Established 1861 President Dr. Joseph Schmidt Phone +1 773-282-8844 | Denomination Roman Catholic Tuition 11,000 USD Colors Green, Gold | |
Motto Religio Mores Cultura(Religion • Morals • Culture) Address 5900 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60634, USA Parent organization United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Similar Notre Dame College P, Fenwick High School, Lane Tech College Prep Hig, Taft High School, DePaul College Prep Profiles | ||
St. Patrick High School is an all male college preparatory Catholic high school located in the Belmont-Craigin 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.
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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.
Drug Testing Program
In 2004, St. Patrick High School initiated a mandatory drug testing policy for all students. 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.
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).
The following teams have placed in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments:
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.
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.
The cheerleading squad is composed of girls from nearby all-girls schools who choose to try out.
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
Ryan Tosoc (2008) Professional Poker Player
John Salemme ( 1976) Chicago Police Detective