cathedral Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral, former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana

Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region	Deanery 13 (Westside) Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Pacific Palisades St. Monica Catholic Church, Santa Monica St. Augustine Catholic Church, Culver City St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Brentwood St. Timothy Catholic Church, Los Angeles Church of the Good Shepherd, Beverly Hills St. Ambrose Church, West Hollywood Saint Victor Catholic Church, West Hollywood Deanery 14 (Central LA/Hollywood) Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Hollywood Cathedral Chapel, Los Angeles Christ the King Catholic Church, Los Angeles St. Basil Catholic Church, Wilshire St. Brendan Catholic Church, Los Angeles Deanery 15 (Downtown/South) Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles Precious Blood Catholic Church,Los Angeles St. Cecilia Catholic Church, Los Angeles St. Patrick Catholic Church, Los Angeles St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Los Angeles St. Vincent de Paul Church, Los Angeles Deanery 16 (South LA/Inglewood): St. John Chrysostom Church, Inglewood St. Odilia Church, Los Angeles Ascension Catholic Church, Los Angeles Spanish Mission La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles Note: This is not a Spanish Mission, but rather, a parish church.

San Fernando Pastoral Region	Deanery 5 (West San Fernando Valley) St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School, Encino Deanery 6 (Crescenta Valley, Glendale and Eagle Rock) Holy Family Catholic Church, Glendale Incarnation Catholic Church and School, Glendale Deanery 7 (Central San Fernando Valley and Burbank) Cathedral of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church, Sherman Oaks St. Charles Borromeo Church, North Hollywood St. Finbar Catholic Church and School, Burbank St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, Burbank Deanery 8 (Santa Clarita Valley and Lancaster/Palmdale): Blessed Junipero Serra Catholic Church, Lancaster

San Gabriel Pastoral Region	Deanery 9 (East LA, Boyle Heights, City Terrace): All Saints Catholic Church, Los Angeles Assumption Catholic Church, Los Angeles Deanery 10 (Pasadena, Altadena, San Gabriel, Monterey Park, Montebello, Alhambra) All Souls Catholic Church, Alhambra Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, Pasadena St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Pasadena Mission San Gabriel Parish, San Gabriel Deanery 11 (Arcadia, Covina, Glendora, Monrovia, La Puente): Annunciation Catholic Church, Arcadia Deanery 12 (San Dimas, Claremont, Pomona, Diamond Bar, La Puente, Valinda, Walnut):

San Pedro Pastoral Region	Deanery 17 (Downey, Compton, Huntington Park, Lynwood): Deanery 18 (Whittier, La Mirada, Pico Rivera, Norwalk): Beatitudes of Our Lord Catholic Church, La Mirada Deanery 19 (South Bay and San Pedro) American Martyrs Catholic Church, Manhattan Beach SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Wilmington Deanery 20 (Long Beach):

Santa Barbara Pastoral Region	Deanery 1 (Lompoc, Solvang, Santa Maria) La Purisima Mission, Lompoc Mission Santa Inés, Solvang Deanery 2 (Santa Barbara) Santa Barbara Mission, Santa Barbara Deanery 3 (Oxnard, Ventura, Ojai, Fillmore, Santa Paula) Mission San Buenaventura, Ventura Deanery 4 (Simi Valley, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Camarillo): Blessed Junipero Serra Catholic Church, Camarillo

Education in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Archdiocese	Seminaries St. John's Seminary

Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region	Universities and Colleges Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles Mount St. Mary's College, Los Angeles High schools Bishop Conaty-Our Lady of Loretto High School, Harvard Heights Cathedral High School, Los Angeles (Boys) Immaculate Heart High School, Los Feliz (Girls) Loyola High School, Harvard Heights (Boys) Marymount High School, Bel Air (Girls) Notre Dame Academy, Los Angeles (Girls) St. Bernard High School, Playa del Rey St. Mary's Academy, Inglewood (Girls) St. Monica Catholic High School, Santa Monica Verbum Dei High School, Watts (Boys) High schools, closed Daniel Murphy High School, Los Angeles

San Fernando Pastoral Region	Universities and Colleges: High schools Bellarmine-Jefferson High School, Burbank Bishop Alemany High School, Mission Hills Chaminade High School, West Hills Crespi Carmelite High School, Encino Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, La Cañada Flintridge Holy Family High School, Glendale Louisville High School, Woodland Hills Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks Paraclete High School, Lancaster Providence High School, Burbank St. Francis High School, La Cañada Flintridge St. Genevieve High School, Panorama City

San Gabriel Pastoral Region	Universities and Colleges: High schools Ramona Convent Secondary School, Alhambra St. Lucy's Priory High School, Glendora Bishop Amat Memorial High School, La Puente Damien High School, La Verne Salesian High School, Los Angeles Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School, Montebello La Salle High School, Pasadena Mayfield Senior School, Pasadena St. Monica Academy, Pasadena Pomona Catholic High School, Pomona San Gabriel Mission High School, San Gabriel Alverno High School, Sierra Madre

San Pedro Pastoral Region	Universities and Colleges Marymount College, Palos Verdes High schools St. John Bosco High School, Bellflower Queen of Angels Academy, Compton St. Pius X / St. Matthias Academy, Downey Junipero Serra High School, Gardena St. Joseph High School, Lakewood St. Anthony High School, Long Beach Don Bosco High School, Rosemead Mary Star of the Sea High School, San Pedro St. Paul High School, Santa Fe Springs Bishop Montgomery High School, Torrance

Santa Barbara Pastoral Region	Universities and Colleges St. John's Seminary, Camarillo Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula High schools Bishop Garcia Diego High School, Santa Barbara La Reina High School, Thousand Oaks St. Bonaventure High School, Ventura St. Joseph High School, Santa Maria Santa Clara High School, Oxnard Villanova Preparatory School, Ojai

Hospitals and Cemeteries in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region	Hospitals Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica Cemeteries Crypt Mausoleum of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City

San Fernando Pastoral Region	Hospitals Northridge Hospital Medical Center, Northridge Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills Cemeteries San Fernando Mission Cemetery, San Fernando

San Gabriel Pastoral Region	Hospitals: Cemeteries Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles

San Pedro Pastoral Region	Hospitals: Cemeteries:

Santa Barbara Pastoral Region	Hospitals: Cemeteries:

Catholicism Portal

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