Founded in
1863, Boston College High School (also known as
BC High) is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory
secondary school with historical
ties to Boston
College
. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of
approximately 1,550 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey
Boulevard
in the Dorchester
section of Boston
, Massachusetts
. A graduate of BC High who goes on to Boston College
is known as a "Double Eagle." If he then
goes on to
Boston College Law
School, he is then known as a "
Triple Eagle."
History

BC's founder, Fr.
March 31,
1863, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
approved a
charter for the incorporation of Boston College. Fr.
Johannes Bapst, SJ, was selected first president and
presided over the original grounds on Harrison Avenue in Boston's
South
End
. For most of its early history, BC offered a
singular 7-year program corresponding to both high school and
college. Its first entering class of 22 students ranged in age from
11 to 16 years. The curriculum was based on the Jesuit
Ratio Studiorum, emphasizing
Latin,
Greek,
philosophy and
theology.
While BC's mission, as articulated by founder
Fr. John McElroy, SJ, was to "educate
pupils in the principles and practice of the
Catholic faith," its founding documents reflect the
historical realities of the time. The great influx of immigrants to
Boston in the nineteenth century corresponded with growing
anti-Catholic sentiment among the city's Brahmin elite. As a
result, BC's charter was revolutionary for its time in stating that
"the profession of religion will not be a necessary condition for
admission to the College."
By the turn of the century, BC's enrollment had reached nearly 500.
Expansion of the South End buildings onto James Street enabled
increased division between the high school and the college.
The 1907
purchase of farmland for a new college campus in Chestnut
Hill
allowed BC High to fully expand into the South End
buildings, though it remained a constituent part of Boston College
until 1927 when it was separately incorporated. Nonetheless,
traditional ties between BC High and BC have survived, and Boston
College remains a leading destination for BC High graduates. Alumni
who graduate from both institutions are called "
Double Eagles" (with "Triple
Eagles" going on to Boston College Law School).
the
Great Depression, BC High was
characterized by increasing enrollment and aging facilities. By the
1940s, the South End buildings proved inadequate once again.
Overcrowding and a demand for athletic fields led President Fr.
Robert A. Hewitt, SJ, to purchase 70
acres
(280,000 m²) on Columbia Point, in the Boston neighborhood of
Dorchester in 1948, a move that was controversial at the time. At a
cost of
US$240,000, critics
warned that BC High would be abandoning its city roots and moving
to an undeveloped part of the city. But Father Hewitt had a vision,
and he dreamed of "a modern high school with a full range of
scholastic facilities, including
science
laboratories, and a
library; the necessary ecclesiastical facilities,
including a Jesuit faculty residence and a church; a wide range of
athletic facilities, including a gymnasium, field house, and
outdoor areas for a variety of
sports, both
interscholastic and intramural, and areas for general recreation,
faculty walks, parking and campus
landscaping."
Father Hewitt's dream began to see fruition in 1950, with the
opening of McElroy Hall and the relocation of the junior and senior
classes to the new campus. By 1954, the entire student body had
moved to Columbia Point, though members of the Jesuit Community
remained at the South End Residence until 1957. In that year,
Loyola Hall, the new Jesuit
residence, was completed. Successive building campaigns saw the
opening of the Walsh Hall Science Center in 1965, the Student
Training, Athletic and Recreation Complex (S.T.A.R.) in 1975,
Corcoran Library in 1997, and the multi-use McNeice Pavilion in
1988. William J. Kemeza is the current president of Boston College
High School. He was the founder of BC High's Renaissance
Campaign.
The remaining school facilities have since been sold to other
parties.
The building immediately facing Harrison
Avenue was renovated into an apartment complex by Boston
University
reserved for
the students of its nearby graduate health schools. Recent
urban renewal and the influx of young professionals into the South
End have led to the conversion of the other buildings into luxury
condominiums.
BC High's new front in Dorchester.
"Renaissance" Campaign
BC High completed a 63,000 ft² (5,900 m²) addition in the
spring of 2005. The project included a new state-of-the-art science
building, new administrative offices, a new cafeteria, and a
general commons. Afterward, during the fall of 2005, President
William J. Kemeza announced "Renaissance: The Campaign for Boston
College High School," a US$40 million fundraising effort. The
campaign raised over US$51 million at its conclusion in June 2008.
As part of the campaign, the school underwent a US$12.5 million
renovation project which included the renovation of the Cushing,
Walsh and McElroy buildings. The Corcoran Library has also been
updated with the addition of a "Great Books Room", which alone is
said to have cost US$500,000. The same US$12.6 million has also
been used for an outdoor space with new entrance gates, a new road
through campus, a second synthetic turf athletic field, and
multi-purpose open spaces including plazas, athletic fields, and
gardens. With the commencement of the 2007-2008 school year, the
new performing arts center, the Bulger Center (formerly Dever
Auditorium) will be available for use by BC High's numerous
performing groups, as well as for small school functions.
Grades 7 and 8
On January 11, 2006, BC High announced the addition of a seventh
and eighth grade to its high school program beginning in September
2007. These classes are conducted in the newly renovated Walsh
building. These grades are in addition to the traditional 9-12
grade system that is already in place and will be known as the
Arrupe Division. The name Arrupe comes from the late
Father Pedro Arrupe, who was a missionary
living on the outskirts of
Hiroshima when
the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. In the aftermath, he turned
his novitiate into a hospital in order to provide any medical
attention he could. The Arrupe Division offers a variety of
classes. The language classes offered are Latin, French, Gaelic,
Chinese and Spanish.
Buildings
McElroy Hall (3 floors)Cushing Hall (2 floors)Loyola Hall (3
floors)Walsh Hall (Arrupe Division)McQuillan Hall (3 floors-new in
2005)McNeice (Gym)Bulger (Theater)
Athletic Achievements
State Championships
The 2009 Indoor Track Relay Team won the Massachusetts State
Relays.
Track 2008-2009 season MA State Champions
| MIAA State Championships |
| Season |
Sport |
Number of Championships |
Year |
| Fall |
Football |
3 |
1977, 2000, 2008 |
| Soccer |
1 |
2004 |
| Winter |
Hockey |
4 |
1996, 2002, 2006, 2007 |
| Basketball, Boys |
2 |
1917, 2007 |
| Swimming |
4 |
1997, 1998, 1999, 2005 |
| Spring |
Sailing |
5 |
2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008 |
| Baseball |
3 |
2001, 2008, 2009 |
Rugby |
2 |
NERFU Champs 2004,2005,2006. National Championship Runner up
2004 placed #10 in the country |
| Total |
21 |
|
School Facts
- 1,550 student enrollment
- 16,000-plus living alumni
- 40 acre campus on Boston
Harbor
- 12:1 student to faculty ratio
- 45,000-plus hours of community service performed by seniors
each year
- 99% of students go on to attend 4 year colleges
- 128 elective courses are offered to students
- 22 Advanced Placement
Program (AP) courses are offered each year
- 50 students earned National Merit
Commendations from 2004 to 2006
- 28 students earned National Merit Commendations
or Semifinalist Designation in 2007
- 4 class maximum for faculty
- 85%-plus of the faculty hold masters degrees
- 45% of students receive some form of financial aid
- Students scoring in the 90th percentile and above on HSPT
entrance exam awarded some level of academic scholarship.
- 65% of
total students are from the South Shore
notably Quincy
, Weymouth
, Braintree
, Milton
,Scituate
, Norwell, Hanover
and Hingham
.
- 30% of total students are from urban areas
- 20% of total students are minorities
- 120 Extracurriculars currently offered
- Sister
school, Notre Dame Academy
serves as BC High's cheerleading squad for football
and basketball season.
- Fierce rivals with the Scarlet Knights of
Catholic Memorial High School
, from West Roxbury, Massachusetts
and Xaverian Brothers
High School from Westwood, Massachusetts
. Also fierce rivals with St. Johns Prep in
Danvers, Massachusetts.
- In Boston Magazine's "The Best
High Schools 2006" BC High was chosen as the best high school for
"Politicians in Training" for the local
and state government level.
- Jazz/Rock Ensemble won the Silver Medal at the All State Jazz
Competition in 2006.
- Ranked #10 on SI.com's list
of Top High School Athletic programs-the only school in New England
to be ranked.
Notable alumni
- William M. Bulger, politician, ex-president of the
University of Massachusetts system
- Timothy Bulman, NFL Defensive
lineman, Houston Texans
- Joe Callahan, NHL defenseman,
New York Islanders
- General George W. Casey, Jr., four star general, Chief of Staff,
U.S. Army
- Lt. John P. Connors, Navy Lieutenant, the first US
fatality in the United States invasion of Panama
in
1989
- Dr. Thomas E. Cronin, political scientist and educator
- Richard James Cardinal Cushing,
Archbishop of
Boston
- Most Rev. John Michael D'Arcy, Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend,
former Auxiliary Bishop of Boston
- Jason Delaney, current minor league baseball player for the
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Maxwell Drummey, member of music
duo Chester French
- Michael F. Flaherty, president, Boston
City Council
- Robert Gillis, author
- Paul Guilfoyle, actor, as seen on
CSI
- Rev. John J. Hanwell, S.J., president, Fairfield
College Preparatory School

