This article is about the high school in Chicago. For the similarly-named high school in San Francisco, USA see St. Ignatius College Preparatory.

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St. Ignatius College Prep
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam For the Greater Glory of God
Address
1076 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, Illinois, 60608-1594 USA
Coordinates	41°52′3″N 87°39′6″W / 41.8675°N 87.65167°W / 41.8675; -87.65167
Information
School type	Private, Coeducational
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	1869
Authority	Archdiocese of Chicago
Oversight	Society of Jesus
President	Fr. Brian Paulson, S.J.[1]
Principal	Dr. Catherine Karl[2]
Teaching staff	125
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	1,359 (2008)
Campus	urban
Color(s)	Maroon      Gold[3]
Athletics conference	Chicago Catholic League (b) Girls Catholic Athletic Conference[3]
Team name	Wolfpack[3]
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools[4]
Average ACT scores	27.1 [5]
Publication	Phantasm[6]
Newspaper	Spirit[6]
Yearbook	Prep[6]
Endowment	$62 million[5]
Tuition	US$12,380[7]
Website	http://www.ignatius.org

St. Ignatius College Prep, colloquially known as Ignatius, Iggy or SICP, is a coeducational Jesuit secondary school located in Chicago, Illinois and founded in 1869^[8] by Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J. The school enjoys a selective, academic reputation. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.

[edit] Overview

The school's main building was designed by the architect Toussaint Menard^[9] in the Second French Empire style, is one of the few buildings in Chicago that predates the Great Fire of 1871. The main edifice is on the National Register of Historic Places^[10] and was deemed a Chicago Landmark in 1987^[9] after an extensive restoration. The 19 acre (77,000 m²) campus is located on Chicago's West Side, adjacent to the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Features of the campus besides the 1869 building, include the Richard H. Driehaus "1895" Building, the Chicago Center, the McLaughlin Center and its 370 seat McLaughlin Theatre (with an interior modeled after several European opera houses). The Grand Gallery and Brunswick Library on the fifth floor of the 1869 building feature a monument to alumni who fought in the Spanish-American War as well as a collection of notable letters and manuscripts ranging from American Civil War battle orders to a letter written by author Alexandre Dumas. The Brunswick Library originally housed the collection of Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History prior to the completion of its construction.

St. Ignatius employs a liberal-arts curriculum. Besides preparing students for the nation's premiere universities, the school also seeks to educate the entire person, following the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. The teacher is merely a guide to knowledge, not the source of knowledge. St. Ignatius was one of the first and few secondary institutions in the United States to adopt an integrated science program, in which students accomplish the equivalent of two semesters each of biology, chemistry, and physics during the first and second or second and third years. Upon completion of the integrated science program students have the option to complete independent research for two semesters in a research laboratory or follow AP courses in biology, chemistry, and physics; they may also take elective courses such as astronomy, environmental science, or genetics. Courses such as British literature are incorporated into the core curriculum at St. Ignatius as well as courses covering university and graduate-level topics such as the historical influence of philosophy on theology and christology. The school is one of the few remaining secondary institutions to offer a complete complement of Latin and ancient Greek courses. Seven semesters of Religious Studies are included in the required curriculum, one semester during freshman year and two semesters during the last three years. While the doctrine of the Catholic Church is the subject of much of these courses, the Freshman year semester is spent on an introduction to the major religions of the world and the Junior year coursework includes the critical study of several theories of human nature in the tradition of Western Philosophy. These theories have included the work of Plato, Freud, Sartre and B. F. Skinner.^{[citation needed]}

Vocational education is not offered to students. Physical Education and Health courses are part of the core curriculum, consistent with the requirements of the State of Illinois.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Founding date questions

There is currently debate about the actual founding date of St. Ignatius. For many years, in seals, logos, and official documents, the school has maintained that 1870 was the founding year of what was then St. Ignatius College. In January 2006, however, St. Ignatius changed its crest and website to indicate that the school had, in fact, been founded in 1869—the year the first building was constructed. The matter is confused even further by the fact that recent press releases from the school have maintained that the founding date was 1870. 1870 is, however, the year that the first class graduated.

[edit] Tuition

Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year is $12,380; however, there is a $2,000 gap between the cost of education and tuition. St. Ignatius awarded over $2.3 million in need-based grants to 319 students for 2009-2010. Over 20% of enrolled students receive some financial aid. Much of the actual cost to operate the school is funded from its relatively vast development initiatives and endowment, including donations and grants from alumni, parents, parents of alumni, wealthy individuals and philanthropists, as well as corporate foundations and Chicago business concerns. St. Ignatius also hosts an annual auction, "Puttin' on the Ritz" in the spring and a golf outing in the summer.

[edit] Mission statement

St. Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit Catholic school in the heart of Chicago, is a diverse community dedicated to educating men and women for lives of faith, love, service and leadership. Through outstanding teaching and personal formation, the school challenges its talented student body to intellectual excellence, integrity, and life-long learning and growth. Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus, this community strives to use God's gifts to promote social justice for the greater glory of God.

