St. Joseph Notre Dame High School

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School
Address
1011 Chestnut Street Alameda , California 94501 United States
Coordinates	37°45′56″N 122°15′19″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1881 (Notre Dame) 1935 (St. Joseph)
Administrator	Rebecca Bischoff Jean Kuznik Kristopher White
Rector	Rev. Fred Riccio
Principal	Simon Chiu
Faculty	32
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	405 [1] (2011-2012)
Student to teacher ratio	12:1
Color(s)	Blue and Orange
Athletics conference	Tri County Athletic League
Team name	Pilots
Accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Publication	Prisms (literary magazine)
Yearbook	Reflections Islander Girls HS and Powerdive Boys HS to 1968
Dean of Students	Doug Evans
Admissions Director	Julianne Berry
Athletic Director	Chris Pondok
Website	http://www.sjnd.org/

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda, California is a coeducational Roman Catholic high school. It is one of the few Catholic high schools in the world to possess an on-campus minor basilica, the Basilica of St. Joseph, Alameda. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and by the Western Catholic Educational Association. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland.

History

On March 27, 1881, at the invitation of Father William Gleeson, pastor of St. Anthony Church in Brooklyn, (East Oakland), Sister Marie de Sacre Coeur and four Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded an academy for girls, grades one through twelve, on a plot of land on the corner of Chestnut Street and San Jose Avenue in Alameda. San Francisco Archbishop Patrick W. Riordan, erected Saint Joseph's Parish in 1885, Father Michael McNaboe served as first pastor. Father McNaboe died in 1892, succeeded by Father John J. Sullivan. Father Patrick A. Foley served as pastor, 1898 to 1913. The Notre Dame Academy educated the young women of Alameda.

The fourth pastor, Father James Bernard Praught opened Saint Joseph Elementary School in 1916 for the boys and girls of the parish. In 1922, Notre Dame Academy is renamed Notre Dame Girls High School. Saint Joseph's Boys High School was founded in 1935 by Father Praught and Father Joseph Tetzlaff, provincial of the Brothers of Mary (Marianists) on the same city block as Saint Joseph's Church, Saint Joseph's Elementary School and Notre Dame Girls High School. Father Robert J. O'Conner succeeded Father Praught as fifth pastor in 1943. O' Connor's untimely death came in 1957.

In late 1957, San Francisco Archbishop John J. Mitty appointed Monsignor Alvin P. Wagner the sixth pastor. Msgr. Wagner, in 1960, demolished the antiquated girls high school and built a new Saint Joseph's Notre Dame High School for girls. He erected the Gymnasium/Auditorium in 1964. The Brothers of Mary (Marianists) departed in 1970. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur stayed with the elementary and high schools until 1997. In 1972, Pope Paul VI honored Monsignor Wagner and the people of the parish by making the church a minor basilica, renamed Saint Joseph Basilica.

In 1983, Msgr. Wagner retired. Oakland Bishop John Stephen Cummins plans were set in motion to no longer staff the parish with diocesan priests. Cummins invited the Fathers of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart. The new pastor, Father Patrick A. Goodwin, SSCC decided to consolidate the two schools. These plans were completed in 1985 with the consolidation of the two single-sex schools into the coeducational St. Joseph Notre Dame High School. In 2007, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary decided to leave Saint Joseph's Community. Oakland Bishop Allen Vigneron returned the parish to the diocesan priests. Pastor (2008-2013) Father Fred Riccio. Archbishop Alexander Joseph Brunett, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Oakland named Rev. George Alengadan, pastor of St. Joseph Basilica, Alameda, June 1, 2013.

Students

SJND enrolls 405 young men and women in grades 9 through 12. SJND students come from over 27 public, independent and Catholic schools. Close to 40 percent of the students live in Alameda, 35 percent live in Oakland, 20 percent live in San Leandro and the remaining students live throughout the East Bay.

Curriculum

St. Joseph Notre Dame has a college preparatory curriculum. The school offers honors level courses in English, Math, Science, and Foreign Language and offers Advanced Placement courses in U.S. History, English Literature & Composition, English Language, American Government & Politics, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Physics, Biology, Spanish Language, Environmental Science, and Art Studio. St. Joseph Notre Dame implemented a block scheduling system in 2006. One hundred percent of the senior class of 2013 were accepted to and enrolled in college.

Principals of the Saint Joseph Boys High School, 1935–1985

Brother Matthew Betz, S.M. 1935–1941
Brother Herman Keck, S.M. 1942–1947
Brother Joseph Becker, S.M. 1947–1951
Father Thomas Hogan, S.M. 1951–1957
Brother Roland Hinger, S.M. 1957–1959
Brother Elmer Dunsky, S.M. 1959–1963
Brother Robert Nunes, S.M. 1963–1966
Brother Richard Britton, S.M. 1966–1967
Brother Stanley Murokami, S.M. 1967–1969
Mr. Anthony V. Aiello, 1969–1985

Sources: 1935–1960, St. Joseph Parish 1960 Diamond Jubilee Book; 1963–1985, SJHS Alumni.

Athletics

St. Joseph Notre Dame offers interscholastic sports teams in baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. The school does not field a football team.

Despite being a small school, SJND has a reputation as a basketball powerhouse, having won four California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships, a modern-era record for a Northern California school. Most notably, SJND won two Boys' Division I state titles, despite having a student body less than half the size of virtually all CIF Division I schools, defeating Fremont High School of Los Angeles in 1991 and Mater Dei High School of Santa Ana in 1992. SJND reached the Boys' CIF Division I Finals two more times in 1997 & 1998, losing to Crenshaw High School and Westchester High School, respectively. In 2004, SJND won the Boys' Division IV Championship against Verbum Dei High School of Los Angeles, 49-47. Most recently, SJND won the 2011 Boys' Division V State Championship against St. Bernard High School of Playa Del Rey, 47-44. SJND also appeared in the 2009 Boys' Division V Finals, losing to Windward High School of Los Angeles, 69-53. Former players include Cal and NBA star Jason Kidd '92, UCLA standout Ray Young '98, Stanford standout Justin Davis '99, UCSB star player Alex Harris '04, and Joe Nelson '93 who is now a pitcher for the Florida Marlins.

In men's tennis, St. Joseph Notre Dame won three BSAL Singles Championships in 2006, 2007, and 2008. The men's volleyball team enjoyed similar success as they captured three successive BSAL titles from 2006-2008.

Recently, SJND’s cross-country team has enjoyed great success as well. In the 2011 season, the team won the BSAL breaking St. Mary’s decade long winning streak. They also won NCS Division V with a record setting time by Gabe Arias-Sheridan. The team placed 3rd in the State meet with a 3rd place finish by Nick Ratto. Latter that year, Ratto fished 3rd state wide in the 800m race. In 2012, SJND continued to dominate. They won St. Jose's first TCAL tile and defended their NCS tile. At the end of the season, the team won their first cross-country state championship beating Flintridge Prep-La Canada by one point (86-87).

St. Joseph Notre Dame's mascot is the Pilot, in reference to the now-closed Naval Air Station Alameda.

Notable alumni

• Barry Reed, novelist, author of The Verdict later a movie starring Paul Newman
• Jason Kidd, professional basketball player
• Don Perata, teacher and politician
• Mark Curry, comedian/actor, star of the popular 1990s television show Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
• Joe Nelson, Florida Marlins pitcher
• Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers Point Guard