St. Pius X Catholic High School (Chamblee, Georgia)

St. Pius X Catholic High School is an Archdiocesan Roman Catholic high school in Chamblee, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States,[3][4] near the city of Atlanta. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta in 1958.

This article is about the school in Georgia, U.S.. For other uses, see St. Pius X (disambiguation).
St. Pius X Catholic High School
Address
2674 Johnson Road NE

Atlanta
,
(DeKalb County)
,
Georgia
30345

United States
Coordinates33°51′51″N 84°17′33″W
Information
TypePrivate, coeducational
MottoDomini Sumus
("We are the Lord's")
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1958
SuperintendentHal Plummer
PresidentJohn Favier
PrincipalEdye Simpson
ChaplainRey Pineda
Teaching staff85.0 (on a FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12[1]
Enrollment1,096[1] (2017–18)
Student to teacher ratio12.9[1]
Classrooms62
CampusSuburban
Color(s)White, Vegas gold and blue    
MascotGolden Lion
AccreditationSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools[2]
NewspaperThe Golden Lines
YearbookGolden Echoes
Tuition$14,100
Graduates12,354
Websitewww.spx.org

Description

The school motto is "Domini Sumus", or "We Are the Lord's".

The school's 2019-20 enrollment was 1,097, with a minority enrollment of 27%. Instruction occurs on three levels: College Prep, College Prep Advanced, Honors, and Advanced Placement (AP) (27 AP courses are offered). Two study support teachers assist qualifying students during one period each day.

Annual tuition is $13,700 for active Catholics and $15,200 for non-active or non-Catholics.[5] Financial aid ranging from 20% to 50% is available on a need basis. 50% is the maximum given to any student.

Campus

The campus is located at 2674 Johnson Road NE, just outside Atlanta, in Chamblee, Georgia. The campus contains two main buildings: the original building (with a recently constructed fine arts wing) and a Math and Science building finished in the early 2000s. The two facilities combine for a total of 62 classrooms, five computer labs, eight science labs, two gyms, and a library housing nearly 20,000 volumes. The fine arts wing also houses an art studio, a band room, a dance studio, a drama rehearsal room, and the Monsignor Terry Young Auditorium, which hosts many fine arts performances throughout the year.

The school also has a softball field, a track, and a multipurpose field on campus, which is used for football in the fall and lacrosse and soccer in the spring. The Donnellan Center, located near the stadium's entrance, houses the weight room, locker rooms, and coaches' offices, as well as meeting space and the alumni office.

The school recently launched the $8 million Expanding Our Legacy capital campaign to secure land and construct buildings instrumental to St. Pius X's growth. Phase 1 of the plan, the so-called "Field of Dreams," comprises a baseball stadium and a multi-use practice field.

Academics

St. Pius X was recently recognized by Atlanta Magazine as one of the best high schools in the Atlanta metro area, achieving high rankings in English, math/science, fine arts, athletics, and several other arenas. The English department was singled out as one of the best in the area, with 47 students winning the prestigious NCTE Achievement in Writing Award since 1969, most recently in 2019.

St. Pius X has produced more than 100 National Merit Scholars since 1998, and many more Achievement Finalists, Hispanic Finalists, and Commended Scholars. The school has sent at least one student to the Governor's Honors program annually since 1998.

The school has 96 faculty members, with an average experience of 19.3 years and 81% hold a master's degree or higher.

The school upholds its Honor Code, forbidding academic dishonesty in all situations. The student-run Honor Council oversees violations.

