Bellarmine-Jefferson High School
Encyclopedia
Bellarmine-Jefferson High School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in Burbank, California
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
.
(the nation's 3rd president).
The school colors are Red, White, and Royal Blue. The school mascot is the Guard, named for the Swiss Guard
organization that has protected the pope since 1506. Bell-Jeff celebrated its first commencement ceremony with the class of 1948. The school's unofficial motto is "God helping me I will do my best today," a quote attributed to St. Robert Bellarmine.
, designed by Thomas Jefferson. The main entry to St. Eleanor's Hall has 13 steps, representing the original 13 colonies in the order they became states by ratifying the U.S. Constitution.
The clock tower on the main building is frozen to honor the two famous documents written in Independence Hall. On the north side of the tower is July 4, 1776 @ 8:00 pm to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and on the south side is September 17, 1787 @ 4:00 pm to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
In recent years the school has sent students to the University of Notre Dame
, Georgetown University
, Columbia University
, Boston University
, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC
, St. John's University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Occidental College
, University of Arizona
, UC Riverside, Loyola Marymount University
, Pepperdine University
, and UNLV.
Cross Country
The Cross Country teams are arguably the most successful programs on campus. The girls team has won its league championship seven times since 2000, including the 2008 season, and is a consistent challenger in the CIF-SS Division V. Both teams will proudly host the 38th annual Bellarmine-Jefferson Cross Country Invitational this September at Griffith Park. The Invitational is one of the largest and longest-running invitationals in Southern California.
Basketball
The most popular sport at Bell-Jeff has had it greatest success in the past decade and a half. The boys team has made the CIF-SS playoffs six consecutive years and had California's state leader in scoring in 1998 in Ruben Douglas
. Douglas went on to lead the NCAA in scoring as a senior at the University of New Mexico and now plays professional basketball in Europe. This past season the Guards won their first league championship in 14 years, capturing the 2011 Santa Fe League Championship. The Lady Guards proudly own the school's only two sectional championships, winning the CIF-SS title during the 1996-1997 season and most recently during the 2008-2009 campaign. The 2008-2009 team went on to win the Southern California regional championship and then on March 20, 2009 defeated Pinewood Prep, 55-47, at Arco Arena in Sacramento to win the school's first California State Championship. The state championship also is the first ever for any Burbank area high school in a team sport. In addition, the team has appeared in the CIF-SS title game two times, losing both in 2003 and 2008. The Girls team also won the Nike Tournament of Champions in the Grey Division in 2008 and placed 3rd in 2009. Since winning the CIF and State titles in 2009, the Lady Guards have advanced to the CIF Semi-Finals each of the last two years.
Football
The football team plays its home games at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, CA. Despite the school's small student population, the football team is consistently ranked in the top-ten of CIF-SS's Northeast Division. The team has won four league championships in its history - 1954, 2000, 2004, and most recently 2007. The 2008 team won the schools' 1st CIF playoff game since 1954, before falling in the CIF Quarterfinals.
Volleyball
Both teams play their home games in Keating Memorial Gymnasium (nicknamed "The Guard House") on campus. The girls team recently won its 5th consecutive Santa Cruz League Championship in the fall of 2010. Since moving to the Santa Cruz League in 2006, the Lady Guards have compiled a 39-1 record, including their current streak of 36 consecutive league matches. In 2009, the team advanced all the way to the CIF-SS Division IVA Championship game for the first time in school history. The Lady Guards had advanced to the CIF Quarterfinals in 1993 and 2008 and got all the way to the CIF Championship game in 2009 before falling in the title game. During the 2010 season the girls lost in the CIF Semi-Finals. The boys team also has fared well in recent years, qualifying for the CIF-SS Division V playoffs three consecutive years and advancing all the way to the CIF Quarterfinals in 2007.
Baseball/Softball
The baseball team plays its home games at Burbank's Brace Park and competes in CIF-SS Division V. The team ended an almost twenty year drought by winning the Santa Fe League Championship in 2005. The team has qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs for seven consecutive years. The softball team competes at Burbank's Gross Park and has qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs in each of the last six seasons, winning its first playoff game since 1994 in 2008. The softball team has developed into one of the finest in the area. The Lady Guards have won two consecutive Santa Cruz League Championships in 2010 and 2011 (going undefeated in league during that time) and advanced all the way to the CIF Championship game in 2011 before falling to Pomona Catholic.
