Saint Francis High School, founded in 1955 by the Brothers of Holy Cross, is a Catholic, co-educational, college preparatory secondary school located in Mountain View, California, United States. The Brothers of Holy Cross serve both on the faculty and on the Board of Directors. The school is located in the Diocese of San Jose in California.

History

The Brothers of Holy Cross opened Saint Francis High School as an all-boys school in September 1955. The original teaching facility was a small frame building, renovated from a grammar school and named Grant Hall after Harry Grant, the first student to enroll. Other buildings included a former residence, Andre House, and some peripheral structures. The grounds were largely orchards. Four Brothers comprised the first-year faculty. The first principal was Brother Donatus Schmitz. He was soon replaced by Brother Fisher Iwasko, who remained several years and is considered the principal founder.

Soon afterwards, the Brothers of Holy Cross invested $210,000 of their own funds and $225,000 of borrowed funds to build Holy Cross Hall. The building contained eight classrooms, three science laboratories, and administrative offices, and was completed in December 1956.

In 1959, Raskob Memorial Gymnasium was built on land donated by Ira and Elise Higgins. By 1962, the student body had grown to 685. In 1972, Saint Francis merged with Holy Cross High School, necessitating additional facilities.

In 2012, the school made a $15,000 investment into the website Snap Inc.; it had taken money from the endowment fund.[5] This investment grew to $24 million by 2017.[6]

In 2024, the school was part of a groundbreaking lawsuit in California, in which the school lost a lawsuit against a group of boys they had expelled under the false pretense they had worn blackface. The school was ordered to pay $500,000 to each of the two students and to reimburse $70,000 in tuition fees.[7] Because of this lawsuit Private Schools in California have to provide fair procedures in disciplinary processes.[8]

Academics

As a Catholic college preparatory school, Saint Francis requires coursework in English, mathematics, social studies, science, modern language, fine arts, physical education, and religious studies. Saint Francis also provides honors and Advanced Placement program, offering students over 33 AP courses and honors courses.

Notable alumni

Athletics

Saint Francis is well-known for its strong athletic programs. Most of the student-athletes play in the West Catholic Athletic League part of the CIF Central Coast Section a subset of the California Interscholastic Federation. As of August 2018, the school has accumulated 32 CIF-NorCal championships.[9] Saint Francis was named 2021-22 State School of the Year by Cal-High Sports.[10]

The following sports are offered at Saint Francis:

References

  1. ^ "Saint Francis High School". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. January 19, 1981. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for St Francis High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Forestieri, Kevin. "Saint Francis High School names new principal". Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  4. ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  5. ^ Redell, Bob; Rhea Mabhubhani; Michelle Roberts (March 3, 2017). "Mountain View High School Rakes in Millions After Snap's Explosive IPO's First-Day Trading". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  6. ^ Kennedy, Mike (March 3, 2017). "Catholic school's $15,000 tech investment reaps windfall of $24 million". American School and University. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  7. ^ Summer Lin: Two expelled Bay Area high school students awarded $1 million in ‘blackface’ lawsuit, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
  8. ^ Macdonald, Cassandra (May 9, 2024). "California Teenagers Kicked Out of Elite Catholic High School for 'Blackface' Awarded $1 Million by Jury". SCNR. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  9. ^ "Championships". www.sfhsathletics.com. 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  10. ^ Tennis, Mark. "State School of Year: St. Francis (MV)". Cal-Hi Sports. Retrieved October 13, 2022.

External links