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Gonzaga College High School is a prestigious Jesuit high school for boys located in Washington, DC. The school is named in honor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century. Gonzaga is the oldest boys' high school in Washington, D.C.

Contents 1 History 2 Traditions 3 Sports 4 Rivals & sister school 5 Other clubs and activities 6 Community service 7 Notable alumni 8 External links

Gonzaga was founded by Father Anthony Kohlmann, a Jesuit, in 1821 and is the oldest educational facility in the original federal city of Washington. It was at first called Washington Seminary, operating under the charter of Georgetown College (now Georgetown University), and it was located on F Street, near 10th Street, N.W. in a building adjoining Saint Patrick's Church.The school was immediately popular among Catholic families and was well enough known in its early years to attract the attention of President John Quincy Adams, who visited the school to test the boys' Latin and Greek. However, there were financial problems that caused the Jesuits to withdraw in 1827: their order prohibited the charging of tuition for a day school youth education. Although it continued to be run by laity, Gonzaga did not come back under the control of the Jesuits until some twenty years later (with the ordinance regarding tuition changed) and President Zachary Taylor presided at the commencement exercises in 1849.

In 1858, Gonzaga was granted its own charter by Congress as a college empowered to confer degrees in the arts and sciences, which accounts for its name (Gonzaga College) to this day. Although some students did receive bachelor's degrees in the 19th century, Gonzaga no longer confers degrees, other than honorary doctoral degrees presented to commencement speakers or other notable guests. In 1871, the school moved to a building (now called Kohlmann Hall) in the Swampoodle area north of the US Capitol, just down the block from St. Aloysius Church, which had been built in 1859 and is now on the U.S. Register of Historic Buildings. Enrollment declined owing to the distance of the new neighborhood from the center, but the Jesuits persevered and by the end of the century the school was once again flourishing. A theater was built in 1887, and a large new classroom building (previously the Main Building and now called Dooley Hall) was opened in 1912.

The curriculum of Gonzaga from its founding until the late 20th century was at once rigorously classical and emphatically Catholic. Mastery of Latin and deep involvement in the Catholic religion were at its core. Standards were high, and many hopeful boys who lacked the necessary qualities for success were denied admittance.

Gonzaga benefited greatly from the fact that the row houses built in Swampoodle were largely occupied by Irish Catholics from the late 19th century on. Although Gonzaga always drew students from other parts of the city as well, the departure of the Swampoodle Irish for the suburbs in the mid-20th century and more especially their replacement by poorer non-Catholics, brought on another period of difficulties. A decline in enrollments and the great inner-city riot of 1968 led some to suggest that Gonzaga should be closed. However, the Jesuits once again persisted, and the school survived. In the last years of the 20th century, the school even expanded, adding several new buildings and a large playing field and field house. Today Gonzaga has regained its former status. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial referred to the institution as "the premier Catholic high school of Washington."[1]

Gonzaga holds several traditions still carried out by students today. These include:

• Students do not step on a mosaic of the Gonzaga Seal, one set in the floor Dooley Hall, and another in the much newer Collins Rotunda. Tradition states that students who do this will be "asked politely" by any seniors who witness the infraction to kiss the seal out of respect.
• The "Alma Mater" is sung at the end of every school mass, accompanied by an organ. It is also traditionally sung after every sporting event by athletes and fans alike...win or lose.
• Pep Rallies were traditionally held every Friday in the school quad from the steps of the old fire escape. Since the removal of the quad in 2002 they have been held outside of the Carmody Center or in the Old Gym.
• Almost every year, seniors have broken into the bell tower to carve their names. This has become somewhat of a tradition, much to the distress of the school's faculty and administration.
• Annually, Gonzaga's seniors have sought some public display of urging victory of their team over rivals, usually St. John's. Such displays have included banners hung in prominent areas such as on a fence outside of the Soviet Embassy, or at sports games in which a large banner is placed on the second tier of the stadium seats gaining national coverage, most recently at a Nationals - Braves baseball game.
  • Other displays have included pranks at St. John's such as releasing around 100 purple and white mice within the walls. This same prank was repeated before the 2006 Georgetown Prep game. One notable prank included coloring the Washington Monument purple and white by applying purple stage lighting gels--bought in England--to some of the lights around the monument at night, after inventing a "science project" to get approval from the authorities.
• Every year, the night before Thanksgiving, thousands of faithful alumni of Gonzaga gather in the Carmody Center. This tradition has come to be known as the Smoker because cigars are sold and, for this night only, smoking was allowed in the gym. This year's smoker will be the 112th Annual Smoker. Other local schools have adopted this tradition but it originated with Gonzaga.
• A newer addition to Gonzaga's long list of traditions is that of the "Spirit Stone." The stone is a piece of the original F Street location's foundation, found when a liquor store built over it was demolished. Today, the stone rests just outside the Breezeway, on a stand made of pieces of the old fire escape where pep rallies were once held. It is touched ceremoniously by athletes before leaving for each game.

