Saint Benedict's Preparatory School

Infobox School
background = #f0f6fa
border = #ccd2d9
name = Saint Benedict's Preparatory School


size = 171px
motto = "Gratia Benedictus Nomine"
("Blessed in grace and name")
established = 1868
type = All boys Private, Boarding school
religion = Roman Catholic
headmaster = Rev. Edwin Leahy O.S.B
address = 520 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
city = Newark
state = NJ
zipcode = 07102
country = USA
campus = Urban, 12 acres
enrollment = ~530
faculty = 42.3 (on FTE basis)
ratio = 12.7
athletics = 12 sports (Water Polo, Cross Country, Soccer, Swimming, Fencing, Wrestling, Basketball, Indoor Track & Field, Tennis, Golf, Outdoor Track)
colors = Garnet and gray color box|#632434 color box|#7e7e7e
mascot = Gray Bee
information = 973-792-5766
homepage = [http://www.sbp.org/ School website] |

Saint Benedict's Preparatory School is an all boys Roman Catholic high school, established in 1868, that has been a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark for well over 100 years. St. Benedict's Prep (SBP) is located in Newark, New Jersey, United States. SBP is run by Benedictine monks. Since its re-opening the headmaster has been Fr. Edwin D. Leahy, O.S.B, who graduated from St. Benedict's in 1963.

St. Benedict's Preparatory School has served students from the Newark area since 1868. Under the monks of Newark Abbey, the school is guided by the sixth century Rule of St Benedict, with the Benedictine emphasis on rigorous academic study combined with a focus on developing virtue, character and talent of students. [ [http://www.sbp.org/about.asp About St. Benedict's and Newark Abbey] , Saint Benedict's Preparatory School. Accessed June 18, 2008.]

As of the 2005-06 school year, the school had an enrollment of 538 students and 42.3 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 12.7. [http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=00863704&ID=00863704 St Benedict's Prep School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed June 18, 2008.]

Athletics

St. Benedict's Prep is not a member of the state's high school governing body, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA). St. Benedict's has been known as an "athletic powerhouse" for many years.

St. Benedict's has achieved success with its athletics program, with many successful teams including its basketball, cross-country and wrestling squads. Its most well-known program, however, is boys' soccer, where the Gray Bees have been ranked number one in the country on five different occasions and are regularly the top-ranked school in New Jersey. The 2006 team finished the season with a perfect 20-0 record, and was ranked first in the nation in the NSCAA/adidas National Rankings. [ [http://www.nscaa.com/hsRes.php?it=1032 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings: National Final Regular Season Poll Poll] , November 21, 2006. Accessed July 27, 2007.] Professional soccer players Gregg Berhalter, Tab Ramos, Claudio Reyna, Danny Vizuete and Petter Villegas all played at St. Benedict's.

NBA star J.R. Smith is a St. Benedict's alumnus. Recently, senior shooting guard Corey Stokes had been selected to compete in the McDonald's All-American All Star game, which has been a big accomplishment for the Villanova guard. Stokes is currently seeing decent playing time for the Wildcats. He scored his career high 18 points in a win over UCONN, and coach Jay Wright has said "He's the best shooter I've ever recruited." Fact|date=May 2008

Extracurricular activities

St. Benedict's has a strong music program that has traveled nationwide. It's Drama Guild has traveled to England, Ireland and Bolivia. The band has participated in many local and national shows, including competitions in Boston and Montreal. The visual arts have also grown in recent years. "The Benedict News" is nationally recognized among student newspapers. It has won the Columbia student press award more than once. The school literary magazine, "The Kayrix" is published every year during spring phase and is also strong. The students also run their own maintenance coorporation, the 520. The 520 is a student-run maintenance operation. The goal of the corporation is to cost-effectively support the maintenance needs of the school while enhancing the environment, and providing students with the opportunity to develop skills and earn a competitive income. The corporation was established in 1998.

Academic Year & Leadership

St. Benedict's school year is also different than most high schools. The school year is divided into three "phases"; Summer phase, Fall/Winter Phase and Spring Phase. During Summer phase the whole student body of St. Benedict's gathers for a five-week session of half-day classes during August. For the members of the Freshman Class, the session begins with the five-day Overnight. The Freshman Class is divided into 18 groups of about eight students each, with an older student acting as counselor for the week. Meals are taken "family style" in the dining room as each student takes a turn being the waiter for his color, setting the table, serving the food, and clearing up afterward. Freshmen meet faculty members and older students, discover Benedict's history and traditions and learn the school songs. During Fall/winter phase students have regular school days with a daily convocation at the Gym at 8:00. During convocation, Attendance is taken, Prayers and song are done with the whole community present. Spring phase is at the end of the academic year. Students choose projects to work on for four weeks that vary from community service to US history to even karate and cooking. Freshmen don't have a choice; At the end of the Freshmen Year, Freshmen once again have to spend an entire week together. This time there is no comfortable gym floor to sleep on — students are in tents. And there is no professional cook to attend to their needs. Freshman team members take turns cooking for one another, preparing food they have carried on their backs. The Backpacking Project is a five-day trek over 50 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the mountains of western New Jersey. Freshmen form themselves into 16 teams of eight members each and elect a leader from among themselves. Four such teams make a "company" that is led by specially trained older students, first-aiders, and adults. Three weeks of intense training precede the week on the trail so that Freshmen are prepared for whatever might happen. [http://www.sbp.org Saint Benedict's Preparatory School] ]

St. Benedict's is divided into 18 groups of about 20 to 30 members each. Each group, named after successful Benedict's alumnus meets daily, competes in events, and plays an active role in running the school. Each group elects a student Group Leader and Assistant Leaders and works closely with its faculty advisors. The school is run by a Senior Group leader, four section leaders and two beginner leaders. They work together in leading the school and making sure rules are being followed.

