Junípero Serra High School (San Mateo, California) Explained

Junípero Serra High School
Address:451 West 20th Avenue
Zipcode:94403
Country:United States
Other Names:Serra or JSHS
Established:1944
President:Barry Thornton
Principal:Charlie McGrath
Mascot:Padres
Accreditation:Western Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Yearbook:El Padre Yearbook
Newspaper:Serra Friar
Tuition:$22,500
Campus Type:Suburban
Enrollment:860
Enrollment As Of:2022

Junípero Serra High School (commonly Serra or JSHS) is a Catholic college preparatory high school in San Mateo, California, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, this school provides education for young men. The school has an academic focus with a college preparatory curriculum.[2]

School history

Serra High School was founded in 1944 by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco and was originally located at Columbia Drive and Alameda de las Pulgas in San Mateo, which is the current site of St. Bartholomew's Catholic Parish. The original student body consisted of 86 freshmen and sophomores. The school moved to new facilities at 451 West 20th Avenue in San Mateo in the fall of 1955 when the student body grew to 576. In 1978, Michael Peterson was named the first lay principal of Serra and Fr. Stephen H. Howell was named the school's first president. From 2002 to 2004, Fr. Joe Bradley (class of '73) served as president, overseeing fundraising efforts for major campus renovation. In 2008, Barry Thornton, Ed.d, was named principal and Lars Lund was named president. Under their tenure, the school expanded course offerings and completed large-scale renovations.[3]

Campus renovations

Phase I of Serra's master plan was completed in 2005, featuring new facilities for football, baseball, and wrestling, along with a 150-space parking structure. Phase II was completed in 2011, and created five new science lecture-labs, a new music room, two art classrooms, an academic resource center, and a 550,000-gallon infinity pool for competitive aquatics. In 2016, Serra undertook a smaller project, renovating the playing surfaces used for baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse, and track.[4]

Academics

More than 60 percent of Serra students are enrolled in honors and Advanced Placement courses. Serra has averaged an 80 percent AP pass rate over the past five years, which is more than 20 points higher than the national average.[5] Serra's Class of 2018 received more than $27 million in college scholarships.[6] Serra has a one-to-one device program in each classroom and 99 percent of Serra graduates exceed the minimum course requirements set for the CSU and the University of California. Serra features 30 honors and AP classes, and 93 percent of Serra faculty members hold advanced degrees.[7]

Athletics

The Serra athletic program has grown dramatically since its very modest beginnings in the mid-1940s. For a time in the years after World War II, the San Mateo school offered just three sports: football, basketball, and baseball. Boxing was also available, particularly on one night of the year when so-called student "Golden Gloves" competition was presented. Early on, Serra joined an embryonic Catholic Athletic League, a Bay Area-wide aggregation of what were then small Catholic schools. The Padres had some significant successes in that circuit. Two of its varsity football teams were unbeaten in 1949 and 1954; those remain the only unblemished football teams in school history. Serra captured five CAL baseball championships and seven CAL football crowns. In 1967, as new Catholic schools were opening throughout the region, the Padres joined what was a direct outgrowth of the CAL, the new West Catholic Athletic League. Since that point, Serra's athletic program has flourished.

The school offers 14 competitive team sports. Stars like Tom Brady, Lynn Swann, Barry Bonds, and David Bakhtiari have attended the school. As time went by, the Padres became one of Northern California's signature prep sports entities and the league itself morphed into a state powerhouse. As of early 2018, the school had won 67 West Catholic Athletic League varsity titles, 31 Central Coast Section championships, and two state crowns (basketball in 2016 and football in 2017). Serra athletes had garnered individual state championships in several sports. A number of them had become Olympians. A total of 11 Serra baseball players, including the record-setting Bonds, have played in the major leagues; Jim Fregosi, Serra's first big league star, also managed several teams in the majors. Nearly a dozen Padres have played professional football. Brady and Swann, an all-American at USC and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, were both Super Bowl MVP's. Tom Scott is in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame. In the mid-1970s, Jesse Freitas led the nation in passing at San Diego State. One of the most dominating exhibitions by a Serra football team occurred in 2017 when the Padres, coached by Patrick Walsh, posted an overall 13-2 record (10-0 vs. West Catholic Athletic League opponents, a feat never accomplished before in the history of the league) and won a California Interscholastic Federation state championship, the first for a San Mateo County high school football team since 1926.

