St. Bernard Preparatory School (Cullman, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
St. Bernard Preparatory School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
and middle school
in Cullman
, Alabama
, USA. It is run independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
by the Benedictine
monks of St. Bernard Abbey, located on the same campus.
, a German immigrant founded the town of Cullman in 1873. He promoted the town among other German immigrants. Benedictine Monks came to the city from Saint Vincent Archabbey
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
in the 1880s. A number of these monks had come from Bavaria
, in order to serve this German-speaking Catholic community. They established St. Bernard Abbey on September 29, 1891, named after St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
In 1891, they also started St. Bernard Preparatory School on the monastery grounds. The state chartered the school 1893. While primarily a prep school, it sometimes granted bachelor's degrees.
In 1929 the Board of Trustees added a junior college. In 1949, this became a senior college.
Over the years, the school and abbey has educated candidates for ordination through its seminary programs from high school through graduate studies.
St. Bernard College was closed in 1979 after serving the baby boomer
's generation need for post-secondary education. The institution reopened in 1984 as a coeducational college preparatory school, serving grades 9
-12
(these grades became the Upper School in 2007). The Upper School is primarily housed in the Cullman-Swisher School Building, which was refurbished in 2009. Grades 7
and 8
, the Middle School, were added in 2007. The Middle School is located in Founders' Hall.
, the school competes with public and private schools in football, cross country, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, and tennis.
Boys' sports:
Girls' sports:
Co-ed sports:
Football and soccer games at the school are played at one of the school's newest facilities, Alumni Field, which is located in the athletics area of the school campus.
Basketball, volleyball and wrestling games and matches are played in the central facility of the St. Bernard Prep athletics area, the Fazi-Richard Athletic Center. The facility, completed in the mid-1990s, is complete with locker rooms, weight and training rooms, coaches' offices, a state-of-the-art basketball/volleyball court, and conference room. The Fazi-Richard Athletic Center is a multi-purpose facility as it hosts numerous performing arts, scholastic and alumni events yearly for the school, in addition to the athletic events.
Tennis matches are played at the school's tennis grounds, Blevins Courts, which were renovated and subsequently renamed in late 2008, in honor of the alumni donor who funded the project. Blevins Courts are located adjacent to the Fazi-Richard Athletic Center and the project consisted of the renovation of three existing courts and the conversion of three additional courts from clay-surface to hard-surface courts. Also included in the project was the replacement of the deteriorated fence around the clay courts and the restoration of the fencing around the existing courts.
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 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....
and middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
in Cullman
Cullman, Alabama
Cullman is a city in Cullman County, State of Alabama. Cullman is located along Interstate 65, about north of Birmingham, and about south of Huntsville. According to the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, USA. It is run independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church that encompasses the northern 39 counties of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was erected on December 9, 1969, when it was split from the Archdiocese of Mobile...
by the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monks of St. Bernard Abbey, located on the same campus.
History
Colonel John G. CullmannJohn G. Cullmann
John Gottfried Cullmann was a German businessman and political activist who emigrated to the United States as a result of his financial ruin related to participation in the Revolution of 1848. Born in Frankweiler in the Rheinpfalz in what was then the Kingdom of Bavaria, Cullmann was the son of a...
, a German immigrant founded the town of Cullman in 1873. He promoted the town among other German immigrants. Benedictine Monks came to the city from Saint Vincent Archabbey
Saint Vincent Archabbey
Saint Vincent Archabbey, was founded in 1846 by Father Boniface Wimmer, OSB, and is the oldest Benedictine monastery in the United States.The Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey operate and teach at Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located ...
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
in the 1880s. A number of these monks had come from Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, in order to serve this German-speaking Catholic community. They established St. Bernard Abbey on September 29, 1891, named after St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
In 1891, they also started St. Bernard Preparatory School on the monastery grounds. The state chartered the school 1893. While primarily a prep school, it sometimes granted bachelor's degrees.
In 1929 the Board of Trustees added a junior college. In 1949, this became a senior college.
Over the years, the school and abbey has educated candidates for ordination through its seminary programs from high school through graduate studies.
St. Bernard College was closed in 1979 after serving the baby boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
's generation need for post-secondary education. The institution reopened in 1984 as a coeducational college preparatory school, serving grades 9
Ninth grade
Ninth grade is the ninth post-kindergarten year of school education in some school systems. The students are 13 to 15 years of age, depending on when their birthday occurs. Depending on the school district, ninth grade is usually the first year of high school....
-12
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
(these grades became the Upper School in 2007). The Upper School is primarily housed in the Cullman-Swisher School Building, which was refurbished in 2009. Grades 7
Seventh grade
Seventh grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The seventh grade is the seventh school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 12–13 years old. Traditionally, seventh grade was the next-to-last year of elementary school...
and 8
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
, the Middle School, were added in 2007. The Middle School is located in Founders' Hall.
Athletics
As a member of the Alabama High School Athletic AssociationAlabama High School Athletic Association
The Alabama High School Athletic Association , based in Montgomery, is the agency which oversees interscholastic athletic programs for public schools in Alabama....
, the school competes with public and private schools in football, cross country, basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, and tennis.
Boys' sports:
- Baseball
- Football
- Wrestling
Girls' sports:
- Cheerleading
- Softball
- Volleyball
Co-ed sports:
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Soccer
- Swimming
- Tennis
Football and soccer games at the school are played at one of the school's newest facilities, Alumni Field, which is located in the athletics area of the school campus.
Basketball, volleyball and wrestling games and matches are played in the central facility of the St. Bernard Prep athletics area, the Fazi-Richard Athletic Center. The facility, completed in the mid-1990s, is complete with locker rooms, weight and training rooms, coaches' offices, a state-of-the-art basketball/volleyball court, and conference room. The Fazi-Richard Athletic Center is a multi-purpose facility as it hosts numerous performing arts, scholastic and alumni events yearly for the school, in addition to the athletic events.
Tennis matches are played at the school's tennis grounds, Blevins Courts, which were renovated and subsequently renamed in late 2008, in honor of the alumni donor who funded the project. Blevins Courts are located adjacent to the Fazi-Richard Athletic Center and the project consisted of the renovation of three existing courts and the conversion of three additional courts from clay-surface to hard-surface courts. Also included in the project was the replacement of the deteriorated fence around the clay courts and the restoration of the fencing around the existing courts.