Bellarmine College Preparatory

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For the school in Tacoma, Washington, see Bellarmine Preparatory School.
Bellarmine College Preparatory
BCP-Crest.png
Location
960 West Hedding Street

San Jose
,
California
95126

United States
Coordinates37°20′32″N 121°55′07″W / 37.342172°N 121.918542°W / 37.342172; -121.918542Coordinates: 37°20′32″N 121°55′07″W / 37.342172°N 121.918542°W / 37.342172; -121.918542
Information
TypePrivate
MottoMen For and With Others[1]
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Patron saint(s)Saint Robert Bellarmine
Established1851; 171 years ago (1851)
FounderFr. John Nobili, SJ[2]
CEEB code053080
PresidentChris Meyercord
RectorFr. Mario Prietto, S.J.
PrincipalKristina Luscher
Faculty145 lay, 20 Jesuits
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,655 (2021)
Campus size19 acres (77,000 m2)
Color(s)    Blue, light blue, white
Athletics conferenceWCAL (13 sports)
MascotBell
RivalSaint Francis High School
NewspaperThe Bell Online
YearbookThe Carillon
EndowmentUS$119 Million (2021)
TuitionUS$24,350 (2020-2021)
Websitewww.bcp.org

Bellarmine College Preparatory is an all-male, Jesuit, private secondary school located in San Jose, California.[3] Founded in 1851, it is the oldest secondary school in California and the second-oldest west of the Mississippi River. In 2020, Niche ranked Bellarmine as #1 in Best All-Boys High Schools in California.[4]

Overview[]

Interior of Leontyne Chapel
Sobrato Center for the Humanities and the Arts

A Roman Catholic school in the tradition of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Bellarmine is a member of the West Catholic Athletic League, the Jesuit Schools Network, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

As of 2021, Bellarmine leads the CIF Central Coast Section with 140 Division 1 titles. Bellarmine's Speech and Debate Team is ranked in the top 10 programs in the country with its policy debate team ranked #1 after winning the triple crown (NDCA Championship, Tournament of Champions (debate) and NDSA Nationals) in 2021. In addition, the school's FIRST Robotics Team, Team 254, has been the World Champion (2011, 2014, 2017, 2018) for 4 of the past 10 years. The school's publications include its student newspaper, The Bell Online, and its nationally recognized yearbook, The Carillon.

The school is reputed for its graduates’ contributions and powerful influence in the Bay Area.[5] Bellarmine's list of notable alumni including 4 Olympians (six Gold Medals combined), 2 living Billionaires, 2 Mayors of San Jose, the former team owners of the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, 3 World Series Champions, 2 Super Bowl Champions, 1 Academy-Award Winner, 1 Pulitzer Prize Winner, 28 Professional MLB athletes, numerous award-winning authors and several state politicians. Previous Bellarmine alumni have won prestigious postgraduate scholarships including the Rhodes Scholarship, Marshall Scholarship, Schwarzman Scholarship, MacArthur Fellowship, and the Fulbright Awards.[6][7][8]

History[]

Bellarmine students in the Class of 1958
Tom McEnery '63 (61st Mayor of San Jose)

Bellarmine was founded in 1851 by Fr. John Nobili, S.J., and his companions, as Santa Clara College, a school for secondary and college-age students. In 1912, the college was separated into 2 schools - Santa Clara University and Santa Clara Prep. After sharing the same campus for thirteen years, the secondary school moved to its current College Park Campus after purchasing the land from the University of Pacific (then known as the College of Pacific) for $77,500. In 1926 the renovated school opened its doors to a student body of 200 registered students.

After its relocation, several structural changes to the school's identity followed. In 1928, the school changed its name by the persuasion of the Archbishop of San Francisco to Bellarmine College Preparatory, in honor of Robert Cardinal Bellarmine, a canonized saint and Jesuit of the sixteenth century. The school colors converted from the red and white of Santa Clara to a blue and white pattern, to honor Saint Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

16th Century Portrait of St. Robert Bellarmine

After World War II, Fr. Gerald Sugrue S.J. modernized the school's facilities by raising funds for the establishment of the Schott Academic Center, Vincent O’ Donnell Residence Hall, Samuel A. Liccardo Center, James A. Carney Science Center, Leontyne Chapel and Matthewson Hall. These new academic buildings accompanied the development of a new gymnasium and fitness center. Bellarmine remained a boarding school until 1985, after which the institution converted to a predominantly day school. In 2001, Bellarmine celebrated its 150th anniversary in educating young men in the Jesuit tradition.

