DePaul College Prep
DePaul College Prep, formerly known as Gordon Technical High School, is a Roman Catholic high school located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is located on the north side of Chicago on Addison Street and California Avenue. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. The school was originally named in honor of the Very Reverend Francis Gordon, an influential and high-ranking member of the Congregation of the Resurrection. Due to its academic affiliation with DePaul University the school was renamed DePaul College Prep in the summer of 2014.[3]
| DePaul College Prep | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
3633 North California Avenue , 60618-4602 | |
| Coordinates | 41.9479°N 87.6974°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational, secondary, parochial |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 2014 |
| Authority | Archdiocese of Chicago |
| CEEB code | 140-850 |
| President | Mary A. Dempsey |
| Principal | Dr. Megan Stanton-Anderson |
| Board Chair | Joe Haugh '86 |
| Staff | 70 |
| Teaching staff | 46 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 500 (2018) |
| Average class size | 20 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 11:1 |
| Campus type | urban |
| Color(s) | Navy & White |
| Fight song | We Are DePaul College Prep |
| Athletics conference | Chicago Catholic League (m) Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (f) |
| Mascot | Ram |
| Accreditation | North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
| Tuition | US$13,170[2] |
| Affiliation | Congregation of the Resurrection |
| Website | http://www.depaulprep.org |
School history
Gordon Technical High School opened in 1952 as an all-male school at the corner of Division Street and Greenview Avenue on Chicago's Northwest Side with an initial enrollment of 325 students. Its first principal was the Rev. John Dzielski C.R. The school was built in the wake of the relocation of another high school run by the Congregation of the Resurrection, Archbishop Weber High School, which closed in 1999.[4] The school was founded at the request of Cardinal Samuel Stritch, who envisioned a new type of Catholic high school, one that had both a college preparatory curriculum and a technical curriculum. The school moved to its current campus in 1961. By the early 1980s, the school reached a peak enrollment of 2,300 students. Its first website was launched in January 1998, at www.gordontech.org. The school formally shortened its name to Gordon Tech in 1999. In 2001, the new school motto was adopted, replacing the old motto Ad Viros Faciendos (For the Making of Men). The school was all-male until declining enrollments and regional gentrification during the 1990s (including the closure of all-female Madonna High School in June 2001[5]) prompted the school to begin admitting girls in August 2002.[6][7]
The Board of Directors announced on March 12, 2014 that the names of the high school and its campus would be changed to DePaul College Prep and the Father Gordon Campus, respectively, as early as summer of that year. New namesake DePaul University has been an academic partner since 2012. The athletic mascot (Rams) and school colors (orange) have been retained.[3] The school changed the URL of its website to the present www.depaulprep.org beginning with the 2014-15 school year.
On August 1, 2019, the Board of Directors & Administration announced the purchase of a 17-acre campus at 3300 N. Campbell Ave from Adtalem Global Education, formerly known as DeVry Institute. The school will move into its new location effective with the 2020-2021 school year.[8]
Academics
DePaul College Prep is a college preparatory high school. While English and math classes are taught every day for the entire year, other courses are taught on a semester basis.[9]
Students are required to take four years of religious studies. The school offers a course on world religions which non–Catholics may take to replace any of the four required courses. Any student may choose to take it as an elective.
The school offers what it calls The Fr. Francis Gordon Academy (also called the A.P. Academy). The program is designed for advanced students, based upon entrance exam scores, a personal essay, and middle school grades. Students take honors classes for their first two years, and then take a combination of honors and AP courses their last two years. In addition, students must publicly present a multi-disciplinary thematic project during the spring semester of their sophomore year, and a similar final project during the spring semester of their senior year.
The Advanced Placement courses offered are: English Language, English Literature, Calculus (BC), Biology, Chemistry, U.S. History, and European History.[10]
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
The DePaul College Prep Rams compete in two conferences. The men's teams compete in the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) while the women compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC). The school competes in state championship series sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The current school colors are orange and blue, though they were originally orange and blue and formerly orange and gray.
