Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School

Background

Cardinal Ritter Prep opened its doors on September 6, 1979 and is named for Cardinal Joseph Ritter, Archbishop of St. Louis in the mid-20th century. From 1977–1978, a community representative task force was established by the Board of Catholic Education of the St. Louis Archdiocese to study the future existence of a Catholic school in the old Labouré location in North St. Louis. Arrangements to establish Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School as a co-educational college preparatory high school began in August 1979. On May 18, 2003, Cardinal Justin Rigali dedicated the new Cardinal Ritter Preparatory High School at 701 N. Spring Avenue, St. Louis. The school opened its doors for students in August 2003.

School Mission

"Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School is a Catholic urban high school which educates primarily African-American young men and women who are both traditional and non-traditional college bound students.At graduation, through the triple thrust of Academic Excellence, Faith Development, and Leadership Development, young men and women will be able to successfully serve their African-American and global communities."

Thekla Ave. (1979-2003)

When the school first opened, it was located on 5421 Thekla Ave. Saint Louis, Missouri, 63120, located in the neighborhood of Walnut Park. The school had a great relationship with its surrounding community.

North Spring Ave. (2003-Present)

In 2003, at the beginning of the school year, the new state-of-the-art Cardinal Ritter was erected on 701 N. Spring Ave, St. Louis, Missouri, 63108. It is in the heart of the Grand Center.

Academics

Cardinal Ritter, being a College Preparatory school, has a varied grading scale compared to other high schools in its area. Here, you need 30 credits to graduate.

Curriculum

Athletics

The school is in MSHSAA Class 3. The athletic conference they are a member of is the Archdiocesan Athletic Association. The school has 8 varsity sports. Sports offered here are Football, Volleyball, Dance, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Baseball, Boys Track & Field, and Girls Track & Field.

State championships

Note:  * - Third place;   ** - Second place;   *** - Semifinals

Intern Leadership Program (ILP)

The mission of the Intern Leadership Program (ILP) is to provide incentives for talented African-American youth to choose to live in, work in, and provide leadership in the St. Louis region for civic and economic life after college graduation.

The ILP, which was funded by a generous grant from the Danforth Foundation, gives African-American youth opportunities beyond college graduation, to encourage leadership in the St. Louis community and to develop youth as highly productive, responsible citizens.

Cardinal Ritter Prep juniors and seniors in the ILP can receive leadership scholarships and summer internships with local major employers. ILP is a six-year program, with students trained in professional development and placed in internships throughout college. Upon college graduation, participants are in an excellent position to earn a job with the company for which he or she has interned through the program. The first phase of ILP students graduated from college in 2008.

Notable alumni

Chris Carrawell, NBA Player

Rockwell Knuckles, rapper and hip-hop artist

Jahidi White, ex-NBA Player

Loren Woods, American professional basketball player, currently playing with Al Riyadi Beirut