[edit] History

St. Ignatius College
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates:	41°52′3″N 87°39′6″W / 41.8675°N 87.65167°W / 41.8675; -87.65167
Built/Founded:	1870
Architect:	Toussaint Menard,John P. Huber[9]
Architectural style(s):	No Style Listed
Governing body:	Private
Added to NRHP:	November 17, 1977
NRHP Reference#:	77000480 [10]

In the 1850s, Fr. Arnold Damen, S.J., a Jesuit priest, set out to start a parish and college for the academically talented children of immigrants on Chicago's near-West Side, then an area of sprawling prairie. Construction of Damen's Holy Family Church was completed in 1857. With funds provided by Dutch financiers, construction of the main building of St. Ignatius College commenced in 1869 with designs by the French architect Toussaint Menard. On June 30, 1870, the Illinois General Assembly approved the Charter of St. Ignatius College, and in September, 1870 St. Ignatius opened its doors to thirty-seven young men who had completed the Eighth grade, the extent of formal education during the time period.

St. Ignatius was one of the first colleges in the Chicago area, predating the University of Chicago by 20 years and graduating its first class little more than a decade after Northwestern University did so. Students were instructed in Latin, Greek, the elementary sciences, writing, arithmetic and rhetoric — the components of a traditional "college" education of the era. In 1871, disaster struck Chicago in the form of the Great Chicago Fire, but Damen's church and college were one of only a few buildings to be spared from the inferno. Fr. Damen sent a telegraph to Pope Pius IX early in the day of the fire to ask his Holiness to pray to God to save Holy Family and St. Ignatius and promised to keep a candle lit as a memorial for as long as he lived--today the candle still burns in the school's Cuneo Chapel.

St. Ignatius continued to grow through the 1870s and 1880s, adding another wing to the 1869 building 1874, and becoming an early pioneer in the new field of x-ray radiography. In 1895, the college's enrollment had expanded substantially enough to warrant the construction of a second building, the 1895 building. Just two years after the debut of electric power on a grand scale at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, St. Ignatius demonstrated its commitment to new technology when the 1895 building was constructed with integrated electric wiring, and the 1869 building was retrofitted to accommodate electricity.

In the early 20th century, as Chicago's population boomed the enrollment of St. Ignatius increased commensurately. In 1922, St. Ignatius had become so large that the Jesuit order decided to separate the education of 14-18 year old boys into a "high school" and the education of adult males into a separate entity that became Loyola University Chicago. Thus, St. Ignatius Academy was born. The school continued its mission through the 1950s and 1960s to provide education to boys from all walks of life. However, by the 1970s St. Ignatius' buildings had fallen into disrepair, enrollment was declining, and the school appeared to be poised to become a victim of urban decay. Fundraising initiatives begun in the 1970s, such as the "Walk for Ignatius" and annual benefits (the first headlined by Bob Hope in 1976) helped revive the school's financial health.

In 1980, the school bowed to the pressure of alumni with daughters and began to admit girls. The infusion of females caused enrollment to climb. In 1981, Fr. Donald H. Rowe, S.J. was selected by the Board of Trustees as the school's new President. A charismatic, dynamic, and controversial figure, Rowe immediately stated his intention to begin a renaissance for St. Ignatius. Rowe began a campaign in 1986 to completely restore the 1869 and 1895 buildings, the latter of which was renamed the Richard H. Driehaus Building. Additionally, Rowe set his sights on making St. Ignatius a repository of antique art linked to Chicago's storied past. $60 million was spent restoring the two buildings to their original architectural designs, including renovations room by room to restore the building, its flooring, paneling, paint, fixtures, etc. to be consistent with those of the late 19th century. The renovation and restoration continues to this day. St. Ignatius is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001-2002 the exterior of the 1869 building was renovated again and the slate roof and the decorative copper gutters replaced, with a stated effort to preserve the building for "centuries to come".

During the 1990s Rowe embarked upon a campaign to construct two entirely new buildings to specification design and furnishings to match that of the 19th century French architectural style of the 1869 and Driehaus Buildings, creating a pastiche of re-creations of lost Chicago architecture. This round of construction commenced in 1994 and culminated with the Chicago and McLaughlin Centers' full completion in 2004. The school was also an early-adopter of high-speed Internet technology, and in 1999 became one of the first schools in the United States to become fully Wi-Fi enabled.

[edit] Recent history

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On December 22, 1998, the Trustees named Fr. Brian G. Paulson, S.J., a graduate of Georgetown and Harvard Universities, the 28th President of St. Ignatius. He has continued much of the work Fr. Rowe began, and has proven to be one of the more memorable Presidents in the school's 135-year history. Paulson has also overseen an expansion of the school's financial aid grants by 50% and the school's highest number of applicants ever, in which nearly 1,000 students applied for 320 spots for the Class of 2006. President Paulson has remained largely free of criticism from all parties, although the principal for the first part of his tenure, Dr. William Watts, was ousted in 2003. He was replaced by an interim principal Mrs. Carole Manning (one of the former assistant principals) for the 2003-04 school year. Dr. Catherine Karl was then chosen as the new principal in 2004.

