Benedictine College Preparatory: Difference between revisions
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== Student life == |
== Student life == |
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All students at Benedictine participate in the school's |
All students at Benedictine participate in the school's military leadership program. The students are known as the Corps of Cadets, and this inspired the school's athletic nickname: the Cadets. From the school's founding in 1911 through the late 1960's, the school employed a private military institute model and was not affiliated with any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Beginning in the 1960's, Benedictine adopted the U.S. Army JROTC program, which continued at the school until 2016. The JROTC program at Benedictine held the highest rating given by the U.S. Army – Honor Unit with Distinction – which allowed the school to nominate directly a student for appointment to a service academy or for an ROTC scholarship. Many Cadets have used this honor and attended the service academies and other military colleges (most notably [[Virginia Military Institute]]) to further their education. In 2016, Benedictine discontinued it's longstanding relationship with the U.S. Army JROTC program and returned to the private military institute model. The military leadership program at Benedictine offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of activities including the Drill Team, Rifle Team, and the Pipe and Drum Corps, as well as the opportunity to hold leadership positions as cadet non-commissioned officers and cadet officers throughout the Corps.<ref>https://www.benedictinecollegeprep.org/leadership/message</ref> |
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Benedictine also offers a number of other clubs and organizations including a "Battle of the Brains" Quiz Bowl team, the National Honor Society, Model General Assembly, Model Judiciary, Student Council, Spanish Club, Latin Club, Key Club, Emmaus Group, RAMPS Community Service Club, and the Cadet Choir. The school also has a joint Drama Club with its sister school, St. Gertrude High School, hosts a number of military balls throughout the year, and puts on an annual Benedictine Art Show that showcases works by current Cadets.<ref>https://www.benedictinecollegeprep.org/the-arts/clubsandorganizations</ref> |
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== Athletics == |
== Athletics == |
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Revision as of 04:59, 19 March 2017
 | This article possibly contains original research. (June 2014) |
| Benedictine College Preparatory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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12829 River Road , 23221 | |
| Information | |
| School type | Private, Military, Day, College-prep |
| Motto | Ecce Homo (Behold The Man) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic (Benedictine) |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Benedict |
| Established | 1911 |
| Founder | Benedictine Monks |
| Sister school | St. Gertrude High School |
| President | Fr. Adrian Harmening, OSB |
| Headmaster | MAJ Jesse Grapes, USMC |
| Commandant | LTC Sickinger, USA (Ret.) |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Enrollment | 285 (2014) |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Green and White |
| Nickname | Cadets |
| Rivals | St. Christopher's Collegiate School |
| Accreditation | Virginia Association of Independent Schools |
| Newspaper | The New Chevron |
| Yearbook | The Cadet |
| Tuition | $16,500 |
| Website | www |
Benedictine College Preparatory | |
.JPG) | |
  | |
| Coordinates | 37°33′26″N 77°28′35″W / 37.55722°N 77.47639°W |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Father Michael McInerney |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival[1] |
| Part of | Museum District, Richmond, Virginia (ID94000153) |
| Designated CP | March 7, 1994 |
Benedictine College Preparatory is a private, Roman Catholic military high school in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia, part of the American-Cassinese Congregation.[2] Benedictine offers a strong college preparatory academic curriculum, with over 90% of its graduates attending college.
History
Benedictine College Preparatory was founded in 1911 with 29 students, under the name of Benedictine College, by a group of Benedictine monks from Belmont Abbey in North Carolina.[3] Seeking to continue the work of their founder by establishing learning and culture, they came to Richmond to establish a Catholic high school for boys. They adopted the successful and prestigious military academy type model, which also meshed well with the monastic life of the monks. The order, discipline, and hierarchy of the military is very much analogous to the structures in the monastery and the Church. The aim was, and continues to be, to form young men in body and soul —- to nourish a love of Truth, foster the life of virtue, and promote a healthy life.
In 2009, the school board was dissolved and Headmaster John McGinty was ousted by vote of 11 senior monks of Mary Mother of the Church Abbey. Fr. Gregory Gresko, OSB, the second-in-charge of the abbey, said that McGinty's contract was not renewed for financial reasons. The school, whose enrollment under McGinty had risen to 267, was under financial stress and running on a deficit. Gresko took on the position of temporary headmaster, saying that having a Benedictine in a leadership position after years of absence was "returning to our roots."[2]
On August 1, 2011, Benedictine High School changed its name to Benedictine College Preparatory "to reflect the school’s goal to become more academically rigorous."[4]
In April 2011, Benedictine announced that it was selling the school's historic campus on Sheppard Street in Richmond's Museum District to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond,[5] and planned to move forward with plans to move the school to Goochland, Virginia. The sale included a buy-back option for the school in case the plans to move the school fell through.
In the fall of 2011, Benedictine College Preparatory moved to the Mary Mother of the Church Abbey location and the sale of the Sheppard Street campus was finalized. The campus was sold to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, though Benedictine still plays home basketball games and hosts a number of events at the historic Memorial Gymnasium. The sale to the Diocese allowed for continued parking at the church during Sunday mass at the adjacently located St. Benedict's Parish, which was a continuation of a preexisting arrangement with the Parish. This also allowed for the renovation of the Mary Mother of the Church Abbey campus, which formerly served as home to St. John Vianney Seminary, for reinstalled educational use. Mary Mother of the Church Abbey is located in Goochland County and the school received backlash from some local residents and several alumni for the desire to sell the historic Sheppard Street campus and move so far from the urban campus that was the school's home for 100 years. The sale of the Shepard Street campus was estimated to be around $5.5 million and was used to renovate the Abbey campus, as well as to build additional facilities for the students at the new campus.