The school sponsors interscholastic team for men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, soccer, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Men also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while women also compete in softball. The school also sponsors a non-competitive cheerleading squad.[11]
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective state tournaments sponsored by the IHSA:[12]
- basketball (boys') •• 2nd place (1989–90)
- football •• State Champions (1980–81)
- football •• State Semi-Finalist (1985–86)
The school also claims two Chicago Prep Bowl championships in football (1982, 1987).
The school used to support an interscholastic fencing team, and competed as a founding member of the Great Lakes High School Fencing Conference (which represents teams from Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana). The team won the Midwest Boys' Title in 1981, 1984, 1985 and 1988. The boys' fencing team won the Illinois state championship (IHSA) in 1977 and 1980.[13]
Notable alumni
- Louis Antonelli (class of 1981) – independent filmmaker and director.
- Gregg Bingham (class of 1969) – former Houston Oilers linebacker.
- Chris Bourjos - former MLB player for the San Francisco Giants.[14]
- Jason Gedrick (born Jason Gedroic) (class of 1982) - actor from stage, film, and television (Iron Eagle, Murder One, Luck, Dexter).[15]
- Tom Kleinschmidt (class of 1991) – former DePaul and professional basketball player; men's head coach at Gordon Tech.[16]
- Lawrence Langowski (class of 2003) - wrestler who represented Mexico in the 120 kilogram weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
- Theodore Matlak (class of 1983) - former 32nd ward Chicago alderman.
- Robert Meschbach (class of 1976) - professional soccer player who set a national high school record with 71 goals in one season.[17]
- Dennis Tufano (class of 1967) - original lead singer of The Buckinghams, a 1960s Chicago rock and roll group.
- Ken Warzynski (Class of 1966) - basketball player at DePaul University, was a 2nd Round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons and played professionally.
- Jitim Young (class of 2000) - basketball player at Northwestern University and the Phoenix Suns (summer league), Chicago Bulls (preseason) and San Antonio Spurs (free agent camp); also played in Europe, the Dominican Republic and Israel.[18]
Archbishop Weber High School
Like Gordon Tech, Archbishop Weber High School was administered by the Congregation of the Resurrection. It served Chicago's Catholic community for 109 years, but closed in 1999 due to low enrollment.[4] The heritage of Weber is kept alive through the Weber High School Alumni Association. Alumni records are held in the DePaul College Prep's Records Office.
References
- NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on 2009-04-29. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- "2019-20 Tuition". depaulprep.org. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- Sfondeles, Tina. "It's official: Gordon Tech to become DePaul College Prep," Chicago Sun-Times, Wednesday, March 12, 2014.
- Quintanilla, Ray & Kloehn, Steve "Weber High To Close After 109 Years", "Chicago Tribune", 01 April 1999. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- Bowean, Lolly. "Gordon Tech gets a name change". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- Lieblich, Julia & Donato, Marlo "Gordon Tech will admit girls in 2002", "Chicago Tribune", 23 May 2001. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- Bosch, H. Jose "Switching from single-sex to coed school has proponents, opponents" Archived 2014-12-06 at the Wayback Machine, "Medill Reports Chicago", 19 February 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- Marek, Lynn "DePaul College Prep acquires new campus", "Crain's Chicago Business", 01 August 2019. Retrieved 01 August 2019.,
- "DePaul College Prep Academic Options". depaulprep.org. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "DePaul College Prep Course Offerings". depaulprep.org. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "DePaul College Prep Athletics Department". depaulprep.org. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- IHSA record page for Gordon Tech HS. Ihsa.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
- IHSA. "Illinois High School Association". www.ihsa.org. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- "Chris Bourjos Bio".
- Jason Gedrick bio @tv.com. Tv.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
- Smith, Harold. "Tom Kleinschmidt Hired As New GT Basketball Coach".
- IHSA individual all-time boys soccer records. Ihsa.org. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
- Jitim Young bio @nba.com (dleague) Archived 2007-08-15 at the Wayback Machine. Nba.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
External links
- DePaul College Prep Homepage
- DePaul College Prep Football Homepage
- Weber High School Alumni Association
