Joliet Catholic Academy

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Joliet Catholic Academy
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
1200 North Larkin Avenue

Joliet
,
Illinois
60435

United States
Coordinates41°32′44″N 88°07′26″W / 41.5456°N 88.124°W / 41.5456; -88.124
Information
Typeprivate, coeducational, secondary, parochial
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1990 (1869 as Saint Francis Academy, 1918 as De LaSalle High School)
FounderMother Mary Alfred Moes
OversightDiocese of Joliet
PresidentJeffrey Budz
Teaching staff53
Grades9–12
Enrollment600 (2021)
Average class size21
Campus typesuburban
Color(s)  columbia blue
  brown
  white
SloganInspiring Growth in Knowledge and Faith
Athletics conferenceEast Suburban Catholic Conference
Team nameHilltoppers (m)
Angels (f)
AccreditationNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
Publication41—88
NewspaperThe Victory View
TuitionUS$12,625[1]
AffiliationCarmelites
Joliet Franciscan Sisters
Websitehttp://www.jca-online.org

Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet Catholic or JCA) is a coed Catholic High School located in Joliet, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. One of the oldest Catholic high schools in the Chicago area, Joliet Catholic is perhaps best known for its prowess in football. Since the advent of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state football playoffs in 1974, JCA has won more state football titles than any other team in the state, with 14 as of 2018.

The modern school is itself the result of a merger between the all-girls St. Francis Academy and the all-male Joliet Catholic High School, which itself was formerly known as DeLaSalle High School for Boys. It is this merger that results in the school's shared affiliation with the Carmelites and the Joliet Franciscan Sisters.

History[]

Founding[]

It was founded by James Dalton.The Joliet Franciscan Sisters opened St. Francis Academy in 1869 as an all-girls school. The academy was founded in a small stone building convent by Mother Mary Alfred Moes, who later would help found the Mayo Clinic. In 1923, the school moved to the campus of the University of St. Francis, which had opened in 1920. In 1956, the school moved to the building at 1200 N. Larkin, which is the current site of JCA.

George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago, had the De La Salle Christian Brothers create a new high school for boys as a part of their renovation of St. Patrick Church in Joliet. The school opened in 1918 as DeLaSalle High School for Boys with only two classrooms in the parish center, but moved to a new building in 1927. In 1933, the Carmelites took possession of the school, at which time, the school became Joliet Catholic High School.

In the summer of 1990, Joliet Catholic High School and St. Francis Academy merged to form the modern Joliet Catholic Academy.[3]

Academics[]

A college preparatory high school, JCA places students in different academic programs based on their middle school grades, scores on the incoming freshmen placement exam, and scores on other applicable exams.[4] The main academic levels include Accelerated/ Honors, Upper College Prep, and College Prep. Students may also opt to take Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit courses through Joliet Junior College, and may qualify for the Honors Program, Academic Resource Center, or "Degree-in-Three" program through the University of St. Francis.

In terms of Advanced Placement (AP) courses, the school offers Biology, Chemistry, Physics, U.S. History, Government and Politics, Spanish, French, and European History. The school also offers two courses in AP English and AP Calculus.[5] Dual credit options include Pre-Calculus, Statistics, Psychology 2, and English.[6]

Athletics[]

The men's teams at the school are referred to as the Hilltoppers, the same named used by the former Joliet Catholic High School, while the girls teams retain the name used by St. Francis Academy; the Angels. The school is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference.

The school sponsors teams for men and women in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Men also compete in baseball, football, and wrestling, while women also compete in softball, and cheerleading. The school also has a competitive dance team, which does not compete under the auspices of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).

The football team host home games at Joliet Memorial Stadium.