Jackie Johnson - Athletic Director, Director of Alumni Relations, Health teacher (Class of '97);
Carol De Philip - Finance Manager (Class of '82);
Melody Doyle - Administrative Assistant/Office Manager (Class of '70);
Sabatino Manente - Social Studies Chair (Class of '72);
John Matheus - Principal (Class of '72);
Michelle Otis - Choral Director, English & Religion teacher (Class of '87);
Miguel Segura - Boys & Girls Head Volleyball Coach (Class of '97)
Erika Turnquist - English Teacher, English & Social Studies Chair, Freshman Class Moderator (Class of '89)
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Roman Catholic high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
.
Background
Bellarmine-Jefferson is a co-educational Catholic high school located in Burbank, CA that was founded by Monsignor Martin Cody Keating in 1944. Keating selected the school's name from St. Robert Bellarmine (a 17th century Italian Jesuit priest) and Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
(the nation's 3rd president).
The school colors are Red, White, and Royal Blue. The school mascot is the Guard, named for the Swiss Guard
Swiss Guard
Swiss Guards or Schweizergarde is the name given to the Swiss soldiers who have served as bodyguards, ceremonial guards, and palace guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. They have had a high reputation for discipline, as well as loyalty to their employers...
organization that has protected the pope since 1506. Bell-Jeff celebrated its first commencement ceremony with the class of 1948. The school's unofficial motto is "God helping me I will do my best today," a quote attributed to St. Robert Bellarmine.
Architecture
The school's main building is a replica of the old Pennsylvania State House, also known as Independence Hall, located in Philadelphia, PA. Adjacent to the main building is St. Eleanor's Hall, a replica of the main library at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, designed by Thomas Jefferson. The main entry to St. Eleanor's Hall has 13 steps, representing the original 13 colonies in the order they became states by ratifying the U.S. Constitution.
The clock tower on the main building is frozen to honor the two famous documents written in Independence Hall. On the north side of the tower is July 4, 1776 @ 8:00 pm to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and on the south side is September 17, 1787 @ 4:00 pm to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
Academics
Bell-Jeff is a four-year college preparatory high school. As of the 2011-2012 school year the school offers six Advanced Placement courses (Calculus, Chemistry, English Literature, Psychology, Spanish Language, and United States History), UC approved college prep courses, and a host of electives.In recent years the school has sent students to the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, UCLA, UC Berkeley, USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, St. John's University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Occidental College
Occidental College
Occidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
, University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, UC Riverside, Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
, Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
, and UNLV.
Athletics
Bell-Jeff offers 14 varsity sports. The girls compete in the Santa Cruz League of the CIF Southern Section in six sports while the boys compete in the Santa Fe League of CIF-SS in eight sports. * Athletics WebsiteCross Country
The Cross Country teams are arguably the most successful programs on campus. The girls team has won its league championship seven times since 2000, including the 2008 season, and is a consistent challenger in the CIF-SS Division V. Both teams will proudly host the 38th annual Bellarmine-Jefferson Cross Country Invitational this September at Griffith Park. The Invitational is one of the largest and longest-running invitationals in Southern California.
Basketball
The most popular sport at Bell-Jeff has had it greatest success in the past decade and a half. The boys team has made the CIF-SS playoffs six consecutive years and had California's state leader in scoring in 1998 in Ruben Douglas
Ruben Douglas
Ruben Enrique Douglas is a Panamanian-American professional basketball player. He is a 1.96 m 210 lb point guard-shooting guard.-Amateur career:...
. Douglas went on to lead the NCAA in scoring as a senior at the University of New Mexico and now plays professional basketball in Europe. This past season the Guards won their first league championship in 14 years, capturing the 2011 Santa Fe League Championship. The Lady Guards proudly own the school's only two sectional championships, winning the CIF-SS title during the 1996-1997 season and most recently during the 2008-2009 campaign. The 2008-2009 team went on to win the Southern California regional championship and then on March 20, 2009 defeated Pinewood Prep, 55-47, at Arco Arena in Sacramento to win the school's first California State Championship. The state championship also is the first ever for any Burbank area high school in a team sport. In addition, the team has appeared in the CIF-SS title game two times, losing both in 2003 and 2008. The Girls team also won the Nike Tournament of Champions in the Grey Division in 2008 and placed 3rd in 2009. Since winning the CIF and State titles in 2009, the Lady Guards have advanced to the CIF Semi-Finals each of the last two years.
