Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School
Address
17301 Old Vic Boulevard Olney, Maryland (Montgomery County), 20832
Coordinates	39°8′30″N 77°2′43″W / 39.14167°N 77.04528°W / 39.14167; -77.04528Coordinates: 39°8′30″N 77°2′43″W / 39.14167°N 77.04528°W / 39.14167; -77.04528
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Motto	Faciat Maria Nos Videre (Mary, make us to see.)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1958
CEEB Code	211-083[1]
President	Paul Barker
Principal	Patrick Bates
Asst. Principal	Chuck Ehrman Amanda Stortzum Gail Donahue
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1200  (2010–2011)
Campus	52 acres (210,000 m2)
Color(s)	Blue and gold
Slogan	"In today's world, the loving, good person, even alone, can make a difference."
Athletics conference	WCAC
Team name	Falcons
Accreditation(s)	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
Publication	The Austringer (literary magazine)
Newspaper	'The Talon'
Tuition	$16,550
Affiliation	Xaverian Brothers
Admissions Director	Kevin Collins
Athletic Director	Mark Jankovitz
Website	http://www.olgchs.org

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is a private, Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Olney, an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

Our Lady of Good Counsel is a coeducational school, covering grades nine through twelve, operated under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers. With a student body of just over 1,000, the school prides itself on the quality of its academic offerings including AP and IB programmes, faculty, students and community spirit. The school was founded in 1958 as a boys school, and in 1988 became coeducational.

The faculty comprises 200 teachers, counselors and administrators. In September 1993 and 2002, Good Counsel High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Secondary Education by the United States Department of Education. The school is fully accredited by the Middle States Association.

In the middle of the 2006–2007 school year, the school relocated to a new campus in Olney in Montgomery County, Maryland, about 7 miles (11 km) north of its previous location in Wheaton.

After a longstanding tenure at Good Counsel President Arthur Raimo will be retiring at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Mr. Paul Barker from the John Carroll School will take the helm as President starting July 1, 2011. The Principal for the 2010-2011 school year, John Yore, parted from the school at the end of the year. Former Principal and Athletic Director Patrick Bates will serve as interim principal for the 2011-2012 school year. A new principal will be appointed for the 2012-2013 school year.^[3]

Academics

Good Counsel High School offers both Advanced Placement courses and the International Baccalaureate Program (it was the first private school in its district that has the IB Program). The school labels the majority of their classes under the headings of Honors, College Prep, or Ryken. Ryken classes are geared towards students with mild learning disabilities; the classes are named after Theodore Ryken, founder of the Xaverian tradition of which Good Counsel High School is a part of.

The graduating class of 2010 was awarded over 18 million dollars in merit-based scholarships. Additionally, many students received the recognition of being either a National Merit Scholarship Commendent Students or a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention recipient.

Religious Life

As a Xaverian Brothers sponsored school, Good Counsel has an active campus ministry. Students are all required to take 4 years of religious studies classes, as well as participate in religious retreats (which focus on all sorts of issues – spiritual and secular). Masses are held on major religious holidays, with students taking part as altar servers or readers, and with the school's major choir (as well as faculty and staff) providing accompaniment.

All students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours each year, for a total of 100 hours upon graduation^[4].

Fine arts

All Good Counsel students are required to fulfill at least one art credit before graduation. However, many of the students in the arts programs are those who return every year to the program and advance through the different levels. Those seeking to fulfill just the one required credit enroll in what recurring students think of as classes largely intended for Freshmen (Beginning Percussion, Men's Choir, Art Fundamentals, Intro to Performing Arts, and Intro to Theater).

Good Counsel has a vibrant visual arts program. This begins with the Art Fundamentals course, and continues through a variety of other courses that focus on drawing, sculpting, and artwork in other mediums. The highest level art course offered is the IB Art course, part of the school's International Baccalaureate program. Students in IB Art have an exposition of their work for the IB examiners in Good Counsel's Gallery hallway every spring, and sit for the IB exam in May. All art students store their work in portfolios, which grow and develop over their years in the program.

