St. John's College High School

For the school in Belize City, Belize, see St. John's College High School, Belize.

St. John's College High School (SJC, SJCHS, or St. John's)^[4] is a Catholic high school in Washington, D.C. Established in 1851, is the third oldest Christian Brothers school in the United States, and the oldest Army JROTC school.^[5] It was founded by Brother John of Mary, F.S.C., and two other Christian Brothers in St. Matthew's parish, at 15th and G Streets.

St. John's College High School
Address
2607 Military Road, NW Chevy Chase , Washington, D.C. 20015 United States
Coordinates	38°57′44″N 77°3′17″W / 38.96222°N 77.05472°W / 38.96222; -77.05472
Information
Type	Private
Motto	Religio, Scientia (Latin) (Religion, Knowledge)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic (Lasallian)
Established	1851 (172 years ago) (1851)
CEEB code	090185
President	Jeffrey Mancabelli^[1]
Principal	Christopher Themistos ^[1]
Faculty	125.0 (on an FTE basis)^[2]
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	1,217 (2019–20)^[2]
Student to teacher ratio	9,7^[2]
Campus size	30 acres (120,000 m^2)
Campus type	Suburban
Color(s)	Scarlet and gray
Athletics conference	WCAC
Nickname	Cadets
Accreditation	MSA^[3]
Website	www.stjohnschs.org

History

In 1878, the Brothers purchased the property at 1225 Vermont Avenue NW from the estate of General Montgomery C. Meigs as the site for a new school building. In August of that year, the construction of the building was begun. At first it was known as St. John's Collegiate Institute, and in 1887, it assumed the title of St. John's College. That same year, the college was incorporated under the District of Columbia statutes with the power to confer the academic degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts.^[5] At the commencement of June 26, 1888 two Bachelor of Arts, four Bachelor of Science, and three Master of Arts degrees were conferred on graduates.^[6]

As the undergraduate departments of The Catholic University of America and Georgetown University expanded, it was decided in 1921 by the Board of Trustees of St. John's to discontinue the college department and devote the school facilities to secondary education alone.^[5]

Athletics

St. John's teams play in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Football

The 2008 St. John's vs. Gonzaga College High School football game was recognized as one of the top 25 rivalries in the United States by inclusion in the Great American Rivalry Series. In 2013 the varsity football team defeated their historical rival Gonzaga in the WCAC semi-finals, advancing to the championship game for the first time in over 20 years, which they lost to the Dematha Stags.^[7][8]

On November 18, 2017, St. John’s varsity football team defeated Gonzaga 30-7 to win the 2017 WCAC championship. They finished the season having gone undefeated in the WCAC for the first time since 1976 and having won the school’s first football conference championship since 1989.^[9] The 2017 team is also the only St. John's football team to ever defeat both DeMatha (first win since 1994) and Gonzaga twice in the same season. In 2017 the St. John's varsity football team finished their season ranked 17th and 19th in the United States, after starting the pre-season ranked No. 21.^{[10][11][better source needed]}

Soccer

In 2007, the St. John's girls' soccer team was ranked #1 in the United States.^[12]

Baseball

St. John's varsity baseball team won the 2018 WCAC baseball championship, the fifth consecutive title for the school, and the sixth title since 2010.^[13]

Athletic facilities

The campus features three multi-sport turf surfaces used for field hockey, football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer and softball. Baseball plays at Gibbs Field. Gallagher Gymnasium is the home of the basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams. The school also has four tennis courts used by the tennis program.^[14]

Military program

A military cadet company was established at the school in 1915 after an inspection by the War Department,^[15] which detailed Major John Augustus Dapray, retired, to the school on December 30, 1915 as the first professor of military science and tactics.^[16] The school later established a Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, and was one of 100 original U.S. Army JROTC programs established by the U.S. Congress under the National Defense Act of 1916.

In addition to regular classroom instruction, cadets participate in regional and national competitions as members of Raiders (called the Rangers until 1994), the drill team (called the "McGovern Rifles"; see notable alumni below), rifle team (marksmanship club), and color guard. The regiment participates in many events each year, such as the annual Cherry Blossom Parade and Presidential inaugurations (including the 2005 Inauguration of George W. Bush). Originally mandatory, the program became optional in 1991. By 2005, 50 percent of the students participated in the JROTC program, and current participation is less than one-fifth of the student body.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

• William A. Wimsatt (class of 1935^[17]), professor of Zoology, Chairman of the Department of Zoology at Cornell University.
• John H. Dimond (class of 1936^[18]), Alaska Supreme Court justice.^[19]
• James "Jim" Kimsey (class of 1957), first chairman and CEO of AOL^[20]
• Joseph Siravo (class of 1973), actor, director, teacher and producer.^[21]
• James J. Malloy (class of 1981), retired United States Navy vice admiral.^[22]
• Nolan Williams, Jr. (class of 1986), American composer, musicologist, and producer.^[23]
• Kevin Plank (class of 1990), founder and brand chief and executive chairman of Under Armour, a performance apparel company.^[24]
• Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia (class of 2001), member of the Ethiopian Imperial House of Solomon; wife of Prince Joel Dawit Makonnen^[25]
• Azzi Fudd (class of 2021), college basketball player for the Connecticut Huskies
• Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (class of 2002), playwright.^[26]
• Rakim Jarrett (class of 2020), current NFL player with the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers]].
• L.J. Hoes (class of 2008), former MLB player with the Houston Astros.^[27]
• Jeff Dowtin (class of 2015), professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors.^[28]
• Terrell Lewis (class of 2016), professional football player for the Chicago Bears.^[29]
• Kasim Hill (class of 2017), college football player for the Rhode Island Rams^[30]
• Philip Hannan (class of 1931) 11th archbishop of New Orleans.^[31]
• John Geisse (class of 1937) founder of target and served in the United States Navy.^[32]
• Robert M. McGovern (class of 1946) Received the Medal of Honor for his sacrifice in the Korean War.^[33]
• Stanley McChrystal (class of 1972), retired United States Army general who served as Director of Joint Staff.^[34]

External links

• Official website

References

1. "Faculty and Staff". St. John's College High School. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
2. "ST JOHNS COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL". Private School Universe Survey. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
3. MSA-CSS. . Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
4. "Saint John's College High School". adwcatholicschools.org. Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
5. Clare, Elzabeth Slattery (20 November 1986). "St. John's Cadet Tradition Lives". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
6. "St. John's College: Music and Oratory at the Annual Exhibition". The Washington Post. 27 June 1888.
7. Parker, Brandon. "DeMatha tops St. John's to capture first WCAC football championship since 2008". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
8. Coach Joe Patterson enters his fifth season at the helm, St. John's official website; retrieved November 25, 2007.
9. Northwest Current. URL=https://www.currentnewspapers.com/sports.
10. MaxPreps
11. USA Today High School Sports
12. NSCAA/Adidas National and Regional Rankings: National 2nd Poll. National Soccer Coaches Association of America (September 18, 2007). Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
13. "Cadets Win Fifth Consecutive WCAC Title". St. John's College High School. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
14. "Atletic Facilities". stjohnschs.org. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
15. "St. John's Will Have Military Company". The Washington Times. Washington, D.C.: The Washington Times Company. January 3, 1916. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
16. Staff (January 6, 1916). "Army: Retired Officers". Army and Navy Register. Army and Navy Publishing Co. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
17. "Pastor's Joke Aimed at Girls At Graduation". The Washington Post. June 15, 1935.
18. "62 at St. John's Graduate, Hear Dennis Connell". The Washington Post. June 17, 1936.
19. "John Henry Diamond". www.courtlistener.com. Free Law Project. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
20. . Kimsey Foundation. Archived from the original on September 16, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
21. "St. John's Theatre Hall of Fame". Retrieved 27 August 2019.
22. "Cadet Corps Leadership Speaker Series". Retrieved 2 February 2023.
23. West, Michael J. (22 Oct 2019). "A D.C. composer channels his social conscience into art". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
24. Graham, Scott; Staff (December 26, 2003). "The man behind the 'armour'". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved October 12, 2007.
25. "Scarlet & Grey - Spring 2018".
26. Marks, Peter (June 25, 2016). "A playwright who's at ease with causing discomfort". Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
27. "Washington Post Spring 2008 All Met - Baseball". The Washington Post.
28. "NBA's Official website".
29. "Official Site of the Chicago Bears".
30. "Football Recruiting - Kasim Hill - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
31. "article from Todays catholic".
32. "remembrance of all St. John's alumni who have served in the armed forces including John F Giesse".
33. "home of heroes article on the brothers and what they did".
34. "call to remember article on the St. John's website".