La Salle College High School

La Salle College High School is a Catholic, all-male college preparatory school located in Wyndmoor, a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. La Salle is within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and is located roughly 10 miles northwest of Center City. The school is staffed by a lay faculty and the Christian Brothers. Its sports teams compete in the Philadelphia Catholic League and the PIAA’s twelfth district.

La Salle College High School
Location
Map

, ,
19038

United States
Coordinates40°5′41″N 75°11′24″W / 40.09472°N 75.19000°W / 40.09472; -75.19000
Information
Former namesSelect School
Christian Brothers Academy
TypePrivate, Catholic, all-male college-preparatory school
MottoLatin: Virtus et Scientia
(Character and Knowledge)
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
DenominationRoman Catholic
Patron saint(s)Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
Established1858; 166 years ago (1858)
FounderDe La Salle Brothers
StatusCurrently operational[1]
CEEB code393370
NCES School ID01186933[1]
PresidentBro. James L. Butler, FSC
PrincipalJames Fyke
ChaplainFr. Anthony Janton
Faculty97.5(on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades912
GenderAll-male
Enrollment1,141[1] (2021-2022)
 • Grade 9313
 • Grade 10265
 • Grade 11290
 • Grade 12273
Student to teacher ratio11.4:1[1]
Campus size84 acres (34 ha)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s) Blue  &  Gold 
SloganEnter to Learn. Leave to Serve.
SongHail La Salle
Athletics conferencePhiladelphia Catholic League
PIAA
Sports
MascotExplorer
Team nameExplorers
RivalSt. Joseph's Preparatory School
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
National rankingBest Catholic High Schools in the US No. 123 of 1,144
PublicationThe Gazebo (literary magazine)
NewspaperThe Wisterian
YearbookBlue and Gold
School fees$460–$11,180[3]
Tuition$27,500 (2024-2025)[3]
Feeder toLa Salle University
Websitewww.lschs.org

History

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La Salle began in 1858 at St. Michael's School at 2nd and Jefferson Streets in the West Kensington section of Philadelphia. Initially the Select School, it was soon renamed the Christian Brothers Academy. In 1863, it became the preparatory school to La Salle College (now La Salle University). The prep school and college shared the same campus for nearly a century, moving once in 1867 to Juniper and Filbert Streets in the heart of Center City and again in 1882 to the mansion of Michael Bouvier, a prominent Philadelphia banker, located on North Broad Street near Girard Avenue. In 1929, La Salle moved to the university’s present campus in the Logan section of upper North Philadelphia. In 1960, the preparatory school moved to the former Belcroft Estate of Clarence E. Brown. In 1982, they formally became two separate institutions, with the high school forming its own board of trustees.[4]

Facilities

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La Salle is situated on an 84-acre campus. The grounds include the school building, which contains a cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium, student center, the Marian Chapel, a central courtyard, and a meadow featuring a grotto adorned by a shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes. Next to the school is the Christian Brothers' residence, a cottage built in 1927. The campus also includes seven athletic fields, tennis courts, and a four-lane swimming pool.

Curriculum

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The credits must satisfy the minimums in religion (4), English (4), mathematics (3), science (3), history & political science (3), world languages (3), physical education & health (1), innovation & design (1), and fine arts (.5). There are a variety of elective courses offered in core subjects as well as social science, innovation & design, visual art, and music. Students must have a minimum of 28 credits to graduate and are required to carry seven each year.[5]

Extracurricular activities

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Arts

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La Salle's band program consists of several bands, including the pep band, pit orchestra, jazz band, and the competition band, which features 20 musicians who compete at local and regional competitions each year. The choral program consists of a general chorus and a select ensemble called The Belcrofters. Both the band and choral programs perform two individual annual concerts in the fall and spring. Band and Chorus are scheduled classes, and private instruction is available for voice and various instruments.

Each year, La Salle's theatre program performs two productions in the fall and spring. The fall production is a collection of student-penned one-act plays while the spring production is a fully staged two-act musical.

Athletics

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La Salle is a founding member of the Philadelphia Catholic League and has competed in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association since 2009. It is the only school to have won a PCL Championship in every sport, capturing 271 PCL titles, the most among any school competing in the league.[6]

La Salle fields 47 athletics teams in 19 different sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, rowing, rugby sevens and fifteens, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. La Salle's student body boasts 339 multi-sport athletes, 108 AP Scholar-Athletes, and a 71% participation rate in athletics.[6]

Clubs

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La Salle sponsors over 50 student clubs in areas including academia, the arts, intramural athletics, business, culture and language, media publications, service, and special interests. Over 85% of the student body is part of at least one club or activity.[7]

The David Program

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The David Program, named in honor of Brother David Albert and Mr. David Diehl, is an additional academic support service for a limited number of college bound students with documented mild learning disabilities. Students who participate in the David Program have a scheduled period each day that focuses on developing strategies for academic success and empowering the learner. The program is centered around cultivating problem solving, study, organizational, and self advocacy skills. The David Program's student-to-teacher ratio is 2:1.

The David Program is a support service for an additional fee with limited openings each year. As of 2023, construction of an addition to the main school building is underway to expand the program.[8]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for La Salle College High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  2. ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  3. ^ a b "Tuition & Financial Aid". Admissions. La Salle College High School. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
  4. ^ "La Salle College High School: School History". lschs.org. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  5. ^ "La Salle College High School: School History". lschs.org. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ a b "La Salle College High School". lschs.org. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  7. ^ "La Salle College High School". lschs.org. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  8. ^ "David Program". Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  9. ^ "James J.A. Gallagher". Pennsylvania House of Representatives Archives. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  10. ^ "Jim Phelan". Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Bedesem inducted into sports hall". The Reporter. August 31, 2004. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Jack Bauerle, La Salle College High School Alumni Hall of Fame". UGA Today. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  13. ^ "La Salle College High (Wyndmoor, PA) -- Basketball, Catholic League Individual Scoring".
  14. ^ "Joe Webster". LegisState.PA.us. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  15. ^ "Fran McCaffery". Archived from the original on 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  16. ^ Layberger, Tom (7 October 2015). "La Salle product Winslow puts right foot forward at Pitt". The Times Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  17. ^ "Charles T. McIlhinney Jr. (Republican)". Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  18. ^ "John Butler '91 Inducted Into the Hall of Athletics". LSCHS.org. September 24, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  19. ^ Parks, Jessica (11 November 2015). "Mystery works for Montco poker champ". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia Media Network. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  20. ^ Rodemer, Vince (24 August 2016). "OLYMPICS: La Salle grad Tyler Nase represents U.S. in Rio". Montgomery Media. Digital First Media. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  21. ^ Abdallah, Khaled. "Toronto FC: Darius Madison Player Profile". Toronto Reds. Fan Sided. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  22. ^ Santoloquito, Joseph (June 7, 2017). "Is Matt Rambo the greatest lacrosse player to ever come out of Philadelphia?". PhillyVoice.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  23. ^ O'Brien, Rick (June 25, 2012). "Football: La Salle's Ryan Winslow commits to Pittsburgh". Inquirer.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  24. ^ Hunt, Donald (1 May 2018). "Local standouts to get their opportunity to play in the NFL". The Philadelphia Tribune. The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  25. ^ O'Brien, Rick (May 31, 2014). "La Salle's Shurmur commits to Vandy". Philadelphia Inquirer. www.Philly.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  26. ^ "Andrew Cossetti - 2022 - Baseball". Saint Joseph's University.
  27. ^ "Abdul Carter - 2023 Football". Penn State - Official Athletics Website.