The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective state championship series sponsored by the IHSA:[7]

  • Baseball: 3rd place (2007–08); 2nd place (1989–90, 1999–2000, 2003–04); State Champions (1993–94), (2008–09), (2012–13)
  • Football: 2nd place (1992–93, 1996–97, 2009–10, 2011–12); State Champions (1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2018–19)
  • Golf (boys): 3rd place (1956–57, 1959–60); 2nd place (1958–59); State Champions (1957–58)
  • Softball: 4th place (1987–88)
  • Volleyball (girls): 4th place (1998–99, 2005–06); 3rd place (1986–87, 2006–07); 2nd place (2019-2020) State Champions (2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10)
  • Basketball (girls): 2nd place (2013–2014)
  • Tennis (girls): 1 doubles team Madalyn Bauer and McCoy Hutchison won the IHSA Class 1A Doubles State Title (2016)
  • Soccer (Girls): 4th (2019)

Of special note, the football team has won more football titles than any other team in the state. Since the start of the IHSA State Tournament for football in 1974, JCA has qualified for the playoffs 42 times as of (2019-2020 Season)[8]

Notable alumni[]

Academics[]

  • James Otteson (Class of 1986) is a philosopher and economist. Currently he is Executive Director of the Eudaimonia Institute, as well as professor of economics and Thomas W. Smith Presidential Chair in Business Ethics, at Wake Forest University. He is also a Research Professor in the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and in the Philosophy Department at the University of Arizona and a Senior Fellow at The Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C.[9]

Arts[]

Public Service[]

  • John R Lausch Jr. (Class of 1988), U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois.
  • Jack McGuire (Class of 1951), Member of the Illinois House of Representatives

Athletes[]

Baseball[]

Basketball[]

Football[]

Swimming

  • David Sims (Class of 1980) was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team in the 1500 meter freestyle. He was a member of the USA National Team from 1980 to 1986. At Stanford University, he was an NCAA All-America from 1981 to 1984.

Volleyball[]

  • Kelly Murphy was Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2008. She played Division 1 volleyball for the University of Florida, where she was a four-time All-American. Murphy represented Team USA in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, winning a bronze medal.

Broadcasting[]

  • Bob Zak (Class of 1979) is a radio personality who has performed on a variety of stations in the Chicago market including WJRC, WCCQ, WJOL, I-Rock, WKKD, WJTW, WCSJ as well as Chicago's WCFL, WCKG, Star Station, and Y107.9-The 1970s station, among others.

Notable staff[]

  • Gordie Gillespie was the football coach from 1959 to 1985, leading the school to five state titles. He has also served as the head baseball coach at the University of St. Francis (1977–1995 and 2006–2010). He is the all–time leader in baseball coaching victories among American college coaches, recording his 1,800th career win on April 3, 2009. He was named NAIA "Baseball Coach of the Century", and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the Head Football Coach for the "All-Time Illinois High School Football Team".[25][26]

Controversies[]

"Operation After-School Special" drug sting[]

In January 2006, Joliet police launched an investigation into a report of drugs at JCA. By April, a sting operation dubbed "Operation After-School Special"[27] yielded the arrests of five JCA students and four others connected to selling cocaine and ecstasy to an undercover officer.[28] Eight of the nine people arrested were convicted for their part in selling drugs at JCA.[28]

Since the scandal, JCA has implemented a drug testing procedure in which all students are tested in the first semester, with a random sample of 25% of students being tested again in the second semester.[29] The procedure requires a hair sample from the student that, when properly analyzed in a laboratory, should reveal the presence of most major drugs,[30] including cocaine and ecstasy, the drugs at the center of the infamous 2006 bust. Although new data is unavailable, JCA "touts [a high] drug testing success rate" of 99.996 as of 2012.[31]

May 2020 scandal[]

In May 2020, amidst Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd, a former Theology teacher and Respect Life Club leader liked a post[32] on Facebook that many interpreted as endorsing racist violence against BLM protesters. The post has since been removed, though the text is quoted in an online petition.[33]

After a screenshot of the liked post gained social media attention, alumni began to comment on their experiences with the teacher in question and with racism and homophobia at JCA, SFA, and JCHS over the years.[34] In response, JCA released a statement that condemned the post and racism generally.[35] The statement did not mention the teacher by name or whether he would face any consequences.

