St. Joseph's Preparatory School
| Saint Joseph's Preparatory School | |
|---|---|
Men For and With Others
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
(For the greater glory of God)
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| Address | |
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1733 West Girard Avenue Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19130 United States |
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| Coordinates | 39°58′21″N 75°9′53″W / 39.97250°N 75.16472°WCoordinates: 39°58′21″N 75°9′53″W / 39.97250°N 75.16472°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1851 |
| Oversight | Society of Jesus |
| President | Rev. John Swope, SJ '72 |
| Principal | Jason Zazyczny,'90 |
| Faculty | 75 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Enrollment | 959 (2014) |
| Student to teacher ratio | 69-1 |
| Campus size | 6.5 acres (26,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Crimson and Gray |
| Slogan | Educating Men of Competence, Conscience & Compassion since 1851 |
| Song | Swing on Along With the Crimson |
| Athletics conference | Philadelphia Catholic League |
| Mascot | The Hawk |
| Team name | Hawks |
| Rival | La Salle College High School |
| Accreditation | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Average SAT scores | 615 Verbal 623 Math 614 Writing |
| Average ACT scores | 69 |
| Athletic Director | Dennis Hart |
| Director of the Villiger Archives | William Conners '80 |
| Website | SJPrep |
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Saint Joseph's Preparatory School, often known as "the Prep", is an urban, private, Catholic, college preparatory school founded in 1851 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is run by the Jesuits. Philadelphia mayors Michael Nutter, William Green III, Jim Kenney and many other members of the city government matriculated from the Prep, which remains near the heart of Philadelphia.
In 1851, St. Joseph’s College opened in the buildings of St. Joseph’s Parish off Willings Alley in Philadelphia, just a few blocks from Independence Hall. By then, a permanent church had replaced the old Chapel attached to the Jesuit Residence. On September 15, 1851, ninety-five students greeted Rev. Felix Barbelin, the first president of St. Joseph’s College, for their first day of class. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania chartered the school and it was incorporated as "The St. Joseph's College In The City of Philadelphia", on January 29, 1852.
In 1866, the land that is now St. Joseph's Prep was open country near the Centennial Exposition in Fairmount Park. Around this time, the Jesuits of the Maryland Province were planning to open another parish in a part of the city more conducive to operating a college. The Girard area seemed like a natural location because it was a blossoming suburb with Girard College, Eastern State Penitentiary, a hospital, and a reservoir nearby. Father Barbelin found an undeveloped block between 17th and 18th Streets and bounded on the north and south by Thompson and Stiles Streets. Here the Church of the Gesu and St. Joseph's Prep were built.
The Prep's school building, which had housed students for nearly 75 years, was almost completely destroyed by fire on the night of January 30, 1966. After fierce debate over the location and construction of a new school building – which included plans to relocate outside the city limits – the new Prep building, with modern (and fireproof) flourishes, opened in 1968 at the same location.
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