Iona Preparatory School

Iona Preparatory School, or simply Iona Prep, is an independent, Roman Catholic, all-male, college-preparatory school located in the north end of New Rochelle, New York, in suburban Westchester County. It consists of the Upper School for Grades 9 through 12 and the Lower School (formerly Iona Grammar School) for kindergarten to grade 8. The primary and secondary schools are located on separate and nearby campuses less than a mile apart on Stratton Road. It is a privately-owned independent school without parochial affiliation and is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. The school was named for the Scottish island of Iona, the school was founded in 1916 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

Iona Preparatory School
logo
Address
255 Wilmot Road New Rochelle , (Westchester County) , New York 10804 United States
Coordinates	40°57′50″N 73°47′37″W / 40.96389°N 73.79361°W / 40.96389; -73.79361
Information
Former name	The Iona School
Type	Private, all-male
Motto	Estote Firmi (Be Strong)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic (Christian Brothers)
Established	1916 (107 years ago) (1916)
Sister school	The Ursuline School
President	Br. Thomas Leto, CFC
Grades	K–12
Gender	Male
Enrollment	Upper School: 901 Lower School: 182 (2021^[needs update])
Campus size	Upper School: 27 acres (11 ha) Lower School: 10 acres (4 ha)
Color(s)	Maroon and gold
Team name	Gaels
Rival	Fordham Preparatory School Archbishop Stepinac High School
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools^[1]
Publication	Renaissance (literary magazine)
Newspaper	The Gael Force
Yearbook	Saga
Tuition	(Upper) $19,200 (Lower) $16,350^[when?]
Website	ionaprep.org

Iona Prep is the brother school to The Ursuline School, a local Catholic girls' school, and shares a history with nearby Iona University, which was founded 24 years after the Prep in 1940. The Prep and college shared a common campus at 715 North Avenue until the Upper School completed the move in 1968 to its fifth and final home on a 27-acre (11 ha) campus at 255 Wilmot Road. It includes the formerly separate K-8 Iona Grammar School, now the Iona Prep Lower School, which is located on a separate campus of 10 acres (4.0 ha).

As of 2021, Iona Prep had an enrollment of 1,079 students – 901 in the Upper School^[2] and 182 in the Lower School.^[3] The Upper School maintains a student dress code that includes a dress shirt and tie with a blazer and dress slacks.^[4]

History

Founding

Upon invitation by Judge Martin J. Keogh, Iona Prep was founded in 1916 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers as The Iona School. Br. Joseph Ignatius Doorley – an educator from County Carlow, Ireland – served as the school's first principal. The institution was established as a Catholic school operated by the Irish Christian Brothers (as they were then known) to educate elementary and secondary school students. The founder of the Order of Christian Brothers, Edmund Ignatius Rice, remained a prominent figure in the school's educational vision. The fledgling Iona School was located at the Stern Estate on Webster Avenue in New Rochelle and rented a facility to accommodate its class of 37 students. It derived its name from the small Scottish island of Iona, known for its Gaelic monasticism that dates back to the arrival in AD 563 of missionary and abbot St. Columba, an important individual in the Christian Brothers' guiding mission.^[5]

After three years, the school had outgrown the rather modest capacity of the single building on the estate, and Iona moved to a new 18-acre (7.3 ha) location. The land, which abuts the Beechmont section of New Rochelle and is bounded by North Avenue, was purchased by Br. Doorley from retired Presbyterian minister Rev. Thomas Hall for $85,000 in 1919. This land today is owned and operated by Iona College.^[6]

Expansion

 

Iona Prep's fourth location is now home to Iona College's LaPenta School of Business

The Iona School again moved to a new home in 1950, albeit this time the move was across its own campus. Its center became the building that is now Hagan Hall, home to Iona College's business school, and remained so for 17 years.^[7]

1950s to present

In February 1955, Iona Grammar School, serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students, relocated to its present campus on Stratton Road, the former home and estate of Harry M. Stevens, a food concessionaire who is sometimes attributed with the invention of the hot dog.^[8]

With Iona College requiring increasing space and Iona Prep undergoing continual growth, the Prep saw the need for a campus of its own. After acquiring the 27-acre (11 ha) Matthew Carney Estate on Stratton Road, which was a third of a mile from the Iona Grammar School campus and three miles north of Iona College, Iona Prep broke ground on January 2, 1965, on the present-day campus. By 1968, the move to its current location was complete.^[9]

Due to the shared history, name, and cordial relations between the two schools, Iona Grammar was subsumed into Iona Preparatory. The combined Iona Preparatory School now operates under a unified administration across its two campuses called the Iona Prep Lower School and the Iona Prep Upper School.^[10]

Academics

 

Main entrance to the Iona Prep Upper School, 2012.

