Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School
Encyclopedia
Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School (also known as DJO) was founded in 1957 in Arlington County
, Virginia
. It was operated by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, but has been under the direction of the Diocese of Arlington since 1974. The school is named for Bishop Denis J. O'Connell, a bishop of the Diocese of Richmond from 1912 to 1926.
are offered to students:
Honors classes are also offered in a variety of academic areas. These courses are offered at the honors level:
(WCAC). In this league, O'Connell participates in all major sports against other catholic high schools of the D.C.
metro area.
. Rivalries have sometimes resulted in high tensions between the schools.
In late 2009, tempers flared so high that police action had to be taken to cool the rivalry.
DeMatha Catholic High School
, located in Hyattsville, Maryland
, is another rival, particularly in boys basketball.
These are some statistics from the last five years of O'Connell Varsity Boys Basketball:
The O'Connell Girls Varsity Soccer team held the record for being undefeated from (12) to (12). They were National Champions in 2004.
The boys soccer team beat the 19-0-1 DeMatha
Stags on October 31, 2006 in the conference quarter-finals. The victory prevented DeMatha, who at one point this season was ranked number 1 in the nation, from winning their 4th straight WCAC title. This resulted in the defeat of DeMatha's 67 game unbeaten streak. The team then lost to Paul VI 2-1 in the semi-final round of the WCAC tournament.
O'Connell has over 60 student-operated clubs. Their focuses are generally academic, charitable, and common interest. These clubs currently include: (listed alphabetically)
. The Superdance is organized and run by students. It was started under the administration of principal Msgr. James McMurtrie. O’Connell students began holding the Superdance in 1976 because students wanted to speed the discovery of a cure for cystic fibrosis
(CF), a fatal disease of the lungs which had claimed the life of sophomore Brenda O’Donnell on April 14, 1975. Her sister Maura was a senior in 1976 and also had cystic fibrosis. Their brother, Sean, died of cystic fibrosis that same year.
Maura graduated and went on to nursing school
at Marymount University
, continuing to support the Superdance in hopes that a cure would be found. Her last Superdance was in 1978 when she came out of the hospital just for the event. In a speech delivered to the O’Connell community she said:
Two months later, she too died of this disease.
Over the past thirty years, O'Connell students have raised over $3,000,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. Bishop Denis J. O'Connell's Superdance is the largest high school fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the nation, and one of the largest high school fundraising events in the country.
as possible. At the end of the month, cans are collected and donated to Christ House homeless shelter in Alexandria, Virginia
. According to the school, this event yields over 8,000 cans of soup each year.
This year students collected the highest number of cans ever: over 12,800.
metro area shock jock
Elliot Segal
's radio program, DC101's Elliot in the Morning
was conducting a contest. The winners of this contest would be cage dancers at an upcoming Kid Rock
concert at George Mason University
's Patriot Center
. Wanting to be contestants, two sixteen-year-old O'Connell students, claiming to be eighteen, called the show. Instead of discussing the contest, the students discussed alleged sexual activity at O'Connell. The students, who had used false names on air, were suspended the same day for their comments. The principal addressed the student body over the PA
system and criticized the content of that morning's show. The following day (May 8), Mr. Segal, angered by the students' suspension, personally insulted the principal on air, making lewd insinuations about his family. He also mocked the school's mission statement
. The two days of broadcasting were ruled indecent by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). As a result, in October 2003, sixteen months after the incident, DC101's parent company Clear Channel Communications
was fined $55,000.
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It was operated by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, but has been under the direction of the Diocese of Arlington since 1974. The school is named for Bishop Denis J. O'Connell, a bishop of the Diocese of Richmond from 1912 to 1926.
Advanced Placement Program
These AP CoursesAdvanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
are offered to students:
Social Studies Social studies Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies... :
Science Science education Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises... :
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Language Language education Language education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. Language education is a branch of applied linguistics.- Need for language education :... :
Fine Arts Fine art Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery".... :
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Mathematics Mathematics education In contemporary education, mathematics education is the practice of teaching and learning mathematics, along with the associated scholarly research.... :
Others:
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Honors Program
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Athletics
Bishop O'Connell High School participates in the Washington Catholic Athletic ConferenceWashington Catholic Athletic Conference
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference or WCAC is a major high school athletic league for boys, girls, and co-ed Catholic high schools located around and in Washington, DC, USA...
