Saint Sebastian's School
"Semen est sanguis Christianorum." The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.
Address
1191 Greendale Avenue Needham, Massachusetts, (Norfolk County), 02492-4699  United States
Coordinates	42°16′10″N 71°12′25″W / 42.26944°N 71.20694°W / 42.26944; -71.20694Coordinates: 42°16′10″N 71°12′25″W / 42.26944°N 71.20694°W / 42.26944; -71.20694
Information
Type	Private, All-Male
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Established	1941
Founder	William Cardinal O'Connell
Headmaster	William L. Burke III
Chaplain	Father John Arens
Chief custodian	Charles Lampman
Faculty	65
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	350 (2008)
Average class size	11
Campus	Suburban
Campus size	26 acres
Color(s)	Red and Black
Athletics conference	Independent School League
Team name	Arrows
Rival	Belmont Hill School
Accreditation(s)	New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Publication	The Quiver (literary magazine)
Newspaper	The Walrus The Dart
Yearbook	The Arrow
Tuition	$30,450
Assistant Headmaster	Michael Nerbonne
Dean of Students	Brendan Sullivan
Admissions Director	Gregory Wishart
Athletic Coordinator	Robert Souza
Website	www.stsebs.org

Saint Sebastian's School, also known colloquially as St. Seb's or Seb's, is an independent, all-boys Catholic secondary school located in Needham, Massachusetts on 26+ acres, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The school instructs young men in grades seven through twelve. Founded in 1941 by William Cardinal O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston, the school is named after Saint Sebastian, the Christian martyr who survived an attempted execution by arrows. It is the only Catholic school in the Independent School League. Approximately 350 students are enrolled, with 25% receiving financial aid. As of 2009, the School headmaster is Mr. William L. Burke III.

Contents 1 Academics 2 Athletics 3 Extracurricular Activities 4 Traditions 5 Notable alumni 5.1 Sports 5.2 Other 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Academics

The School features a rigorous academic program focusing on the liberal arts and the classics. Freshmen (9th grade) students take a special course to hone their writing skills. Public speaking is also emphasized, with each student required to deliver an annual speech during his class's weekly chapel meetings.

The student:teacher ratio at St. Sebastian's is 7:1, and 60% of the faculty hold graduate degrees. The average class size is 11. The school offers 20 classes at the Advanced Placement level.

[edit] Athletics

St. Sebastian's has a competitive athletic program, with 11 varsity sports, and 35 teams in total. Its school colors are red and black, and teams are known as the Arrows. Over the years the Arrows have had an intense rivalry with the Belmont Hill School. St. Sebastian's School is a member of the prestigious Independent School League.

The school has one of the top ice hockey programs in the United States, dating to its founding in 1941. The school regularly produces picks in the NHL Entry Draft, notably, four first round draft picks in its history, the most of any high school in the US. In June 2003 the school was tied for the most picks from a single high school, ever, at four.^[2][3] The team is now coached by Sean McCann, a former Harvard assistant coach and captain, and also a Hobey Baker finalist. St. Sebastian's has produced the most current NHL players of any high school, at four.

The campus rink, the Henry T. Lane Rink, is named in honor of Henry Lane who served the school for over 40 years, first as the Varsity Hockey coach and later the Athletic Director.

St. Sebastian's has also had great success in recent years with lacrosse, with two All-Americans over the past two years. The School's sailing team was also ranked seventh in the country in 2001. More recently, the varsity baseball team won the ISL championship in 2007, handing Roxbury Latin School MLB prospect Jack McGeary his only loss of the season. Furthermore, the St. Sebastian's varsity golf team just recently finished the 2009 season with an undefeated record and an ISL Championship.

[edit] Extracurricular Activities

St. Sebastian's has 6 student publications and 32 different clubs and activities. The school newspaper, The Walrus, is published monthly. The school's debate team competes among private secondary schools in New England. Other student groups manage The Arrow, the school yearbook, as well as The Quiver, a creative literary magazine, and The St. Sebastian's Journal, a collection of student-written scholarly essays. Other students run the school's closed-circuit television network, perform community service (The Arrow Club and Labels Are For Jars), perform in dramatic productions, compete in such activities as chess, robotics, support students of color (MPA), and advocate against destructive decisions such as drug and alcohol abuse (SADD).

[edit] Traditions

• Red & Black Day: A field day in which the student body is split into two teams (Red and Black). During the day these teams compete in competitive events like tug-o-war, flag football, wiffleball, frisbee golf, and Jenga. This day promotes school spirit and unity through healthy competition.

• Painting The Hills: On the day before St. Sebastian's homecoming, students paint the numbers and nicknames of the varsity football and soccer players on the hills that overlook the respective fields.

• Unity Day: The Friday after the first quarter ends, students participate in "fishbowl" activities, talk in groups consisting of students in different grades, and listen to some alumni. This day promotes the act of coming together, and becoming more united, especially with students of different races, social backgrounds, interests, and religions.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Sports

• Tony Barros, player for the Cape Verde national basketball team
• Rick DiPietro, goalie for the New York Islanders hockey team
• Mike Grier, right wing for the Buffalo Sabres hockey team
• Joe Hulbig, former National Hockey League forward
• Mike Morrison, goalie for the New York Islanders hockey team
• Mike Smith, Major League Baseball pitcher
• Noah Welch, defenseman for the Florida Panthers National Hockey League team
• Brian Boyle (ice hockey) ice hockey forward for the Los Angeles Kings
• Sean Sullivan ice hockey defenseman for the Phoenix Coyotes
• Richard Pitino assistant men's basketball coach at the University of Florida.

[edit] Other

• Paul G. Kirk, US Senator, former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
• Justin Carven, inventor of the Greasecar biodiesel conversion kit [1], [2]
• Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNBC analyst and writer/producer for NBC's The West Wing
• John Slattery, Emmy-nominated screen and stage actor

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• St. Sebastian's School profile provided by schooltree.org

[edit] External links

• Saint Sebastian's School website
• Saint Sebastian's School fact sheet

v • d • e Members of the Independent School League, New England Belmont Hill School · Buckingham Browne & Nichols · Brooks School · The Governor's Academy · Groton School · Lawrence Academy at Groton · Middlesex School · Milton Academy · Noble and Greenough School · Rivers School · Roxbury Latin School · St. George's School (R.I.) · St. Mark's School · St. Paul's School (N.H.) · St. Sebastian's School · Thayer Academy