Over the years Gonzaga has been known for its competitive sports program. Currently Gonzaga competes in the WCAC, one of the premier high school athletic leagues in the country. Gonzaga's main athletic field is named Buchanan Field after the family of alumnus Pat Buchanan. In 2005 the school installed Fieldturf on the field. One Gonzaga team that has shown particular success in recent years has been the Purple Eagle's Hockey team. Under the direction of Coach Paul Tilch, the hockey team won the MSHL (Maryland Scholastic Hockey League) championships three times in a row during the 04-05, 05-06, and 06-07 seasons, going undefeated in the last. Gonzaga's hockey team is considered to be the team to beat in the area. Gonzaga tennis also is considered one of the premier teams in the area, winning back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006 and compiling a perfect 18-0 record in 2006. The golf team also won back-to-back WCAC titles in 2005 and 2006 and also had a perfect season (10-0 in match play) in 2006, punctuated by its win at the Metro Championship. The Gonzaga rugby Team has always been a force, not only in the D.C. area (7 straight Potomac Rugby Union championships), but nationally. In years past they have placed as high as 3rd in the nation. The Cross Country team won WCAC championship in the fall of 2005 and finished second place in WCAC championship in 2006, while the track team were champions in the spring of 2005. Gonzaga is also the only school in the DC area to have a water polo team. Gonzaga is also known for its excellence in soccer, especially after winning three WCAC titles in a row ('00, '01, and '02) under the direction of Coach Don Smith. In 2006, the Eagles won their 4th WCAC championship in seven years against PVI 4-1. The football team traditionally represents the school's ideals from the outstanding players to the unrivaled spirit of the students during the games. They last won the WCAC title during their historical undefeated 2002 season in which they defeated arch-rivals St. John's and DeMatha twice. The basketball team is one of the best in the D.C. area, and, because it's led by two juniors and a freshmen, looks to have a bright future. The team has been nationally ranked in the early 2000s, but was somewhat disappointing in 2004 and 2005. The lacrosse team consistently reaches the WCAC Championship, but continues to suffer one or two goal defeats to rival DeMatha. Even though the school does not have a pool, the swimming and diving team had won its league championship five of the last seven years by 2007. In the 2002-2003 school year, Gonzaga's varsity sports teams were at their most successful: Many teams including football, soccer, basketball, swimming and diving, and rugby won the championships of their respective leagues.

Gonzaga is considered rivals with DeMatha and Georgetown Prep. Their historic rival, however, is St. John's, and the rivalry is considered one of the oldest between two Catholic High Schools in the United States. The football series dates from Gonzaga's 6-0 victory in 1921.

In crew, Gonzaga's main rival is St. Albans School. The two schools annually battle during the "God Cup" Regatta. Gonzaga has won in most categories since the event began.

Georgetown Visitation is considered by some to be the "sister school" of Gonzaga. Students of the two schools frequently attend each others' dances and athletic events and participate in school dramatic and choral productions.

The Gonzaga Dramatic Association (GDA)-One of Gonzaga's oldest and proudest institutions, the Gonzaga Dramatic Association was officially formed in 1863 (though the school had been putting on plays for the previous forty-two years). There are two productions each year: a smaller comedy or classical play in the fall and a larger muscial in the spring. The theater program is housed in the Gonzaga Theater (formerly known as Gonzaga Hall), which is the oldest continuously-operated theater in the District of Columbia (operated continuously since 1896).[2] The GDA has a rich tradition of drawing upon girls from all the region's schools to play the female parts in its performances. In its most recent production of Annie, the girls schools represented included: Georgetown Visitation, Academy of the Holy Cross, Oakcrest, Good Counsel, Woodrow Wilson H.S., Stone Ridge, Connelly School of the Holy Child, and O'Connell, as well as several home schooled girls. GDA actors and actresses often go on to accomplish great things in professional theater, and the Gonzaga Dramatic Association Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor these individuals (as well as those who continue to add the theater at Gonzaga or elsewhere in their lives). The GDA inspires great loyalty in its members and five of eight current members of the production staff were involved in the GDA during their high school years. [3]