The school has a myriad of musical ensembles. The regular school-day ensembles are the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, String Ensemble, Beginning and Advanced Percussion Ensembles, Honors Chorus, Mixed Chorus, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, and Liturgical Chorus Several other ensembles for students more interested in the music program meet after school. The Jazz Ensemble, made up of saxophones, brasses, and a rhythm section, meets twice a week and plays music from a variety of eras. The Falcon Marching Band, made up of a wind section and drum battery, plays at home football games, as well as playoffs and the WCAC Championship, should the team qualify. Past shows have included one featuring the music of Chuck Mangione, one celebrating the school's 50th Anniversary, a Latin show, and Michael Jackson, Journey, and other pop culture shows. Many of the students in Marching Band also participate in the Pep Band, a more low-key ensemble that plays at most of the home basketball games. The Chamber Choir was added to the after-school music program in 2010 to perform more modern, secular music than the other ensembles. It is known to be working on pieces from Jason Robert Brown's musical Songs for a New World. Each year (around April), the majority of the students in the Fine Arts department participate in a "Band/Chorus Trip" to compete against other bands and choruses from around the country. This trip is an opportunity for students to experience and observe the sounds and techniques of bands and choruses from other regions of the nation. Recent trips have taken students and teachers to Disney World, Virginia Beach, The Bahamas, Toronto, and Myrtle Beach.

The school also has a rapidly developing theatrical department. Although the school has consistently put on a couple of shows a year, it is only within in the past couple of years that Drama classes have become part of the curriculum. These include everything from Intro to theater to IB Theater. Previous shows produced include Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific, Lend Me a Tenor, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Cocoanuts, Charley's Aunt, Into the Woods, The Foreigner, and All Shook Up. The Theater Program has been working up a history of High Quality performances. The school does not currently have an auditorium so the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and more recently the Performing Arts Center at Sandy Spring Friends School have been used for performances. The school is in the process of raising the money to build an auditorium.

Extra Curricular Activities

Good Counsel houses 39, very diverse, extra curricular activities.^[5] They range in purpose. Some are intended for service and some are intended for those with joint hobbies.

Guitar Club The Guitar Club, a relatively new club at Good Counsel, has risen to success throughout the school. The club was created by students who wanted the opportunity to play guitar together. Recently, they have graced the community with performances at Large Communities and, in combination with the long-boarding club, a "Jam Sesh" on the front lawn of the school.

Speech and Debate Team The Speech and Debate Team, an old club at Good Counsel, had been revived and has been a strong force is the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL). The team was revived by Asst. Principal Chuck Ehrman who also serves as the current head coach. The team is also coached by Randy Mackiewicz, Colleen McNamara, and Dick Metrey. In 2011, the team won its 4th consecutive league championship, defeating teams from Maryland, Virginia, and DC. The Team has also been invited to participate in the Grand National Tournament with other top speakers across the country. The team also travels to many invitational tournaments including the Villager tournament at St. Joseph's University, the Sunvitational in Florida, and the prestigious Harvard Invitational tournament.^[6]

The Film Club The Film Club at Good Counsel was created by Patrick Philips, Molly Ryan and Andrew Hoag. The clubs original projects were assigned to them from various offices in the school including advancement and admissions. These projects were very successful, including the 50th anniversary video. Now the Film Club produces a news show twice a month called FNN or Falcon News Network. They also have many requests for filming and archival recording from the school athletic and arts department.^[7]

Athletics

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School believes that a truly comprehensive education challenges the whole person. They are proud of their superior athletic program, which is distinguished by both its breadth of its program and the performance of individual student athletes.

Under the guidance of Good Counsel High School's experienced coaching staff, their student athletes develop skills which will serve them well throughout their lives, including

• Teamwork
• Fairness
• Character
• Individual excellence

The school has many of the top ranked programs in the area. In 2009 the Women's Lacrosse team was nationally ranked and on top of The Washington Post's Top 10 list. The women's lacrosse team has won the WCAC championship the past 6 years. Also adding to their consecutive victories and with a pre-season ranking of #2 in The Washington Post is the women's volleyball team. The volleyball team is looking to add to their 4 consecutive WCAC titles. Not to be outdone is the school's women's soccer team - ranked #1 in The Washington Post. The 2010 squad may be the strongest in school history. This program is looking to return to the top of the WCAC and add to their 8 WCAC championships. Also prominent is the women's basketball team who took home the WCAC championship for the 4th time in the past 6 years.

On October 2, 2008 Our Lady of Good Counsel defeated rival DeMatha 42-21 in football in a game aired on ESPN2. Caleb Porzel '09 scored 3 touchdowns and Jelani Jenkins '09 (#4 recruit in nation) scored 2 touchdowns. When the two teams met yet again in the 2008 WCAC Championship football game, the outcome was quite different, and the Falcons found themselves in second place to the DeMatha Stags for the fifth year in a row. The win was the Stags' sixth straight conference championship.

