Bellarmine Preparatory School
Encyclopedia
Bellarmine Preparatory School is a Roman Catholic high school in the Jesuit tradition in Tacoma, Washington
, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
. Today it serves just over 1,000 students from the Greater Tacoma area.
Bellarmine Prep students strive to live up to the expectations set forth by the school's Graduate at Graduation document. The document challenges all students to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice.
The first graduating class of Bellarmine was in 1929. 19 students graduated.
FRC
Robotics Team 360. The team is well decorated and highly respected within Northwestern FIRST, both for the quality of the robots produced and for the amount of community service the team is involved in. The main mentors, Eric Stokely and Paul Rousch, have both been Woodie Flowers Award Finalists. The team has also won many other awards during its long history. including the position of Regional Chairman's Award Winner for the 2009 Microsoft Seattle Regional and the 2011 Microsoft Seattle Cascade Regional. Team 360 was also on the winning alliance at the 2011 Autodesk Oregon Regional FIRST competition.
Bellarmine also boasts a Knowledge Bowl
team. Many students do independent work in the school greenhouse or with Ben Meeker of the art department.
Bellarmine Prep is regarded as one of the most athletically competitive schools in the state of Washington, with over 70% of the student population competing in at least one athletic activity. It has been named All-Sports Champions by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
the past four years, winning it for the first time in school history in 2004 with the second highest All-Sports score ever recorded in state history, and the highest score for 2A, 3A, or 4A school. In 2004, the men's soccer team won its first state title in school history with an undefeated record of 20-0-2. One of the major points in the season was their quarterfinal victory over Inglemoor High School, who was previously ranked 6th in the nation. They were in turn recognized as the #1 high school men's soccer team in the nation for 2004.
In 2008, the men's soccer team went on to win its second state title over Puyallup High School, which was determined by penalty kicks.
, and there is a sophomore retreat offered that involves several hours of community service.
In 1993 Bellarmine began a tradition of housing temporarily homeless families in academic buildings during non-school hours for a small span of the year. Bellarmine provides these persons dinner, breakfast, and overnight accommodations with the help of student volunteers.
.
An optional overnight retreat, the Francis Xavier
Urban Plunge, is offered in the fall and spring to sophomores. The retreat focuses on "street life" in the Tacoma area. This retreat had been previously available to freshmen.
The Junior Encounter is an optional three day overnight retreat done over a weekend away from campus. Six occur each year, three for males and three for females. The details of this event are a tightly kept secret from underclassmen, and the entire event is generally considered to be a strong bonding experience for the class.
Four retreats are offered to seniors. Senior Pilgrimage is a weekend hike up a mountain. Montserrat is an Ignatian-directed retreat which is done in complete silence for a 24-hour period, and the Manresa is also a silent retreat over a 48-hour period. The Magis is a three day overnight retreat.
Bellarmine students may also work on crew or team for the Senior Pilgrimage, Magis retreat and Junior Encounter.
There are many options for students who wish to attend Mass more often. Mass is offered on the final B day of a week (Thursday or Friday) during Community Period (homeroom). Those not interested in going to Mass have the option to stay in their Community Period and do homework. There are also occasional Masses offered during lunch, and Mass is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays prior to the start of school.
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
The Archdiocese of Seattle is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Seattle, the archdiocese encompasses all counties in the state west of the Cascade Range. Its cathedral is St. James Cathedral, and its present archbishop is J...
. Today it serves just over 1,000 students from the Greater Tacoma area.
Bellarmine Prep students strive to live up to the expectations set forth by the school's Graduate at Graduation document. The document challenges all students to be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice.
School history
Bellarmine was founded in 1928 as an all boys school, and became the first coeducational Jesuit School in the nation in 1974 with its merger with Aquinas and St. Leo's schools. The date of the school's creation is commonly accepted to be 1928 despite the fact that both Saint Leo's Grammar and High School and Aquinas Academy for girls was founded earlier (in 1912 and 1893 respectively). This sometimes causes confusion as the still-existing parents club, Philomathea, was founded at Saint Leo's and then became part of Bellarmine when the schools merged. This has resulted in the founding of Philomathea pre-dating the accepted date of the founding of the school by 6 years.The first graduating class of Bellarmine was in 1929. 19 students graduated.