It's Academic-Gonzaga's It's Academic Team has been solid in Virginia-DC-Maryland tournaments in the past several years. Additionally, they have made a good showing on the It's Academic television show on NBC, receiving third place in the 2006 final and winning in 1997. The team practices twice a week using practice questions that encompass geography, history, mythology, literature, art, and more. Their wins-losses have also been improving in the past few years; in the 2002-2003 school year the team went 80-26; in the 2003-2004 season they went 91-22; in 2004-2005 they went 110-27; and in the past school year, 2005-2006, they went 106-32 and finished as a quarter-finalist at PACE national championships.[4] So far this year, the team is off to a great start, currently at 97-16, won a prestigious tournament at Princeton, and on Saturday won yet another prestigious tournament at Yale, at which Ted Gioia won the individual scorer award, with more tournaments at high schools and colleges to go to. The current team is led by senior Theodore Jasper Gioia ("Ted"), and also consists of senior Colin Thomas Dolan Taylor, the standout sophomore Daniel James Puma, and junior Kevin William Leahy. There are also other members of the club who make up a B-Team, led by A-Team subs Patrick Stranix, Evans Mullan, and Brian Paul, which is brought to several local tournaments. It has been moderated for many years by Father Kenneth Meehan, a Latin scholar and movie connoisseur. [5]

Speech and Debate- Gonzaga's Speech and Debate Team has competed mainly in Student Congress debate for many years under the coordination and coaching of Mr. Mark McManmon. The team has gained prominence for the school's individual and group accomplishments. Senior Rohan Sebastian is the reigning two-time champion of the Washington-Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL), a two-time finalist at the Harvard National Congress, the 2006 champion of the Wake Forest National Earlybird, runner-up at the Barkley Forum for High Schools at Emory University, and the seventh place finisher at the 2006 National Catholic Forensic League Grand Finals for Student Congress held at Chicago. Among Gonzaga's greatest achievements is the team's victory for the Harvard Cup, which symbolizes the best overall effort on the part of one school out of the more than 100 schools that participate in the competition; furthermore, Gonzaga achieved the unprecedented feat of clearing four students to the finals of this tournament. Also, Sebastian, Ryan A. Shannon, and Patrick Sturm respectively earned first, third, and fourth at the 2007 WACFL regional championships. The team is led by Presidents Rohan J. Sebastian and J. Patrick Sturm and Vice Presidents John S. Connolly and Thomas A. Meyerson.

One aspect of Gonzaga student life that sets the school apart from other private schools in the area is the school's commitment to community service. Through participation in programs like the McKenna Center, Food and Friends, or other similar projects aimed at helping the surrounding community, Gonzaga students truly carry out their school motto of "Men for Others." In 2005 Gonzaga became the first high school to participate in the Campus Kitchen service project, a previously all-college program.

