Bishop McNamara High School

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Bishop McNamara High School
Bishop mcnamara high school crest.png
To Think With Christ
Address
6800 Marlboro Pike
Forestville, Maryland, 20747
United States
Coordinates 38°51′8″N 76°53′22″W / 38.85222°N 76.88944°W / 38.85222; -76.88944Coordinates: 38°51′8″N 76°53′22″W / 38.85222°N 76.88944°W / 38.85222; -76.88944
Information
Type Private, Co-educational, College Preparatory
Patron saint(s) Blessed Fr. Basil Moreau and Saint Andre Bessette
President Marco Clark '85
Principal Reginald Brady
Staff 30
Faculty 81
Grades 9–12
Average class size 21
Student to teacher ratio 11:1
Campus size 14+ Acre
Campus type Suburban
Color(s) Maroon and Gold         
Song "Hail to thee, our McNamara"
Fight song "The Maroon and Gold Fight Song"
Athletics conference Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
Mascot Mighty Mac
Nickname Mustangs
Team name Mustangs
Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
Publication "Mustang Messenger"
Yearbook 'Caritas'
School fees Books $350
Tuition $12,000
Affiliation Brothers of Holy Cross
Alumni eNewsletter "Mustang Minute"
Student Newspaper The Stampede Online
School Phone 301-735-8401
Admissions Director Patricia Garber at Ext. 113
Athletic Director Anthony Johnson at Ext. 103
Website www.bmhs.org

Bishop McNamara High School is a private, Catholic coed high school, in the Holy Cross tradition. offering its students a challenging college preparatory curriculum and a complete range of Fine Arts, athletics and activities. BMHS encourages its students to think with Christ—a thought animated by the Gospel, manifested in service and informed by academic excellence. Founded in 1964 by the Congregation of Holy Cross, Bishop McNamara is located on a 14 acre campus in Forestville, Maryland, just 7 miles south of Washington, D.C., serving students ranging from six different Maryland counties, Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The school bears the name of Bishop John Michael McNamara, a former auxiliary bishop to the Archbishops of Baltimore and Washington and the founder of St. Gabriel's parish in Washington, DC.

Contents

History [edit]

Built on a site adjacent to Mount Calvary Catholic Church on Marlboro Pike in Forestville, Maryland, Bishop McNamara High School is a result of the vision, as was La Reine High School, of Msgr. Peter Paul Rakowski to build a Catholic high school for boys, and one for girls in the southern part of Prince George's County. To that end, in 1962, His Excellency, the Most Rev. Patrick A. O'Boyle, archbishop of Washington, DC, extended an invitation to the Brothers of Holy Cross to administer and staff the new high school, which would serve the county and parts of Washington, DC. Fifteen Brothers of Holy Cross and five lay teachers set the course for these boys to develop into young men of character.

In 1960, Cardinal O'Boyle asked the Bernardine Sisters of St. Francis to build and administer a high school for girls that would meet the new challenges of young women living in the same areas. La Reine High School, established in nearby Suitland, Maryland, was the answer to this call. It was to be "a school in which the Christian ethic would be for each girl a personal fort of strength and joy and a sure channel through which her own talents and creativity would flow."

Bishop McNamara High School admitted its first classes (freshman and sophomore) of 334 boys in 1964, and La Reine admitted 130 freshman girls in 1960, adding a class each year. In 1991, La Reine High School announced its closing, and Bishop McNamara pledged its future to embrace a co-educational mission of secondary education.

Strategic Plan [edit]

The School’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 provides a far-reaching framework for future growth and adaptation, balancing the ideals of their mission with the environmental forces affecting Catholic secondary education. As a joint undertaking of the School’s Board of Directors, Administrators, Faculty, Parents and Students, the Strategic Plan identifies the resources necessary to respond to the challenges and opportunities that the school faces currently and anticipates facing over the next five years while advancing the Holy Cross vision of education. The plan is divided into four major theme areas:

  1. Charism and Culture - Commitment as a Catholic school through the education of both the hearts and minds of our community
  2. Academic Excellence for all Students by Educating Hearts and Minds - College-preparatory education that values academic excellence for all students and a curriculum that informs, forms and transforms our students
  3. Infrastructure, Information Technology, Facility Management and Planning - Safe, modern, environmentally sustainable and technologically advanced facility which serves the needs of the school community.
  4. Institutional Advancement - Ensuring an affordable Catholic education rooted in the Holy Cross mission and charism through proactively developing financial resources, funding and support.

Academics [edit]

Bishop McNamara High School provides a Catholic, college-preparatory education that values academic excellence for all students and a curriculum that informs, forms and transforms our students to reach their God-given potential by educating their hearts and minds while preparing them for life within the context of a global community.

A Holy Cross education is characterized by curricular innovation, recruiting competent, devoted educators, and a commitment to a diverse student body regardless of ethnicity, faith tradition, academic aptitude, or socioeconomic background. While the Holy Cross emphasizes the Catholic faith, Holy Cross institutions are open to all.

Bishop McNamara High School provides a variety of course offerings to individualize the learning experience and help students meet the requirements for college admission or other types of professional preparation. The school boasts a 100% college acceptance rate for the Class of 2013 and last year our graduates received over $18,269,345.00 in scholarships to colleges and universities all over the country.