Beginning in junior year, students have a number of electives from which they may choose. Additionally, each Upper School student must engage in community service throughout all four years as a requisite for graduation.^[11]

Iona Prep was named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education in 2001 and 2002, which is considered "the highest honor an American school can achieve".^[12][13][14]

The school annually produces a number of National Merit Scholars and AP Scholars.^[15][16]

Technology is integrated inside and outside the classroom. Since 2007, Iona Prep has used Edline for informing parents of student performance through bimonthly updates.^[17] Students can also monitor academic progress and receive and submit assignments electronically. All classrooms are equipped with Smart Board interactive whiteboard technology.

The biology, chemistry, and physics laboratories were renovated in 2011 and 2013 with state-of-the-art instruments and technology specific to each science.^[18][19]

Iona Prep has three tiers of academics: core, honors, and Advanced Placement and superior talent enrichment program (STEP). The following 14 Advanced Placement courses are offered annually: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus AB, Psychology, Statistics, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, European History, United States History, World History, US Government and Politics, Italian Language, and Spanish Language.^[20]

In addition to the core and honors curricula, Iona offers STEP. STEP is a rigorous two-year program for the most highly qualified freshmen and sophomore students that involves a more intensive study of Latin and mandatory AP and STEP-specific classes in English and history.^[21] Advanced-level classes in science, mathematics, and foreign language are also expected.

Typically, 100% of Iona Prep's graduates go on to attend a four-year higher education institution, ranging from liberal-arts colleges to research universities and from public universities to Ivy League schools.^[22]

Service

In addition to a number of service programs in local communities, Iona Prep has several areas of interest throughout the United States and in foreign countries. One of the largest programs is the annual service trip to Lima, Peru in which students and faculty work to better the lives of disadvantaged denizens. Iona Prep also has missions in New Orleans, Washington, DC, Florida, New York City, the Dominican Republic, and at the US-Mexico border in Texas.^[23]

Extracurricular activities

Speech and debate

Iona Prep is known for its speech and debate (forensics) team. In 1999, Iona Prep was the National Forensics League Champion, and had multiple national champions in multiple events. The team has experienced continual success, being periodically ranked as first in New York State and among top schools in the United States in the National Speech and Debate Association and National Catholic Forensic League. It has produced many national finalists, particularly from 2011 to 2015.^[24][25]

Athletics

 

Field and track in early winter

Iona Prep has an array of varsity and junior varsity athletic teams along with intramural teams. A member of the Catholic High School Athletic Association, the Iona Prep Gaels compete against schools from surrounding Westchester, New York City, Long Island, and Connecticut as well as against schools across New York State and the country in iterations of elimination rounds and championships.^[26]

The many sports facilities are shared by various teams. The main artificial turf field is used for competition by several of the school's teams including football and lacrosse. It is enclosed by a 400-meter track equipped with steeplechase and long jump areas as well as an electronic scoreboard and two-story press box. The rear of the school contains an updated baseball field, tennis courts, and areas for field sports. A fitness and weights room was recently renovated for use by athletes.^[27]

The sports offered by Iona Prep include:^[28]

• Football
• Baseball
• Tennis
• Basketball
• Soccer
• Golf
• Swimming & diving
• Lacrosse
• Rowing
• Ice hockey
• Ultimate frisbee
• Wrestling
• Cross country
• Track
• Field sports

• Shot put
• Javelin throw
• Hammer throw
• Discus throw
• Pole vault

• Volleyball
• Bowling

Football

Football has long been a tradition within Iona Prep's athletics. Competition with rivals including Archbishop Stepinac High School^[29] and Saint Anthony's has driven the school's football ambitions. Dating back to coach Renzie Lamb's undefeated 1967 football team,^[30][31] football has been a major focus of the school's athletic spirit.

Iona Prep played New Rochelle High School annually on Thanksgiving Day in a rivalry game called the "Turkey Bowl". This tradition ended with the 2002 game (when Ray Rice was a sophomore at NRHS), due to the advent of a postseason tournament in the Catholic High School Football League^[32] and the New York State Public High School Championships.

