St. Thomas Aquinas High School is a private, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. The school was founded in 1936 as part of St. Anthony School and moved to its current location in southwest Fort Lauderdale in 1952. It is sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school currently enrolls 2,136 students on its 25-acre (100,000 m2) campus and is the largest Catholic high school in the country by enrollment.
The Raiders athletic teams have won over 100 state championships and have achieved a national profile. Graduates of St. Thomas Aquinas include numerous professional athletes, ten Olympians, prominent state politicians, and award-winning authors and actors.
Video St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida)
History
St. Anthony High School was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan in 1936. The school grew to a student body of 42 in four years, boasting nine graduates who comprised the Class of 1940.
The school was renamed Central Catholic High School and moved to its present location in 1952. The original Central Catholic campus consisted of the main office wing, library, 15 classrooms, patio, cafeteria, kitchen, coaches' office, and locker room facilities. The school erected a statue of Mary in 1957 that still graces the campus today.
In September 1961, due to the opening of a second Catholic school in Fort Lauderdale, the school chose St. Thomas Aquinas as its patron and official name.
Maps St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida)
Academics
On May 29, 1996, President Bill Clinton presented St. Thomas Aquinas High School with the Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award for excellence in education. This was the second time St. Thomas Aquinas received recognition by the U.S. Department of Education. During the 1984-1985 school year, the school was first recognized as a "School of Excellence".
St. Thomas Aquinas High School has been named to the Catholic High School Honor Roll five times (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010). It is the only Catholic high school in the Archdiocese of Miami to have been listed as one of the Top 50 Catholic high schools in the United States for five years.
Admissions
St. Thomas Aquinas accepts students from 105 feeder schools, 46 Catholic parishes, and three counties. An Entrance Exam is required for all incoming Freshmen. Prospective students must also submit their first semester 8th grade report card and two letters of recommendation from their current school. Prospective transfer students must submit an application along with a copy of their current high school transcript and two academic letters of recommendation from current school officials.
Faculty and curriculum
The St. Thomas Aquinas faculty consists of three religious and 127 laypersons, with 74 teachers holding advanced degrees. The ratio of students to teaching faculty stands at 17 to 1. The faculty averages 20 years of teaching experience and 12 years of experience at the school.
The school offers 195 different courses in 9 subjects: English, Mathematics, Physical Education, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, Fine Arts, Computer/Graphic Arts, and Theology. Students are grouped by ability with course offerings at Advance Placement, Honors and College-Preparatory levels.
Athletics
In 2005, St. Thomas Aquinas was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the third best high school athletic program in the nation. The criteria emphasized all-around excellence during the last 10 years and included state championships won and the number of college athletes produced.
In 2011, St. Thomas Aquinas was named the nation's top athletic program by Maxpreps.
The Raiders have won 106 FHSAA state championships and have graduated such student athletes as Chris Evert, Michael Irvin and Sanya Richards-Ross. The school has been awarded the Broward County all-sports trophy by the Sun-Sentinel for 35 consecutive years. The athletic department has also won the FHSAA Dodge Sunshine Cup every year since the awards inception in 1995.
