Archbishop Curley High School

Infobox University|name = Archbishop Curley High School |
|motto = "Quis et Deus" (Who is like unto God?)
theme = Catholic Education in the Franciscan Tradition
established = 1961
type = Private high school
president = Fr. Michael Martin, OFM Conv.
principal = Barry Brownlee
Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs = Philip Piercy
Assistant Principal of Student Affairs = Josiah LaTona
Head of Admissions = Matthew Sunday
city = Baltimore
state = Maryland
country = United States
mascot = The Friars
website = [http://www.archbishopcurley.org/ www.archbishopcurley.org]

Archbishop Curley High School, is a Roman Catholic mens' high school located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore in the USA.. It is affiliated with the Franciscan religious order and is named in honor of Archbishop Michael J. Curley (1879–1947), who served as the tenth Archbishop of Baltimore, from 1921 to 1947. It was the first Archdiocesan high school in Baltimore established exclusively for the education of young men. It is also the brother school to the neighboring all-girl school, the Catholic High School of Baltimore.

History

The school was founded in 1960 under the leadership and direction of the late Archbishop Francis Patrick Keough. It opened in September 1961 with a class of 420 freshmen, and was dedicated on April 17, 1962, by Lawrence Cardinal Shehan, the successor of the late Archbishop Keough.

The school was designed by local architect Edward H. Glidden and is located on a 33 acre campus on the northeast edge of the City of Baltimore. The main three-story building contains classrooms, labs, administrative, guidance, alumni and development offices, two computer centers, a closed-circuit TV station, and the guidance resource center. Attached to the central structure are six wings that house the chapel, auditorium, gymnasium, student dining room, the library multi-media center, and the Friary, which is the residence of the Franciscan Friars at Archbishop Curley. Two smaller wings, added in 1987, house the music department facilities and additional athletic facilities. Adjacent to the building are several athletic practice fields, the baseball, soccer and lacrosse playing fields, tennis courts and the football/track stadium bowl.

Renovations

In December 1969, the Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Library and Multi-Media Instructional Center was dedicated. It was the first building in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to be named after Cardinal Shehan who had been a long time friend and supporter of the school.

During the 1986-87 school year a building program added a new music center, concert practice room, weight training room, wrestling room and concession area to the Curley facilities.

At the turn of the century, under the leadership of then-school president and 1970 alumnus Fr. Donald Grzymski, OFM Conv., the grounds were revamped with new fencing, a concession stand, and a new bowl stadium with terraced seating.

At the end of the 2004-2005 school year, the first phase of a major facilities renaissance was begun under now president and 1979 graduate Fr. Michael Martin, OFM Conv. The Friary was reconstructed to better reflect the number of religious living on the grounds and the balance of the space provided room for the relocation of the Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Library to the second floor adjacent to the academic wing of the building. The space previously occupied by the Library was renovated to house a new Fitness Center, with expanded weight training and wrestling room space.

A grant provided funds for a rehabilitation of the Auditorium seating and in the summer of 2005, further renovations funded by a capital campaign provided a new faculty dining room, a relocated bookstore, conference rooms and offices for the development director, athletic director and Alumni Association. The science labs, school roof, tennis courts, and student lockers were also rehabilitated. Recent renovations have included the Gymnasium, Main Office, Auditorium Lobby, and the Guidance Office.

In the summer of 2008, a second parking lot was added and the interior roads were renovated, reestablishing the Auditorium lobby as the main entrance of the school.

Future plans stemming from an aggressive capital campaign include a new baseball field (made possible from a land swap with the City), a Fine Arts center, a Field House practice facility, and a second Gymnasium.

Recognitions

Since its first graduating class in June 1965, Archbishop Curley has graduated more than five thousand young men. The Class of 2004 was Curley's fortieth. The school is accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The School Board received the Outstanding Board Award in 2007 from the National Catholic Educational Association.

Notable Programs

*Anthony Program - a regionally recognized remedial education program, recently reviewed by Johns Hopkins University.
*Franciscan Scholars - an honors program that offers students the opportunity to graduate with cum laude recognition on their Maryland state high school diploma.

