Mount Saint Joseph College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Saint Joseph High School | |
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| Location | |
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Baltimore, Maryland,  United States |
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| Information | |
| Authority | Archdiocese of Baltimore |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Affiliation(s) | Xaverian Brothers |
| President | Brother James M. Kelly, C.F.X |
| Principal | Mr. Barry Fitzpatrick |
| Students | 1065 students |
| Teaching staff | 88 full time teachers |
| Gender | Male |
| Type | Private, College Preparatory |
| Tuition | $10,300 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Campus | 33 acres |
| Athletics | 13 sports |
| Athletics conference | MIAA |
| Mascot | Gael |
| Patron saint(s) | St. Francis Xavier |
| School Colour(s) | Purple & Cream |
| Established | 1876 |
| Endowment | $4.5 Million |
| Homepage | http://www.msjnet.edu |
Mount Saint Joseph College, usually called Mount Saint Joseph High School, is a private, Catholic school located in western Baltimore, Maryland. The campus consists of 6 buildings on a 33-acre site located on the corner of Athol Avenue and Frederick Avenue in the community of Irvington. It was founded by the Xaverian Brothers in November 1876, making it, as of 2006, 130 years old. Today, Mount Saint Joseph is the site of the Xaverian Brothers Generalate, the headquarters of the Brothers in the U.S.
Affectionately called "The Mount,", "MSJ", "Mount Saint Joe," or simply "St. Joe", this all-boys institution serves young men from Baltimore City and County, Howard County, Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County and many other outlying areas. The school is currently attended by approximately 1050 students.
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[edit] Faculty
The Mount Saint Joseph faculty currently consists of 100 teachers, 6 guidance counselors, and one on-campus chaplain (Father Michael Murphy). The student/faculty ratio is 12:1 and the average class size is 20.
[edit] Administration
Current administration consists of:
- Brother James Kelly C.F.X., President
- Barry Fitzpatrick, Principal
- Dave Norton, Director of Studies
- Judy Kraft, Director of Staff Formation
- Brian Murphy, Director of Students
[edit] Athletics
In recent years, athletics at the Mount have become intertwined with student life. The school officially states that "athletics are helpful to the extent to which they aid in the development of the individual and of team spirit and, believing firmly that they make a very necessary contribution in both these areas for both participants and spectators, the school presents a very comprehensive program in fifteen different sports, intramural and interscholastic." [1]
All Varsity sports participated in the MIAA 'A' Conference include baseball, football, lacrosse, ice hockey (tier 1 and tier 2), track and field, indoor track (winter), cross country track, soccer, tennis, golf, volleyball, waterpolo, wrestling, swimming, and rugby. Many of these sports also have Junior Varsity teams and some even offer Freshmen (first years) only teams. Freshmen sports including basketball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, and football.
During the 2007 football season, the Gaels took home the MIAA A title for the first time in nearly ten years. During the 2005-2006 school year MSJ Varsity Basketball team completed a 38-1 season and earned a national top 5 ranking. The Gaels participate in the Baltimore Catholic League.
Several former varsity athletes from the Mount have gone on to play professionally.
[edit] School Colors and Mascot
The school colors are purple and cream. The mascot of the Mount is a purple Gael. Though the Gael is similar to Notre Dame University's mascot, it represents the school's Roman Catholic heritage. That heritage notwithstanding, Mount Saint Joseph College has a religiously and ethnically diverse campus.
[edit] Athletic Renovation
Recently, the school began a $17 million athletic renovation project which includes a new track, new football field, new stadium seating, a new field house, renovated baseball field, and a new gymnasium. This project will be completed around 2008.
[edit] It's Academic
The Mount Saint Joseph It's Academic Team finished its 2008 year in first place with an undefeated record, and went on to defeat Centennial and Howard High School in the finals of the televised game show. This marks the first time in 10 years that a school not from Howard County Public Schools won the televised game show. The team placed 2nd in the 2008 It's Academic Super Bowl held in Washington D.C.
[edit] Landmarks
The Tower - The centermost building on the campus and also the tallest and oldest. It holds a "shrine" for outgoing Seniors to sign before they graduate.
The Chapel - An award-winning building which can hold about 30 and contains its own tabernacle.
The Bridge - Installed as part of the renovation, the bridge provides a convenient walkway from the academic side of campus to the field.
[edit] Music
In 2008 the MSJ symphonic band took home 1's (the highest grade possible) in the Maryland Band Director's regional and state festivals under the conducting of Mr. Peters. These 1's were achieved on grade 3 pieces, the warm-up and non graded piece was movement 3 (Finale) from Angel Band, the two graded pieces were A Hymn for Band, and Russian Sailors Dance. This was the first time the MSJ band went to states and got 1's.
[edit] Drama
The 2008 spring musical was Anything Goes, a romantic comedy that takes place on the SS. American, a cruise ship. A notable piece of history, the 2008 musical's pit was made up of all alumni and students from Mount De Sales and MSJ.
[edit] Senior Privileges
- Senior privilege- As a senior at MSJ, one is allowed to leave early from school as long as he has no more classes. With the introduction of the rotating schedule for the 2008-2009 school year, senior privilege is tentatively set as being able to come in late or leave early depending on the schedule.
- Towards the end of the school year the seniors are allowed to enter the tower, something other students can not do.
- At the end of the school year seniors may take 2 weeks to do a project which gives back, in some way, to MSJ or the community.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Mike O'Connor '98 - Professional Athlete, Pitcher for the Washington Nationals
- Tommy Hannan '98 - Olympic Gold Medalist (2000 Olympics Sydney)
- Mark Teixeira '98 - Professional Athlete, First Baseman for the Atlanta Braves
- Rob Abiamiri '00 - Professional Athlete, Tight End for the Baltimore Ravens
- Gavin Floyd '01 - Professional Athlete, Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
- J.J. Outlaw '02 - Professional Athlete, Wide Receiver released by the Philadelphia Eagles on August 26, 2006
- Will Thomas '04 - Helped lead George Mason Patriots basketball team to the Final Four
- Jim Schwartz '84 - Defensive Coordinator, NFL's Tennessee Titans
- Rafael Alvarez - Acclaimed author and screenwriter. Wrote for the first three seasons of the award-winning HBO series The Wire and has published several short stories.
- James McFee Dorsey 1889 - Writer, Poet, Direct Descendant of Col. Edward Dorsey
- Gordon England '55 - United States Deputy Secretary of Defense and two-time Secretary of the Navy
- Robert J. Gerstung, Judge, District Court, Baltimore (1969-1999)
- Richard P. Gilbert, Judge, Circuit Court, Baltimore (1976-1990)
- George J. Helinski, Judge, Circuit Court, Baltimore (1982-1992)
