DeMatha Catholic High School

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DeMatha Catholic High School
Dmcross.png
Gentlemen & Scholars
Address
4313 Madison Street
Hyattsville, Maryland 20781
United States
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Information
Type Private, College-prep
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s) St. John of Matha
Established 1946
Founder Trinitarian Order
Area trustee DeMatha Board of Trustees
Rector Fr. James Day, O.SS.T., S.T.D.
Principal Daniel McMahon, Ph.D. '76
Faculty 85
Grades 9–12
Gender Boys
Enrollment 800
Student to teacher ratio 12:1
Campus size 10 acres (40,000 m2)
Campus type Suburban
Color(s) Red and blue          
Slogan There are 38,000 High Schools in the country but there is only One DeMatha!
Song DeMatha Forever!
Fight song One DeMatha
Athletics conference Washington Catholic Athletic Conference
Nickname Stags
Rival Gonzaga College High School
Accreditation Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1]
Average SAT scores 560 verbal
575 math
560 writing
Newspaper The DeMatha Stagline
Tuition $15,000
Alumni 9,300
Website http://www.dematha.org

DeMatha Catholic High School, named after Saint John of Matha, is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. DeMatha is known for its excellence in academics, music, arts, and athletics. DeMatha is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, and is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.

History

DeMatha was founded by the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, or Trinitarians, in 1946 in Hyattsville, Maryland, about 2 miles south of University of Maryland, College Park. Originally, the school was designed to cater to the needs of Catholic seminarians from the Trinitarian order. Many local families, however, desired a Catholic secondary school for their children, and DeMatha's location in the Maryland suburbs of Washington proved ideal for this goal. Most notably, DeMatha is the only Trinitarian college preparatory school in the United States. As a result, the school began admitting more students, and expanded its academic and athletic programs while constructing the "old wing", or original school structure.

In addition to the original building, the school erected a state-of-the-art second wing, completed in 1990. The former band practice facility, known as "Fort Necessity", burned down in the 1970s. This building was refurbished and became the Anthony Fotos Arts Center, named for a beloved teacher of mechanical drawing and other architectural and engineering courses and a 30-year veteran of the school.

In 2001, the school purchased two acres adjacent to the original campus along Route 1, or Baltimore Avenue, in downtown Hyattsville. The additional property is now a Gateway on Route 1 and three parking lots. In 2009, the McCarthy Activity Center became the home of DeMatha's Music Department, and in early 2010, the LT (SEAL) Brendan Looney '99 Convocation Center opened on Madison Street. This building includes a new gym, which replaced the Morgan Wootten Gymnasium, as well as a weight/fitness room, classrooms, athletic offices, alumni lounge, Stag Store, snack shop, film room, batting cages, and other amenities.

While DeMatha continues its tradition of all-male secondary education, when Regina Catholic High School, an all-girls school in Adelphi, Maryland, closed in 1989, DeMatha welcomed 21 members of the junior class who expressed a desire to finish their last high school year at DeMatha. Therefore, the class of 1990 contains the only female graduates in school history. Elizabeth Seton in Bladensburg, Maryland, is DeMatha's official sister school.

Academics

The school offers a variety of honors and sixteen Advanced Placement courses, as well as various academic clubs and societies. Also offered are opportunities for study abroad and service within local Maryland communities, in keeping with Trinitarian tradition. The school emphasizes the importance of being both "a gentleman and a scholar".

The U.S. Department of Education recognized the school as a National School of Excellence twice, in 1984 and 1991. In DeMatha's 63-year history, the school has graduated over 9,000 young men. The school supports the Valois chapter of the National Honor Society, with a large percentage of upperclassmen participating in the group. The DeMatha chapter assists with food drives, fundraisers, and cleaning efforts of local parks, including the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C.

DeMatha fields competitive scholastic competition teams. For example, DeMatha routinely appears on It's Academic, the Washington-based television quiz show. DeMatha has emerged victorious several times during their television appearances.

DeMatha routinely fields a strong Mock Trial team. Consisting of academically talented students, and coached by faculty and alumni mentors, the team has enjoyed great success and exposure over the years, being featured in publications such as the "Catholic Standard" and arguing before the Maryland Court of Appeals. The team regularly makes a showing in Maryland state semifinals, winning the statewide Maryland championship in 2001.

Music program

DeMatha's music program was founded in 1970 by John Mitchell. DeMatha performing groups have received 50 gold medals at international festivals in Chicago, Toronto, Orlando, Atlanta, Nashville, Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, and Daytona Beach. Each year, five ensembles and two choral programs perform at a major music festival. The bands and choruses have received consistent superior ratings for the past 30 years at District, Archdiocesan, and State Band festivals, including multiple Grand Champion awards.

Over 500 students have been chosen to perform in All-State bands since 1974, the most of any private school in Maryland in that span of time, and over 300 alumni have gone on to professional careers in music. The graduating class of 2013 earned more than $4.1 million in college scholarships.

