.gif)
Salesian High School (Richmond, California)
Encyclopedia
Salesian High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic preparatory high school
in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
. The school's patron saint is Saint John Bosco, the Italian
founder of the Salesian order. The school's motto
is "Loyalty - Excellence". The school shield bears the Latin phrase "Umbram Fugat Veritas", meaning "truth dispels darkness", both are on the school emblem.
. The grounds were further developed and the gymnasium was built in 1940 and in 1950, a multi-story classroom building was constructed.
The Salesian Junior Seminary expanded and moved to a new facility in Watsonville, in 1960, when the Student Union Building was constructed with a cafeteria, media center and library. The campus of the former seminary then became a Catholic high school for boys from both Richmond and San Pablo
, California. It continued as such for almost 30 years until girls were admitted and the school became coeducational in 1989.
Salesian High School consists of 21 acres (8.5 ha) of spacious green lands holding five buildings. The gym
was added to the grounds that still serves the school, housing theatrical performances and speeches as well as athletic events. The classrooms on the first floor of the classroom building have been modified to meet demands of 2000s technology and liturgy.
The campus is located on 21 acres (84,984.1 m²) largely in the Richmond
, California
North & East neighborhood that straddles the city limits of San Pablo
, about eighteen miles from San Francisco.
Fall Sports
Winter Sports
Spring Sports
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Northern California. The diocese comprises Alameda and Contra Costa Counties in the San Francisco Bay Area...
. The school's patron saint is Saint John Bosco, the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
founder of the Salesian order. The school's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
is "Loyalty - Excellence". The school shield bears the Latin phrase "Umbram Fugat Veritas", meaning "truth dispels darkness", both are on the school emblem.
History
The Emeric Mansion and estate was purchased by the Salesian Society in 1927, with plans for a new development. The school itself was founded by the Salesians of the San Francisco Province in 1929, serving as a boys high school seminary. The original main house became the "Salesian House of Studies" and was also the offices and dormitories for Salesian seminarians. In 1933, a novitiate was added, but was closed after a few years, when the Salesian community moved all its novitiates to New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The grounds were further developed and the gymnasium was built in 1940 and in 1950, a multi-story classroom building was constructed.
The Salesian Junior Seminary expanded and moved to a new facility in Watsonville, in 1960, when the Student Union Building was constructed with a cafeteria, media center and library. The campus of the former seminary then became a Catholic high school for boys from both Richmond and San Pablo
San Pablo
-Geography:San Pablo is a common toponym in parts of the world where the Spanish language is or was spoken.Towns, cities, and counties called San Pablo:*Argentina**San Pablo , Catamarca Province...
, California. It continued as such for almost 30 years until girls were admitted and the school became coeducational in 1989.
Salesian High School consists of 21 acres (8.5 ha) of spacious green lands holding five buildings. The gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
was added to the grounds that still serves the school, housing theatrical performances and speeches as well as athletic events. The classrooms on the first floor of the classroom building have been modified to meet demands of 2000s technology and liturgy.
Location
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
North & East neighborhood that straddles the city limits of San Pablo
San Pablo, California
San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city of Richmond surrounds nearly the whole city. The population was 29,139 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Paul V. Morris, and the current Vice Mayor is Cecilia Valdez. Current Councilmembers include Arturo M....
, about eighteen miles from San Francisco.
Demographics
The student body at Salesian High School comes from throughout Contra Costa County. The population of the school is usually between 400 and 450 students. Salesian students reflect the cultural diversity of the community. 99-100% of those who graduate Salesian continue their studies at a college or university, 77% at four-year schools and 23% at two-year schools.- Gender: Male 50%, Female 50%
- Religion: Catholic 62%, Non-Catholic 38%
- 1.4% American Indian; 12.2% African American; 3.1% Pacific Islander; 26.7% Hispanic; 22% Caucasian; 18.2% Asian; 14.7% mixed heritage;1.7% not stated.
Sports
Salesian High School offers its students a comprehensive athletics program consisting of 13 varsity sports. Salesian currently competes in the Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) in all sports except for football, where it competes in the Bay Football League (BFL). Salesian, with a CBED enrollment of 522 students, is a division IV member of the North Coast Section (NCS), one of ten sections in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Salesian athletics, with its rich history and tradition, is divided into three seasons of sport: Fall, Winter, and Spring.Fall Sports
- FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
-Salesian won the 2005 and 2010 division IV NCS championships in football. Salesian has finished second in the NCS football playoffs on four separate occasions: 1976, 1978, 2006, and 2008. The rich tradition with Salesian football dates back to the mid-1960s which saw All-American Stan Brown (’67) lead Northern California high schools in rushing (1943 yards) and touchdowns scored (33). Brown played collegiately for the Purdue Boilermakers, and professionally for the Cleveland Browns. Through the years, Salesian has had 31 players earn Division I football scholarships, and 9 Salesian alums have played professional football. Most recently, Parade All-American Jahvid Best (’07) rewrote the Northern California high school record books when he rushed for 3325 yards as a senior (6479 yards in three varsity seasons) and scored 48 touchdowns (91 TD’s in three varsity seasons). Best earned a football scholarship to Cal, where he was a three time first team All-PAC-10 selection, he was a first team All-American, as well as being a first round draft choice by NFL’s Detroit Lions. - Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
Salesian has had several cross country runners compete in the NCS division IV championships and the CIF State championships. - Girls' volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- Salesian won the 2009 division IV NCS girls’ volleyball championship, earning the school’s first ever team championship in volleyball. Salesian was led by Malina Terrell (’10) in the 2009 season who earned a volleyball scholarship to the University of San Francisco as an outside hitter. - Girls' tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
- The Salesian tennis program recently saw the construction of four brand new tennis courts.