- Patrick Francis Healy,
Pulitzer-prize nominated The New York
Times political correspondent
- General Joseph P. Hoar, former Commander in Chief, United States Central
Command
- Lawrence Hyde, former
president, Jeep and AM
General, developer of the Hummer
- Thomas G. Kelley, Medal of
Honor recipient and Secretary of the Massachusetts Department
of Veterans' Services
- Mike Ryan NHL hockey player
- Pat Leahy NHL hockey player
- Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River, Gone
Baby Gone, Shutter Island
- Drew Locke, minor league baseball
player in Houston Astros
organization
- Phil Lynch, former CEO, Reuters America;
current CEO, Asset Control Systems
- John A. McNeice Jr, philanthropist, former Chairman and CEO,
Colonial Group
- Paul J. Murray, Director of Music and Organist,
Church of the Holy Family, the United Nations Parish, New York
City
- Joseph Alan Nash, NFL football
player, Seattle Seahawks National Football League
- Joseph T. O'Callahan, Catholic priest and
recipient of the Medal of Honor
- Pietro Pezzati, painter
- Walter Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist
- Bernard S. Smith III, journalist
- Jim Sullivan, author of
Over the Moat:Love Among the Ruins of Imperial
Vietnam
- Mike Sullivan, former
NHL hockey player, former Boston
Bruins head coach
- Steve Trapilo, NFL
football player
- Erik Vendt, Olympic swimmer, gold
medalist 2008,silver medalist
in both 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics
- Jerry York,
Boston
College
Men's Hockey head coach; has over 700 wins,3
National Championships leading all active coaches, played hockey at
both BC High and BC.
- Jack Yunits,
former Mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts

References
http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2009/01/18/bc_high_group_dynamic/http://news.bostonherald.com/sports/high_school/general/view/2009_01_18_BC_High_Eagles_rise_up:_Corey_Thomas_sets_record/srvc=home&position=recent
Alex HASSAN
External links