Athletics

St. Pius X currently has 24 sports competing at the AAAA level - 11 boys' teams and 13 girls' teams. The boys' teams are football, cross country, basketball, swimming and diving, wrestling, baseball, soccer, track and field, golf, tennis, and lacrosse. The girls' teams are competition cheerleading, spirit cheerleading, cross country, fastpitch softball, volleyball, basketball, swimming and diving, dance team, soccer, golf, tennis, and lacrosse. St. Pius X fields 62 teams at junior varsity and varsity levels in most sports, with the larger programs fielding freshman teams. 86% of students participate in athletics at some level. The school's colors are navy blue and Vegas gold, and their nickname is the Golden Lions.[6] St. Pius X has won six Regions Director's Cups, including 2018-19 which ended the 19-year streak of Marist in AAAA.[7]

Fall sports

The Football program has one state title in 1968,[8] and three state runners-up in 1965, 2012, and 2014. The team has made the state playoffs in 19 of the past 20 seasons.

The boys' cross country team has won 12 state titles, including nine since 2010.[9] The girls' cross country team has five state crowns and 16 state runners-up. Both teams won the AAAA state title in 2019 and were All-Class State champions in 2020.[10]

The volleyball team has two state championships in 2013 and 2018 and has five state runners-up finishes.[11]

Softball won the state title in 1995 and was runners-up in 1998.[12]

The Golden Lions have a competition cheer squad in addition to the spirit squads.[13] The St. Pius X Cheerleading program is divided into multiple teams. There are currently varsity, junior varsity, and freshman teams for both basketball and football.

The St. Pius X Ice Hockey team, founded by religion teacher Dennis Ruggiero, started its first season in 2017.

Winter sports

Both boys' and girls' swimming team's home pool is the Dynamo Swim Center just down the street from campus. Boys' Swimming has claimed four state titles, including three straight in 2017–2019.[14] The girls' swim team has three state runners-up finishes in 2009, 2015, and 2019.[15]

Both basketball teams won the region title in 2020. The boys' team has three state runners-up finishes in 1992, 2017, 2018.[16] The girls' team has five state championships including 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013, and 2014 [17]

The wrestling program had five wrestlers place at the state tournament in 2020.[18]

The dance team performs at halftime during basketball games and practices during the week.

Spring sports

The boys' soccer team produced US World Cup player Ricardo Clark, who currently plays for Eintracht Frankfurt in addition to the U.S. National Team, and Andrew Wolverton, who currently plays for LA Galaxy and was a part of the 2011 FAB 50 National Championship team. The men's program has 12 state titles including a run of four straight from 2013 to 2016,[19] and were named National Champions in 2011 and 2015 [20]

The girls' soccer team has won twelve state crowns and won five straight from 2013 to 2017[21] and were named National champions in 2009.[22]

Boys' golf won its first state championship in 2019,[23] and has been runners-up three times. The girls' golf team finished in the top 10 at the state championships in 2019.[24]

Baseball has won three region championships and advanced to the state semifinals in 2013 [25]

Boys' Track & Field has four state titles including back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019. Girls' track & field won a state crown in 2006 and has finished in second-place seven times.[26]

The tennis programs have multiple state titles. The boys' program has four state championships [27] and eight runners-up, and the girls' program has three state titles [28] and nine runners-up finishes.

Both lacrosse teams have won several area championships.

Fine arts

The school has seven fine arts groups: band, chorus, dance, drama, guitar, music technology, and visual arts. 58% of students participate in some sort of fine arts in their time at St. Pius X.

The award-winning marching band performs at halftime of all home football games and most away games. They also perform in competition and host a competition called Lions Den Invitational. They make a biannual trip to perform at Walt Disney World. Other band ensembles perform concerts in the fall (Christmas Concert) and in the spring. Prospective marching band/color guard members are invited to become part of the Marching Golden Lion Apprenticeship program, where they will be able to perform pregame (march on field for National Anthem) and play stand tunes with the marching band. The St. Pius X band program also have Youth Honor Band, a program where prospective band members can learn and perform music in the spring concert with the help of high school students.

The chorus performs an annual concert and can also be seen at the Morning of the Arts, held every year for current students at archdiocesean middle schools.

The dance company performs an annual show featuring acts from every dance class from Dance I up to Dance Company. They also hold NOVO, a show whose proceeds go to charity.

