Iona Preparatory School
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| Established | 1916 |
|---|---|
| Type | Parochial Secondary |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| President | Maureen Kiers |
| Principal | George F. Teasdale |
| Students | 750[1] |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | New Rochelle, New York, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Maroon and Gold |
| Mascot | The Gaels |
| Newspaper | 'The Gael Force' |
| Website | Iona Preparatory School (official) |
Iona Preparatory School is an all-boys National School of Excellence Catholic high school located in New Rochelle, NY in suburban Westchester County. Named for the Scottish island of Iona, the school was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1916. Current enrollment is approximately 750 students in grades 9 through 12.
The school has also earned a blue ribbon award. The school is widely considered one of the best secondary schools for young men in the area.
Iona Prep is a brother school to the local The Ursuline School.
To gain admission, students are required to write the ISEE, SSAT, or TACHS.
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[edit] Academics
Iona Prep's curriculum is largely based on the humanities. It is required that each student takes four years of math, science, religion, and history. Students must also take three years of a foreign language, and a year of humanities (art and music). Seniors have a choice with electives in selecting many of their classes, and have the option of taking honors or AP classes if they qualify academically. Also, in order to graduate, each student in grade 9-11 must spend a day of community service. Seniors must assist their communities for a much longer period of time.
[edit] Extracuricular Activities
Iona Preparatory has a wide range of afterschool activities for it's students including clubs for those interested in sci-fi movies, video games, anime, and many others. Iona is also known for its excellent speech and debate (forensics) team. In 1999, Iona Prep was the National Forensics League Champion, and had multiple national champions in multiple events. There are also heritage societies along with acting and stage crew and film club. There are also a number of service clubs such as Best Buddies, Habitat for Humanity, and the Midnight Run.
[edit] Football history
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
One of Iona Prep's most famous alumni is Alex Raymond, the creator of the Flash Gordon comic strip. Raymond won an athletic scholarship to the Prep and was a fullback on coach "Turk" Smith's 1926 team that compiled a 5-2-1 record. The "Maroon Marauders" first undefeated, untied season occurred in 1931, when Buck Freeman directed the Gaels to an 8-0 record. The Prep's star player that year was Joe Hoctor, who was nicknamed "The Haunt from Haag." During the 1932 season, the Gaels had a 17 game winning streak snapped by New Rochelle High School on Thanksgiving Day, as the Huguenots prevailed, 14-0. Joe Hoctor had an 82-yard scoring dash voided on the game's opening play (the referee said that he didn't blow his whistle to start play). Iona Prep had the best football teams in the school's history between 1943 and 1948, when the Gaels lost only two games in six seasons. Ken Germann was Westchester County's first "Coach of the Year" in 1946 as the Gaels went 8-0 and defeated Georgetown Prep 66-18 at the end of the season. Iona Prep's star player during the undefeated 1947 season was Bob Sexton, who returned to the Prep in 1958 as a teacher and coach. Sexton died at age 33 in December, 1962 during open heart surgery. The "Most Typical Ionian" award, named in honor of Bob Sexton, has been an annual presentation since 1963. One of the most historic games in the history of Iona Prep football took place during the 1951 season, when Blessed Sacrament upended the Gaels for the first and only time in a 13-7 thriller that was played at Memorial Field in Mt. Vernon. When the Catholic High School Football League was organized in 1954, Iona Prep was the first recipient of the championship as they went undefeated in the league behind the talented play of scatback Lew Leone. Noted golf instructor Butch Harmon played on Iona Prep's JV team in 1958 before he transferred to New Rochelle High School the following year. Harmon was also named MVP of the 1961 Turkey Bowl when he scored both TDs for NRHS as the Purples prevailed, 14-0. Fullback Dick Licini starred on the Gaels' 1963 team that went 5-2-1 and upended NRHS 19-7 on Thanksgiving morning. The Prep's last undefeated, untied championship season was in 1967, when the squad was directed by ace quarterback Howie Burke, who was rated the best signal-caller in the metropolitan area that year. Iona coach Renzie Lamb was honored as "Coach of the Year" for 1967. Iona Prep also won the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) title in 1971 with a 7-1 record under the tutelage of Rudy Augustin. The Gaels' last league championship was in 2004.
Iona Prep formerly played New Rochelle High School annually on Thanksgiving Day in a rivalry game called the "Turkey Bowl." This tradition ended with the advent of postseason play and the New York State Championships that are held in the Carrier Dome, in Syracuse.
[edit] Athletics
In addition to the Gaels' great success on the gridiron, the school is known as a sports powerhouse in many other different athletic areas. The school has won numerous golfing championships. The school has been dominant in the CHSAA hockey league, only losing two league games, and consistently being ranked on the Journal News' Top 5 teams. The basketball team has begun resurging this year, now atop the league standings. Its baseball team is one of the best in the area, and both the varsity and junior varsity lacrosse teams are one of the best in the state. The school has also recently added rowing and wrestling, with great success in both. Both teams have experienced victories over rival Fordham Prep. The wrestling team has numerous young stars and the rowing team is very promising. The Hockey team had a very successful run in the 2007-08 season, as they won the regular season championship, as well as the CHSHL championship 3-2 in OT in a best-of-three series over arch-rival Archbishop Stepinac High School.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Frank Abagnale 1966, Notorious perpetrator of bank fraud in the late 1960s. Portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie Catch Me If You Can.
- Dick Ambrose 1971, NFL Player, Cleveland Browns
- Louis R. Cappelli 1969, real estate developer
- Tommy Dreamer 1988, WWE & ECW pro wrestler.
- Bud Cort 1966, actor, best known for his work in Harold and Maude
- Nick Gregory 1978, television weatherman on Fox 5 News in New York
- John Mara 1972, co-owner of NFL's New York Giants
- Don McLean 1963, musician, best known for the 1971 song, "American Pie"
- Tommy Mottola 1967, Sony executive, ex-husband of Mariah Carey
- Alex Raymond 1927, creator of Flash Gordon comic strip
- Brian Slocum 1999, Major league baseball player, pitches for the Cleveland Indians
- Rob Spence 1978, Current Offensive Coordinator, Clemson University, widely considered top coordinator in College Football. He is also a former player and coach of the Iona Prep football team.
- Donald Spoto 1959, biographer and historian. He has written books on Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, and Alfred Hitchcock, among others
- PJ Zocchi 2003, baseball player, Clemson University. Currently playing with the Cleveland Indians organization.
[edit] References
- ^ Statistical information gathered from Iona Prep's official site's Iona Prep Quick Facts page.