Campus
The school sits on a large campus. Poplar trees were planted near Memorial Field to remember the sacrifices of Bellarmine Alumni in World War II. Many of these trees are still standing. The school quad has the qualities of a Grad at Grad printed in metal letters which are part of the concrete.Houses
As well as being divided by years, the school is also divided into six houses. Each is named for a famous Catholic figure. These houses are designed to help students bond outside their grade levels. Most competitive activities internal to the school are done by house. Each house has a physical location on campus dedicated to the figure it is named for.| House | Color | Symbol | Campus Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alphonsus Rodriguez Alphonsus Rodriguez Saint Alphonsus Rodríguez was a Spanish Jesuit lay brother, now venerated as a saint. He was a native of Segovia. He is sometimes confused with Fr... |
Red | ? | ? |
| Kateri Tekakwitha Kateri Tekakwitha Kateri Tekakwitha or Catherine Tekakwitha was a Mohawk-Algonquian woman from New York and an early convert to Catholicism, who has been beatified in the Roman Catholic Church.-Her life:... |
Orange | ? | Faculty Room in Library |
| Thérèse of Lisieux | Yellow | Flower | ? |
| Francis Xavier Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534... |
Green | Ship | Board Room |
| Lady of Guadalupe | Blue | ? | Statue of Mary |
| Maximillian Kolbe | Purple | ? | Chapel |
Educational extra-curricular activities
Bellarmine Prep is home to the highly competitive FIRSTFirst
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one.First or 1st may also refer to:* First , minor summit below the Schwarzhorn in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland* First , mountain in Bernese Alps in Switzerland...
FRC
FIRST Robotics Competition
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...
Robotics Team 360. The team is well decorated and highly respected within Northwestern FIRST, both for the quality of the robots produced and for the amount of community service the team is involved in. The main mentors, Eric Stokely and Paul Rousch, have both been Woodie Flowers Award Finalists. The team has also won many other awards during its long history. including the position of Regional Chairman's Award Winner for the 2009 Microsoft Seattle Regional and the 2011 Microsoft Seattle Cascade Regional. Team 360 was also on the winning alliance at the 2011 Autodesk Oregon Regional FIRST competition.
Bellarmine also boasts a Knowledge Bowl
Knowledge Bowl
Knowledge Bowl is an interdisciplinary academic competition involving teams of four to six students trying to answer questions in a written round and several oral rounds. No team is eliminated in this event, and every team participates in every round...
team. Many students do independent work in the school greenhouse or with Ben Meeker of the art department.
Athletics
Bellarmine Prep is regarded as one of the most athletically competitive schools in the state of Washington, with over 70% of the student population competing in at least one athletic activity. It has been named All-Sports Champions by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association is the governing body of athletics and activities for secondary education schools in the state of Washington...
the past four years, winning it for the first time in school history in 2004 with the second highest All-Sports score ever recorded in state history, and the highest score for 2A, 3A, or 4A school. In 2004, the men's soccer team won its first state title in school history with an undefeated record of 20-0-2. One of the major points in the season was their quarterfinal victory over Inglemoor High School, who was previously ranked 6th in the nation. They were in turn recognized as the #1 high school men's soccer team in the nation for 2004.
In 2008, the men's soccer team went on to win its second state title over Puyallup High School, which was determined by penalty kicks.
Theater
Bellarmine has a lively theater program which puts on two shows a year: a spring musical and a fall play, as well as a Dramafest featuring student-written one-act plays. The spring musical has received multiple recognitions over the years from the 5th Avenue Theater. An improv comedy group has also flickered in and out of existence over the years under various names.Community service
Bellarmine is dedicated to community service. Sophomores must complete a total of ten hours of community service and they must also participate in a Habitat for Humanity build with their Community Period. Additionally, a community service class is required for graduation. Several community service clubs are active on campus such as Habitat for Humanity and Key ClubKey Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, and there is a sophomore retreat offered that involves several hours of community service.
In 1993 Bellarmine began a tradition of housing temporarily homeless families in academic buildings during non-school hours for a small span of the year. Bellarmine provides these persons dinner, breakfast, and overnight accommodations with the help of student volunteers.
