Chaminade College Preparatory School (Missouri)
Encyclopedia
- For other schools with this name, please see ChaminadeChaminadeChaminade can refer to:*William Joseph Chaminade*Cécile Chaminade, French composer and pianist*Chaminade University of Honolulu*Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York...
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Founded in 1910, Chaminade College Preparatory School is an independent Catholic Marianist school for boys in grades six through twelve. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is the Roman Catholic archdiocese that covers the City of St. Louis as well as the following Missouri counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St...
. The school is located in west St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
. Chaminade offers 7-day, 5-day, and temporary boarding. Students come from throughout the United States and from several countries around the world. Canning Hall, the name of the dormitory, accommodates up to seventy-five residents. The school bears the name of Father William Joseph Chaminade
William Joseph Chaminade
William Joseph Chaminade or Guillaume-Joseph Chaminade, now called by his liturgical title of Blessed Chaminade , was a French Roman Catholic priest who survived persecution during the French Revolution. He founded the Society of Mary, also called the Marianists, in 1817...
, a priest who lived during the era of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and who founded the religious order known as the Society of Mary
Society of Mary (Marianists)
The Society of Mary, a Roman Catholic Marian Society, is a congregation of brothers and priests called The Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. The Society was founded by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, a priest who survived the anti-clerical persecution during the French Revolution. ...
(Marianists).The school maintains an active relationship with this Society through governance structures and the employment of lay and religious Marianists committed to a conscious effort to keep alive the Marianist charisma in all aspects of the institution's operation.
History
Chaminade was founded by the Society of Mary in 1910, less than one hundred years after the school's namesake, Blessed Father William Joseph ChaminadeWilliam Joseph Chaminade
William Joseph Chaminade or Guillaume-Joseph Chaminade, now called by his liturgical title of Blessed Chaminade , was a French Roman Catholic priest who survived persecution during the French Revolution. He founded the Society of Mary, also called the Marianists, in 1817...
, had founded the order, and only sixty years after the Marianists had established themselves in the United States. Originally it was a boarding and day school, with most of its students residing in the open dormitories that were located on the third and fourth floors of the main building; the priests and brothers of the Society of Mary resided in rooms on the north and south ends of each floor.
When the school opened in 1910, only one building, which later would be named "Chaminade Hall," existed on campus, besides the original farmhouse that existed when the land was purchased. In 1919, however, the school built a gymnasium north of the school building. The main building, the farmhouse, and the gymnasium, were for many years the only permanent structures on the campus until the 1950s, when the school built new dormitories for students, a new residence building for the members of the Marianist order, and a new chapel. These buildings were connected to the main building and the gymnasium by a network of underground tunnels that allowed the priests and brothers to move between buildings without going outside.
In 1970, the school constructed a new athletic facility named the Athletictron, and the school added the "West Wing" onto the back of Chaminade Hall in 1981. In 2002, the West Wing was expanded again, adding middle school classrooms, a cafeteria, and a new library. In 2011, construction was completed on the new Skip Viragh Center for the Arts.
The Rev. Ralph A. Siefert has been President of Chaminade since 1987. He is the longest serving President in the school's history. The one-thousand seat auditorium in the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts was named in his honor.
Facilities
Chaminade Hall is the main administrative and classroom building. It houses offices for the president, principal, and assistant principals, as well as the admissions office, the advancement office, and the business office. Most high school classrooms are in Chaminade Hall as well, spread over four floors and the basement.Juergens Hall is the original gymnasium. It houses the middle school gym and middle school locker rooms.
Canning Hall is the student dormitory and can house up to 65 students. In recent years, it has hosted students from countries such as South Korea, Mexico, China, Rwanda, Australia, Vietnam, Spain, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, and Thailand, but also from around the United States. Residence hall prefects also live in Canning Hall.
Frische Hall is a former residence for religious members of the Society of Mary. Chaminade converted the building for use as faculty offices, the campus campus ministry center, the activity club rooms.
The Immaculate Conception Chapel is the religious center of the campus. While the chapel is too small for the entire school to have mass together in it, it is still used for smaller masses and reconciliation services.
The Athletictron is the athletic center for the school. It houses a basketball court, a commons area, a concessions stand, locker rooms for men and women, and an olympic-sized swimming pool. Other athletic facilities on campus include eight tennis courts, a football stadium and track, a baseball diamond, a soccer field, and two multi-purpose practice fields, one of which has an all-weather turf field.