By June, the newly formed Alumni Coalition for Change at JCA released its own statement via the Joliet Patch, calling for the removal of the teacher in question, as well as for

  • "Updated English and United States History curriculums that acknowledge police brutality, slavery and systemic racism.
  • Cultural diversity, sensitivity, and implicit bias training for current students, staff and incoming freshmen.
  • Equal consideration for alumni scholarships and other grants beyond Empower Illinois.
  • Improved hiring practices overseen by a Director of Equity and Inclusion that focus on hiring Black, Indigenous, People of Color educators to better represent the diversity of the student body.
  • Resumption of the student teaching program with the University of St. Francis to provide opportunities to local students seeking a future in education."[32]

A petition supporting the Alumni Coalition also calls for JCA to make a statement explicitly saying "Black Lives Matter," to meet with diverse alumni, and to strengthen teacher evaluations.[33]

JCA has yet to publicly comment on the Alumni Coalition, but posted a new Director of Diversity and Inclusion position in June, 2020.[36] The school formally announced via a "New Faculty and Staff Spotlight" that the position had been filled by former assistant volleyball coach Kisha Cameron on December 15, 2020.[37]

An online petition to "save" the Theology teacher's job was created by a current student prior to the start of the 2020 school year. [Link blocked by Wikipedia] Joliet Catholic Academy did not publicly comment on the status of the teacher's employment, nor did they advertise a need for a new Theology teacher. The teacher in question acquired a new teaching position in the Fall of 2020 at St. Joseph Catholic School in Lockport, Illinois and maintained positions as youth minister at St. Paul the Apostle School and the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, Illinois until April, 2021, when allegations of inappropriate behavior involving a minor surfaced online.[38]

References[]

  1. ^ "Tuition | Joliet Catholic Academy".
  2. ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  3. ^ "History of JCA" Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Academics | Joliet Catholic Academy". Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  5. ^ Curriculum guide Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Quigley, Ryan. "JCA and Joliet Junior College offer dual credit courses | Joliet Catholic Academy". Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  7. ^ IHSA records for Joliet Catholic Academy
  8. ^ "IHSA Table of Titles – Football". Illinois High School Association (IHSA). 6 October 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  9. ^ https://plus.google.com/116230344573745113647/about
  10. ^ "2nd Round of the 2006 MLB June Amateur Draft".
  11. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110912&content_id=24586574&vkey=affililiate&c_id=min
  12. ^ "Joe Benson Stats, Fantasy & News".
  13. ^ "JCA hands out 2012 Alumni Awards | Joliet Catholic Academy".
  14. ^ "Kevin Cameron Stats, Fantasy & News".
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b https://web.archive.org/web/20060319104454/http://geocities.com/beesball/cameron.html
  16. ^ 1981 MLB draft Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Glenn, David (2007-06-27). "Terry Gannon, More ACC-NBA, Etc". WRAL.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  18. ^ "Terry Gannon". ABC Medianet. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
  19. ^ Ed Mikan stats & bio; basketball-reference.com; accessed 1 January 2009
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b hoophall.com (2007-02-23). "George Mikan Biography". Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  21. ^ Mike Alstott page at nfl.com
  22. ^ "2011 Purdue Football Information Guide" (PDF). cstv.com. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  23. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2012-04-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ^ Tom Thayer bio
  25. ^ Gillespie earns 1800th victory; 3 April 2009; Associated Press; accessed 4 April 2009
  26. ^ City of Joliet Hall of Fame: Gordie Gillespie; accessed 4 April 2009
  27. ^ Dardick, Hal (September 7, 2007). "Teen gets 4 years for selling crack". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b reporter, Jo Napolitano, Tribune staff. "9 arrested in Joliet Catholic drug sting". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  29. ^ Joliet Catholic Academy (2012). Parent Student Handbook.
  30. ^ "Hair Drug Testing | Labcorp". www.labcorp.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  31. ^ "JCA Touts Drug Testing Success Rate". Naperville, IL Patch. 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b "Fire JCA Teacher Jeremy Hylka, Update Curriculum: Alumni Group". Joliet, IL Patch. 2020-06-18. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b "On the Future of JCA". Google Docs. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  34. ^ Shelby, Trevor (June 2, 2020). "Trevor Shelby's Post". Facebook. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  35. ^ Quigley, Ryan. "A statement from the JCA administration | Joliet Catholic Academy". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  36. ^ Quigley, Ryan. "Updated Employment Opportunities | Joliet Catholic Academy". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  37. ^ Quigley, Ryan. "New Faculty and Staff Spotlight: JCA Director of Diversity and Inclusion Ms. Kisha Cameron | Joliet Catholic Academy". Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  38. ^ "Jeremy Hylka Ousted From 3 Diocese of Joliet Positions". Joliet, IL Patch. 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2021-04-28.

External links[]

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