State Championships
Men
- Baseball - 1995, 2003
- Basketball - 2001
- Cross Country - 2013, 2015, 2016
- Football - 1992, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
- Lacrosse - 2016, 2017
- Soccer - 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2011
- Swimming - 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
- Tennis - 1989, 1994, 2009
- Track and Field - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014
- Water Polo - 2013
- Wrestling - 1985
Women
- Cross Country - 2012, 2013
- Golf - 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2001
- Soccer - 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017
- Softball - 2002, 2003, 2013, 2014
- Swimming - 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
- Tennis - 1972, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008
- Track and Field - 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2014, 2015
- Volleyball - 1995, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2016
Notable alumni
Athletics
- Foluke Akinradewo, professional volleyball player, member of U.S. Women's National Team at 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics
- Bradley Ally, Olympian and bronze medalist in 200m Individual Medley at 2007 Pan American Games
- Carlos Asuaje, professional baseball player for San Diego Padres
- Geno Atkins, professional football player and 6-time Pro Bowler for the Cincinnati Bengals
- Alejandro Bedoya, professional soccer player for Philadelphia Union and member of U.S. Men's National Team at 2014 FIFA World Cup
- Giovani Bernard, professional football player for Cincinnati Bengals
- Joey Bosa, professional football player and Pro Bowler for the Los Angeles Chargers
- Bobby Brown, former professional football player
- Curt Brown, former professional baseball player
- Duron Carter, professional football player for Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Joe Castiglione, athletic director at University of Oklahoma
- Jeremy Cain, former professional football player
- Stephen Cardullo, professional baseball player for Colorado Rockies
- Audra Cohen, former professional tennis player and 2007 NCAA women's singles champion
- John Congemi, former professional football player and college football analyst for ESPN
- Marco Dawson, professional golfer and winner of 2015 Senior British Open
- Phillip Dorsett, professional football player for New England Patriots
- Jason Dufner, professional golfer and winner of 2013 PGA Championship
- Eric Eichmann, former professional soccer player, member of U.S. Men's National Team at 1990 FIFA World Cup
- Chris Evert, former professional tennis player,member of International Tennis Hall of Fame
- Jeanne Evert, former professional tennis player
- Sean Gallagher, former professional baseball player
- Marcus Gilbert, professional football player for Pittsburgh Steelers
- Rashad Greene, professional football player for Jacksonville Jaguars
- Tyler Greene, former professional baseball player
- Tavares Gooden, former professional football player
- Richard Goodman, former professional football player
- Arman Hall, Olympian and gold medalist in 4 × 400 m relay at 2016 Summer Olympics
- Leonard Hankerson, former professional football player
- Stefan Humphries, former professional football player and Super Bowl Champion
- Michael Irvin, former professional football player and member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Lamarcus Joyner, professional football player for Los Angeles Rams
- Sarah Lihan, Olympian who placed 9th in women's sailing 470 at 2012 Summer Olympics
- Brandon Linder, professional football player for Jacksonville Jaguars
- Mark Merklein, former professional tennis player and 1993 NCAA men's singles champion
- Chad Mottola, former professional baseball player
- Gene Monahan, former head athletic trainer for New York Yankees
- Ed Nelson, former professional basketball player
- Kirsten Nieuwendam, Olympian who competed in 400m Hurdles at 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics
- John O'Korn, quarterback for University of Michigan
- Kirk Olivadotti, assistant coach for Washington Redskins
- Michael Palardy, professional football player for Carolina Panthers
- Sterling Palmer, former professional football player
- Brian Piccolo, former professional football player, inspiration for film Brian's Song
- Vladislav Polyakov, Olympian and gold medalist in 200m Breaststroke at 2006 FINA World Championships
- Daryl Porter, former professional football player
- Sanya Richards-Ross, Olympian and gold medalist in women's 400m at 2012 Summer Olympics
- Cody Riggs, professional football player for Tennessee Titans
- Shawn Riggans, former professional baseball player
- Jake Rudock, professional football player for the Detroit Lions
- Twan Russell, former professional football player, Director of Youth and Community Programs for Miami Dolphins
- Khalifa St. Fort, Olympian and gold medalist in 4 × 100 m relay at 2015 World Championships
- Nate Salley, former professional football player
- Robby Scott, professional baseball player for Boston Red Sox
- Dezmen Southward, professional football player for the Carolina Panthers.
- Mike Stanley, former professional baseball player and 1995 American League All-Star
- Seilala Sua, Olympian who placed 10th in discus at 2000 Summer Olympics
- India Trotter, former professional soccer player and member of U.S. Women's National Team
- Major Wright, former professional football player
- James White, professional football player for New England Patriots and 2-time Super Bowl Champion
- Ed Yarnall, former professional baseball player
- Sam Young, professional football player for Miami Dolphins
Arts, entertainment, and civil service
- Margaux Avedisian, comedian and bitcoin entrepreneur
- Steven Conrad, screenwriter and producer of The Weather Man, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and The Pursuit of Happyness
- Michael Connelly, author of The Lincoln Lawyer and former President of Mystery Writers of America
- Billy Crudup, actor who appeared in Watchmen, Without Limits, Almost Famous, Jackie and Big Fish
- Katie Edwards, member of Florida House of Representatives
- Parris Glendening, former Governor of Maryland
- Charles Liteky, former Army chaplain and Medal of Honor recipient
- Courtney Marsh, filmmaker of Academy Award nominated documentary Chau, Beyond the Lines
- Gerard John Schaefer, police officer and serial killer
- C. Dale Young, poet and recipient of 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship
- William J. Zloch, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida
References
External links
- Official School Website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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