Football
The football team plays its home games at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, CA. Despite the school's small student population, the football team is consistently ranked in the top-ten of CIF-SS's Northeast Division. The team has won four league championships in its history - 1954, 2000, 2004, and most recently 2007. The 2008 team won the schools' 1st CIF playoff game since 1954, before falling in the CIF Quarterfinals.
Volleyball
Both teams play their home games in Keating Memorial Gymnasium (nicknamed "The Guard House") on campus. The girls team recently won its 5th consecutive Santa Cruz League Championship in the fall of 2010. Since moving to the Santa Cruz League in 2006, the Lady Guards have compiled a 39-1 record, including their current streak of 36 consecutive league matches. In 2009, the team advanced all the way to the CIF-SS Division IVA Championship game for the first time in school history. The Lady Guards had advanced to the CIF Quarterfinals in 1993 and 2008 and got all the way to the CIF Championship game in 2009 before falling in the title game. During the 2010 season the girls lost in the CIF Semi-Finals. The boys team also has fared well in recent years, qualifying for the CIF-SS Division V playoffs three consecutive years and advancing all the way to the CIF Quarterfinals in 2007.
Baseball/Softball
The baseball team plays its home games at Burbank's Brace Park and competes in CIF-SS Division V. The team ended an almost twenty year drought by winning the Santa Fe League Championship in 2005. The team has qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs for seven consecutive years. The softball team competes at Burbank's Gross Park and has qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs in each of the last six seasons, winning its first playoff game since 1994 in 2008. The softball team has developed into one of the finest in the area. The Lady Guards have won two consecutive Santa Cruz League Championships in 2010 and 2011 (going undefeated in league during that time) and advanced all the way to the CIF Championship game in 2011 before falling to Pomona Catholic.
Faculty & Staff Alumnuae
Many Bell-Jeff alums are currently working as teachers and staff members as of the 2011-2012 school year. Among them are:Jackie Johnson - Athletic Director, Director of Alumni Relations, Health teacher (Class of '97);
Carol De Philip - Finance Manager (Class of '82);
Melody Doyle - Administrative Assistant/Office Manager (Class of '70);
Sabatino Manente - Social Studies Chair (Class of '72);
John Matheus - Principal (Class of '72);
Michelle Otis - Choral Director, English & Religion teacher (Class of '87);
Miguel Segura - Boys & Girls Head Volleyball Coach (Class of '97)
Erika Turnquist - English Teacher, English & Social Studies Chair, Freshman Class Moderator (Class of '89)
Notable alumni
- Angie DickinsonAngie DickinsonAngie Dickinson is an American actress. She has appeared in more than fifty films, including Rio Bravo, Ocean's Eleven, Dressed to Kill and Pay It Forward, and starred on television as Sergeant Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson on the 1970s crime series Police Woman.-Early life:Dickinson, the second of...
- actress - Alan AldaAlan AldaAlphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
- actor - Doug SavantDoug SavantDouglas Peter "Doug" Savant is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Matt Fielding on Melrose Place and Tom Scavo on the ABC dramedy series Desperate Housewives.-Career:...
- actor - Philip McKeonPhilip McKeonPhilip McKeon is an American actor. He is known for playing the role of Tommy Hyatt, the son of the title character, in the long-running sitcom Alice, from 1976 to 1985.-Life and career:...
- actor - Nancy McKeonNancy McKeonNancy Justine McKeon is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jo Polniaczek on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life.-Early life & career:...
- actress - Bobby SchayerBobby SchayerBobby Schayer was born on December 23, 1966 in Los Angeles, California. He was the drummer for Bad Religion from 1991 to 2001. He was a resident of Encino, a suburb in the San Fernando Valley...
- drummer of Bad ReligionBad ReligionBad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the... - Mike FasanoMike FasanoMike "The Sack" Fasano is a drummer who has toured and recorded for several bands, including Warrant, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, Tiger Army, Gilby Clarke, Shameless...
- drummer of WarrantWarrant (American band)Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...