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Gonzaga College High School

Gonzaga College High School is a Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, DC. The school is named in honor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century. Gonzaga is the oldest boys' high school in the District of Columbia and also is the oldest college in the original federal city of Washington.

History

Gonzaga was officially founded by Father Anthony Kohlmann, a Jesuit, in 1821, though there is some evidence the school began a few years earlier. It is the oldest educational facility in the original federal city of Washington and was at first called Washington Seminary, operating under the charter of Georgetown College (now Georgetown University), which was becoming too crowded for its space at the time. Gonzaga's original location was on F Street near 10th Street, N.W., in a building adjoining Saint Patrick's Church. The school was immediately popular among Catholic families and was well enough known in its early years to attract the attention of President John Quincy Adams, who visited the school to test the boys' Latin and Greek. However, there were financial problems that caused the Jesuits to withdraw in 1827: their order prohibited the charging of tuition for a day school youth education. Although it continued to be run by laity, Gonzaga did not come back under the control of the Jesuits until some twenty years later (with the ordinance regarding tuition changed) and President Zachary Taylor presided at the commencement exercises in 1849.

In 1858, Gonzaga was granted its own charter by Congress as a college empowered to confer degrees in the arts and sciences, which accounts for its name (Gonzaga College) to this day. Although some students did receive bachelor's degrees in the 19th century, Gonzaga no longer confers degrees, other than honorary doctoral degrees presented to commencement speakers or other notable guests. In 1871, the school moved to a building (now called Kohlmann Hall) in the Swampoodle area north of the US Capitol, just down the block from St. Aloysius Church, which had been built in 1859 and is now on the U.S. Register of Historic Buildings. Enrollment declined owing to the distance of the new neighborhood from the center, but the Jesuits persevered and by the end of the century the school was once again flourishing. A theater was built in 1896, and a large new classroom building (previously the Main Building and now called Dooley Hall) was opened in 1912.

The curriculum of Gonzaga from its founding until the late 20th century was at once rigorously classical and emphatically Catholic. Mastery of Latin and deep involvement in the Catholic religion were at its core. Standards were high, and many hopeful boys who lacked the necessary qualities for success were denied admittance. To this day, Gonzaga admits approximately one third of those who apply and challenges its students with rigorous academic requirements.

Gonzaga benefited greatly from the fact that the row houses built in Swampoodle were largely occupied by Irish Catholics from the late 19th century on. Although Gonzaga always drew students from other parts of the city as well, the departure of the Swampoodle Irish for the suburbs in the mid-20th century and more especially their replacement by poorer non-Catholics, brought on another period of difficulties. A decline in enrollment and the great inner-city riot of 1968 led some to suggest that Gonzaga should be closed, or moved to a more affluent area. However, the Jesuits once again persisted, and the school survived. In the last years of the 20th century, the school even expanded, adding several new buildings and a large playing field and field house. Today Gonzaga has regained its former status. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial referred to the institution as "the premier Catholic high school of Washington."

St. Aloysius

St. Aloysius is a parish church physically attached to Gonzaga. It was built in 1859. It is often used for school assemblies, masses, concerts, and graduation. The large painting above the altar is the work of Constantino Brumidi, who is famous for painting the frescoes on the interior of the dome of the US Capitol.

St Al's served as a Union army hospital during the Civil War.

Athletics

Gonzaga College High School Purple Eagles are the athletic teams representing Gonzaga College High School. Gonzaga currently fields seventeen different varsity teams, most of which compete in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Gonzaga's 2007-2008 varsity basketball season was most successful in the school's history. The team, which the Washington Post said had no stars, won the D.C. Classic, the WCAC Championship, the D.C. City Title, and the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament, finishing with a 34-1 record. Climbing the national rankings throughout the season, the Purple Eagles closed the season ranked 4th in the nation by ESPN and 10th in the nation by USA Today. The team also developed a massive following during the season, peaking with a cheering section made up of an estimated 500-600 students of the total 930 for the WCAC Championship game at American University vs. O'Connell.

An Eastern Motors TV commercial with Clinton Portis and others was filmed at Gonzaga's athletic fields. You can notice the school to the left of the field and the Gonzaga purple flag in the background.

The Gonzaga Soccer program is also ranked 27th nationally by ESPN, and won the WCAC title last year, beating their arch-rival DeMatha. The team is currently 4-0-0 and is looking to repeat.

