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St. Pius X High School
Address
5301 St. Joseph's Drive NW Albuquerque, New Mexico, (Bernalillo County), 87120-1712  United States
Coordinates	35°7′49″N 106°41′52″W / 35.13028°N 106.69778°W / 35.13028; -106.69778Coordinates: 35°7′49″N 106°41′52″W / 35.13028°N 106.69778°W / 35.13028; -106.69778
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Motto	Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, Knowledge.
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Established	1956
MOE Code	320032
Principal	Barbara Rothweiler
Asst. Principal	Orlando Rodriguez Barbara Ducaj
Chaplain	Father Anthony Maes Deacon Rene Greivel
Grades	9–12
Number of students	1,000
Color(s)	Black, Gold and White
Mascot	Sartan
Rival	Albuquerque Academy
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Publication	AKIRA (Literary Magazine)
Newspaper	The Ringer
Yearbook	Chi-Rho
Dean of Students	Lillian Torrez
Athletic Director	Jim Cook
Website	http://www.saintpiusx.com

St. Pius X High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Its motto is "Teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge." It was established in 1956. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe. It was administered by the Basilian Fathers from 1965 to June 2000. In July 2000, Dr. Mary McLeod became the first lay principal in the school's history. McLeod was succeeded in July 2004 by Barbara Rothweiler. The school is located on Albuquerque's west side, on the campus that was formerly the location of the University of Albuquerque. St. Pius X is a co-educational institution that serves over 1,000 students in grades nine through twelve.

The school has a student body that closely mirrors the ethnic makeup of Albuquerque-55 percent Hispanic, 40 percent Anglo, four percent Native American, one percent African American and Asian. Though the vast majority of students at St. Pius X are Catholic, the school is open to students of all faiths, offering a college prep education, along with total, supportive Christian spiritual formation. Tuition has risen steadily over the years toping out at $8,450 for Active Catholic parishioners and $10,200 for non-donating students in 2007-2008. St. Pius X is Albuquerque's only Catholic high school.

St. Pius X's mascot was originally the Panthers but was shortly changed to Sartans after the school was formed.

"Sartan" is taken from Pope Pius X's surname "Sarto." It can be translated in Latin and Italian to mean "tailor". Thus, the Sartan mascot is a pope, with a needle in hand for battle. St. Pius was 50 years old, as of 2008, with the 50th class graduating in 2009. Senior hill is the legendary hill at SPX, being little more than a mediocre mound of dirt, that is "owned" by the seniors. Its title as a hill only applies if one tends to take the word "hill" lightly. Early each year, it has become a tradition for a few of the incoming freshmen males to attempt to race across the hill, touch the pole in the centre, and escape the hill unharmed.

Contents 1 Notable alumni 2 Notable Faculty 3 Rivalry With Albuquerque Academy 4 Academic Decathlon 5 Athletics 6 External links 7 Notes and references

[edit] Notable alumni

• Kenny Byrd Kicker, Detroit Lions, University of New Mexico
• Mike Mullane, Astronaut
• John Ryan, New Mexico State Senator
• Mike Judge, creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill.
• Ron Christopherson, 2007 New Mexico Teacher of the Year.
• Nash Noel, self proclaimed "Ultimate Party er"
• Template:Dennis Jett, Former U.S. Ambassador to Peru

[edit] Notable Faculty

• Jorge Tristani, Jr. - Water Polo Coach 2009

[edit] Rivalry With Albuquerque Academy

The Albuquerque Academy Chargers hold a fierce rivalry with the St. Pius X High School (Albuquerque) Sartans that has lasted for decades. Albuquerque Academy and St. Pius had evenly matched teams and were the largest two independent schools in the Albuquerque metropolitan area for years, fueling the rivalry which grew during the 1980s. Signs of the rivalry show up occasionally in acts of vandalism: St. Pius students burned a large X into the Richard Harper Memorial Field at Albuquerque Academy (although this act was ascribed by some to students from La Cueva High School). Also, Academy students allegedly defaced the statue on the St. Pius campus numerous times. In 2000, all of the fingers except for the middle finger of the statue were broken off. This caused public outrage from the faculty of both schools, and a member of the Academy varsity soccer team was blamed.

[edit] Academic Decathlon

In 1991, James Penn brought academic competition to Saint Pius X. Starting from scratch, he built up the program,into a consistent competitor for the state title, winning it all from 1998-2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. Along with being the state's most premier program, Penn and his team gained national prominence as well. Prior to 1997, the highest finish in national competition by a New Mexican team was 16th. All of Pius' finishes after 1998 beat this mark, including four top ten finishes. In 1999, the Sartan team was the National Champion of Division III (fewer than 1400 students). They scored the third place trophy in 2001, and seventh place this past year.

[edit] Athletics

The Sartans compete in District 6 Class AAAA in New Mexico.

• The Sartan men's soccer team has won the Class 4-A State Championship in New Mexico the last seven years (2002-2008).
• The Sartan women's soccer team has won the Class 4-A State Championship in New Mexico the last three years (2005-2007).
• The St. Pius men's basketball team also boasts a three-peat in Class 4-A Championships (2006-2008).
• In women's basketball, the Lady Sartans most recently have won Class 4-A titles in 2006, 2008, and 2009

[edit] External links

• St. Pius X High School

[edit] Notes and references