Established 1924 Grades 9-12 Phone +1 805-646-1464 Colors White, Grey | Headmaster Nancy O'Sullivan Enrollment 260 (2016-17) Average SAT scores 1,767 | |
Religious affiliation(s) Roman CatholicOrder of Saint Augustine Address 12096 N Ventura Ave, Ojai, CA 93023, USA Motto Unitas ∙ Veritas ∙ Caritas Similar Ojai Valley School, Nordhoff High School, Saint Bonavent High Sch, Foothill Technolo High Sch, Laurel Springs School Profiles | ||
A guided tour of villanova preparatory school
Villanova Preparatory School is an Augustinian Catholic co-ed day and boarding school in the United States, located in the California town of Ojai. Sitting on more than 130 acres, Villanova's campus has many athletic facilities, two dormitories, sports fields and trails, a gym, and tennis courts. The school is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association.
Contents
- A guided tour of villanova preparatory school
- Academics
- Resident Life
- Student life
- Patron saint
- The Augustinian Order in North America
- Athletics
- Football
- Frontier League Affiliation
- Controversies
- Notable alumni
- Notable staff members
- References
Established in October 1924 at the request of Bishop John Cantwell (John Joseph Cantwell), Villanova was founded by Augustinians invited to California from Villanova, Pennsylvania to open parishes in the early 1920s. Villanova is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association (ASEA) comprising eight secondary institutions in North America and over 100 schools worldwide. Villanova offers both a day and resident program and is the only co-ed Augustinian boarding school in the country. Villanova has a small chapel that holds mass every Sunday for both students and the public.
In 2015-16, student enrollment was 265. Thirty-four percent of students are boarders, and represent 14 different countries.
Academics
Villanova Preparatory School offers a college prep curriculum for grades 9–12. As of May 2015, Villanova is an International Baccalaureate World School, offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme for its junior and senior students.
Operating on the semester system, students take seven courses each year with classes meeting a minimum of four times a week with extended 80 minute periods on most weeks.
The curriculum includes four units of religion: Old Testament, New Testament, Morality and Social Justice, and Christian Vocations. Math, English, Foreign Language, Religion and Science courses are required for all four years in order to graduate. Three languages are offered: Spanish, Japanese and Latin. The school also offers eighteen Advanced Placement or Honors courses in other subjects such as Calculus, English Composition, English Literature, and US History.
Other graduation requirements include the completion of courses in: Fine Art, P.E, Health, Electives and a yearly completion of community service.
Resident Life
Villanova houses approximately sixty-five boys and thirty girls.
A majority of the boarding students come from Taiwan and South Korea, with a smaller number of students coming from China, Vietnam, Mexico, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, United States and other countries. In contrast, the non-boarding day students at Villanova make up about 70% of the student body. Roughly 50% are from the Ojai Valley, while the rest of the students come from surrounding cities such as Carpinteria, Ventura, Camarillo, Santa Paula, Oxnard, Somis, and Fillmore.
Student life
Villanova Preparatory school offers its students over 20 clubs, Student Government (ASB), all school Mass, Christian service program, Class Retreats, and Drama Productions.
Annually, Villanova holds Wildcat Day, a daylong pep rally where students compete in track and field games.
Patron saint
The school is named in honour of St. Thomas of Villanova, a sixteenth-century Spanish Augustinian. Thomas was born at Fuenllana in the diocese of Toledo, Spain, in 1488 and was brought up in Villaneuva de los Infantes, a nearby town; hence his name, Thomas of Villanova. In the year 1544, King Charles V of Spain appointed Thomas as Archbishop of Valencia. Thomas succeeded in the spiritual renewal of his diocese, and gained the title 'Father of the Poor'. He gave two-thirds of the income of his diocese to care for the poor in various ways. Each day up to 500 poor people came to his door to be fed and to receive money. Other English-speaking Augustinian Colleges named for this saint are St. Thomas of Villanova College in Ontario, Canada, and Villanova College, located in Brisbane, Australia. He is also the patron saint to the Catholic college, Villanova University located in Villanova, PA,USA.
The Augustinian Order in North America
The North American foundation of the Order was formed in 1796 when Irish friars arrived in Philadelphia. Michael Hurley was the first American to join the Order the following year. Friars established schools, Universities and other works throughout the Americas, also including Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania located just outside Philadelphia (USA) and Merrimack College (USA). Malvern Preparatory School was founded in 1842 alongside Villanova University, and by 1909 two Augustinian houses and a school had been established in Chicago, 1922 in San Diego, by 1925 this school; and Los Angeles; 1926 a school in Oklahoma; in 1947 a college in Massachusetts; in 1953 a school in Pennsylvania; 1959 a school in New Jersey and in 1962 a school in Illinois.
Athletics
Villanova offers 19 sports, and has had success particularly in its aquatics department and girls' tennis team. Its athletic director is Mr. Jon Wyers.
Fall Sports include: football, boys' water polo, girls' volleyball and girls' tennis.
Winter Sports include: boys' basketball, girls' basketball, boys' soccer, girls' soccer and girls' water polo.
Spring Sports include: baseball, softball, swimming, track and field, boys' golf, and boys' tennis.
Football
Villanova discontinued its football program in 1974, but it was brought back as an 8-man program in 2001. In 2004, the program went to 11-man as an Independent (non-league) Division XIII team, and went undefeated during the 2005 season. In 2006 the team joined the Tri-County Athletic Association (TCAA) as a Division XI team, and was placed in the Frontier League where it often competed against schools three to four times its size. Although outsized the Wildcats were always competitive and looking to expand when school administrative changes began to take place - and support for many of the school's athletic programs was dramatically cut or eliminated. The football program was hit the worst. By 2011 much of the original coaching staff and a handful of standout players had transferred to other schools. This resulted in many young, outstanding local athletes who'd originally intended to attend school and play football at Villanova (many who'd had older brothers play for the Wildcats) change their plans and go elsewhere - either to Saint Bonaventure High School in Ventura,CA or Nordhoff High School in Ojai, CA. The program never recovered, struggling as an 11-man program in the Frontier League through 2013. It is currently back to an 8-man program.
Frontier League Affiliation
All of the Villanova athletic teams have recently joined Frontier League.