The West Wing or New Wing has a cafeteria, an Atrium, a library and media center, 16 middle school classrooms, and weight lifting facilities.
The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, a state of the art performing and fine arts facility, opened in August 2011. This building houses a 1000-seat auditorium, four art classrooms, three music rehearsal rooms, several individual practice rooms, a smaller black box theatre, and an art gallery. This building was made possible by the family of Skip Viragh, a 1959 Chaminade graduate.
The White House is the original farmhouse and remains on the property.
Academics
Chaminade offers a demanding academic program for students with superior, above average or strong average ability. In recent years, Chaminade has expanded its college credit offerings to not only include 23 Advanced Placement courses but an additional 21 courses through St. Louis University and the University of Missouri – St. Louis.Fine Arts/Activities
Over 150 students participate in the school’s band program which has won numerous regional and national awards, including First Place in the 2010 and 2011 Midwest Festival of Music. In 2009, the Drama Club was selected to participate in the International Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Only a select number of schools throughout the United States are chosen for this honor.
Chaminade offers over 25 clubs for its Middle School and High School students. One of the most popular clubs is the new online webstream program called CSPN in which sporting events and other activities are livestreamed on the web. Students participate as commentators, analysts, cameramen and the tech crew.
Community Service
Chaminade requires all students to participate in community service projects annually. Middle school students (grades 6 – 8) complete 10 – 20 hours annually while high school students complete 30 – 50 hours each year. Students help numerous groups throughout the St. Louis area. Recent Spring Break community service trips have been in “Coal Country” in West Virginia, Mexico, Africa and Haiti.The House System
Chaminade began The House System in 2003. Based on Houses found in many overseas schools, Chaminade has five houses, and each student belongs to one of the five Houses: Gray, Lamourous, Mauclerc, Meyer and O’Donnell. Each student also belongs to a Mentor Group which meets daily for fifteen minutes. The Mentor Group is somewhat like a homeroom period but the Mentor Groups is lead by seniors rather than a teacher, and a Mentor Group contains either 6th, 7th and 8th graders, or freshmen, sophomores and juniors. A student is in the same House the entire time he is at Chaminade, and belongs to the same Mentor Group for three years. The House System allows students to get to know many students across all grade levels, and it helps seniors to learn valuable leadership skills by leading a daily Mentor Group. Students wear their House polo shirt on Fridays as a House activity takes place most Fridays during the school year.
Athletics
Chaminade offers over 60 teams in 17 different sports. Sports offered include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, racquetball, soccer, swimming/diving, tennis, track/field, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Chaminade is part of the Metro Catholic ConferenceMetro Catholic Conference
The Metro Catholic Conference is a high school athletic conference in St. Louis, Missouri. It includes the Vianney Golden Griffins, the DeSmet Spartans, the Chaminade Red Devils, the CBC Cadets, and the SLUH Junior Billikens.-History:...
with Christian Brothers College High School
Christian Brothers College High School
Christian Brothers College High School , is a Lasallian Catholic college preparatory school for young men in St. Louis, Missouri. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis and is owned and operated by the De La Salle Christian Brothers Midwest District.-Early years :The school...
, De Smet Jesuit High School
De Smet Jesuit High School
De Smet Jesuit High School is a Jesuit Catholic, college preparatory high school Creve Coeur, Missouri in western St. Louis County. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis.The school began classes in the fall of 1967...
, St. John Vianney High School (Kirkwood, Missouri)
St. John Vianney High School (Kirkwood, Missouri)
St. John Vianney High School is a private, all male, Catholic college preparatory high school located in Kirkwood, Missouri. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The school was founded by the Society of Mary , a religious order of priests and brothers who continue to...
, and St. Louis University High School.
Missouri State Championships
Chaminade teams have won 20 state championships competing in the MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
State High School Activities Association.
- Baseball 1992, 1998
- Cross Country 2001
- Golf 1988, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004
- Soccer 2001†, 2002, 2006
- Swimming/Diving 1974, 1984
- Tennis 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
- Basketball 2009
- Volleyball 2009
†National Champions
Fight Song
We’re gonna see,a victory,
You mighty men of Chaminade.
Stand up and cheer,
a rousing cheer,
a hefty rah, rah, rah for Chaminade.
Go, go you Devils
rack up the score,
we are behind you with a thun-der-ing roar!
Chaminade, Chaminade,
rah, rah, rah, rah Chaminade!
Alumni
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