The drama program presents 2–4 plays each year, most commonly a fall play, a children's show, and a spring musical. They have put on Oklahoma!, Les Misérables, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in recent years.

The visual arts program holds a juried arts exhibition every year, awarding prizes in painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture, photography, and design in addition to the overall awards. Pieces from classes are also exhibited in the hallways throughout the school year.

The guitar program is the largest of its type in the state. The guitar program also holds an annual concert.

Extracurricular activities

The school has more than 50 clubs and activities, with students devoting time before, during, and after school to their passions. Academically, the school offers Math, Science, French, and Latin Clubs, in addition to many others, as well as an Academic Quiz Bowl team, which recently competed on the local show Hi-Q.

The school releases two publications each year: the yearbook Golden Echoes and the literary magazine Carpe Diem. The newspaper Golden Lines is distributed monthly.

Service is also popular at St. Pius X, with religion classes requiring at least 10 hours of service per year. The Green Club assists in environmental causes and heads up campus recycling and cleanups of nearby Dresden Park. Mission trips over spring and summer breaks are also popular.

Instituted in 2007, the school selects Lion Leaders, outstanding seniors chosen by faculty and staff to assist incoming freshmen with their transition to high school.

Post-secondary education

As a college preparatory school, St. Pius X intends for all its students to attend a post-secondary institution. The class of 2019 has 99% of its graduates currently enrolled in four-year colleges, with the largest matriculation going to the University of Georgia.

Notable alumni

See also

Notes and references
  1. "ST PIUS X CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL". Private School Universe Survey. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. SACS-CASI. "SACS-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
  3. "Official Zoning Map". Chamblee, Georgia. Retrieved 2020-05-12. - Compare to the St. Pius address, and the school is explicitly shown on a map in: "Comprehensive Plan". City of Chamblee. p. vii. Retrieved 2020-05-12. (PDF p. 11/16)
  4. "Home". St. Pius X Catholic High School. Retrieved 2020-05-12. St. Pius X Catholic High School 2674 Johnson Road, NE. Atlanta, GA 30345-1799 - Despite the "Atlanta, GA" address the school is in the city limits of Chamblee. Compare to the Chamblee map.
  5. "Fact Sheet". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  6. "Athletics". St. Pius X Catholic High School. May 31, 2018.
  7. Saye, Chip. "St. Pius wins AAAA Director's Cup, ends Marist's 19-year reign". ajc.
  8. "GHSA Football Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  9. "GHSA Boys Cross Country Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  10. "GHSA Girls Cross Country Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  11. "Volleyball". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  12. "Records". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 29, 2018.
  13. "Competitive Cheerleading". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  14. "GHSA Swimming Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  15. "Swimming & Diving". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  16. https://www.spx.org/athletics/boys-sports/boys'basketball
  17. "Girls Basketball". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  18. https://www.spx.org/sites/default/files/SPXstateplacershistory.pdf
  19. "GHSA Boys Soccer Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  20. "Boys Soccer". St. Pius X Catholic High School. July 19, 2018.
  21. "GHSA Girls Soccer Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  22. "Girls Soccer". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  23. "GHSA Boys Golf Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  24. "2019 Girls State Championship Event Portal :: Tournament Results". www.golfgenius.com.
  25. "History and Records". St. Pius X Catholic High School. September 27, 2018.
  26. "Track and Field". St. Pius X Catholic High School. August 16, 2018.
  27. "GHSA Boys Tennis Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  28. "GHSA Girls Tennis Champions | GHSA.net". www.ghsa.net.
  29. "Gunnar Bentz". National Team. USA Swimming. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  30. Ho, Rodney; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Atlanta's Violet Chachki could win 'RuPaul's Drag Race' June 1". ajc.
  31. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2010-11-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  32. [email protected], From Staff Reports. "Gwinnett's Maurer signs with FC Dallas". Gwinnett Daily Post.
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