Mount Carmel High School (Los Angeles)
Encyclopedia
Mount Carmel High School was a Roman Catholic all boys high school located in Los Angeles, California. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
. It was founded by the Carmelite Order in 1935. The school closed in 1976, and was demolished in 1983. The school was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
in 1979.
. The name of the school is in reference to Mount Carmel
, the mountain range in northern Israel
where, according to Biblical tradition
, the prophet Elijah rebuilt an altar. Although classes had begun in November 1934, the school wasn't officially dedicated until 1935 by Bishop John Cantwell
. At one time the school served boys from 40 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Father Gus Carter, class of 1942, returned in 1952 and became athletic director. He would leave Mount Carmel in 1959 to found Crespi Carmelite High School
in Encino.
The Carmelites announced in 1976 that the school would be closed due to declining enrollment. Enrollment had fallen to 276 students from 600 in the early 1960s. Parents organized a petition drive to prevent closure of the school but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
The 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School
, featuring the Ramones
, used the school campus as a filming location. The school was blown up at the end of the movie.
The Mt. Carmel Alumni Association is still active. It awards scholarships through a foundation to students of Catholic schools in Los Angeles. In addition the association sponsors an annual golf tournament which raises funds for retired Carmelite priests.
. Some of their rivals were Loyola High School
and Cathedral High School
. The 1947 and 1954 basketball
teams won the Southern Section
championship, and were runners up in 1957.
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...
. It was founded by the Carmelite Order in 1935. The school closed in 1976, and was demolished in 1983. The school was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument
Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites in Los Angeles, California, which have been designated by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria.-History:...
in 1979.
History
The school was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and was the first school in Los Angeles constructed subject to the new seismic building code which came about in the aftermath of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake1933 Long Beach earthquake
The Long Beach earthquake of 1933 took place on March 10, 1933 at 17:55 PST , with a magnitude of 6.4, causing widespread damage to buildings throughout Southern California. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach on the Newport-Inglewood Fault. An estimated fifty million dollars worth...
. The name of the school is in reference to Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
, the mountain range in northern Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
where, according to Biblical tradition
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, the prophet Elijah rebuilt an altar. Although classes had begun in November 1934, the school wasn't officially dedicated until 1935 by Bishop John Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell
John Joseph Cantwell was the first archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.Archbishop Cantwell was born in Limerick, Ireland. He was ordained priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco on June 18, 1899 and was initially assigned as curate of Berkeley's St. Joseph The Worker...
. At one time the school served boys from 40 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
Father Gus Carter, class of 1942, returned in 1952 and became athletic director. He would leave Mount Carmel in 1959 to found Crespi Carmelite High School
Crespi Carmelite High School
Crespi Carmelite High School, called Crespi, is a private, Roman Catholic, four-year college preparatory all-male high school located in Encino, California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
in Encino.
The Carmelites announced in 1976 that the school would be closed due to declining enrollment. Enrollment had fallen to 276 students from 600 in the early 1960s. Parents organized a petition drive to prevent closure of the school but their efforts proved unsuccessful.
The 1979 film Rock 'n' Roll High School
Rock 'n' Roll High School
Rock 'n' Roll High School is a 1979 musical comedy film produced by Roger Corman, directed by Allan Arkush, and featuring the Ramones.The film starred P. J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, and Clint Howard...
, featuring the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, used the school campus as a filming location. The school was blown up at the end of the movie.
The Mt. Carmel Alumni Association is still active. It awards scholarships through a foundation to students of Catholic schools in Los Angeles. In addition the association sponsors an annual golf tournament which raises funds for retired Carmelite priests.
Athletics
The Crusaders competed in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF)California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
. Some of their rivals were Loyola High School
Loyola High School (Los Angeles)
Loyola High School of Los Angeles is a Jesuit preparatory school for young men. It is the oldest high school in Southern California, and one of the oldest in California...
and Cathedral High School
Cathedral High School (Los Angeles, California)
Cathedral High School is a private, college preparatory Catholic all-boys school in Los Angeles, California.-History and background:Cathedral High School was founded by Archbishop John Joseph Cantwell as the first Los Angeles Archdiocesan high school for boys in Fall 1925. The Christian Brothers...
. The 1947 and 1954 basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams won the Southern Section
CIF Southern Section
C.I.F. Southern Section is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation . Its membership includes most public and private high schools in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Mono and Inyo counties, as...
championship, and were runners up in 1957.
Notable alumni
- Kermit AlexanderKermit AlexanderKermit Joseph Alexander is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League.-Professional career:...
, played for the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... - Marlin McKeeverMarlin McKeeverMarlin Thomas McKeever was an American football defensive end, fullback and punter at the University of Southern California and a tight end and linebacker during his 13-year National Football League career. He was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming.-College career:McKeever earned two-time All-America...
, played for the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... - Mike McKeeverMike McKeeverMike McKeever was a guard at the University of Southern California football team.-College career:McKeever earned All-America honors. He was also chosen to the academic All-America team. Mike and his brother Marlin McKeever were the first twins to earn All-America status...
, inductee College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
See also
- Crespi Carmelite High SchoolCrespi Carmelite High SchoolCrespi Carmelite High School, called Crespi, is a private, Roman Catholic, four-year college preparatory all-male high school located in Encino, California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles
External links
- Mt. Carmel Alumni Association
- Rock 'n' Roll High School movie trailer, actual demolition of Mount Carmel High School occurs at 1:48.
- "Remembering Mount Carmel High School," produced for the 50th reunion of the class of 1957 by the Crespi Carmelite High School Media Department