Bishop Ireton High School
| Bishop Ireton High School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
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201 Cambridge Road Alexandria, Virginia 22314 United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°48′33″N 77°4′51″W / 38.80917°N 77.08083°WCoordinates: 38°48′33″N 77°4′51″W / 38.80917°N 77.08083°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Parochial; Private |
| Motto | "Advance Always in Christ" |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1964 |
| Oversight | Diocese of Arlington |
| Head of school | Dr. Thomas Curry |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Enrollment | 800 |
| Color(s) | Cardinal Red and Gold |
| Athletics conference | Washington Catholic Athletic Conference |
| Nickname | Cardinals |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Newspaper | The BI Word |
| Yearbook | Flight |
| Website | bishopireton.org |
Bishop Ireton High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Alexandria, Virginia. The school was founded in 1964 by the Oblates of St. Francis DeSales, and named in honor of Peter Leo Ireton, Bishop of Richmond from 1945 to 1958. The school originally admitted only male students. Bishop Ireton, more commonly known as "BI" or simply "Ireton", became coeducational in 1990 after the closing of sister school, St. Mary's Academy. In 2008, the Oblates withdrew their presence from Ireton and the school is now solely managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington.
The school is administered by the Head of School. There are Directors who report to the Head of School: Director of Instruction, Director of Finance, Director of Operations, Director of Athletics, Director of Advancement, and the Chaplain/Director of Campus Ministry. Reporting to the Director of Instruction are the Director of Student Services, the Counseling Department, and the Dean of Faculty. The teachers report to the Dean of Faculty. Reporting to the Director of Operations are the Director of Technology, the Director of Communications, and the Chief Engineer.
The Student Council is organized in the following manner: Executive Board: Five Members that can consist of Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors. In most cases, the Executive Board consists of mostly Seniors. There is one President and one Vice President. The class officers are organized as follows:
The SCA Executive board meets once a week and plans important events, such as Homecoming Week, Adopt a Family, Dress Out Day Fundraisers, the Winter Ball, and the Lenten Service Drive. The full board meets on a bi-weekly schedule. They also have a role in graduation, having the privilege of going first and carrying flags.
The Academic Department offers three levels: CP (College Preparatory), HN (Honors), and AP (Advanced Placement).
In the 1970s and early 1980s Bishop Ireton experimented with an Education by Appointment model, whereby students worked at their own pace and were encouraged to explore areas of interest in depth. For some students this model of freedom and opportunity encouraged great academic development, however, for some students the lack of structure and weight of responsibility resulted in poor academic achievement.
This experiment ended with a new principal, Father Walsh, who brought Ireton back to a structured and rigorous curriculum. This included an eight period schedule that rotate so that only seven periods meet each day. He instituted a school uniform policy instead of the informal dress code previously used and actually required freshman to wear gold and crimson beanies (which proved wildly unpopular and were soon eliminated). In the late 1970s Bishop Ireton was among the first Catholic high schools to introduce computer science classes utilizing a DEC PDP 11/40 mini computer donated to the school by The Catholic University of America when it upgraded.. Today, BI offers AP classes in almost every subject.
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