[edit] Hurricane Katrina relief effort

St. Ignatius Principal Dr. Catherine Karl announced on August 31, 2005 that the school would begin to accept displaced students from New Orleans' Jesuit High School as visiting students. St. Ignatius plans to waive tuition for any student from Jesuit High School. Dr. Karl also announced that the school was in need of host families to house the displaced students for the duration of the academic term. Priority was to be given to seniors at Jesuit High School, so that they would be able to complete their education on time and attend college next year. St. Ignatius was already two-weeks into its fall term at the time the announcement was made.

[edit] Athletics

St. Ignatius competes in the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) which governs msot sports and competitive activities in the state. The school's teams are stylized as the "Wolfpack".

The school sponsors interscholastic teams for young men and women in basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, volleyball, and water polo.^[11] Young men may compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while young women may compete in cheerleading and softball.^[11] While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponors teams for young men in ice hockey and rugby, for young women in field hockey and dance.^[11] There is also a coed sailing team, and crew teams for both young men and women.^[11]

The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective IHSA sponsored state championship tournament:^[12]

• Cross Country (boys): 2nd place (1982–83)
• Water Polo (girls): 3rd place (2006–07); 2nd place (2005–06)

In 2007, Ignatius Chicago Crew, a club sport at SICP, captured fourth place at SRAA Nationals in the Lightweight Men's 4+ event. Ignatius also took sixteenth in the nation in the Woman's Senior 8+ event at SRAA Nationals. Yet more recently, the Woman's Varsity 4+ took third at SRAA Nationals, earning a bronze medal. In the same year, 2008, the Men's Varsity 4+ also qualified to compete at SRAA Nationals and finished sixteenth.

In 2001, the boys Rugby team took second place in state and competed in the Midwest Championships in 2002, with many players being selected to the all Illinois U-19 Team.

In 2008, the boys Lacrosse team placed second in state(Division B).

In 2009, the boys Lacrosse team won state(Division B).

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2007)

• There are over seventy species of conifers throughout the school's campus.
• The 4th Floor Library was used as setting for a Comcast commercial.
• The school's collection of antique artwork, both large and small, numbers over 400 pieces.
• The east facade of the Driehaus Building features a cast-iron porch on the first floor that was salvaged from the Illinois Northern Hospital for the Insane that dates to the 1860s.
• Among the school's collection of art are works by such great Chicago architects as Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler and Frank Lloyd Wright, none of whom were alumni.
• The Dining Hall was modeled after the dining room of Chicago's old Palmer House Hotel, which was torn down in 1921.
• One of the gym spaces in the Chicago Center mimics Chicago Union Station's vaulted interior train concourse, which was torn down in the 1960s.
• St. Ignatius students have borrowing privileges at the University of Illinois at Chicago, located immediately northeast of the school. Combined with St. Ignatius' own libraries, St. Ignatius students have access to one of the largest library systems of any secondary school in the United States.
• In one of the buildings, friezes from Chicago Stadium were installed.

[edit] Notable alumni

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Dan Lipinski, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 3rd district

• Charles Bidwill was the owner of the Chicago Cardinals (1933–47). In 1967, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[13]
• Andre Braugher (1980) is an Emmy Award–winning actor (Glory).
• William M. Daley is the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce (1997–2000).^[14][15]
• Richard Driehaus (1960) is a businessman and philanthropist. He is the namesake of the Driehaus Prize given in architecture.^[16]
• Chip E. (1984) is a filmmaker and founding father of house music.
• Mellody Hobson (1987) is the President of Ariel Capital Management, LLC. She is also a TV Correspondent in the field of finance.^[17]
• Dan Hynes (1986) is the Comptroller for the State of Illinois.
• Dan Lipinski (1984) is a U.S. Representative representing Illinois's 3rd congressional district (2005–present).^[18]
• Michael Madigan (1960) is the current Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.^[15][19]
• Craig McKenzie (1988)- Sports and Entertainment Agent
• Bob Newhart (1947) is a stand-up comedian and actor (Newhart, The Bob Newhart Show).^[20]
• Vyto Ruginis (1974) is an actor
• Casey Siemaszko (1979) is an actor.
• Nina Siemaszko (1988) is an actress.
• Todd Stroger (1981) is the current Cook County Board President.
• Michael Wilbon (1976) is a sportswriter and television personality (Pardon the Interruption).
• Robert A Wild, S.J. is the President of Marquette University^{[citation needed]}

[edit] External links

• Official St. Ignatius College Prep website
• Chicago Landmark website
• ForgottenChicago.com's Excellent article about Architectural ornaments in the garden

[edit] References

• Directory of Private Schools (2005). Directory of Private Schools: St. Ignatius College Prep
• "Ignatius President Under Fire, Some Faculty Seek No-Confidence Vote," Chicago Tribune, March 6, 1998.
• Newbart, Dave. "Embattled St. Ignatius Chief Takes Leave," Chicago Tribune, March 13, 1998.
• Newbart, Dave. "University Dean Will Lead St. Ignatius," Chicago Tribune, March 31, 1998.

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