DeMatha's music programs feature both academic and extracurricular performing groups including:[2]

  • Concert Band I
  • Concert Band II
  • Concert Band
  • Symphonic Band
  • Wind Ensemble
  • Concert Strings I
  • Concert Strings II
  • Sinfonia
  • Percussion Ensemble I
  • Percussion Ensemble II
  • Advanced Percussion Ensemble
  • Pep Band
  • Jazz Lab
  • Jazz Ensemble

In addition, the school maintains a choral program focusing on performance music, which includes:

  • DeMatha Singers
  • DeMatha Harmonics
  • Voices of DeMatha

Many graduates continue to perform with major symphony orchestras and Washington, DC-based service bands.

Athletics

DeMatha's athletic teams, the Stags, have received national recognition for achievement in a variety of sports, from golf and baseball to basketball and football. Sports Illustrated recognized DeMatha as the #2 high school athletic program in the United States in 2005, and again in 2007. In 2009, it was named the top athletic program in Maryland.

Morgan Wootten Gymnasium

The Stags first gained national recognition in 1962 with their initial national championship in basketball with a team led by John Austin, Johnny Jones, Gary Ward, John Carroll and "Big" Bill McDermott, coached by Morgan Wootten. In 1965, the DeMatha basketball team won its second national championship defeating Power Memorial Academy of New York, with then Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), in a game called "The Greatest High School Basketball Game Ever".[citation needed] Morgan Wootten earned a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his achievements as the Stags' coach. DeMatha's basketball program has produced many championships in the school's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference league, and the team often participates in the City Title game against opposing schools from the District of Columbia. In 2005, DeMatha's Varsity Basketball team finished with the #1 ranking in the Washington Post, and finished as the third-best high school squad in the country, according to USA Today.

The DeMatha varsity football team won the 2008 WCAC championship for the sixth consecutive year and finished ranked #1 in the DC area by the Washington Post. In 2004, Bill McGregor was named "High School Coach of the Year" by the NFL. He was nominated by his former player, Brian Westbrook, then playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.

The DeMatha varsity soccer team has won six WCAC championships, and had a 67-game undefeated streak from 2004 through 2007. DeMatha's 2010 soccer team was WCAC champs, went undefeated (24-0-0) and were ranked number 3 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and number 4 in the nation by ESPN. The 2010 team also scored 110 goals while allowing only 10 goals in all games. The 2011 soccer team were also WCAC champions and undefeated (20-0-0), and ended their season ranked number 1 in the nation by National Soccer Coaches Association of America.[citation needed]

The DeMatha wrestling team is known as a national powerhouse, and won 23 consecutive WCAC championships until being beaten by Bishop O'Connell in the 2008-2009 season. DeMatha has produced several All-American wrestlers. The lacrosse team have won several championships in an area known for an abundance of talent in the sport, particularly at schools such as the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, both of which have recruited DeMatha lacrosse players in the past.

DeMatha also fields competitive teams, each with a number of conference titles, in other sports, such as cross country, swimming/diving, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, golf, tennis, rowing (crew), rugby, and track.

DeMatha's athletic championships

DeMatha Sports Teams' League Championships
Sport Years of League Championship Total
Baseball 1957, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2013 24
Basketball 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 (National Champion), 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 39
Cross Country 1988, 1996, 2006 3
Golf 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2008 14
Football 1964, 1966, 1967, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015 23
Hockey 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008 10
Lacrosse 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994,1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 17
Soccer 1974, 1987, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2011 (National Champion), 2013, 2014 10
Softball 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1992 15
Swimming 2005 1
Tennis 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 10
Track 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 15
Wrestling 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 25
Crew 2007, 2009, 2012 (All Varsity 4 Events) 3

Notable alumni

Arts and entertainment

Broadcast media

Radio

  • Eric Bickel (1988) is a radio personality and member of the Sports Junkies
  • Jason Bishop (1988) is a radio personality and member of the Sports Junkies

Television

Publishing

  • Michael Mewshaw (1961) is an author.[7]
  • Thomas S. Hibbs (1978) is an American philosopher and author, dean and distinguished professor of philosophy at Baylor University.
  • Jim Nelson (1981) is an editor, currently the Editor-in-Chief of GQ magazine.[8]

Military

  • Brendan Looney (1999) US Navy SEAL killed in action September 21, 2010.

Sports

Baseball

Basketball

Football

Lacrosse

NASCAR

Soccer

  • Jordan Graye (2005) is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo.
  • Drew Yates (2006) is a professional soccer player for the USL Harrisburg City Islanders.
  • Bill Hamid (2008) is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team D.C. United.

Track and field

Notable staff

  • Morgan Wootten is the school's former basketball coach. He coached the team to five national championships and in 2000 was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[3][24]
  • Eddie Fogler was an assistant basketball coach under Wootten for the 1970-1971 school year.
  • John Moylan is the former principal from 1968-2000. He was the first lay principal ever in the Archdiocese of Washington.
  • John Mitchell is the former band director who founded the music program in 1970 and consistently received superior ratings at adjudications around the world.
  • Dr. Daniel McMahon '76, Rick Reeves, Rich Macheski, Tom Krawczewicz '81, as well as Moylan and Mitchell, have been awarded by The Washington Post as the Washington Area's Outstanding Teacher or Principal of Excellence for private schools.

See also

References

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External links

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