Jesuit High School (Tampa)


Jesuit High School is a private, Catholic, all-male high school located in Tampa, Florida. Established in 1899, it operates independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg. The school teaches a college preparatory curriculum and has been named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
The Jesuit motto is Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam which means "For the Greater Glory of God." The school encourages its students to be "Men For Others," which is a student model derived from a famous 1973 speech given by Jesuit Father General Pedro Arrupe. Fr. Arrupe led the Jesuits in the transitional years after Vatican II, from 1965 to 1983, when the Jesuit order incorporated that Council's vision into its institutions.

History

Jesuit High School was founded in 1899 as "Sacred Heart College" and affiliated with Sacred Heart Parish, then a Jesuit-run parish. This was in downtown Tampa at the corner of Florida Avenue and Madison Street.
By the mid-1950s enrollment had exceeded the capacity of the original facility. Father Michael Kennelly, S.J., who served as the school's president and rector from 1953 until 1959, spearheaded a $600,000 capital campaign and the purchase of 80 acres of rural grazing land on Himes Avenue in West Tampa, where the school moved in 1956. Kennelly had obtained the necessary permits and designed the new campus, which he centered around St. Anthony's Chapel.
Jesuit High School had an enrollment of 245 students at the time of its relocation in 1956, and as of August 2015 had approximately 775 students. Jesuit has been rated first among all-boys schools in Florida and second among Catholic schools.

Curriculum

Jesuit's curriculum includes studies in mathematics, sciences, fine arts, language arts, foreign language, social studies, physical education, and, for all students, four years of theology. Of the more than 75 members of the faculty, five are Jesuit priests. The Jesuits serve in administration, teaching, and campus ministry. Daily Masses are in the Jesuit chapel at 7:30 am and 5:00 pm and a monthly all-school Mass in the newly built Chapel of the Holy Cross. School years begin with the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit. Those who are not Catholic or not Christian are welcome among the student body.

Athletics

The school won the FHSAA Boys' Athletic Program of the Year award in 1997–1998, and had the most state championships and places at state events in 1998–1999, 2000–2001, and 2005–2006. The school won the Tampa Tribune Athletic Program of the Year award in 2003–2004, and the St. Petersburg Times Athletic Program of the Year award in 2004–2005. Over the years the baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, soccer, and track teams have combined for a total of 19 state championships, with all but four of these titles occurring since the mid-1990s.
Jesuit also has a history of fielding strong wrestling and swimming teams, with numerous individual state champions in both sports, and most recently back-to-back, team state championships in swimming in 2017 and 2018. The school also won the Tampa Bay Times and the FHSAA Class 5A All-Sports Award for 2013–2014.
The Jesuit Tigers have also won two High School National Championships; baseball in 1997 and soccer in 2001. The baseball team has won five state championships and the basketball team three.
Jesuit has a tradition of talented coaches who have led their teams to post-season play and championships. These victorious coaches include "Wild" Bill Minahan, Dominick Ciao, Paul Straub, John Crumbley, Mike Boza, "Big" John Szponar, Bob Bauman, Neal Goldman, and Eric Sims.
Jesuit's baseball stadium, Paul Straub Field at Hyer Family Park, was declared the best high school baseball field in the country by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2011. The school's chief sports rival is the Crusaders of nearby Tampa Catholic High School.

Clubs and extracurricular activities

In 2013–14 Jesuit students gave more than 44,000 hours of community service as part of their mandatory service requirement.
The Speech and Debate Club has sent seven members to Chicago and a policy team to district nationals twice. Other clubs include SADD, National Honor Society, language honor societies, an award-winning Key Club, religious service group Agmen Christi, Don't Feed the Artists, "Jesuit Masque" drama troupe, and the Tiger newspaper and yearbook. There is a very active school spirit club, Blue Tide.

Facilities

To the north of the chapel are the cafeteria, fine arts building, and Jesuit residence. Classroom buildings surround the remaining sides of the chapel. The "Tiger Palace" can accommodate an audience of 1,400. The southeast portion of the campus is the home of the renovated athletic center, which was dedicated to alumnus and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Al López, and the library dedicated to Fr. Richard Hartnett, S.J. Recently, the chapel has been replaced by a larger one and plans are complete for a comprehensive multipurpose building with cafeteria and arts and theater rooms, in a $35 million project.

Notable alumni

Jesuit has graduated many political leaders, priests, teachers, physicians, journalists, scientists, attorneys, professional athletes, writers, scholars, actors, painters, engineers, entrepreneurs, and, according to Nick Suszynski, Director of Development, 15 judges. The Alumni Association commonly refers to the high school as "Tampa's largest fraternity."

Education, science, and medicine

Baseball