St. Joseph by the Sea High School
Encyclopedia
St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School (also known as SJS or Sea) is a co-educational
Catholic school
in the Huguenot
neighborhood of Staten Island
, New York
. Though technically an independent school, it functions for all intents and purposes as a school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
; though it has its own board of trustees. The school serves approximately 1,400 young men and women in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
Students in honors take three years of Latin
culminating in the Latin Regents and earn six credits in Latin From St. John's University. Students can earn up to 60 college credits from SUNY Albany, St. John's University, and Iona College in their junior and senior years.
In addition to the above courses and several other requirements, students are required to take four years of Catholic Studies (Introduction to the Creed and Sacraments; Sacred Scipture; Church History; Moral Theology) and pass a Religious Competency Examination.
The school is staffed almost entirely by lay teachers, but as of 2010 there were two priest administrators who taught courses (in German, History, and Religion) with an additional three priests teaching religion, one Sister of Charity, two Sisters of St. Francis, and a sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary congregation.
The land upon which the school sits was once one of the estates of Charles M. Schwab
, the steel magnate and benefactor of Catholic institutions. A large tract that originally included a broad beach area on Raritan Bay in what was then a very rural section of Staten Island, it sat near a number of Catholic facilities, including Camp St. Edward (a summer camp for African American children served by the Handmaids of Mary) and the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mt. Loretto (a vast orphanage and farm for boys and girls started by Fr. John C. Drumgoole in post-Civil War
New York).
Schwab's property passed into the hands of the Sisters of Charity of New York
early in the 20th Century, and was used as a summer "villa" for children from the New York Foundling Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, both of which were run by the sisters. It was also the site of a summer school for the sisters themselves: as almost all of the Sisters of Charity at that time were either teachers or nurses in various schools and hospitals throughout the archdiocese, young sisters were sent to St. Joseph by the Sea to complete their degrees during the summer months under the auspices of the College of Mount Saint Vincent
, an institution of higher learning originally located in Manhattan, then moved to The Bronx, and also run by the sisters.
In 1963, as Staten Islanders braced for a population boom that came with the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
to Brooklyn, the Sisters of Charity transformed the land into a girls' high school. Financial problems almost forced the school to close in the mid-1970s, but under the direction of Cardinal Terence Cooke, then archbishop of New York, and his designee as the first priest to serve as principal, Msgr. Thomas Gaffney, the school sold off a part of the beachfront area, expanded its facilities and went co-educational, doubling in size and eventually achieving financial solvency in the process. Angelo Castillo '77 from New Dorp was the first young man to be admitted into the school in the summer of 1973 when it went co-ed, and since then, thousands of young men have graduated from Sea. Msgr. Thomas Gaffney eventually became the pastor of St. Charles Church in Oakwood. Msgr. Joseph Ansaldi became principal. Msgr. Ansaldi is a weekend associate at St. Charles.
In the last decade of the 20th Century; under the leadership of Msgr Ansaldi, the school campus underwent massive renovations. A new 500 seat auditorium was dedicated to the late former principal Msgr. Thomas Gaffney in 1999. Renovations continued into the 21st Century with new tennis courts and a fitness center added in 2001. In 2003 ground was broken for a new track and field-turf football field (one of the first in the state). In October 2005 renovations of the baseball and softball fields began. By the beginning of the 2006 school year the renovations were completed. On October 27th, 2007, Bishop Dennis Sullivan dedicated "Viking Park" the 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) all turf athletic complex at the high school. At the entrance to the park stands an original 1918 US Navy anchor and a statue of a Viking dedicated to St Ansgar both donated by Michael Coppotelli '01 former Director of Institutional Advancement at the School.
There is an active alumni association and the administration is reaching out for alumni to become more involved in the school community.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
in the Huguenot
Huguenot, Staten Island
Huguenot is the name of a neighborhood located on the South Shore of Staten Island, one of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. In recent years it has become increasingly customary to refer to the western part of Huguenot as a separate neighborhood called Woodrow...
neighborhood of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Though technically an independent school, it functions for all intents and purposes as a school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
; though it has its own board of trustees. The school serves approximately 1,400 young men and women in 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades.
Curriculum
All students take a college preparatory course, with an advanced "honors" track for more advanced students. All students receive a Regents diploma "with advanced designation" (that is, students are expected to pass the New York State exams in English, Algebra, Geometry, Living Environment, Global Studies and U.S. History necessary for a Regents-endorsed diploma, plus Algebra II/Trigonometry, Chemistry, and either Italian or Spanish required for the "advanced" endorsement; students also take a third science Regents exam in Earth Science or Physics, placing them even above the advanced designation).Students in honors take three years of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
culminating in the Latin Regents and earn six credits in Latin From St. John's University. Students can earn up to 60 college credits from SUNY Albany, St. John's University, and Iona College in their junior and senior years.
