Verbum Dei High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Verbum Dei High School
Established	1962
Type	Private secondary (Parochial)
President	Rev. John Weling, S.J.
Principal	Dr. Susan Abelein, Ph.D.
Students	approximately 350
Grades	9–12
Location	Los Angeles (Watts), California USA
Mascot	Eagles
Newspaper	The Present Dei
Website	verbumdeihs.com

Verbum Dei High School is an all-male Catholic high school combining college-preparatory academic courses and immersion in corporate work environments. It is operated by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles with the sponsorship of the California Province of the Society of Jesus. Students can graduate in four years with a high school diploma.

Verbum Dei offers a variety of sports and extracurricular activities. The sports program includes football, basketball, cross country, track and field, soccer, baseball, golf, and volleyball. Extracurricular activities include Christian community service, cultural awareness, campus ministry groups, an honor society, and musical bands. Although the school is based on Catholic values, it is entirely interdenominational. Students of any faith or religious persuasion may attend.

The school is located in the Watts residential district of the city of Los Angeles, California, a few blocks north of Interstate 105 (I-105) and a few miles east of Interstate 110 (I-110).

1 History
2 Recognitions and accreditations
3 Corporate Work Study Program
4 Notable students
- 4.1 Alumni
- 4.2 Other former
5 Notable staff
- 5.1 Current
- 5.2 Past
6 Trivia
7 See also
8 External links
- 8.1 Verbum Dei High School
- 8.2 Cristo Rey Network

[edit] History

Verbum Dei was founded in 1962 by the Society of the Divine Word with the permission and recommendation of Cardinal James McIntyre to serve the educational needs of the black community of South Los Angeles. Bishop Joseph Francis, S.V.D. led the founding team and served as the school's first principal. The Society maintained a presence at the school until December 2006, when long-time Verbum Dei faculty/staff member Br. Richard "Rich" Morrill, S.V.D. departed due to terminal illness; it remains to be seen if the Society will provide another of its members to Verbum Dei.

At some point, the school expanded its mission in order to also serve the educational needs of the "Latino" community of South Los Angeles.

Verbum Dei's performance began to decline in the 1980s -- probably due to the urban decay of South Los Angeles that began in the 1970s -- and suffered further during the neighborhood gang wars of the 1990s, experiencing declining enrollment and instability within the administration. However, it received significant financial help in the mid-1990s and improvements were made in various buildings on campus as well as the creation of new ones.

In 2000, Cardinal Roger Mahony asked the California Province of the Society of Jesus to assist in the administration of the school, asserting that the school had to improve significantly by 2006 to avoid permanent shutdown. Verbum Dei became recognized as a Jesuit school at that point. Leading the Jesuit team was Reverend Bill Wood, S.J.. The school became a member of the Cristo Rey Network and adopted its current scholastic model (see Corporate Work Study Program below) in 2002.

[edit] Recognitions and accreditations

accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
accreditation by the Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA)

[edit] Corporate Work Study Program

As a member of the Cristo Rey Network, Verbum Dei assigns students to jobs that are "donated" by local white-collar companies and non-profit entities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This experience is intended to acclimate students to corporate culture, build their character and provide motive for seeking higher education and productive careers. The money earned by the students defrays the cost of the students' education.