Winter Sports
- Boys' soccer– The 2005 Salesian boys’ soccer team completed an undefeated regular season, going a perfect 18 – 0. Recently, Anthony Butler (’03) and Jonathan Butler (’05) earned scholarships to St. Mary’s College to play soccer.
- Girls' soccer – Salesian girls’ soccer has also made several trips to NCS post season play over the past decade. Two outstanding players, Jocelyn Leche (’02) and Andrea Salvador (’04), earned soccer scholarships to the University of Southern California and Fresno State University, respectively.
- Boys' basketballBasketballBasketball 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...
– Salesian won the 2009 division IV CIF State basketball championship, and finished second in the 2011 CIF State Championship. The 2009 CIF State championship was Salesian’s first ever team championship in any sport at the California State level. Salesian boys’ basketball has won two Northern California Regional division IV championships (2009 and 2011), and it has finished second once (2006). Salesian has won three NCS division IV basketball championships (2006, 2009, and 2011), and it has finished second in the NCS playoffs on four separate occasions: 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2010. Recently, David Jobe (’01), Justin Brown (’08) and Desmond Simmons (’10) have earned Division I basketball scholarships to U.C. Riverside, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the University of Washington, respectively. Salesian boys’ basketball has had over 312 victories in the past 13 seasons. - Girls' basketball – Salesian girls’ basketball has made several trips to NCS post season play, and Imani Dhahabu (’03) earned a Division I scholarship to the University of Miami.
Spring Sports
- SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
– Salesian fields a swimming and diving team which competes at Contra Costa College as its home site. Several swimmers have competed in the NCS swimming and diving championships, and Cecilia Macchiavelli (’03) swam for the University of California, Davis. - GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
– Salesian plays all of its home golf matches at the Richmond Country Club. Salesian first offered golf in the spring of 2003. - SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
– The 2001 Salesian softball team won the division IV NCS softball championship. The 2001 team championship was Salesian High School’s first ever team championship at the North Coast Section level. The 2000 Salesian team finished second in the NCS championships. Over the years, several players have earned Division I softball scholarships, including Stephanie Vasarhely (’99), Vanessa Martinez (’01), and Allison Donnelly (’05). - BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
– The 2007 Salesian baseball team won the division IV NCS baseball championship. The Salesian baseball team finished second in the NCS baseball championships in 2008 and 2009. - Boys' volleyball– The 2005 boys’ volleyball team finished second in the NCS championships. Salesian began boys’ volleyball in 2002, and quickly ascended to championship caliber.
- Track and fieldTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
– Salesian has had numerous athletes compete in the North Coast Section and CIF State championships in track and field. On the girls’ side, Daveetta Shepherd won NCS individual championships in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles in 1995. And on the boys’ side, Jahvid Best (’07) won consecutive 100 and 200 meter dash NCS crowns in 2006 and 2007. Best completed the 2007 track and field season by winning the CIF California State 100 meter dash championship in a blazing 10.31 seconds, and finished second in the 200 meters with a time of 20.65. In 2007, Best clocked an incredible four 100 meter races below 10.40 seconds. Best owns the fastest 100 meter and 200 meter times in North Coast Section history, a CIF State section that began in 1915! - Boys' tennis – The Salesian tennis program recently saw the construction of four brand new tennis courts.
Mascot
The use of the original mascot Native-American "Chieftain" (a stereotypical Indian with a feather headdress) and name had come under repeated scrutiny since 1995 and had been found to be "racist" and "offensive" by some administrators and members of the public. However no real action was taken until 2006 when the school decided to change the mascot. The school's mascot is now the Salesian Pride, a name derived from the term for a group of lions. The Pride image was designed by Antonia Huang, class of 2007.Spirit
From the Salesian Family Bulletin: "The Spirit of St. John Bosco pervades the school and brings an awareness of social, cultural, familial, moral and spiritual values to the whole school family: faculty, students and their families. It is mutual and reciprocal. It is a synergy. That is, the end result is greater than the sum of the parts. The leaven is the Catholic Christian Salesian Spirit that has got to be seen to be believed and lived to be understood."Notable alumni
- Jahvid BestJahvid BestJahvid Andre Best is a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was selected by the Lions with the 30th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In college, he played for the California Golden Bears, setting several records, including most all-purpose yards in a single season and...
, Running Back - Detroit Lions - Mike DirntMike DirntMichael Ryan Pritchard is an American musician, best known as the bassist, backing vocalist and co-founder of the American Rock band Green Day. While at school, he would play "air-bass." While pretending to pluck the strings, he made the noise, "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt"...
, bassist - Green DayGreen DayGreen Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
External links
- Salesian High School official website