In 2011, the Lorry I. Lokey Academic Center was completed after a $15 million gift from the family of the philanthropist and founder of Business Wire. This was the single largest gift in the school's history. The new center houses over 27 classrooms, a faculty lounge and the Craft-Malcolm Family Academic Resource Center.[9]

The College Park Caltrain station is adjacent to the campus since its inception and has been a historic presence for Bellarmine's metropolitan community. Over 140 students take the train to school everyday from San Mateo county to Gilroy. The station is served by only 4 trains a day, timed to correspond with the school's hours. In recent years, amidst discussion of the station shutting down, the school has lobbied Caltrain to avoid cutting service to the station.[10]

Academics[]

Class of 2019 Commencement in the Quad

As of 2020, Bellarmine's current enrollment size is approximately 1,655 students. The average class size is 22.5 and the student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1. For the Class of 2019, 99.2% of students went to attend college. 94.7% of graduating seniors were attending a four-year institution.[11] Every year, a high amount of Bellarmine seniors matriculate into Jesuit universities including Santa Clara University, Loyola Marymount University, Gonzaga University, Boston College and Seattle University.

In 2020, the mean ACT score among Bellarmine students was 30.0 and the mean SAT score was 1346. In 2019, the school had 23 National Merit Semifinalists. Bellarmine administers an average of 1300 A.P tests each year with a pass rate of 84%.

Across its 10 academic departments, the school offers 19 AP courses and 11 Honors Courses to complement its curriculum designed to meet University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) system requirements. For graduation, students are required to complete 42 credits spread out in a traditional liberal arts education with an emphasis on English, Mathematics and the Social Sciences. Every Bellarmine student is required to complete 6 semesters in Religious Studies and 2 semesters in Fitness and Health.

The school offers a number of fellowships including the Steve Pinkston Fellowship to recent college graduates and graduate students, of racially and culturally diverse descent who wish to serve at Bellarmine either through teaching, coaching, counseling or faith-based ministry.

Athletics[]

The Bellarmine Bells host 34 teams in 13 sports in the West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) of the CIF Central Coast Section. The Bells fields teams from the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level for the WCAL's (fall, winter, and spring) three seasons of league play. The schools also offers two sports (Ice hockey and Rugby) outside of WCAL play in the Sharks High School Ice Hockey League and the Skyhawk Conference respectively.

Known for its athletics program, the school leads the CIF Central Coast Section (CCS) with 140 Team Titles and maintains several of the longest-winning streaks in section history.

Under Coach Larry Rogers, the Bellarmine Bells Swimming Team won 31 consecutive CCS titles (1984-2015) until a second-place finish to Gunn High School in 2016 snapped the school's monopoly on swimming.[12] The swim team title streak caught the eye of The San Francisco Chronicle's Mitch Stevens who wrote, "That put [Bellarmine Coach Larry] Rogers...and the Bells...above such storied high school programs as Poway of San Diego wrestling, Mission Viejo swimming and yes, even De La Salle football."

The Bellarmine Soccer team is noted for the league's longest winning streak of 17 consecutive titles under Coach Patrick Lowney. The Bellarmine's 2002 varsity soccer team had a perfect 25-0-0 season. As of 2021, the soccer team coached by Conor Salcido '07 and former USWNT Team Captain, 2-Time FIFA World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain has won 3 of the past 5 CCS Open Division titles, a NorCal CIF Division 1 Title, and finished the 2021 season ranked #4 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer and CBS Sports[13][14]

In football, the 1965 John Hanna-coached Bells outscored opponents 310-6 during a 31-game winning streak to earn the first of two mythical state titles (the other was in 1981).[15] After his team's victory in the NorCal CIF Division 1-AA 2015 Final, Coach Mike Janda became the all-time winningest football coach in CCS History. By his retirement, the coach led the Bells to an unprecedented 12 appearances at the CCS Finals.