Religion
Religion is an integral part of the Bellarmine curriculum. Two and a half credits of religious classes are required for graduation, as well as an additional half credit of community service class.Retreats
Bellarmine holds a required student body retreat for the freshmen, called "My Place in this World". Freshmen and sophomores are also required to attend Faith in Formation meetings. These generally occur during Community Period (homeroom). The sophomore meetings focus more on volunteer work, including participation in a Habitat for Humanity build or work with L'ArcheL'Arche
L'Arche is an International Federation dedicated to the creation and growth of homes, programs, and support networks with people who have intellectual disabilities...
.
An optional overnight retreat, the Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
Urban Plunge, is offered in the fall and spring to sophomores. The retreat focuses on "street life" in the Tacoma area. This retreat had been previously available to freshmen.
The Junior Encounter is an optional three day overnight retreat done over a weekend away from campus. Six occur each year, three for males and three for females. The details of this event are a tightly kept secret from underclassmen, and the entire event is generally considered to be a strong bonding experience for the class.
Four retreats are offered to seniors. Senior Pilgrimage is a weekend hike up a mountain. Montserrat is an Ignatian-directed retreat which is done in complete silence for a 24-hour period, and the Manresa is also a silent retreat over a 48-hour period. The Magis is a three day overnight retreat.
Bellarmine students may also work on crew or team for the Senior Pilgrimage, Magis retreat and Junior Encounter.
Mass
All-School Liturgies are rare: normally only Ash Wednesday, the last day before Christmas break, and the Feast of Saint Robert Bellarmine are all-school Masses. The entire school is required to attend, but not to participate.There are many options for students who wish to attend Mass more often. Mass is offered on the final B day of a week (Thursday or Friday) during Community Period (homeroom). Those not interested in going to Mass have the option to stay in their Community Period and do homework. There are also occasional Masses offered during lunch, and Mass is offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays prior to the start of school.
Academics
Bellarmine offers a reasonable number of AP classes. In addition there are other special programs offered.Art
Bellarmine is home to an art program with many resources. Among these are the wheels to throw pottery and the kilns and glaze required for a wide variety of ceramics. There is also a photo lab and classes in photography are offered.Marine Chemistry
The marine chemistry program is available to students who score sufficiently well on the school entrance examination and opt in to doing extra research work to fulfill this requirement. It is a four year program where students learn the skills needed to do chemical and biological marine research in their first two years, and then apply those skills in their own complete research projects during their junior and senior years.Notable alumni
- Avery BradleyAvery BradleyAvery Antonio Bradley Jr. is an American basketball guard with Hapoel Jerusalem BC of Israel. He is also under contract with the Boston Celtics of the NBA, and is expected to return to that team when the 2011 NBA lockout ends....
, NBA guard for the Boston CelticsBoston CelticsThe Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which... - Army LT Brian Bradshaw
- Casey CalvaryCasey CalvaryCasey Calvary is a retired American basketball player. He played professionally in Japan, the United States, Spain and Australia, including two seasons in the Australian National Basketball League .-College career:...
, professional basketball player - Abdul Gaddy, McDonald's All-American2009 McDonald's All-American Boys GameThe 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly-recruited high school boys graduating in...
, current college basketball player for the Washington Huskies - Patrick GalbraithPatrick GalbraithPatrick Galbraith is a former professional tennis player from the United States.A doubles specialist, Galbraith reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking in 1993. During his career he won 38 top-level doubles titles. He was a mixed doubles champion at the US Open in 1994 and 1996...
, former professional Tennis player - Molly HightowerCasualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquakeCasualties of the 2010 Haiti earthquake include both civilian and government officials, locals and foreigners – however the overwhelming majority of those killed and wounded in the quake were Haitian civilians...
- Jon LesterJon LesterJonathan Tyler Lester is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"... - Kyle StanleyKyle StanleyKyle Stanley is an American professional golfer.-Amateur career:Stanley was born in Gig Harbor, Washington. He was a 2002 graduate of St. Charles Borromeo elementary and middle school and a 2006 graduate of Bellarmine Preparatory School...
, professional golfer