(WCAC). In this league, O'Connell participates in all major sports against other catholic high schools of the D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
metro area.
Rivalries
Since the mid-1980s, the school's primary athletic rival has been Paul VI Catholic High School, located in FairfaxFairfax, Virginia
The City of Fairfax is an independent city forming an enclave within the confines of Fairfax County, in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Although politically independent of the surrounding county, the City is nevertheless the county seat....
. Rivalries have sometimes resulted in high tensions between the schools.
In late 2009, tempers flared so high that police action had to be taken to cool the rivalry.
DeMatha Catholic High School
DeMatha Catholic High School
DeMatha Catholic High School, named after Saint John of Matha, is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. DeMatha is known for academic achievement, music, arts, service and athletics...
, located in Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville, Maryland
Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...
, is another rival, particularly in boys basketball.
Boys Varsity Team
These are some statistics from the last five years of O'Connell Varsity Boys Basketball:
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Girls Varsity Soccer
The O'Connell Girls Varsity Soccer team held the record for being undefeated from (12) to (12). They were National Champions in 2004.
Boys Varsity Soccer
The boys soccer team beat the 19-0-1 DeMatha
DeMatha Catholic High School
DeMatha Catholic High School, named after Saint John of Matha, is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. DeMatha is known for academic achievement, music, arts, service and athletics...
Stags on October 31, 2006 in the conference quarter-finals. The victory prevented DeMatha, who at one point this season was ranked number 1 in the nation, from winning their 4th straight WCAC title. This resulted in the defeat of DeMatha's 67 game unbeaten streak. The team then lost to Paul VI 2-1 in the semi-final round of the WCAC tournament.
Clubs
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It's Academic It's Academic is a televised academic quiz competition for high school students, currently airing on two NBC affiliates in Washington, D.C. and Central Virginia and one CBS affiliate Baltimore, Maryland . The show has been on the air since October 7, 1961, making it the longest... Key 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...
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Superdance
The O'Connell Superdance is an annual 12 hour dance-a-thon held at the school which raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis FoundationCystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis . The Foundation provides information about cystic fibrosis and finances CF research that aims to improve the quality of life for people with the...
. The Superdance is organized and run by students. It was started under the administration of principal Msgr. James McMurtrie. O’Connell students began holding the Superdance in 1976 because students wanted to speed the discovery of a cure for cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
(CF), a fatal disease of the lungs which had claimed the life of sophomore Brenda O’Donnell on April 14, 1975. Her sister Maura was a senior in 1976 and also had cystic fibrosis. Their brother, Sean, died of cystic fibrosis that same year.
Maura graduated and went on to nursing school
Nursing school
A nursing school is a type of educational institution, or part thereof, providing education and training to become a fully qualified nurse. The nature of nursing education and nursing qualifications varies considerably across the world.-United Kingdom:...
at Marymount University
Marymount University
Marymount University is a coeducational, four-year Catholic university that has its main campus located in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in a wide range of disciplines and has a diverse and welcoming academic community with approximately 3,600...
, continuing to support the Superdance in hopes that a cure would be found. Her last Superdance was in 1978 when she came out of the hospital just for the event. In a speech delivered to the O’Connell community she said:
“All of you I know have dreams – dreams of college, of success, of love and happiness – dreams of the future. We with cystic fibrosis have dreams too. Your wonderful all-out efforts and work for this dance-a-thon may help make some of our dreams come true.”
Two months later, she too died of this disease.
Over the past thirty years, O'Connell students have raised over $3,000,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. Bishop Denis J. O'Connell's Superdance is the largest high school fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the nation, and one of the largest high school fundraising events in the country.
