Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic Founder De La Salle Brothers Phone +1 925-288-8100 School fees 16,800 USD (2015–2016) | Established 1965 CEEB code 050662 Sister school Carondelet High School Colors Green, Silver | |
Type Private, College-prep, day Motto Les Hommes De Foi
("Men of Faith") Address 1130 Winton Dr, Concord, CA 94518, USA Profiles | ||
De La Salle High School is a private Roman Catholic school for boys in Concord, California, United States. Located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, the school was founded in 1965 as a Lasallian institution. De La Salle currently enrolls 1,039 students, and roughly 99% of each graduating class goes on to attend a university or college. It is home to the Spartans, and its colors are green and silver. The school motto is "Les Hommes De Foi", French for "Men Of Faith", which is based on the order's Latin motto "Signum Fidei". The school's principal is Brother Robert Wickman. The deans are Joe Aliotti and Bob Guelld. Joe Grantham is head of admissions, and Leo Lopoz is the director of athletics.
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Football
De La Salle High School has long been recognized nationwide for its extraordinary football tradition. The team, when coached by Bob Ladouceur, holds the national record 151-game winning streak spanning from 1992 to 2004, more than doubling the previous record of 72. The streak ended when they were defeated on September 4, 2004, by Bellevue (Washington) High School, outside Seattle. De La Salle finished the 2007 football season 13-0 and as state champions. In 2009 De La Salle defeated Crenshaw 28-14 to win the state title again.
In 2010 De La Salle defeated Servite, ranked #7 in the nation, 48-8, to win the state title game for a second straight year. De La Salle finished the season 14-0 and ranked #1 in the nation by Maxpreps. During the span of the 151-game winning streak, De La Salle was named national champion in seven different years; once by ESPN (1994), five times by USA Today (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003), and once by the National Sports News Service (1999). The Spartans have been named national champions by ESPNRISE.com (formerly Student Sports) six times, including four straight years (2000–03). They have also been honored as the top team in California 12 times (1992, 1994–2003, 2007) and competed in 25 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) North Coast Section (NCS) championship games with 23 victories (12 of which were attained during the 151-game winning streak). For the 2008-2009 school year, De La Salle was ranked the 18th best high school football team in the country by USA Today, the 37th by ESPNRISE, the 19th by MaxPreps, and the 14th by Sports Illustrated.
The De La Salle football team was the subject of two 2003 books. One Great Game: Two Teams, Two Dreams, in the First Ever National Championship High School Football Game, by Don Wallace, follows the undefeated 2001 season and national championship showdown with Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and splits its focus between the schools. When the Game Stands Tall was written by Contra Costa Times sportswriter Neil Hayes, who followed the team for practices, games, and meetings during its undefeated 2002 season. The foreword was written by former Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. Don Wallace also wrote about De La Salle and Ladouceur in an article called "The Soul of a Sports Machine", published in the October 2003 edition of Fast Company magazine.
The 2014 movie When the Game Stands Tall follows the team after the program's winning streak.
Campus ministry and spirituality
In the minds of the Brothers, "For Lasallian establishments to be the living expression of the Good News, they must be places for dialogue in truth, freedom, and hope." This means that the Campus Ministry department, under the leadership of Roger Hassett, is charged with ensuring that the Gospel of Christ is kept at the heart of everything which happens at DLS Concord. For the Lasallian school, a holistic approach to education is essential and should not be solely academic or physical, but include the spiritual and social.
Freshmen are introduced to the concept and experience retreat as a year group, spending the day together. Sophomores focus on the social justice aspect of the Gospel by working in the Tenderloin area of San Francisco. Juniors participate in a two-day residential which concentrates on making good moral decisions. Seniors take part in a four-day residential retreat which seeks to have them deepen their faith by examining their relationship with themselves, with others and with God.
Throughout the academic year students and staff have the opportunity to gather for prayer before school commences, to participate in the celebration of the Eucharist and to pause for prayer and reflection before classes. Those students wishing to further their spiritual development may participate in the Lasallian Youth movement. The school also runs father/son and parent/son retreats each year.
De La Salle Concord sponsors Nativity school in Shinara, Eritrea. Members of the upper school may also participate in "Ven a Ver" (Come to See), which involves spending five days with the disadvantaged people of Salinas or Tijuana.
There are many ways for students to express their faith at De La Salle. A mass is held from five to seven times a year where all the students and faculty come together to pray as one. Each class begins class with formal prayer along with time for intentions.
De La Salle also has a spiritual program available to seniors called Kairos. The experience lasts for three days, and during this time students and faculty can connect with one another in large and small group settings. What happens on Kairos is not told to others, so those who have not been on the trip yet can go with an open mind.