On Saturday, November 21, 2009, before a crowd of 7,000 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, history was made for GC as they handed DeMatha their only loss in the 2009 season. The Falcons, having never won the league title and losing five consecutive championship games to the Stags, decisively beat DeMatha, 14-7. The Falcons were led by senior Louis Young who caught the winning touchdown and intercepted two passes in the second half. However, the entire GC defense was recognized as the force that shut down DeMatha's offense, ending the Stag's championship winning streak.

For Head Coach Bob Milloy, who spent nine years attempting to bring home the three foot trophy, finally receiving his cherished WCAC title to go along with his Maryland-record eight public school championships, was an end to a long climb. He knew this was no easy task against the nationally ranked Stags. “This is the hardest. Beating these guys is no day at the park – by far the hardest of all,” said Milloy. “Nothing worth anything is easy. They’re just terrifically talented and well-coached. It’s a real feather to beat those guys.”

Good Counsel has been extremely successful in other sports including swimming, baseball, basketball, and track and field.

Good Counsel has also experienced a resurgence in baseball winning conference championships in 2006 and most recently 2010 against arch rival Dematha. Good Counsel finished its 2010 season ranked #1 in the state of Maryland. It has posted three players in of the year in the last decade in Brad Taylor, Steve Ulaky and Jake Taylor.

GC is also the home of a distinguished swim team which features Jack Conger and Sarah Hasse, both nationally ranked swimmers. Both the men and women are traditionallly among the best in the Washington area. The women's team won 13 straight Metro titles from 1997 to 2009.

Rivals

Good Counsel's most notable men's rival is DeMatha, an all boys school, with whom they compete fiercely in several sports, including football, wrestling and swimming.

The women's primary rival is Holy Cross, which is an all girls school. They compete closely with them in basketball, field hockey, soccer, and softball.

Notable alumni

• Rick Yune '89 – Actor, The Fast and the Furious and Die Another Day (James Bond villain), Graduate of the Wharton School (Penn).
• Mark Povinelli '89 - Actor, Water for Elephants (2011 film), Modern Family, Cold Case, Graduate of Miami University.
• Zach Hilton '98 – Former NFL player. Played with the New Orleans Saints 2003–2005 and the New York Jets 2006. Graduated from the University of North Carolina
• Roger Mason '99 – Currently plays in the NBA for the New York Knicks. Graduated from the University of Virginia
• Kevin Blackistone '77 – Columnist, Dallas Morning News; Panelist, ESPN Around The Horn
• James Gist '04 – Currently plays for the Serbian professional basketball club KK Partizan. Graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park
• Oscar Santana – Washington D.C. radio personality WJFK-FM
• Al Checchi '66 – Former Chairman of Northwest Airlines and California Gubernatorial Candidate
• Tarik El-Bashir '91 – Journalist, Washington Post Washington Capitals beat writer
• Rev. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., Ph.D. '65 – President, Loyola Marymount University
• Tom Johnson '76 – Chief Executive Officer, Aeropostale, Inc.
• Marty Hurney '74 – General Manager, Carolina Panthers
• Chas Gessner '99 – Professional football player, member of 2003 Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots
• John M. Kane '79 - Former chairperson of the Maryland Republican Party, late 2002-late 2006.
• Lindsay Murphy[1] '00 - Sports Anchor for WTTG-Fox 5 in Washington, DC.
• Dennis O. Kane '83 - Founder, President and CEO, KANE Construction, Inc.
• Richard Jeanneret '79 - Vice Chairman, Ernst & Young, LLP

Military Casualties

Marine Sgt. James R. McIlvaine, 26, Olney, MD.; died^[when?] while supporting combat operations in Anbar province; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, California.

External links

• Official website
• Construction Plans

Notes and references

1. ^ "Code Search". The College Board. 2010. http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-code-search. Retrieved September 12, 2010. 
2. ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". http://www.css-msa.org/search.php/. Retrieved July 31, 2009. 
3. ^ http://www.thesentinel.com/mont/yore
4. ^ http://www.olgchs.org/teachers/student-service/requirements.htm
5. ^ http://www.olgchs.org/page.cfm?p=542
6. ^ http://www.olgchs.org/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=276
7. ^ http://www.olgchs.org/uploaded/Counselor_Magazines/SpringCounselor2011FINALsmall.pdf

• http://www.olgchs.org/aboutgc/history.php