Benedictine High School (Richmond, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Benedictine College Preparatory is a private
, Roman Catholic military high school
in Richmond, Virginia
. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
, and is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia.
In April, 2011, Benedictine announced that it was selling the property to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and planned to move forward with plans to move the school to Goochland, Virginia. The sale included a buy-back option for the school in case the plans to move the school fail.
Benedictine is an independent secondary school operated as a ministry of the monks of Mary Mother of the Church Benedictine Abbey. Although located next to neighboring St. Benedict's Church, the school is not funded by the Diocese of Richmond. The school has remained all-male since its founding. (Saint Gertrude High School
, an all-female Catholic high school located two blocks away, was founded in 1922 and has long been considered a sister school.) Benedictine is the only Catholic high school for boys in Richmond.
Benedictine offers a strong college preparatory academic curriculum. Over 90% of its graduates attend college.
The athletic program is an integral part of life at Benedictine. The basketball team is perhaps the best known athletic program, and one of the most storied programs in central Virginia. The late Virginia basketball legend Warren Rutledge was head coach for 43 years and amassed 949 wins, making him the winningest high school coach in Virginia and eleventh in the nation. Rutledge's teams won numerous state championships, including 14 consecutive Virginia State Catholic titles in the 1970s and 1980s. It was not until 2001 until Benedictine's baseball team led by Josh Owens, Donnie Coleman, Del Smith and John Svanda won the Cadets first ever State Indpendent Title. The following fall the football program led by future NFL lineman Patrick Estes, highly recruited quarterback Patrick Dosh, Smith and Coleman led the Cadets to their second State title. Over the years the school has developed multiple Division I athletes who have succeeded in achieving a high level of performance. Prominent graduates of the school include former congressman Thomas Bliley, football coach Bobby Ross, Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester
, NFL offensive tackle Patrick Estes, NBA forward Ed Davis and many more.
All students at Benedictine participate in the school's Army JROTC program. The students are known as Cadets, and the school's athletic moniker is the Cadets. The JROTC program at Benedictine currently holds the highest rating given by the Army – Honor Unit with Distinction – which allows the school to nominate directly a student for appointment to a service academy or for an ROTC scholarship. Many Cadets have attended the service academies and other military colleges (most notably Virginia Military Institute
) to further their education. Currently the military department is run by Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Sickinger (Commandant), Master Sergeant Dexter Fells, First Sergeant Clayton Plumley, and Sergeant First Class Patrick Rosier.
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 military 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 Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond is an ecclesiastical and episcopal see or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory was created by Pope Paul VI and encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and the eastern shore...
, and is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia.
History
Benedictine College Preparatory was founded in 1911, under the name of Benedictine College by a group of Benedictine monks from Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. Seeking to continue the work of their founder by establishing learning and culture, they came to Richmond to establish a Catholic high school for boys. They adopted the successful and prestigious military academy type model, which also meshed well with the monastic life of the monks. The order, discipline, and hierarchy of the military is very much analogous to the structures in the monastery and the Church. The aim was, and continues to be, to form young men in body and soul —- to nourish a love of Truth, foster the life of virtue, and promote a healthy life. As of August 1, 2011, Benedictine High School changed its name from Benedictine High School to Benedictine College Preparatory "to reflect the school’s goal to become more academically rigorous."In April, 2011, Benedictine announced that it was selling the property to the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and planned to move forward with plans to move the school to Goochland, Virginia. The sale included a buy-back option for the school in case the plans to move the school fail.
Benedictine is an independent secondary school operated as a ministry of the monks of Mary Mother of the Church Benedictine Abbey. Although located next to neighboring St. Benedict's Church, the school is not funded by the Diocese of Richmond. The school has remained all-male since its founding. (Saint Gertrude High School
Saint Gertrude High School
]Saint Gertrude High School is an independent Catholic college preparatory day school for young women grades 9-12 in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded in 1922 by the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia. The school's goal is to provide young women with an academic education in an environment of...
, an all-female Catholic high school located two blocks away, was founded in 1922 and has long been considered a sister school.) Benedictine is the only Catholic high school for boys in Richmond.
Benedictine offers a strong college preparatory academic curriculum. Over 90% of its graduates attend college.
The athletic program is an integral part of life at Benedictine. The basketball team is perhaps the best known athletic program, and one of the most storied programs in central Virginia. The late Virginia basketball legend Warren Rutledge was head coach for 43 years and amassed 949 wins, making him the winningest high school coach in Virginia and eleventh in the nation. Rutledge's teams won numerous state championships, including 14 consecutive Virginia State Catholic titles in the 1970s and 1980s. It was not until 2001 until Benedictine's baseball team led by Josh Owens, Donnie Coleman, Del Smith and John Svanda won the Cadets first ever State Indpendent Title. The following fall the football program led by future NFL lineman Patrick Estes, highly recruited quarterback Patrick Dosh, Smith and Coleman led the Cadets to their second State title. Over the years the school has developed multiple Division I athletes who have succeeded in achieving a high level of performance. Prominent graduates of the school include former congressman Thomas Bliley, football coach Bobby Ross, Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester
John Kuester
John Dewitt Kuester, Jr. is an American basketball coach.He played in the NBA from 1977 to 1980 and then coached in the college ranks before moving on to the NBA sidelines as an assistant. Kuester was named head coach of the Detroit Pistons on July 9, 2009...
, NFL offensive tackle Patrick Estes, NBA forward Ed Davis and many more.
All students at Benedictine participate in the school's Army JROTC program. The students are known as Cadets, and the school's athletic moniker is the Cadets. The JROTC program at Benedictine currently holds the highest rating given by the Army – Honor Unit with Distinction – which allows the school to nominate directly a student for appointment to a service academy or for an ROTC scholarship. Many Cadets have attended the service academies and other military colleges (most notably Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
) to further their education. Currently the military department is run by Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Sickinger (Commandant), Master Sergeant Dexter Fells, First Sergeant Clayton Plumley, and Sergeant First Class Patrick Rosier.