St. Patrick High School (Chicago)

St. Patrick High School is an all-male college preparatory Catholic high school located in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1861, it is among the oldest continuously open high schools in the Chicago area. The school is the oldest Catholic school in Chicago.[3]

St. Patrick High School
Address
5900 West Belmont Avenue

Chicago
,
Illinois
60634

United States
Coordinates41.939166°N 87.77472°W / 41.939166; -87.77472
Information
TypePrivate
MottoReligio Mores Cultura
(Religion • Morals • Culture)
DenominationRoman Catholic
Established1861
OversightArchdiocese of Chicago
PresidentDr. Joseph Schmidt
PrincipalJon Baffico
Teaching staff53
Grades9-12
GenderBoys
Enrollment656 (2017-2018)
Campusurban
Color(s)Green and Gold         
SloganTaking you where you want to go
Fight songGrand Old School
Athletics conferenceEast Suburban Catholic Conference
MascotShamRocks
NicknameShamrocks
RivalsNotre Dame High School
AccreditationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
NewspaperGreen and Gold
TuitionUS$11,000[2]
AffiliationChristian Brothers
Websitewww.stpatrick.org

History

The original school was opened by the Christian Brothers near Adams Street and Des Plaines. In 1953, the school moved to its current site, on Belmont and Austin avenues. The student population was bigger than anticipated, which required almost immediate addition to the new structure; a construction project completed for the 1956—57 school year.

In 1991, one floor of the school was redeveloped as a computer center. After a long term fundraising effort, further addition and remodeling took place with the addition of an atrium, theater, music facilities, media center, and a second smaller gymnasium.[3]

Drug Testing Program

In 2004, St. Patrick High School initiated a mandatory drug testing policy for all students.[4] The policy calls for each student to be tested through hair samples at least once each year. Because of the random nature of the testing, some students may get tested more than once. Students who test positive are given the opportunity to work with the school to determine the best counseling route, but must submit to another test within 100 days, at the student's expense.[5]

Student life

Athletics

St. Patrick's athletic teams are named the Shamrocks. The school participates in the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) for most of their sports, which include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. The school also sponsors teams in bowling, swimming & diving, and water polo which are not sponsored by the ESCC. All of these sports have state tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).[6]

The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments:[7]

  • Baseball: 2nd (2005–2006)
  • Water Polo: 2nd (2002–2003)
  • Volleyball: 4th (2008–2009)
  • Soccer: 4th (2017-2018)
  • Soccer: 4th (2019-2020)
  • Bowling: 4th (2019-2020)


The soccer team is officially ranked #1 in the entire city of Chicago and has been consistently ranked in the top 10 in the entire state of Illinois since 2018.


The water polo team won the ISA state title in 1997, going 28–0. This was not an IHSA sponsored title, as water polo only became an IHSA sponsored sport in 2001.[8]

Non-athletic activities

The school also has an academic team, a chess team, band, FIRST robotics, and dance. The chess team finished second in the IHSA state chess tournament in 1977 and tied for third in 2008.[7]

The cheerleading squad is composed of girls from nearby all-girls schools who choose to try out.[9]

Theatre Department

The school's Theatre Department stages one play in the fall, one student play in the winter, one musical in the spring, and one miscellaneous play in the summer as part of its Community Theater Initiative.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty
  • Robert Halperin coached football at St. Patrick. He was an Olympic (bronze) and Pan American Games (gold) yachting medalist, Wisconsin and Notre Dame and NFL football player, one of Chicago's most-decorated World War II heroes, and Chairman of Commercial Light Co.
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References
  1. NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-03-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. History of St. Patrick HS Archived October 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Drug testing announcement Archived July 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. St. Patrick Drug Testing Policy
  6. List of athletic teams Archived May 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "IHSA record page for St. Patrick HS". Ihsa.org. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  8. "Boys Water Polo Records Menu". October 25, 2017.
  9. St. Patrick Cheerleading Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. 1964 Michigan Football Roster Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine at fanbase.com, accessed 2 September 2011
  13. Goldstein, Richard (March 18, 2006). "Ray Meyer, Former DePaul Coach, Dies at 92". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 3014. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. John G. Mulroe - 10th District Archived 2011-08-18 at the Wayback Machine at ilsenatedems.org, accessed 2 September 2011
  15. Band members inducted into Hall of Fame (p. 14-15)
  16. "Dan Santucci stats and bio @nfl.com". Nfl.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  17. "American Superstar interview with Jacob Zachar". Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
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