Bellarmine's volleyball team won nine of the thirteen CCS volleyball championships from 1997 to 2010, when coach Scott Petersen's team was ranked #5 in the country by ESPNRise and honored as having the highest grade point average in the state among boys volleyball teams. Former volleyball coach Patrick Adams remains the most successful volleyball coach in CCS history with 305 victories.

In the fall, the school offers Football, Cross country, Water polo. For winter, teams in Soccer, Wrestling, Basketball compete. Spring season witnesses the most amount of sports with 7 sports: Tennis, Golf, Track and Field, Volleyball, Baseball, Swimming, Lacrosse

Main article:

  • Gridiron for JV/Freshman Football. The Bells Varsity Team plays at San Jose City College

  • Baseball Dugout

  • Patricia and Stephen Schott Practice Basketball Courts

  • Brigit Whims Memorial Field

  • Malloy Aquatics Center

Co-Curricular Programs[]

Robotics[]

The Robotics Team is one of the larger organizations at Bellarmine with around 80 members. The team has won the World Chairman's Award (the highest award in FIRST), the World Championships in 2011 and 2014, placed second at World twice, and won the Silicon Valley Regional every year since its inception – 1999-2015 except for 2007. In 2008, Bellarmine first entered VEX Robotics and in 2009–2010 won 16 regional competitions, 6 of them in international competition. In the 2010–2011 season, Bellarmine's VEX team 254A won the VEX World Excellence Award, the highest it confers. In 2014, the team won three regionals, the Curie Division, and World Championships. The school shares a partnership with the in Mountain View, California.

Members of Team 254 Shaking Hands after a FIRST tournament

Student Media & Publications[]

In 2008 Bellarmine began its own radio station, KBCP The Bell, as a legal, unlicensed station at 1650 AM which reaches a 1-mile radius of the school. Programs include 30-minute newscasts, sports shows, daily music shows, and political talk radio.[16] In August 2013 KBCP partnered with PlayON sports to produce bellarminetv.com, which then re-associated with High School Cube. In September 2013 KBCP added home Hockey games to its covered sports. KBCP also plays music during lunch break and offers student-run programs such as The Way Too Early Show, Hammertime, The Afternoon Grind and Cloud 140. KBCP peaked at 3700 listeners during its broadcast of the Bellarmine-Saint Francis football game in 2016.

The school is also host to a range of student publications. The student newspaper, The Bell Online, transformed into an online media source from the historic weekly-produced, The Cardinal in 2016 and publishes daily features, athletic stories and campus announcements. The yearbook, The Carillon is one of the state's oldest secondary school yearbooks and has won multiple national awards, including the Pacemaker Awards and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown Awards. In the past, other student publications included the Bellarmine Political Review and the Written Echo.

Speech and Debate[]

With over 100 participants and 7 coaches, Bell's large speech and debate program has experienced success at the local and national levels. In 1994, Bellarmine won the team speech and debate in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2003 and 2004 the team won the California State Championship, then came in second in the state in 2005 when it was ranked as one of the top two teams in the nation. In 2006, its policy debate team captured the National Championship. For nine years, 2006–2014, Bellarmine's Speech and Debate program won the California State Championship. The program trains students in 12 speech events and 6 debate categories. In 2021, Bellarmine won the Policy Debate Championship, 2nd place in Congressional Debate, Top 10 in International Extemp & National Extemp and received the Bruno E. Jacobs Award, which is given to the school who has the greatest number of cumulative rounds at the national tournament across the years. Its rival high school in speech and debate is Leland High School (San Jose, California). [17]

In Popular Culture[]

  • Bellarmine's College Park Caltrain station is mentioned in Jack London's 1903 novel The Call of the Wild as the location at which the stolen canine protagonist is fenced, beginning his journey away from civilization.[18][19]
  • In his 1960 Lonesome Traveler collection, American poet Jack Kerouac writes about watching the Bells play football in "October in the Railroad Earth."