• John H. Bayly, Washington D.C. Superior Court Judge
• Don Beyer, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (Class of 1968)
• Pat Buchanan (Class of 1956)
• William Bennett, first "drug czar" of the United States (Class of 1961)
• Pat Conroy, Attended, did not graduate
• Curome Cox, NFL player for the Denver Broncos (Class of 1999)
• Greg DePaul, writer, co-wrote Saving Silverman (Class of 1984)
• Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize winning Author and Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College (Class of 1961)
• Michael Farquhar, Washington Post writer and editor with a special interest in history and best selling Author of "A Treasury of Great American Scandals" and "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" (Class of 1982)
• Phillip Finch, novelist
• Robert L. Flanagan, former Maryland Secretary of Transportation
• Stephen Furnary, Chairman and CEO of ING Clarion
• Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, Pulitzer Prize winner, sports editor, The Washington Post (Class of 1979)
• John Heard, Actor (Class of 1964)
• David Herold, hanged for participation in Lincoln assassination.
• Darryl Hill, first African American football player at the Naval Academy and in the Atlantic Coast Conference (Class of 1960)
• Lawrence Hogan, Maryland Congressman, (Class of 1946)
• Ronald Hunkeler, NASA scientist and inspiration for the movie The Exorcist (Class of 1954)
• Will Jerro, founder, ReliaQuote (Class of 1990)
• Malcolm Johnson, former professional football player for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers (Class of 1994)
• Michael Kelly, former Washington Post columnist, editor of The New Republic, and editor-at-large of The Atlantic Monthly (Class of 1975)
• Allen Kelinsky, corporate lawyer at Southern California Edison (Class of 1974)
• Raymond Kemp, Activist Priest
• Jim Kimsey, Attended did not graduate
• Lt. Cmdr. Erik S. Kristensen, Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan, June 28, 2005 (Class of 1990)
• Frederick Lawton, former U.S. budget director
• Francisco Letelier, son of Orlando Letelier, former Chilean ambassador to the US who was assassinated by a car bomb in Washington in 1976.
• John M. Loh, former Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, former commander of Air Combat Command (Class of 1956)
• Jon Morris, NFL player for the New England Patriots (Class of 1960)
• Lance Morrow, journalist and writer for Time Magazine (Class of 1958)
• Dr. Richard Mudd, grandson of Dr. Samuel Mudd, (Class of 1917)
• Roman Oben, NFL player for the San Diego Chargers (Class of 1990)
• Martin O'Malley, Former Mayor of Baltimore and current Governor of Maryland (Class of 1981)
• Eric O'Neill, former FBI operative who played a key role in the investigation and arrest of spy Robert Hanssen in 2001, and who was portrayed by Ryan Phillippe in the 2007 film Breach) (Class of 1991) [6]
• Johnathan Rice, Musician & Actor (Class of 2001)
• William Nathaniel Roach, Senator
• Charles L. Schultze, former chairman, United States Council of Economic Advisers, Bronze Star recipient, Purple Heart recipient, World War II (Class of 1942)
• John Thompson III, Head Basketball Coach at Georgetown University (Class of 1984)
• Sean Tuohey, founder, Playing for Peace (Class of 1997}
• Captain Humbert Roque “Rocky” Versace, USA, POW, Medal of Honor recipient, Pentagon Hall of Heroes inductee, Ranger Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 1955)
• Richard Wallach, mayor of Washington, D.C. during the Civil War (Class of 1823)

• Gonzaga College High School website
• Gonzaga Athletics
• Gonzaga Dramatic Association
• Gonzaga Crew Team
• Gonzaga Hockey
• Gonzaga Rugby
• Gonzaga Lacrosse
• Gonzaga It's Academic Team

Jesuit Secondary Education Association v • d • e

Institutional Constituent Members Arrupe Jesuit High School (CO) • Bellarmine College Preparatory (CA) • Bellarmine Preparatory School (WA) • Boston College High School (MA) • Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (IN) • Brophy College Preparatory (AZ) • Canisius High School (NY) • Cheverus High School (ME) • Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola (PR) • Creighton Preparatory School (NE) • Cristo Rey Jesuit High School (IL) • De Smet Jesuit High School (MO) • Fairfield College Preparatory School (CT) • Fordham Preparatory School (NY) • Georgetown Preparatory School (MD) • Gonzaga College High School (DC) • Gonzaga Preparatory High School (Spokane) (WA) • Jesuit College Preparatory School (Dallas) (TX) • Jesuit High School (New Orleans) (LA) • Jesuit High School (Portland) (OR) • Jesuit High School (Sacramento) (CA) • Jesuit High School of Tampa (FL) • Loyola Academy (IL) • Loyola Blakefield (MD) • Loyola High School (MI) • Loyola High School of Los Angeles (CA) • Loyola School (NY) • Marquette University High School (WI) • McQuaid Jesuit High School (NY) • Red Cloud Indian School (SD) • Regis High School (New York) (NY) • Regis Jesuit High School (CO) • Rockhurst High School (MO) • St. Ignatius College Prep (IL) • St. Ignatius College Preparatory (CA) • St. Ignatius High School (OH) • St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy (OH) • St. Joseph's Preparatory School (PA) • St. Louis University High (MO) • St. Peter's Preparatory School (NJ) • St. Xavier High School (Cincinnati) (OH) • Scranton Preparatory School (PA) • Seattle Preparatory School (WA) • Strake Jesuit College Preparatory (TX) • University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy (MI) • Verbum Dei High School (CA) • Walsh Jesuit High School (OH) • Xavier High School (NY) Institutional Associate Members Belen Jesuit Preparatory School • Loyola High School (Montreal) • St. Bonaventure's (St. John's, Newfoundland) • St. John's College (Belize) • St. Paul's High School (Winnipeg) • St. Ignatius High School (Haiti) • Xavier High School (Micronesia)