Beyond the core academic courses, Bishop McNamara offers:

  • Honors courses offered in English, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Language, Information Technology, Social Studies, and each of the fine arts disciplines.
  • Advanced Placement courses offered in English Language, English Literature, Calculus, Statistics, Computer Programming, Psychology, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, French, Spanish, U.S. History and European History, Music Theory, Latin Vergil, Latin Poetry, and foreign language literature when there is sufficient student interest.
  • Dual credit course offered jointly with Prince George's Community College and open to juniors and seniors whose general academic profile meets Prince George's Community College admissions criteria.
  • Online courses, in subjects like Honors Chinese, German, Japanese, and Latin, which complement traditional high school curricula.

Ensuring students’ success in college and in life, the school’s curriculum and course offerings are rooted in the Catholic faith and the Holy Cross mission and charism.

Fine Arts [edit]

The Fine Arts Department at Bishop McNamara offers one of the most extensive arts educations in the Washington, DC.[citation needed] The F.A.D.E. program, Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement, is unique to Bishop McNamara. This program serves to refine students' talent and skill, cultivate a community of respect, appreciation and understanding of the arts, and acknowledge students' dedication to the Fine Arts throughout their high school career. With band, orchestra, choir, theatre, dance and visual arts course offerings, Bishop McNamara High School's Fine Arts Department provides opportunities for student participation in a wide array of artistic endeavors.

The Fine Arts Programs include:

  • Dance - Ballet, Jazz, Lyrical Jazz, and Tap ranging from Beginning to Advanced levels; Traditional African Dance & Music I through IV, and the Sankofa Company (performing African Dance & Music company).
  • Music - (Band & Orchestra and Choir) Band & Orchestra: Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Jazz Lab, Jazz Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and Music Theory; Choir: Concert Choir, Honors Chamber Choir, Honors Madrigal Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and Show Choir
  • Theater - Introduction To Theatre, Acting, Theatre Technology I & II, Great Stages Of Drama, Senior Seminar, Musical Theatre Production (Fall), Spring Theatre Production
  • Visual Arts - Color, Drawing & Advanced Drawing, Graphic Design, Digital Photography I & II, and AP Studio Art 2D-Photography
  • FADE Program - Students who graduate with the Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement receive a notation on their transcripts and a special honor certificate at graduation. Students have the opportunity to apply for this program at the end of their freshman year, concurrent with the selection of courses for their sophomore year. Students are then given a list of courses, tasks and events to complete in the fine arts by their senior year.
  • Guest Artist Series - Department hosts a series of professional guest artists to come and perform for our community. This serves our Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement Program as their series of Colloquia that students need to attend per year and provides wonderful arts events for our community.

Athletics [edit]

Bishop McNamara High School strives to maintain a proud tradition in athletics. The administration expects athletes, coaches and fans to represent the student body and the Bishop McNamara community by displaying the highest standards of sportsmanship and self-discipline.

Bishop McNamara competes in the highly competitive Washington Catholic Athletic ConferenceWashington Catholic Athletic Conference at the Varsity and Junior Varsity levels in the following sports:

Fall - Football, Women's Tennis, Volleyball, Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Men's Soccer, and Cheerleading; Winter - Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling, Cheerleading, and Indoor Track; Spring - Baseball, Softball, Men's Tennis, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Track & Field, and Golf.

Each year student-athletes are selected to the WCAC All-Conference teams, Washington Post All-Met Teams, Maryland All-State Teams, MSABC All State Team, as well as other national, state and conference awards.

In 2013, thirteen student-athletes signed with Division 1 colleges and universities, such as the University of Maryland College Park, Georgia Tech, Fordham University, VCU, UMBC, Sienna College, University of Toledo, Columbia University, University of Tennessee, and George Mason University.

Bishop McNamara's women's basketball team has established itself as one of the premier teams in not only the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) but the entire nation as well. In 2005, the team was ranked #1 by USA Today, and the team finished with only one loss in the WCAC semifinals.[citation needed] In the 2008 season, the Lady Mustangs became WCAC champions.[2]

Notable alumni [edit]

External links [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Retrieved 2009-07-31. 
  2. ^ Hilgers, Kevin (28 February 2008). "Victorious Mustangs play smart". The Gazette. Retrieved 9 May 2011. 
  3. ^ "Waine Bacon Profile on Indianapolis Colts Official Website". 
  4. ^ Anne Midgette (2009-03-05). "D.C. Philharmonic Is Tuning Up for Debut". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  5. ^ Mike Klingaman (2009-03-09). "His Brother's Keeper". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  6. ^ "Chris Cosh biography". umterps.com. University of Maryland Athletic Department. Retrieved 9 May 2011. 
  7. ^ "Astronaut Bio: Timothy (TJ) Creamer". jsc.nasa.gov. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  8. ^ "Pro-football-reference.com bio: Tyoka Jackson". 
  9. ^ "Diary of A Wimpy Kid official website". wimpykid.com. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
  10. ^ "Keith Veney". hoopmagicsa.com. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-01. 
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