Iona Prep football team

•  

  The Gaels leave the field following a victory over Mount St. Michael in October 2004

•  

  2011 squad leaving the field

•  

  Brother Gaffney with the 2002 team

•  

  Gaels after a 2004 win

Undefeated and one-loss seasons

• 1931: 8-0
• 1932: 9-1
• 1943: 5-0-2
• 1944: 6-0-2
• 1945: 7-1
• 1946: 8-0
• 1947: 8-0^[33]
• 1948: 6-1-1
• 1953: 6-1-1
• 1954: 7-1
• 1967: 8-0
• 1971: 7-1
• 2008: 12-0

CHSFL Championships

• 1954: 7-1^[34]
• 1967: 8-0^[34]
• 1971: 7-1 (Metropolitan Champion)
• 2000: AA Champion^[35]
• 2008: 12-0 (AAA Champion)^[36]
• 2016: AA Champion^[35]

Other sports

The 2009 varsity basketball team finished with a 26–2 record.^[37] Head coach Victor Quirolo, who was also Iona's varsity football coach, a team that went a perfect 12-0 and won the CHSFL AAA Championship, led his squad to victory in the City Catholic High School and the State Catholic High School Championships.^[38]

Notable alumni

• Frank Abagnale (1966) - perpetrator of bank fraud in the late 1960s, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Catch Me If You Can.^[39]
• Dick Ambrose (1971) - NFL Player, Cleveland Browns^[40]
• Mark Berardo (1986) - singer-songwriter
• James William Colbert Jr. (1938) - physician and academic vice president of the Medical University of South Carolina
• Bud Cort (1966) - actor, best known for Harold and Maude
• Tommy Dreamer (1988) - WWE & ECW pro wrestler
• John P. Donohue, M.D. (1950) - pioneered the development of chemotherapy and nerve sparing surgical techniques for testicular cancer
• Gerard Finneran (1955) – Member of the first United States Air Force Academy graduating class; later worked as investment banker on Wall Street but best known for involvement in 1995 air rage incident.
• Pete Gaudet (1960) - former head basketball coach at Army, former assistant basketball coach at Duke University under Mike Krzyzewski
• Nick Gregory (1978) - television weatherman on Fox 5 News in New York^[41]
• Butch Harmon - well-known golf instructor who coached Tiger Woods, attended Iona Prep for one year (1958-'59),^[42] before he transferred to New Rochelle High School the following year
• Ty Jerome (2016) - NBA point-guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder, won a national championship in 2019 with the University of Virginia
• Chris Kerson - film, television, and theater actor, best known for his role in True Detective^[43]
• Don McLean (1963) - musician, best known for the 1971 song, "American Pie"^[44]
• John Mara (1972) - co-owner of NFL's New York Giants^[45]
• Bob Mayo (1969) - keyboardist on Frampton Comes Alive
• L. J. Mazzilli (transferred) - professional baseball player^[46]
• Brian Moran (2006) - professional baseball player
• Colin Moran (2010) - professional baseball player
• Tommy Mottola (1966) - Sony executive, ex-husband of Mariah Carey
• The Reverend Leo J. O'Donovan, S.J. (1952) - former President of Georgetown University
• Patrick Pizzella (1972) - Deputy Secretary of Labor (2017–2021) and acting Secretary of Labor (2020), appointee in Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, Obama & Trump administrations
• Alex Raymond (1927) - creator of Flash Gordon comic strip
• Bill Reilly (c. 1956) - founder and chairman of Primedia.^[47]
• Matt Ryan (2015) - American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves
• Brian Slocum (1999) - major league baseball player, pitches for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Donald Spoto (1959) - celebrity biographer and historian^[48]

See also

•  Hudson Valley portal
•  Schools portal
•  New York (state) portal

• Catholic Schools in the United States
• List of Christian Brothers schools
• Congregation of Christian Brothers
• Iona College (New York)
• Education in Westchester County