Leadership
| Headmaster | Years | Principal | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| position created | Fr. Andrew T. Doris, OSB | 1949–1959 | |
| Fr. Christopher Johann, OSB | 1955–1956 | ||
| Fr. Adrian W. Harmening, OSB | 1962–1981 | ||
| David A. Bouton, PhD | 1997–2000 | ||
| Mr. John B. McGuinty | 2003–2009 | ||
| Joseph E. Gressock | 2008–2014 | ||
| Fr. Gregory Gresko, OSB | 2009–2010 | ||
| Maj. Jesse Grapes, USMC | 2010–present | ||
Student life
All students at Benedictine participate in the school's military leadership program. The students are known as the Corps of Cadets, and this inspired the school's athletic nickname: the Cadets. From the school's founding in 1911 through the late 1960's, the school employed a private military institute model and was not affiliated with any branch of the United States Armed Forces. Beginning in the 1960's, Benedictine adopted the U.S. Army JROTC program, which continued at the school until 2016. The JROTC program at Benedictine held the highest rating given by the U.S. Army – Honor Unit with Distinction – which allowed the school to nominate directly a student for appointment to a service academy or for an ROTC scholarship. Many Cadets have used this honor and attended the service academies and other military colleges (most notably Virginia Military Institute) to further their education. In 2016, Benedictine discontinued it's longstanding relationship with the U.S. Army JROTC program and returned to the private military institute model. The military leadership program at Benedictine offers students the opportunity to participate in a number of activities including the Drill Team, Rifle Team, and the Pipe and Drum Corps, as well as the opportunity to hold leadership positions as cadet non-commissioned officers and cadet officers throughout the Corps.[6]
Benedictine also offers a number of other clubs and organizations including a "Battle of the Brains" Quiz Bowl team, the National Honor Society, Model General Assembly, Model Judiciary, Student Council, Spanish Club, Latin Club, Key Club, Emmaus Group, RAMPS Community Service Club, and the Cadet Choir. The school also has a joint Drama Club with its sister school, St. Gertrude High School, hosts a number of military balls throughout the year, and puts on an annual Benedictine Art Show that showcases works by current Cadets.[7]
Athletics
The athletic program is an integral part of life at Benedictine. The basketball team is perhaps the best known athletic program, and one of the most storied programs in central Virginia. The late Virginia basketball legend Warren Rutledge was head coach for 43 years and amassed 949 wins, making him the winningest high school coach in Virginia and eleventh in the nation.[8] Rutledge's teams won numerous state championships, including 14 consecutive Virginia State Catholic titles in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2000 Benedictine's baseball team led by Josh Owens, Bryan Mangas, Donnie Coleman, Del Smith and John Svanda won the Cadets first ever State Independent Title. The following fall the football program led by future NFL lineman Patrick Estes, highly recruited quarterback Patrick Dosh, Smith and Coleman led the Cadets to their second State title. Over the years the school has developed multiple Division I athletes who have succeeded in achieving a high level of performance. Prominent graduates of the school include former congressman Thomas Bliley, football coach Bobby Ross, Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach John Kuester, NFL offensive tackle Patrick Estes, NBA forward Ed Davis, Michael Gbinije Outstanding Guard-Forward with Syracuse basketball team and many more. For three seasons, from 1951 to 1954, the school served as host to the University of Richmond's basketball team, before the opening of Richmond Arena.
Athletic Directors
| Athletic Director | Years |
|---|---|
| Fr. Patrick Donahue, OSB | 1953–1956 |
| Mr. Courtney Driscoll | 1956–1957 |
| Mr. Warren S. Rutledge | 1967–1982 |
| Mr. W. Barry Gibrall | 2004-2013 |
| Mr. Ryan Hall | 2013–present |
Gallery
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Additional aerial view of football field and campus in Goochland. -
Entrance at the Goochland campus. -
The Goochland campus main building. -
The bell tower at the former Richmond campus.
.JPG)
See also
- Bishop Ireton High School - Formerly an all-boys' school in Virginia
Notes and references
- ^ "West of Boulevard National Register Nomination" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Monks oust Benedictine headmaster". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- ^ "1968 Benedictine High School Yearbook". www.classmates.com. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
- ^ http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/local-education/2011/jul/28/benedictine-high-school-changing-its-name-ar-1203217/[permanent dead link]
- ^ http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/local-news/2011/apr/06/3/catholic-diocese-buys-benedictine-high-property-ar-955661/[permanent dead link]
- ^ https://www.benedictinecollegeprep.org/leadership/message
- ^ https://www.benedictinecollegeprep.org/the-arts/clubsandorganizations
- ^ 2009 National High School Sports Record Book
External links
- Benedictine secondary schools
- Roman Catholic secondary schools in Virginia
- Educational institutions established in 1911
- Boys' schools in the United States
- High schools in Richmond, Virginia
- Historic district contributing properties in Virginia
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
- Military high schools in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia