Loyola Academy

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Loyola Academy
Motto Women and Men for Others
Established 1909
Type Private secondary
Affiliation Jesuit Secondary Education Association
Affiliations Jesuit Secondary Education Association ⋅
President Rev. Theodore G. Munz, S.J.
Dean Dr. Mary M. Kearney
Mr. Kenneth S. Maziarka
Mr. Charlie Heinz
Founder Rev. Henry J. Dumbach, S.J.
Students ~2,000
Grades 9 - 12
Location 1100 Laramie Avenue,
Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Colors Maroon and Gold          
Mascot Rambler
Newspaper 'The Prep'
Conference Chicago Catholic League
Girls Catholic Athletic (GCAC)
Website http://www.goramblers.org/
For other uses, see Loyola Academy (disambiguation).

Loyola Academy is a private, co-educational college preparatory high school located in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, it is one of 47 Jesuit high schools in the United States and is a member of the Jesuit Secondary Education Association. It is also the largest Jesuit high school in America, with over 2,000 students from more than 80 different zip codes throughout the Chicago area.

Contents

[edit] History

Loyola Academy was founded as a Roman Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in 1909. The school was originally located in Rogers Park, Chicago on the campus of Loyola University's Dumbach Hall; it moved to the current Wilmette campus in 1957. Both Loyola University and its prep school adjunct, Loyola Academy, were named after the Basque intellectual and Spanish Army General, Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

As a precondition to granting approval to move to the suburbs, the Archdiocese of Chicago required the Jesuits to stipulate that they would continue to serve the young Roman Catholic men of the city of Chicago. Consequently, throughout most of its history as a college preparatory school exclusively for young men, Loyola Academy had a significant representation of Chicago residents, many of whom were of modest financial means and gave the school an economic diversity unique in the Chicago metropolitan area and not seen today. During the period 1936 to 1994, all prospective students were admitted on the basis of a competitive and comprehensive admissions test. Loyola Academy was one of the first Roman Catholic prep schools in the nation to institute this requirement.

During the bulk of its history, as an exclusive prep school for young men, Loyola Academy maintained the strict disciplinary and academic regimen seen in most exclusive American prep schools. Under the strict disciplinary guidelines of the Jesuits, students were required to wear Academy blazers and ties, maintain silence when moving between classes, attend weekly Mass on campus, address their professors as either "sir" or "Father," and maintain a demeanor befitting the Jesuit educational ideal of "Men for others."

Penalties for infractions were meted out in the form of demerits (inscribed on a demerit card carried by each student) or by after school detention, known colloquially as "JUG," for judgment under God. During most of the period 1909-1975, the student body of Loyola Academy was almost 100% Roman Catholic. During this time frame, Loyola Academy surpassed all other schools in the Chicago Catholic secondary system in terms of SAT scores and percentage of student body admitted to 4-year universities.

For purposes of social interaction, during the period 1957-1994, Loyola's "sister school," was Regina Dominican High School, an all-girls Academy located less than a mile away in Wilmette. Beginning in 1970, small groups of select Regina students began commuting to Loyola to take selected advanced science and computer science classes, as these regimens were unavailable on their campus at the time. Prior to its controversial decision to go co-educational, Loyola had a significant Jesuit presence among its teachers and administrators, although this had begun to slowly erode beginning in the early 1970s.

In 1994, Loyola Academy merged with Saint Louise de Marillac High School, an all-girls high school from Northfield, Illinois, which was on the verge of bankruptcy and became a co-educational school [1]. In 2003, Loyola Academy opened a new 60-acre campus in Glenview, Illinois. The property, which was part of the abandoned Glenview Naval Air Station (NAS Glenview), was an extremely valuable piece of real estate which was purchased by Loyola in 2001 and now houses several athletic fields for lacrosse, baseball, softball, and soccer, a cross country path, and a wetland preserve area that has been used as a natural laboratory for science classes.

While Loyola Academy retains an ostensible Roman Catholic Christian affiliation, in its new co-educational configuration, it now admits non-Catholics, non-Christians, agnostics and atheists.

[edit] Academics at Loyola Academy

Loyola Academy offers a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum with over 110 courses in language arts, fine arts (dance, music, theater, visual arts, and architecture), foreign languages (Spanish, French, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese and Ancient Greek), mathematics, physical education, science, social studies, and theology. (As it is a college-preparatory high school, it does not offer any true vocational courses.) The school has two competitive honors programs (the Dumbach Scholars and the Clavius Scholars), and a plethora of students enrolled in AP classes. Loyola also offers the O'Shaughnessy Program, which assists students who show the potential for success in college but may require smaller classes and extra help from teachers. Annually, about 99% of students are accepted by four-year universities.

Loyola has a particularly strong tradition of educating students in the classics. The school fields a Certamen team, and in 2005, six students received perfect scores on the National Latin Exam while 44 others were named Gold Medalists. In addition, Loyola Academy is one of only three high schools in the Chicago area to offer Ancient Greek as a language course. Loyola is also very active in forensics, Scholastic Bowl, and Science Olympiad competitions.

Aerial photo of Loyola Academy's Wilmette campus
Aerial photo of Loyola Academy's Wilmette campus

[edit] Sports at Loyola Academy

Loyola Academy has a highly competitive athletics program, offering 16 women's sports and 17 men's sports. The Ramblers (borrowing their nickname from the teams at Loyola University) have been particularly successful in Football,state football champs 1993, runner up 1992lacrosse, crew and ice hockey; within the last ten years, both men's and women's teams in each of those sports have won state (or in the case of crew, national) championships. The men's hockey team has reached the State Finals four times from 2001-2006, and the State Final Four every year since 2000, with the exception of 2005. The men's lacrosse team has the most state championships in Illinois, including three straight from 2002 to 2004. The men's golf and women's basketball teams are also traditional Chicago-area powerhouses. The men's and women's swimming teams are on the rise as well, placing in the top 15 in the state in each of the past 3 years.[citation needed] The 2007 Ramblers' men's soccer team was undefeated in winning the Chicago Catholic League championship. Loyola's greatest athletic rival is widely considered to be New Trier Township High School, as well as St. Ignatius College Prep, its Jesuit rival within the Chicago Catholic League.

Loyola Academy
Loyola Academy

Many Chicago-area sports figures have sent their children to Loyola Academy. These include former Chicago Bull Michael Jordan, former Chicago Bears Dave Duerson and Matt Suhey, former Chicago Blackhawk Jack O'Callahan and former Bulls player Bill Wennington. Recently, Loyola Academy hired John Holecek, former NFL linebacker, to be the head coach of the football program. The team competes in the blue division of the Chicago Catholic League, one of the top high school football conferences in the country.

[edit] Service at Loyola Academy

Loyola places a particularly strong emphasis on community service, encouraging their students to be "Women and Men for Others, Leaders in Service." During the summer, many students join service sites across the United States and around the world, and during the school year, Loyola's "Life! Be In It!" program allows students to in participate in Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, and various other community outreach programs. One of Loyola's stated objectives is that every graduate be "committed to doing justice," and thus it encourages students to contribute to their communities and learn more about the world around them. These service programs are complemented by a series of religious retreats.

[edit] Current administration

  • President: Rev. Theodore G. Munz, S.J.
  • Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs: Mr. David K. McNulty '67
  • Dean of Academics: Dr. Mary M. Kearney
  • Dean of Student Life: Mr. Charlie Heintz
  • Director of Ignatian Identity: Rev. Richard H. McGurn, S.J.
  • Dean of Students: Mr. Kenneth S. Maziarka
  • Director of Admissions: Mr. Lesley J. Seitzinger '88
  • Director of Athletics: Mr. Patrick M. Mahoney '90

[edit] Notable alumni

A number of notable people have attended Loyola over the years. These include:

  • 1 Did not graduate from Loyola; transferred to North Shore Country Day School after sophomore year.
  • ² Did not graduate from Loyola; left after sophomore year to play in the minor leagues.
  • ³ Did not graduate from Loyola; transferred to Fossil Ridge High School in Texas after sophomore year.
  • 4 Did not graduate from Loyola; dropped out after two years to take a job as a reporter.
  • 5 Did not graduate from Loyola; moved to Idaho when he was 15 and transferred to Bishop Kelly High School.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ James Baisley, Jr. at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  2. ^ "Here and There". Loyola Focus. Winter 2004.
  3. ^ George Bon Salle at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  4. ^ Katherine Roche. "To the best, they beat the best". Chicago Sun-Times. 23 October 2007.
  5. ^ Jean Quinn. "Alumni of the Year." Edison-Norwood Times Review. 11 December 2003.
  6. ^ John Dee, Jr. at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  7. ^ a b c Loyola Academy Viewbook. 2005.
  8. ^ R. Jerome Dunne at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  9. ^ Bill Skowronski. "Irish ride Falls' marskmanship to Spokane." Evanston Review. 15 March 2007.
  10. ^ David Finzer at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  11. ^ John Fitzgerald at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  12. ^ Paul Florence at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  13. ^ Ken Keenan. "Foley brings pipes to Wolves." Des Plaines Times. 28 September 2006.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Loyola Academy facts." Chicago Sun-Times. 1 April 1992.
  15. ^ "J. Gannon, judge and radio actor." Chicago Tribune. 23 June 1985.
  16. ^ "Father Gilbert Hartke; leading drama figure." The New York Times 22 February 1986.
  17. ^ Tom McCann. "Writer loved being a Renaissance man." Chicago Tribune 16 July 2002.
  18. ^ Will Higgins. "Jim Irsay: Upbeat and offbeat." The Indianapolis Star. 18 January 2004.
  19. ^ Dennis Mahoney. "Ramblers expand roles during summer." Glencoe News. 16 August 2007.
  20. ^ "Alumni Making a Difference: Neal Katyal." Loyola Focus. Fall 2006.
  21. ^ Sheila Ahern. Daily Herald. 9 November 2006.
  22. ^ Michael Sneed. "Local Lore." Chicago Sun-Times. 26 January 2005.
  23. ^ a b Mike Thomas. "For this North Shore teen, it pays to goof off." Chicago Sun-Times. 25 May 2003.
  24. ^ Frederick Lindstrom at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  25. ^ Bill Zwecker. "Writer probes national security." Chicago Sun-Times. 22 November 1998.
  26. ^ Erik Mauer at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  27. ^ Rachel Quarrell. "Oxford's muscle to challenge Cambridge Olympians." The Independent (London). 5 March 2002.
  28. ^ Bert Metzger at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  29. ^ Jim Coffman. "Montoya delays jump to professional career." Evanston Review. 29 July 2004.
  30. ^ James Mooney at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  31. ^ Joan Giangrasse Kates. "Rev. Thomas N. Munson: 1924 - 2007" Chicago Tribune. 1 June 2007.
  32. ^ "Musker looks for gold on 'Treasure Planet.'" Antioch Review. 12 December 2002.
  33. ^ Joel Gay. "Rookie leader." Anchorage Daily News. 14 March 2004.
  34. ^ "Documenting Some of the Defining Moments of Our Time." Loyola Focus. Summer 2005.
  35. ^ Bob Goldsborough. "Actor Chris O'Donnell sells seldom-used townhouse here." Chicago Tribune. 10 February 2002.
  36. ^ a b Mary Houlihan. "Hip-hop Shakespeare." Chicago Sun-Times. 15 June 2001.
  37. ^ Steve Quinn at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  38. ^ Nicholas Rassas at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  39. ^ Todd Rassas at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  40. ^ Robert Skoglund at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  41. ^ Item Catalog (Custom Loyola). Retrieved 11 December 2007.
  42. ^ Charles Whittingham at Loyola Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
  43. ^ "Here and There". Loyola Focus. Fall 2005.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Jesuit Secondary Education Association

Institutional Constituent Members

Arrupe Jesuit High School (CO) · Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) · Bellarmine Preparatory School (WA) · Boston College High School (MA) · Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (IN) · Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) · Canisius High School (NY) · Cheverus High School (ME) · Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola (PR) · Creighton Preparatory School (NE) · Cristo Rey High School of Sacramento (CA) · Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of Baltimore (MD) · Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of Chicago (IL) · Cristo Rey Jesuit High School - Twin Cities (MN) · De Smet Jesuit High School (MO) · Fairfield College Preparatory School (CT) · Fordham Preparatory School (NY) · Georgetown Preparatory School (MD) · Gonzaga College High School (DC) · Gonzaga Preparatory School (WA) · Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas (TX) · Jesuit High School of New Orleans (LA) · Jesuit High School of Portland (OR) · Jesuit High School of Sacramento (CA) · Jesuit High School of Tampa (FL) · Loyola Academy (IL) · Loyola Blakefield (MD) · Loyola High School of Detroit (MI) · Loyola High School of Los Angeles (CA) · Loyola School (NY) · Marquette University High School (WI) · McQuaid Jesuit High School (NY) · Red Cloud Indian School (SD) · Regis High School (NY) · Regis Jesuit High School (CO) · Rockhurst High School (MO) · St. Ignatius College Preparatory (CA) · St. Ignatius College Preparatory School (IL) · St. Ignatius High School (OH) · St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy (OH) · Saint Joseph's Preparatory School (PA) · Saint Louis University High School (MO) · St. Peter's Preparatory School (NJ) · St. Xavier High School (OH) · Scranton Preparatory School (PA) · Seattle Preparatory School (WA) · Strake Jesuit College Preparatory (TX) · University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy (MI) · Verbum Dei High School (CA) · Walsh Jesuit High School (OH) · Xavier High School of New York City (NY)

Institutional Associate Members

Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (Miami, FL) · Loyola High School of Montreal (QC, Canada) · Saint Bonaventure's College (NL, Canada) · St. John's College (Belize, BZ) · St. Paul's High School (MB, Canada) · Xavier High School of Micronesia (Chuuk, FSM)