Saint Louis School


Saint Louis School, located in the neighborhood of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for boys. It was founded in 1846 to serve the needs of early Hawaiian Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii. Located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Honolulu, it is affiliated with the Society of Mary, a religious order of brothers and priests called the Marianists who also administer Chaminade University of Honolulu, formerly the college section of Saint Louis School. It is located near Sacred Hearts Academy, a girls' school founded by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and both schools hold joint programs such as cultural festivals and the JROTC.
Notable alumni include NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Major General Joseph Caravalho.

History

Establishment

Saint Louis School was originally located in the Āhuimanu area of windward Oahu as the College of Āhuimanu, founded in 1846 by the Fathers of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In 1881, the school was relocated to Beretania Street, in downtown Honolulu, adjacent to Washington Place, the home of Liliuokalani, who was Queen of Hawaii from 1891 to 1893. When the school moved to downtown Honolulu, it was called the College of Saint Louis, named after the patron saint of Louis Maigret, Bishop of Honolulu. In 1883, the school moved again for a third time to Kamakela, on the bank of the Nuʻuanu Stream, near Chinatown, Honolulu. This remained the campus until the 1920s.
The high school and college sections eventually split up and the emblem for Saint Louis College can be seen above the door of the administration building of Chaminade University on the Chaminade/Saint Louis campus. Marianists assumed control of the school and determined a need to expand facilities to serve the burgeoning Hawaiian Catholic population, who included many Filipino immigrants. Because of the Marianist core mission to educate regardless of ethnic, religious, or fiscal means, the Order purchased land in Kalaepōhaku, a hillside division of Honolulu's Kaimuki community, to enable the school to better serve Hawaii. Kalaepōhaku opened in September 1928 as Saint Louis School.

Development

In the years following World War II, Saint Louis School re-evaluated its mission. Beginning in 1949, it dropped the lower grade levels one at a time, concentrating on a curriculum as a high school serving grades 9 through 12.
In 1980, it reinstated grades 7 and 8. In 1990, grade 6 was reinstated. The school created a middle school consisting of grades 6 through 8, operating independently within Saint Louis School. Grade 5 was reinstated and added to the middle school. In 2015 Saint Louis School announced its plans to expand again to become a K-12 school for the 2016–17 school year. The school currently provides for students from grades K-12.

Academics

Saint Louis School is fully accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It offers three distinct curricula.
Saint Louis School plays competitively in the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and the Hawai'i High School Athletic Association. Sometimes it fields members in the Pac-5, an alliance of Honolulu-area private academies.
As the state has no professional sports teams, high school teams in Hawaii are extremely popular with the public. Several generations of Hawaiian residents have become avid fans of Saint Louis School athletics, especially its football team. The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspapers have nicknamed Saint Louis School's team as Hawaii's Team; it has played in invitational tournaments throughout the world.
Saint Louis School also fields teams in bowling, cross country, kayaking, tennis, and water polo in the fall. In winter it competes in canoe paddling, basketball, soccer, swimming and diving, riflery, tennis and wrestling. In spring it competes in baseball, golf, judo, tennis, track, and volleyball.
Saint Louis has had a strong history in Football winning a total of fourteen Oahu State Prep Bowls, in 1983 and consecutively from 1986 to 1998. Continuing from 1998 Saint Louis went on to win the HHSAA Football Championship in 1999, 2002, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2019.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni include a large number of politicians, military personnel, and athletes, but few other professions:
Government
Captains of Industry & Community Leaders
Sports