St. Anselm's Abbey School

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Coordinates: 38°56′46″N 76°59′11″W / 38.94611°N 76.98639°W / 38.94611; -76.98639
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This article is about the school in Washington D.C.. For other uses, see St. Anselm's School.

St. Anselm's Abbey School
Address
Map
4501 South Dakota Avenue, NE

Washington, D.C.
20017

United States
Coordinates38°56′46″N 76°59′11″W / 38.94611°N 76.98639°W / 38.94611; -76.98639
Information
TypePrivate, selective, all-male
MottoPax in Sapientia
("Peace in wisdom")
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1942 (82 years ago) (1942)
School districtArchdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools[1]
CEEB code090155
PresidentFr. Anthony Giampietro, CSB
HeadmasterJohn Corrigan
Head teacherDaniel F. Attridge
ChaplainFr. Samuel Springuel, OSB
Faculty41
GradesForms A - VI (grades 6–12)
Enrollment255 (in 2019-2020)
CampusUrban
Color(s)Maroon and silver
  
Athletics conferencePotomac Valley Athletic Conference
MascotPanther
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
NewspaperThe Priory Press / The Panther
YearbookThe Priory Perspective
Tuition$29,800-30,800
AffiliationsBenedictine
Websitewww.saintanselms.org

St. Anselm's Abbey School is an all-boys preparatory school for grades six through twelve in Washington D.C., United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The school sits on a 40-acre wooded campus in the Michigan Park neighborhood of the city's Northeast quadrant. It is run by the Benedictine monks of Saint Anselm's Abbey.

History

The Abbey Shield

The school was founded in 1942 as the Priory School by Fr. Thomas Verner Moore, OSB, the superior of what was then St. Anselm's Priory. The Priory School opened on September 15, 1942 with just 18 students. Although the school began as a high school, the 7th and 8th grades (known as Form I and Form II, respectively) were added in 1955.

The school was renamed St. Anselm's Abbey School in 1961, when the monastery was elevated to the status of an abbey. A 6th grade, known as Form A, was added in 1990 following a major expansion of the school's academic building. In 2003, the school completed a $9 million athletic and performing arts complex. This included the construction of a state-of-the-art athletic facility and gymnasium, as well as the conversion of the old 1945 gym into the Devine Performing Arts Center, containing classroom space, faculty offices, and a theater with seating for 400.

Academics

An entrance exam is required. The school attempts to create an academically challenging curriculum that offers classes in a range of subjects, including 26 Advanced Placement courses.[3] In 2020, roughly one-third of the graduating class achieved commendation or higher honors from the National Merit Scholar program. The average combined SAT score was over 1400. In 2020, 54% of the 37 graduates achieved the AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, or National AP Scholar level as defined by the Advanced Placement Program.[4]

Each student who has graduated from St. Anselm's Abbey School since its founding has been accepted to and attended an accredited four-year college or university.[5] For the three-year period from 2018 to 2020, the five most popular destinations for St. Anselm's graduates were Boston College, University of Notre Dame, the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Virginia, and the College of William & Mary.[citation needed]

The school's curriculum emphasizes classics and is somewhat idiosyncratic. Grades are called "forms", in accordance with the British school system. In addition to six years of science and four years of a spoken language (either French, Spanish, or Arabic), four years of Latin are required. Ancient Greek is also offered as an elective for students in the Upper School. As in many other religious schools, theology is also a required course each year.

The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.

In a December 2006 online discussion, Washington Post columnist and Challenge Index creator Jay Mathews said, "Saint Anselm's Abbey in NE D.C. has one of the highest ratings in the country, far above most private schools I know."[6] Following up in June 2011, Mathews declared that had he included private schools on his "Challenge Index", St. Anselm's Abbey School would have "a rating of 7.250 and a national ranking of 27th if [he] put it on the list. On the Washington area list it would have been No. 1."[7]

The Baltimore Sun has called St. Anselm's "one of the country's premier college preparatory schools."[8] In August 2017, Town & Country listed St. Anselm's as one of the top 10 Catholic high schools in the country.[9]

Class sizes are 10-20 per class. The school's student-to-faculty ratio is approximately 7:1. Classes are smallest in the Upper Division (Forms V and VI), and graduating classes are typically made up of 40 or fewer students.

Campus and facilities

The St. Anselm's academic building

The school's campus is approximately 40 acres (16 ha) atop a hill in Washington, D.C., and includes the monastic building of St. Anselm's Abbey, an academic building, and an athletics/performing arts complex. The campus contains several tennis courts, athletic fields, batting cages, a cemetery and woodland areas.

The academic building underwent a renovation in 2008. A lecture hall with a stage and multimedia capabilities was completed. An earth science lab was completed, providing more space for experimentation in the science department. With its completion, the number of labs available to students is four, one for each of the major sciences. The largest and most noticeable upgrade is to the school entrance, which now has a new reception area and office space for student-teacher consultations. The rest of the school also received technological upgrades, including the installation of SMART Boards in most classrooms.

Athletics

Students cheer on the Panthers at the 63rd Annual Invitational.

St. Anselm's competes in the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference at the middle school and varsity levels in several sports each season. During the 20-year period from 2000 to 2020, the Panthers won 35 conference championships in basketball, soccer, baseball, tennis, cross country, swimming, and track and field.[10]

St. Anselm's has hosted the longest-running high school basketball tournament in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.[11] The St. Anselm's Invitational has been a tradition at the school since 1948.[citation needed]

Student life

The It's Academic team is nationally ranked, with members often participating in televised quiz bowl tournaments hosted at various schools.[12]

The high school newspaper, The Priory Press, and the yearbook, the Priory Perspective, are student-run and contributed to by the junior and senior classes. The Panther, the middle school newspaper, is also student-run.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

See also

References

  1. ^ "Find a School". Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.
  2. ^ MSA-CESS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  3. ^ Academics & Curricula - Course of Study
  4. ^ Class of 2011 Excels on AP Exams
  5. ^ College Acceptances
  6. ^ Mathews, Jay. "Challenge Index." Live Online Discussion. WashingtonPost.com
  7. ^ Mathews, Jay. "Class Struggle: Numbers that private schools fear." WashingtonPost.com
  8. ^ Willis, Laurie. "St. Frances students to get advanced courses via satellite." Baltimore Sun, August 30, 2000, pg. 3B. Baltimore Sun
  9. ^ "These Are the Top 10 Catholic High Schools in the Country". Town & Country. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  10. ^ Athletics.
  11. ^ St. Anselm’s to Host 64th Annual Basketball Invitational
  12. ^ Corbie Chronicle, Fall 2009 Page 9.

External links

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