Chunky Soup Drive
The Chunky Soup Drive is held annually throughout the month of October. Students have a month to collect as many cans of Chunky SoupCampbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...
as possible. At the end of the month, cans are collected and donated to Christ House homeless shelter in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
. According to the school, this event yields over 8,000 cans of soup each year.
This year students collected the highest number of cans ever: over 12,800.
Notable alumni
- Bryan Louiselle (1984): Music Adaptation and Arrangement, notable for Disney's High School MusicalHigh School MusicalHigh School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
- Edward DeMarco (1978): current acting director of the Federal Housing and Finance Agency (FHFA)
- Pat McGeePat McGee (musician)Pat McGee is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Annandale, Virginia, and is a founding member and frontman of the Pat McGee Band.-Biography:...
(1991): Singer, songwriter, guitarist; founding member and frontman of the Pat McGee BandPat McGee BandThe Pat McGee Band is a rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Formed by frontman Pat McGee, who attended Longwood University in Farmville, VA. On the heels of his solo release From the Wood in 1995, the Pat McGee Band signed with Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Giant Records in 1999...
.
Football
- Eric MetcalfEric MetcalfEric Quinn Metcalf is a former American football running back and wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Browns, Falcons, Chargers, Cardinals, Panthers, Redskins and Packers...
: Cleveland BrownsCleveland BrownsThe Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(retired) - Terrence WilkinsTerrence WilkinsTerrence Olondo Wilkins is a former wide receiver and punt returner for the Indianapolis Colts in the National Football League. He signed with the Colts on November 10, 2003. He also played with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. He has 1,466 career receiving yards in the...
: Indianapolis ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... - Casey Crawford: Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
- Gibran HamdanGibran HamdanGibran Latif Hamdan is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League and NFL Europa. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
: Buffalo BillsBuffalo BillsThe Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Former NFL coach Ralph HawkinsRalph HawkinsRalph Hawkins was a former American football coach. He worked 35 years in the National Football League for nine teams. In addition to a long career as a college coach, Hawkins coached some of the top defensive units in the NFL.-Early years:Ralph Hawkins starred at St...
began his coaching career at O'Connell in 1958
Soccer
- John Arsala (1995): Played professionally in EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for Polonia WarsawPolonia WarszawaPolonia Warsaw is a Polish sports club with football and basketball teams, founded in 1911, and is the oldest such club in Warsaw, where it is based.- History :...
. 1991 - 2000: Member of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Olympic Development Program.
Women's Soccer
- Nataly Arias (2004): Member of the ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
National Soccer team during the 2011 Woman's World Cup in Germany
Controversy
The morning of May 7, 2002, on D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
metro area shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
Elliot Segal
Elliot Segal
Elliot Segal is an American talk radio host. His Elliot in the Morning show is broadcast on WWDC in Washington, D.C. and WRXL in Richmond, Virginia.-Personal:...
's radio program, DC101's Elliot in the Morning
Elliot in the Morning
Elliot in the Morning is a morning radio talk show hosted by DJ Elliot Segal. It airs weekdays from "5:48 until 10-something" on WWDC-FM in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and on WRXL in Richmond, Virginia...
was conducting a contest. The winners of this contest would be cage dancers at an upcoming Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
concert at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
's Patriot Center
Patriot Center
The Patriot Center is a 10,000-seat arena in Fairfax, Virginia. It is located on the campus of George Mason University , and has attracted 9.6 million people to over 2,958 events. In 2010, the Patriot Center was ranked No. 7 nationwide and No...
. Wanting to be contestants, two sixteen-year-old O'Connell students, claiming to be eighteen, called the show. Instead of discussing the contest, the students discussed alleged sexual activity at O'Connell. The students, who had used false names on air, were suspended the same day for their comments. The principal addressed the student body over the PA
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
system and criticized the content of that morning's show. The following day (May 8), Mr. Segal, angered by the students' suspension, personally insulted the principal on air, making lewd insinuations about his family. He also mocked the school's mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
. The two days of broadcasting were ruled indecent by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC). As a result, in October 2003, sixteen months after the incident, DC101's parent company Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
was fined $55,000.
External links
- Bishop O'Connell High School (official site)
- Bishop O'Connell Virtual Tour