De La Salle North Catholic High School


De La Salle North High School is a private, coeducational, Roman Catholic high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland. The school is located in the former Kenton Elementary school building, which is owned by Portland Public Schools; De La Salle has a long-term lease on this property at the corner of North Lombard Street and Fenwick Avenue.

Background

De La Salle North Catholic High School was founded in 2001. It is sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers and is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland/Western Oregon. The founding president was Matthew D. Powell. The current president is Tim Hennessy, and the current principal is Tim Joy. De La Salle was one of the founding members of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools, the first school after Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Chicago to follow this model. By 2017 there were 35 schools in the network.
De La Salle North Catholic exclusively serves the inner-city families of north and north-east Portland. An integrated Corporate Work Study Program pays for most of their tuition. Students attend class four days a week and work for a local company one day, gaining work experience, business contacts, and preparing them for education at a four-year college.

Activities

Clubs sponsored by the school include Anime, Art, Chess, Earth, Hiking, Poetry, Sci Fi, Spectrum, and Ski & Snowboard. Other activities include: cheerleading, Peer Helpers, Student Council, and Constitution Team. Service projects, retreats, and leadership opportunities are offered through the Campus Ministry department.

Sports

The mascot of the school is a kneeling knight. In 2004, after four years in existence, the De La Salle Knights' boys soccer team finished second in the Oregon 2A state playoffs of the Oregon School Activities Association. They defeated the Oregon Episcopal School Aardvarks in the regional playoffs, but then lost 0–5 to Catlin Gabel in the championship game. In 2017, the De La Salle Knights' boy soccer team reached the OSAA 3A/2A/1A semifinals but lost to Riverside Junior/Senior High School 4–0. In 2014, the Knights' boys' basketball team finished second in Oregon 3A state playoffs, losing to rival Valley Catholic. Reaching the state playoffs again in 2015, the Knights finished in 4th place. Then in 2016, the Knights' boys' basketball team finished second, losing to St. Mary's of Medford in the championship game.