References

1. MSA-CSS. . Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
2. "Iona Preparatory School Profile (2021)". Private School Review. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
3. "Iona Preparatory Lower School Profile (2021)". Private School Review. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
4. "Iona Prep Parent–Student Handbook: Dress Code" (PDF). Iona Preparatory School.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. "Iona College History & Mission: Columba and the Island of Iona". Iona College. June 23, 2023.
6. "About Iona: History". Iona Preparatory School.
7. "Iona College: Buildings, Memorials & Statues". Iona College. June 23, 2023.
8. "Iona Preparatory Celebrates Its Centennial with Special Mass by Timothy Cardinal Dolan". Talk of the Sound. June 22, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
9. "The Rebirth of Iona Preparatory School K–12" (PDF). Journeys: The News Magazine of Iona Prep. Winter 2014.
10. Woods, John (October 17, 2013). "Shared History Leads to Joint Future at Iona Prep" – via Catholic New York.
11. "Iona Preparatory School Curriculum Guide" (PDF). Iona Preparatory School.
12. Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized (PDF). U.S. Department of Education.
13. Rahman, Sarah (November 2, 2009). "Bayonne School Receives Blue Ribbon Award". NJ.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
14. "The City Wire". NJ.com.
15. "Facts About Iona Prep". Iona Preparatory School.
16. "Iona Prep College Profile: Student Highlights 2010-2014 (Academic)" (PDF). Iona Preparatory School.
17. "Freshman Program". Iona Preparatory School.
18. "Iona Prep Renovates the Physics Lab". Iona Preparatory School.
19. . Longo. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
20. "Superior Talent Enrichment Program (STEP)". Iona Preparatory School. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
21. "Superior Talent Enrichment Program (STEP)" (PDF). Iona Preparatory School.^{[permanent dead link]}
22. "College Profile 2014-2015" (PDF). Iona Preparatory School.
23. "Iona Preparatory Christian Service Offerings". Iona Preparatory School.
24. "Iona Prep Forensics Team-Best Team in the State". www.ionaprep.org. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
25. "Iona Preparatory School's Debate Team Among Top-Rated Teams in Region". March 2013 – via Westchester Magazine.
26. "Athletics: CHSAA". Iona Preparatory School.
27. "Athletics Facilities". Iona Preparatory School.
28. "Athletics Teams". Iona Preparatory School.
29. "A history of the Iona Prep-Stepinac football rivalry". Lohud.com. September 15, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
30. "SR0913.indd" (PDF). Retrieved June 17, 2019.
31. David A. Raskin (November 27, 1987). "School Football; Iona's Victory Brightens a 20th Reunion - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
32. "Catholic High School Football League". Nychsfl.org. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
33. "Classmates - Find your school, yearbooks and alumni online". Retrieved July 13, 2019.
34. "CHSFL Varsity League Champions – Catholic High School Football League". Nychsfl.org. July 3, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
35. "CHSFL Varsity AA Champions – Catholic High School Football League". Nychsfl.org. July 3, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
36. "CHSFL Varsity AAA Championship & NYSCHSAA State Championship Game Results – Catholic High School Football League". Nychsfl.org. July 3, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
37. "USA Today, High School Sports, March 2013". Usatodayhss.com. December 22, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
38. "Iona Prep News, March 2013". Ionaprep.org. December 31, 1999. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
39. Cox, Robert (January 13, 2019). "Secret Service High Rise Raid Tied to New Rochelle Post Office Check-Washing Scheme, Sources". Talk of the Sound. from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
40. "Classmates - Find your school, yearbooks and alumni online". Retrieved July 13, 2019.
41. Barmash, Jerry (December 16, 2011). "Meteorologist Nick Gregory 'Fortunate' to Celebrate 25 Years at WNYW". Adweek. from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
42. "Classmates - Find your school, yearbooks and alumni online". Retrieved July 13, 2019.
43. "Westchester Native Plays Pivotal Role With John Travolta In Movie 'Gotti'". White Plains Daily Voice. July 1, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
44. Hinckley, David (February 5, 2012). "Readers give critic a pie in the face over insufficient enthusiasm for Don McLean's classic hit 'American Pie'". New York Daily News. from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
45. "Classmates - Find your school, yearbooks and alumni online". Retrieved July 13, 2019.
46. Dominitz, Nathan (June 6, 2014). "Sand Gnats' L.J. Mazzilli hits way toward big-league goal". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
47. Staff. "Ellen Chapman to Be Bride Of William Reilly Jr. on Nov. 19", The New York Times, October 15, 1966. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
48. "Classmates - Find your school, yearbooks and alumni online". Retrieved July 13, 2019.

External links

•   Media related to Iona Preparatory School at Wikimedia Commons