Athletics

(Partial list of Athletic championships)

*Soccer - 2006 MIAA A-Conference Champions
*Football - 2003 & 2004 MIAA B-Conference Champions, 2006 non-conference Champions
*Cross County - 2005 MIAA A-Conference Champions
*Volleyball - new sport for fall 2007
*Wrestling - three 2006-07 MIAA weight-class champions
*Basketball - 2001-02 MIAA B-Conference Champions
*Indoor Track - 2005-06 MIAA A-Conference Champions
*Ice Hockey - 2006-07 JV MIAA B-Conference Champions
*Swimming - 1987-88 MSA B Conference Champions
*Lacrosse - 2007 & 2008 MIAA B-Conference Champions; 2005 & 2006 JV Champions
*Track & Field - 2005, 2006, & 2007 MIAA A-Conference Champions
*Baseball - 2001 MIAA A-Conference Champions, 1983 MSA Champions
*Tennis - 1997-99 MIAA B-Conference Champions
*Golf

Fine Arts

Instrumental Music
*Concert Band
*Jazz Ensemble
*Drumline
*Alumni Jazz

Choral Music
*Luminare Choir
*Schola
*MasterClass

Theatre
*Blackfriars Theatre

Connection with Franciscan Order

The School Board established by the Archbishop of Baltimore is responsible for the general operation and management of Archbishop Curley High School. The School Board has continued to entrust the administration of the school to the Franciscan Friars (Order of Friars Minor Conventual) of St. Anthony of Padua Province, who have staffed the school since its inception. In addition to the Franciscan Friars, the faculty also includes lay teachers.

tatistics

* Total Enrollment (2005-06): 621; Seniors - 132, Juniors - 134, Sophomores - 168, Freshmen - 187.
* Faculty: Conventual Franciscan Friars: 5; Laymen: 31; Laywomen: 10.
* Faculty - Student Ratio: 1:13; One faculty member per 13 students; 27 (over half) of the faculty have advanced degrees.

Administration

* President - Fr. Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv. '79
* VP: Advancement - Mr. Barry Stitz '87
* VP: Finance - Mr. Joe DellaMonica
* VP: Operations - Mr. John Kogler
* Principal - Mr. Barry D. Brownlee
*

*

* Athletic Director - Mr. Bill Dawson
* Guidance Director - Mr. John Offerman
* Campus Minister - Mr. Chris McCullogh
* Technology Director - Mr. Joe Jancuk
* Alumni Director - Mr. Jeremy Joseph '96
* Admissions Director - Mr. John Tucker '79

Notable Alumni

*Spiros Alafassos '88, serves as Executive Director of Communications for the Baltimore Orioles.
*Giuliano Celenza '97, member of the Baltimore Blast
*Nicholas D'Adamo, Jr. '76, serves on the Baltimore City Council, representing the 2nd district.
*Kwame Evans, standout Division I Basketball player at George Washington University. Ranks fourth on GW's all-time scoring list; twice named to the "All Atlantic-10" first team; helped lead GW to 3 NCAA Tournament appearances including the 1993 Sweet 16. He attended Curley during his freshman and sophomore years, 1987-88 and 1988-89 respectively.
*William J. Frank, '78, member of Maryland House of Delegates.
*Vincent J. Gardina '73, serves on the Baltimore County Council.
*William Goodwin '73 is the former Baltimore City Fire Chief.
*Peter Hammen '84 serves in the state legislature representing District 46 in the Maryland House of Delegates.
*Butch Jansen '79 holds international, national, and regional titles for Greco-Roman, and Freestyle Wrestling, Sambo, and Judo. Selected as a member of the "Olympic 200 Project" for being one of the top Greco-Roman wrestlers in the nation. 14x medalist in the International Law Enforcement Olympics and has been in law enforcement since 1981 and is currently a Corporal with the Aberdeen Police Department in Maryland.
*Christopher Marr '86 featured co-star of A&E Network's popular reality TV series "Airline".
*Byron Pitts '78 is a national correspondent for the CBS Evening News.
*Santino Quaranta, professional soccer player in Major League Soccer, attended the school his freshman and sophomore years as a starter on Varsity Soccer.
*Michael Ranneberger '67 current United States Ambassador to Kenya
*Barry Stitz '87 played as the captain of the Baltimore Blast and is now the head Varsity Soccer coach at Curley.
*John Tucker '79, is a 2003 inductee into the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame; he was a midfielder for Johns Hopkins University's 1984 Division I NCAA National Championship lacrosse team; was named to the U.S. Mens National Lacrosse team in 1986 and served as its Captain in 1990 and 1994. He played professionally for the Philadelphia Wings, winning two National Lacrosse League championships and a league MVP. Coach of Major League Lacrosse's LA Riptide. Served as the head coach of the West in the 2007 Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game.
*Glenn Williams '05, "Baltimore Sun" Metro Player of the year as a Senior, current defensive back for Duke University.
*Mike Lioi '08, Lacrosse goalie. Led Curley to the 2008 MIAA B Conference Championship and was the Championship MVP. He is the state of Michigan's first ever Division I Lacrosse signee. He currently plays for the Univeristy of Detroit Mercy.

External links

* [http://www.archbishopcurley.org School website]