Notable faculty

*Ernest Blood (1872-1955), basketball coach who led St. Benedict's Prep to a 421-128 record and five state championships from 1925 to 1950. [ [http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/bloodern.shtml Sports biography of Blood, Ernest A.] , accessed May 3, 2007. "Blood coached at the U. S. Military Academy in 1924-25 and 1925-26, then went to St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, where he spent the rest of his career, retiring in 1949. His St. Benedict's teams won five state championships."]

Notable alumni

*Gregg Berhalter (born 1973), football defender, who currently plays for TSV 1860 München in the German Second Bundesliga. [ [http://www.ussoccer.com/bio/index.jsp_78440.html Gregg Berhalter profile] , US Soccer, accessed May 3, 2007. "A four-year letter winner for St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, N.J., where he started on the team that won two state championships and ranked No. 2 and No. 1 in the nation in 1989 (22-0) and 1990 (25-0), respectively."]
*A. J. Calloway (born 1974), former host of the BET show "106 & Park"
*Peter A. Carlesimo (1915-2003), basketball coach. [ [http://www.nit.org/history/nit-carlesimo.html/ Peter A. Carlesimo] , National Invitation Tournament. Accessed December 3, 2007.]
*Ownie Carroll (1902-1975), Major League Baseball pitcher who played nine seasons in the major, from 1925 to 1934. [ [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/Ownie-Carroll.shtml Ownie Carroll] , The Baseball Cube. Accessed August 19, 2007.]
*John J. Degnan (born 1944), Attorney General of New Jersey, 1978-1981, vice chairman and chief operating officer of The Chubb Corporation. [ [http://nj.gov/oag/oag/ag_1978-1981_degnan_bio.htm Profile of John J. Degnan] , New Jersey Attorney General. Accessed June 26, 2008.]
*James Delany (born 1948), commissioner of the of the Big Ten Conference. [ [http://bigten.cstv.com/school-bio/delany-bio.html James E. Delany, Commissioner] , Big Ten Conference. Accessed December 6, 2007.]
*Gabriel Ferrari (born 1988), football striker, plays for U.C. Sampdoria of Italian Serie A. [Galarcep, Ives. [http://northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxMzcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcxMzU0MzQmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2 "Angulo will chase his dream"] , "Herald News", May 16, 2007. Accessed July 27, 2007. "He's one of the most talented attacking players that I've coached in 22 years," said St. Benedict's Prep coach Rick Jacobs, who counts Ramos, Claudio Reyna and Serie A striker Gabriel Ferrari among his former players.]
*Cullen Jones (born 1984), Gold Medalist at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing in the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay. [Mallozzi, Vincent M. [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/sports/olympics/03Rolympic.html?ref=nyregionspecial2 "U.S. Swimmer Hopes to Inspire"] , "The New York Times", August 3, 2008. Accessed August 10, 2008.]
*Mpho Moloi (born 1983), football midfielder who currently plays for Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. [ [http://web.mlsnet.com/players/bio.jsp?team=t200&player=moloi_m&event=superdraft Mpho Moloi player profile] , Houston Dynamo, accessed May 3, 2007. "Won the State Championship (2000-01) and the Essex County and National Championship (2001) at St. Benedict’s"]
*Tab Ramos (born 1966), football midfielder, who was the first player to sign with Major League Soccer, where he played seven years with the MetroStars.Galacep, Ives. [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1NzAmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTcwMDk3NTMmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk5 "Immersed in the game"] , "Herald News", October 24, 2006. Accessed May 3, 2007. "It isn't every day that a 15-year-old is mentioned as a candidate to add his name to the storied list of New Jersey standouts to leave St. Benedict's for memorable professional careers, such as U.S. national team legends Tab Ramos and Claudio Reyna."]
*Claudio Reyna (born 1973), football midfielder who played for Manchester City in the FA Premier League is currently playing with Major League Soccer's Red Bull New York.
*J. R. Smith (born 1985), National Basketball Association player currently with the Denver Nuggets. [ [http://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/nuggets_acquire_jrsmith_072006.html Nuggets Acquire J.R. Smith from Bulls: Team sends Eisley, two second round picks to Chicago] , Denver Nuggets press release, dated July 20, 2006]
*Petter Villegas (born 1975), football winger, who made his name with the MetroStars of Major League Soccer. [Yannis, Alex. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806EFD6163AF937A25756C0A9679C8B63 "SOCCER; A Long Road to M.L.S. For MetroStars' Villegas"] , "The New York Times", May 14, 2001. Accessed April 8, 2008. "But he said he was especially grateful to the Rev. Edwin D. Leahy, the headmaster of St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, who took Villegas under his wing as a freshman."]
* Kevin O'Connor, current host of This Old House

References

External links

* [http://www.sbp.org/ Web site]
* [http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolID=00863704&ID=00863704 Data for Saint Benedict's Preparatory School] , National Center for Education Statistics