In addition to the above courses and several other requirements, students are required to take four years of Catholic Studies (Introduction to the Creed and Sacraments; Sacred Scipture; Church History; Moral Theology) and pass a Religious Competency Examination.
The school is staffed almost entirely by lay teachers, but as of 2010 there were two priest administrators who taught courses (in German, History, and Religion) with an additional three priests teaching religion, one Sister of Charity, two Sisters of St. Francis, and a sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary congregation.
Admissions
Entrance is by examination — the cooperative Test for Admission to Catholic High Schools (TACHS) used by most Catholic schools in the archdiocese. The student body is roughly evenly split between young men and young women, and is drawn almost entirely from Staten Island, particularly from the South and East Shores. As of 2008, tuition was approximately $5,580 a year, the lowest in the area. Though the students are all Catholics, a majority of entering freshmen now come from public rather than parochial elementary schools.Campus
The physical plant has undergone significant renovations and improvements in the past decade, including a new auditorium, fitness center, music wing, computer labs, television studio, new science labs, field turf football field, and resurfaced track and tennis courts. The school has recently upgraded its baseball and softball fields with field turf.The land upon which the school sits was once one of the estates of Charles M. Schwab
Charles M. Schwab
Charles Michael Schwab was an American steel magnate. Under his leadership, Bethlehem Steel became the second largest steel maker in the United States, and one of the most important heavy manufacturers in the world....
, the steel magnate and benefactor of Catholic institutions. A large tract that originally included a broad beach area on Raritan Bay in what was then a very rural section of Staten Island, it sat near a number of Catholic facilities, including Camp St. Edward (a summer camp for African American children served by the Handmaids of Mary) and the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mt. Loretto (a vast orphanage and farm for boys and girls started by Fr. John C. Drumgoole in post-Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
New York).
Schwab's property passed into the hands of the Sisters of Charity of New York
Sisters of Charity of New York
The Sisters of Charity of New York is a religious congregation of women in the Catholic Church whose primary missions are education and nursing and who are dedicated in particular to the service of the poor.-History:...
early in the 20th Century, and was used as a summer "villa" for children from the New York Foundling Hospital and St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, both of which were run by the sisters. It was also the site of a summer school for the sisters themselves: as almost all of the Sisters of Charity at that time were either teachers or nurses in various schools and hospitals throughout the archdiocese, young sisters were sent to St. Joseph by the Sea to complete their degrees during the summer months under the auspices of the College of Mount Saint Vincent
College of Mount Saint Vincent
For the university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, see Mount Saint Vincent University The College of Mount Saint Vincent is a Catholic liberal arts college located in the northeast corner of the Riverdale section of The Bronx, New York, adjacent to the Yonkers border. It is the northernmost location in...
, an institution of higher learning originally located in Manhattan, then moved to The Bronx, and also run by the sisters.
In 1963, as Staten Islanders braced for a population boom that came with the building of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....
to Brooklyn, the Sisters of Charity transformed the land into a girls' high school. Financial problems almost forced the school to close in the mid-1970s, but under the direction of Cardinal Terence Cooke, then archbishop of New York, and his designee as the first priest to serve as principal, Msgr. Thomas Gaffney, the school sold off a part of the beachfront area, expanded its facilities and went co-educational, doubling in size and eventually achieving financial solvency in the process. Angelo Castillo '77 from New Dorp was the first young man to be admitted into the school in the summer of 1973 when it went co-ed, and since then, thousands of young men have graduated from Sea. Msgr. Thomas Gaffney eventually became the pastor of St. Charles Church in Oakwood. Msgr. Joseph Ansaldi became principal. Msgr. Ansaldi is a weekend associate at St. Charles.
In the last decade of the 20th Century; under the leadership of Msgr Ansaldi, the school campus underwent massive renovations. A new 500 seat auditorium was dedicated to the late former principal Msgr. Thomas Gaffney in 1999. Renovations continued into the 21st Century with new tennis courts and a fitness center added in 2001. In 2003 ground was broken for a new track and field-turf football field (one of the first in the state). In October 2005 renovations of the baseball and softball fields began. By the beginning of the 2006 school year the renovations were completed. On October 27th, 2007, Bishop Dennis Sullivan dedicated "Viking Park" the 11 acres (44,515.5 m²) all turf athletic complex at the high school. At the entrance to the park stands an original 1918 US Navy anchor and a statue of a Viking dedicated to St Ansgar both donated by Michael Coppotelli '01 former Director of Institutional Advancement at the School.
There is an active alumni association and the administration is reaching out for alumni to become more involved in the school community.
Notable alumni
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