Relationship with other schools

Gonzaga is considered rivals with DeMatha and Georgetown Prep. Their historic rival, however, is St. John's. The schools' football teams have been playing each other annually since 1893, in what is believed to be the oldest high school rivalry between two Catholic High Schools in the United States. In rowing, Gonzaga's rivalry with St. Albans School is annually contested for the Foley Cup with Gonzaga currently leading 3-2.

During the 14 year run of the City Championship Football series, 1948-1962, Gonzaga appeared 4 times: 1948 lost to Central 26-6; 1949 defeated Wilson 12-7; 1955 tied Cardozo 6-6; 1959 defeated Eastern 7-6.

Georgetown Visitation is the "sister school" of Gonzaga. Students of the two schools frequently attend each others' dances and athletic events and participate in school dramatic and choral productions.

Other clubs and activities

The Gonzaga Dramatic Association (GDA) - One of Gonzaga's oldest and proudest institutions, the Gonzaga Dramatic Association was officially formed in 1863 (though the school had been putting on plays for the previous forty-two years). There are two productions each year: a smaller comedy or classical play in the fall and a larger musical in the spring. The theater program is housed in the Gonzaga Theater (formerly known as Gonzaga Hall), which is the oldest continuously-operated theater in the District of Columbia (operated continuously since 1896).

The GDA has a rich tradition of drawing upon girls from all the region's schools to play the female parts in its performances. In its most recent production of Annie, the girls schools represented included: Georgetown Visitation, Academy of the Holy Cross, Oakcrest, Good Counsel, Woodrow Wilson H.S., Stone Ridge, Connelly School of the Holy Child, and O'Connell, as well as several home schooled girls. GDA actors and actresses often go on to accomplish great things in professional theater, and the Gonzaga Dramatic Association Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor these individuals (as well as those who continue to add to the theater at Gonzaga or elsewhere in their lives). The GDA inspires great loyalty in its members and five of eight current members of the production staff were involved in the GDA during their high school years.

It's Academic - Gonzaga's It's Academic Team has been solid in Virginia-DC-Maryland tournaments in the past several years. Additionally, they have made a good showing on the It's Academic television show on NBC, receiving third place in the 2006 final and winning in 1998. The team practices twice a week using practice questions that encompass geography, history, mythology, literature, art, and more. Their wins-losses in individual games have also been improving in the past few years; in the 2002–2003 school year the team went 80-26; in the 2003–2004 season they went 91-22; in 2004–2005 they went 110-27; and in the school year 2005–2006 they went 106-32 and finished as a quarter-finalist at PACE national championships. With the 2006–2007 season ending in June 2007, the team is now recouping to form another solid team for the 2007–2008 season. The team finished at 151-35 after competing in two national tournaments, where they placed tied for 5th and tied for 8th at the PACE-NSC tournament and the NAQT High School National Scholastic Tournament, respectively, leading to the best record and winning percentage ever attained by Gonzaga's team in one school year. Throughout the year the team also won the most tournaments ever won by Gonzaga's quizbowl team, winning prestigious tournaments at Princeton University and Yale University.

Speech and Debate - Gonzaga's Speech and Debate Team has competed mainly in Student Congress debate for many years. The team has gained prominence for the school's individual and group accomplishments. Among Gonzaga's greatest achievements is the team's victory for the Harvard Cup, which symbolizes the best overall effort on the part of one school out of the more than 100 schools that participate in the competition; furthermore, Gonzaga achieved the unprecedented feat of clearing four students to the finals of this tournament.

Community service

One important aspect of Gonzaga student life that sets it apart from that of other private schools in the area is the school's commitment to community service. Each senior must complete at least forty hours of service before graduation, and although there is no requirement for non-seniors, many students volunteer in programs like the McKenna Center, Food and Friends, So Others Might Eat, or other similar projects aimed at helping the surrounding community - including the Sursum Corda Cooperative, an adjacent DC neighborhood infamous for its violence and poverty. Gonzaga's emphasis on community service reflects its students' desire to carry out their school motto - "Men for Others." In 2005 Gonzaga became the first high school to participate in the Campus Kitchen service project, a program previously only on the college level.

Notable alumni

Over the years many famous men have passed through the doors of Gonzaga, including athletes, senators, congressmen, a governor, and Presidential candidates.