| Marian Catholic High School | |
|---|---|
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| Motto | Veritas ("Truth") |
| Established | 1958 |
| Type | Private coeducational secondary |
| President | Sr. Mary Paul McCaughey, O.P. |
| Principal | Sr. Kathleen Anne Tait, O.P. |
| Students | 1573 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA |
| Colors | Black, White and Vegas Gold |
| Mascot | Spartans |
| Website | www.marianchs.com |
Marian Catholic High School is a co-educational, college preparatory secondary school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.
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Overview
Marian Catholic High School was founded in 1958 by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield on 72 acres of land located on the corners of Ashland Avenue and Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights, Illinois. The address of the school and convent was 666 Ashland Avenue until the city changed the address to 700 in the fall of 1991 following requests from the administrators. The Marian student body has more than 1,570 students from 70 communities in Illinois and Northwest Indiana. There are 115 members[clarify] on staff. The faculty is composed of 13 Dominican Sisters, 42 laymen and 41 laywomen whose full-time equivalence combines[clarify] to provide a faculty-student ratio of 1:18. More than 80% of Marian Catholic High School teachers have an advanced[clarify] degree. The average ACT score for our college bound students is 24.6 with 100% participating in the testing. More than 99% of the Class of 2007 are attending a college or university. Marian's Courage to Lead Capital Campaign began in 2005 and has generated funds for the Marian Catholic High School Leadership Center and the Robert Bergstrom Weight Room. The Campaign encompasses building projects, student scholarships and professional development. The Courage to Lead Campaign is designed to include the entire Marian Catholic community. The Marian Catholic Leadership Center opened in August of 2007 and is housed in a 15,000 square foot state of the art facility. It includes a Student Union, cafeteria and space for guest speakers and meetings. The building provides a space for development of Marian's exclusive Leadership Program which began in 2004. Marian in currently in the process of reviewing student drug testing, if approved by the administrative board the guidelines will be posted on the website mid-2008. The proposed policy involves taking a strand of hair randomly from each student. If the student is found to be positive for drugs they will have 100 days to clean up. At the end of the 100 day period Marian will re-test them and if positive, they will be expelled. However, this policy is still in the developmental stages and could be changed before the final policy is posted on the website in the spring. Marian currently has a strict no-tolerance policy, but is proving unsuccessful. The first step in their student drug testing began this year with random alcohol level tests at Marian sponsored events. Marian parents, students and alumni are sharply divided in their reviews of this policy.
Athletics
Marian Catholic High School offers the following sports:
- Men and Women's Fencing
- Men's Football
- Men's and Women's Soccer
- Men and Women's Cross Country
- Men and Women's Basketball
- Men's Wrestling
- Men and Women's Golf
- Men and Women's Tennis
- Women's Swimming
- Women's Cheerleading
- Women's Softball
- Men's Baseball
- Men and Women's Track
- Men's and Women's Volleyball
- Women's Water Polo
- Men's and Women's Lacrosse
Band program
The Marian Catholic High School band program has established itself as one of the premier concert and marching bands in the United States. Over the years, the marching, concert and auxiliary programs have earned hundreds of awards and honors, including an unprecedented seven Bands of America National Championships (1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1997, 2000), numerous regional and national class titles and has been undefeated in their class at the Illinois State Championship since 1980. This streak is unprecedented in any arena. The marching band is also a five-time Bands of America Summer National Champion (1984-1988). Marian's Band has made BOA National Finals every year since their first appearance in 1984, the longest streak of its kind.
The band is directed by BOA and Marian Catholic Hall-of-Famer Greg Bimm and assisted by Bobby Lambert.
Notable Alumni
- Shonda Rhimes - creator of the TV show Grey's Anatomy
- Colin Egglesfield - actor on the soap opera All My Children
- Rodney Harrison - standout defensive back for the New England Patriots (Formerly San Diego Chargers)
- Brenna Kyner - Minneapolis, Season Six American Idol reject.
- John Holecek - former NFL Linebacker Buffalo Bills,San Diego Chargers
- Keith Waznonis - former QB for XFL Orlando Rage
- Mike Prior - former NFL Defensive Back Green Bay Packers
- Robert Velo - American Film Producer and Film Financier "Lovewrecked" "Hotel Caledonia" "Slaughter High"