Spirituality

Junípero Serra High School is a Roman Catholic school. It offers faith and theology education through its Campus Ministry program and curriculum. Campus Ministry offers four-day-long Kairos retreats, retreat leadership opportunities, liturgical leadership opportunities and Immersion trips to Watsonville, West Virginia, Nicaragua, San Jose and Los Angeles. The Campus Ministry office also manages the school's Christian Service program. Theology courses offer instruction in the Catholic faith, morality and worship, and stress the importance of individual faith development.[8]

Notable alumni

Tri-School

Junípero Serra High School is a part of a program called Tri-School, a partnership with Notre Dame High School, Belmont, and Mercy High School, Burlingame, both all-female schools. The schools host some morning classes with mixed education and collaborate in other activities as well.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools. 2009-06-05. WASC-ACS. 2009-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20090814003439/http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm. dead.
  2. Web site: Junipero Serra: About Serra. www.serrahs.com. 2016-08-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20160902224302/http://www.serrahs.com/page.cfm?p=2311. 2016-09-02. dead.
  3. Web site: Serra History - Junipero Serra High School.
  4. Web site: Facilities - Junipero Serra High School. SerraHS.com. April 26, 2017.
  5. Web site: Serra High School: Academics. www.serrahs.com. 2016-08-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20160331034322/http://www.serrahs.com/page.cfm?p=2470. 2016-03-31. dead.
  6. Web site: Junipero Serra: College Acceptances. www.SerraHS.com. August 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160817232642/http://www.serrahs.com/page.cfm?p=3296. 2016-08-17. dead.
  7. Web site: Academics - Junipero Serra High School. SerraHS.com. April 26, 2017.
  8. Web site: Junipero Serra: Faith & Service. www.SerraHS.com. August 8, 2016.
  9. Web site: Norm Angelini Stats Baseball-Reference.com. Baseball-Reference.com. 31 March 2018. en.
  10. Web site: CU Buffs lineman David Bakhtiari declares for NFL draft. . January 2013 . February 12, 2014 . Henderson, John.
  11. Web site: Secret to success: Take a leap . . March 7, 2009 . February 16, 2014 . Scalise, Stephanie . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222063726/http://archives.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?id=106695 . 2014-02-22 . dead .
  12. Book: Barry Bonds: Baseball's Superman . Sports Publishing LLC . Travers, Steven . 2003 . 38 . 1582616825.
  13. Web site: Fregosi, former player, manager and scout, dies at 71 Six-time All-Star for Angels spent 53 years in baseball, led Phillies to 1993 pennant . . February 14, 2014 . February 14, 2014 . Ringolsby, Tracy.
  14. Web site: Junipero Serra High School San Mateo, California, US . TagWhat Mobile Site . February 13, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222100427/http://tagwh.at/t/1746 . 2014-02-22 . dead .
  15. Web site: Fregosi suffers stroke on MLB alumni cruise . MLB.com . February 12, 2014 . February 12, 2014 . Ringolsby, Tracy.
  16. Web site: With a rich history of football, Freitas still loves the game . Pomerado News. October 26, 2005 . February 12, 2014.
  17. Web site: Batter up! . Pleasanton Weekly. January 25, 2013 . February 12, 2014 . Jetter, Cathy.
  18. Web site: Serra High christens $21M arts, science, pool complex . The Catholic Voice . September 5, 2011 . February 16, 2014 . Schmalz, Valerie.
  19. Web site: Serra baseball decision still festering . San Jose Mercury News . September 10, 2009 . February 12, 2014 . Reid, John.
  20. Web site: Junipero Serra High School Traditions Vol. 32 No. 3.
  21. Web site: Lumpkins Returns to College Hoops After Attempting Pro Baseball Career . . November 15, 2012 . February 12, 2014 . Elfin, David.
  22. Web site: Tom McBreen . Online Collections Database . San Mateo County Historical Association . 29 February 2024 . Tom McBreen of Serra High School.
  23. California State Senate website, March 14, 2018
  24. Web site: Tony Renda's drive rooted in his upbringing. INSIDENOVA.COM. September 21, 2014.
  25. Web site: Voice Of Experience . https://web.archive.org/web/20131109092256/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/13/sports/la-sp-john-robinson-20131013 . dead . November 9, 2013 . Los Angeles Times . October 13, 2013 . February 13, 2014 . Pucin, Diane.
  26. Web site: Bay Area school generates athletes . . January 26, 2002 . February 13, 2014 . Hirsley, Michael.
  27. Web site: Every question deserves an answer . . July 16, 2003 . February 17, 2014 . Garchik, Leah.
  28. Web site: Beyond Tom Brady: Other notable Serra High alums . The Mercury News . 2015-01-30 . 2019-09-26.
  29. News: Michael Trucco Biography . https://web.archive.org/web/20140309142000/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/237762/Michael-Trucco/biography . dead . March 9, 2014 . Movies & TV Dept. . . Nathan Southern . 2014 . February 16, 2014.

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