Archbishop Shaw High School

Infobox School
name = Archbishop Shaw High School
motto = "Reason, Religion and Kindness"
location = 1000 Barataria Boulevard
Marrero, Louisiana, U.S.A.
established = August 19 1962
type = Private
affiliation = Catholic
grades = 8-12
president = Rev. James McKenna, SDB
principal = Rev. Michael Conway, SDB
staff = 55
students = 600 (approx.)
athletics = Shaw Eagles
colors = Green and White
information = [phone] (Voice)
[phone] (Fax)
website = http://www.archbishopshaw.org/

Founded in 1962, Archbishop Shaw High School is an Archdiocesan school administered under the Salesians of St. John Bosco. It is approved by the Louisiana State Department of Education and the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. It is located at 1000 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero, Louisiana. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

haw History

On August 19 1962, The Archbishop of New Orleans, Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel dedicated Archbishop Shaw High School. The school was named after the Archbishop of New Orleans, John W. Shaw, because of his interest in the development of the Catholic community of the West Bank (the side of the Mississippi River opposite New Orleans). From 1918-1934 Archbishop Shaw was in charge of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. During that time, 29 schools and 33 churches were established. In 1924 Archbishop Shaw appointed the first pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Marrero. Six years later, he dedicated the buildings for Hope Haven Institute, an orphanage and foster home. On that same property, a school in Archbishop Shaw’s name opened 32 years later.

The school's founding principal in 1962 was Rev. Paul P. Avallone, S.D.B. A small complex which is now only used for summer camp was built to meet the needs of the developing West Bank School. In 1962, the first freshman class with only 95 students (all boys), walked the halls of the newly opened school. Monthly tuition was $15. The staff included six Salesian priests and brothers. In 1963 a sophomore class was added. In that same year, the school colors (green and white), crest, and uniforms were adopted. In February 1966, the completion of the main building brought a new addition to the school. The school established a four year program boosting the number of enrollment to 436, with 74 seniors in its first graduating class. By 1967 the gymnasium was complete, and three years later Shaw competed in interscholastic athletics with an AAAA status.

From 1968 to the present, Archbishop Shaw has continued its growth. In the early 1970s a baseball stadium, a track, a swimming pool and a soccer field were all added. In 1975 the new St. Francis de Sales chapel in the main building was dedicated. An eighth grade was added during the 1984-85 school year, as well as a new cafeteria with seating for over 500. That same year, the old cafeteria became a chapel and meeting complex known as Don Bosco Hall, named after St. Don Bosco, founder of the Salesian order that manages the school.

After years of capital campaigning, discussions, and planning, the 2004-2005 school year finally saw the opening of a newly constructed 20-classroom building with an elevator and a second floor access walkway to the administrative building and science/math/fine arts wing.

Archbishop Shaw High School's crest includes the three principles of the Salesians' preventive system: Reason, Religion, and Kindness. The school motto is "Excelsior: Ever Striving, Ever Achieving".

Mission Statement, Fight Song, and Alma Mater

Mission Statement

The mission of Archbishop Shaw High School is to provide a program that furthers the college preparatory education of its students in a manner consistent with the Doctrines of Catholic education and in the context of the Salesian philosophy and teachings of St. John Bosco as manifested in his Preventive System of Education: Reason, Religion and Kindness.

Fight Song

On Shaw Eagles! On Shaw Eagles!

Crash right through that line!

Throw a wall around the _______!

Touchdown sure this time!

On Shaw Eagles! On Shaw Eagles!

Fight on to the end!

Fight! Fellows, Fight! Fight! Fight!

We'll win this game!

Shaw Forever (Alma Mater)

Near the banks of Old Man River,

Rising grandly there,

Stand the halls of Shaw forever

Gleaming bright and fair.

See her glory, sing to praise her

Shaw will know we care.

Brave her men, proud to remember

Days of honor there.

Rivals

Located in Metairie, Louisiana on Severn Avenue, Archbishop Rummel High School was completed in 1962, around the same time as Archbishop Shaw High School. Named after Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel, Rummel High School has competed with Shaw in all major sports. The most well known is the Megaphone Game. Every year both football teams clash in a battle for the most prized possession, the Megaphone. Half painted in Red (one of Rummel's colors), the other half in Green (one of Shaw's colors), after every Megaphone game the score is written on the side of the Megaphone and presented to the winners, who keep the trophy until the next year. Currently Archbishop Shaw has the Megaphone after Shaw defeated Rummel 21-6 in 2007. Shaw leads the all-time series 23-22.

From 1966 through 2004, Archbishop Shaw was a member of the prestigious "Catholic League", which consisted of other Catholic all-boys high schools in the New Orleans area. In 2005, due to a new Louisiana High School Athletic Association by-law which forced schools to play in their enrollment-based classification, Shaw was moved down to Class 4A, where it remains today. Shaw officials are hoping the school can gain enough enrollment to return to Class 5A when the LHSAA releases its next classification figures in November 2008.

Despite the move to 4A, Shaw continues to play former Catholic League rivals Rummel, and Brother Martin in football.

candals in the early 2000s

Archbishop Shaw was forced to forfeit several football games of the 2001 season, due to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's ruling that the team played ineligible players and dispensed illegal aid to its players. The coaching staff was ultimately wiped out, with a new staff made up by several Shaw alumni taking over in 2002. Fact|date=December 2007

This was followed in 2002 by another scandal of a fiscal nature, with a group of the school's teachers and administrators attempting to push the Salesian order out of the school. This attempt was unsuccessful, and the school replaced much of the administration in 2003, along with all teachers involved. Fact|date=December 2007

Extracurricular activities

Archbishop Shaw High School has had great successes in many areas. The school's cheerleaders, from its sister school of Academy of Our Lady, have won several UCA national championships, and its dance team, the Eaglettes, has been successful in many competitions across the country. In February 2008, the Eaglettes captured a National Title in Jazz at the American All Stars National Competition in Orlando, Florida. The Archbishop Shaw High School Band, "The Pride of the West Bank", is a focal point at athletic events, and has won many awards of its own, in both concert and marching activities, including two State Sweepstakes Awards from the LMEA. The bands of Archbishop Shaw are often invited to participate in invitational competitions around the country, as well as internationally. Two recent international appearances were in Edinburgh, and Paris.

Football

The Archbishop Shaw Eagles finished the 2006 and 2007 seasons with 14-1 records. Both losses came in the LHSAA State Championship game against Bastrop High School. The games were played at the Louisiana Superdome.

External links

* [http://www.archbishopshaw.org Archbishop Shaw High School Official Website]
* [http://www.archbishopshawalumni.org Archbishop Shaw Alumni Association]