Notable alumni[]

Main article:

References[]

  1. ^ "Admissions - Bellarmine College Preparatory". www.bcp.org. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  2. ^ "School administration". About Us. Bellarmine College Preparatory. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2010-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Bellarmine Ranked Among the Best All-Boys in California". Bellarmine College Prep. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  5. ^ "Old School Ties". Metro Active Publishing. Boulevard Media Group. 22 April 1999. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. ^ Joy, Darrin; Nuccio, Nick. "2 Trojans receive prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship to study in Beijing". Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  7. ^ Bowdish, Erin. "Spotlight on: Sean Reilly ('08), Rhodes Scholar". Hillbrook Quarterly. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  8. ^ "1991 Outstanding Senior Award". University of California-Los Angeles. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  9. ^ Gottschalk, Mary. "Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose dedicates Lorry I. Lokey Academic Center". 13 October 2011. San Jose Mercury news.
  10. ^ Gottshalk, Mary (March 24, 2011). "Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose campaigns to keep Caltrain station open". The Mercury News (in American English). Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  11. ^ 2020 Academic Profile Report (PDF). Bellarmine College Prep https://www.bcp.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/2020%20Senior%20Profile.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. ^ Glenn Reeves. "CCS swimming: Gunn ends Bellarmine championship…". Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  13. ^ Webeck, Evan. "Prep soccer: Bellarmine beats Sacred Heart Cathedral for 3rd straight CCS Open Division title". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  14. ^ Sabedra, Darren. San Jose Mercury News https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/02/10/soccer-talent-staff-that-includes-brandi-chastain-has-bellarmine-eyeing-another-crown/. Retrieved 16 August 2016. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ "Bellarmine College Prep". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
  16. ^ Waits, Jennifer. "Visiting High School Radio Station KBCP at Bellarmine College Preparatory". Radio Survivor. Retrieved 16 Aug 2015.
  17. ^ "Bell Speech". Bell Speech and Debate Tops the Country. Bellarmine College Prep. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  18. ^ Dunn, Geoffrey (16 January 2013). "The Call of the Valley". Metro Silicon Valley. San Jose, California. p. 17. Retrieved 15 March 2014. When Buck was stolen from the 'Miller' ranch, London referenced 'the little flag railway station known as College Park,' a small train stop that, to this day, is located in the College Park neighborhood, just off the Alameda near Bellarmine Preparatory School.
  19. ^ London, Jack (1903). "Chapter I. Into the Primitive" . The Call of the Wild. No one saw him and Buck go off through the orchard on what Buck imagined was merely a stroll. And with the exception of a solitary man, no one saw them arrive at the little flag station known as College Park.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Major Leaguers - The Baseball Cube". www.thebaseballcube.com.
  21. ^ Connections (PDF). Winter 2007. pp. 26–29 http://webs.bcp.org/sites/connections/winter_2007/pdf/connections_winter_2007.pdf.PDF. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  22. ^ a b "Oldest building at Bellarmine boasts long history in San Jose neighborhood". mercurynews.com. 13 August 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Metroactive Features - Bellarmine Preparatory School". metroactive.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Site Has Moved". ca.gov. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  25. ^ Staff. "Summa Cummlaude for Madera Man". No. 7 June 1965. Center for Bibliographical Studies & Research. Madera Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  26. ^ http://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/21407287-name-dropper. Retrieved 3 October 2019. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ^ Horwitz, Sari (February 27, 2012). "Justice Dept. lawyer Tony West to take over as acting associate attorney general". Washington Post.
  28. ^ "Leadership Profiles and Board of Directors | Uber Newsroom US". Uber Newsroom. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  29. ^ Romm, Tony (2017-10-27). "Uber has hired PepsiCo's Tony West as its new chief legal officer". Vox. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  30. ^ "2016 Pulitzer Prizes". www.pulitzer.org.
  31. ^ "Philippine Daily Inquirer - Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  32. ^ "New 9th Circuit judge s local roots". July 17, 2014.
  33. ^ "Kevin McMahon profile". USA Track & Field.
  34. ^ Jim Harrington Oakland Tribune (6 May 2012). "Review: Bassnectar thrills hometown crowd in San Jose". mercurynews.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Kevin Frandsen Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  36. ^ "Francis Maka Bio - ARENAFOOTBALL.COM". arenafootball.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Eric Thames Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.

External links[]

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