The Jesuit motto is Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which means "For the Greater Glory of God." The school encourages its students to be "Men For Others," which is a student model derived from a famous 1973 speech given by Jesuit Father General Pedro Arrupe.[4] Fr. Arrupe led the Jesuits in the transitional years after Vatican II, from 1965 to 1983, when the Jesuit order incorporated that Council's vision into its institutions.
History
Jesuit High School was founded in 1899 as Sacred Heart College and affiliated with Sacred Heart Parish, then a Jesuit-run parish.[5] This was in downtown Tampa at the corner of Florida Avenue and Madison Street.[6]
By the mid-1950s enrollment had exceeded the capacity of the original facility.[6] Father Michael Kennelly, S.J., who served as the school's president and rector from 1953 until 1959,[7] spearheaded a $600,000 capital campaign and the purchase of 80 acres of rural grazing land on Himes Avenue in West Tampa,[8] where the school moved in 1956. Kennelly had obtained the necessary permits and designed the new campus, which he centered around St. Anthony's Chapel.[6]
Jesuit High School had an enrollment of 245 students at the time of its relocation in 1956,[8] and as of August 2015 had approximately 775 students.[8] Jesuit has been rated first among all-boys schools in Florida and second among Catholic schools.[9]
Jesuit's curriculum includes subjects in mathematics, sciences, fine arts, language arts, foreign language, social studies, physical education, and, for all students, four years of theology. [10]Advanced Placement classes are offered in 29 different areas. [11] Of the more than 90 members of the faculty, several are Jesuit priests. The Jesuits serve in administration, teaching, and campus ministry. Daily Masses are held in the Jesuit chapel at 7:30am, and a monthly all-school Mass has been held in the Chapel of the Holy Cross since it opened in 2018. [12] School years begin with the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit. Those who are not Catholic or not Christian are welcome among the student body and faculty and staff.
Athletics
The school won the FHSAA Boys' Athletic Program of the Year award in 1997–1998, and had the most state championships and places at state events in many subsequent years. The Tigers are at or near the top of the FHSAA's annual All-Sports Award standings, a.k.a. the Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup, establishing Jesuit as arguably the best high school sports program in all classifications in Florida.[13] The school won the Tampa Tribune Athletic Program of the Year award in 2003–2004, and the St. Petersburg Times Athletic Program of the Year award in 2004–2005.[citation needed] Jesuit teams have combined to win 26 state titles in eight sports: soccer (7), baseball (5), cross country (4), basketball (3), swimming (3), football (2), and one in both track & field and wrestling, with all but four of these titles occurring since the mid-1990s.[14]
Jesuit also has had 60 individual and relay State Champions in 56 events in swimming, wrestling, track & field, cross country, and tennis. Most recently Jesuit has earned team State Championships in swimming in 2017, 2018, and 2020, along with wrestling and soccer State Championships in 2020 and baseball in 2019.[15] The school also has won two High School National Championships in baseball in 1997 and soccer in 2001, and was undefeated and ranked No. 1 nationally in baseball when the 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19.[16]
Jesuit's baseball stadium, Paul Straub Field at Hyer Family Park,[17] was declared the best high school baseball field in the country by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association in 2011.[18][19] The school's chief sports rival is the Crusaders of nearby Tampa Catholic High School.
Jesuit has a mandatory service requirement, and its students annually serve more than 40,000 hours of community service. Students are required to meet community service hour requirements for grade-level advancement and graduation, and are enabled to meet these requirements more effectively via service-oriented clubs at Jesuit, such as the award-winning Key Club and the Environmental Club.
Jesuit has some 50 clubs to provide students with a wealth of extracurricular opportunities for enhancing their skills and leadership abilities. The Speech and Debate Club has sent seven members to Chicago and a policy team to district nationals twice. Other clubs include SADD, National Honor Society, language honor societies, Agmen Christi, Don't Feed the Artists, "Jesuit Masque" drama troupe, and the 'Tiger newspaper and yearbook. There is a very active school spirit club, Blue Tide, which is a noteworthy presence at sports events.
Facilities
To the north of the chapel are the cafeteria, fine arts building, and Jesuit residence. Classroom buildings surround the remaining sides of the chapel. The "Tiger Palace" can accommodate an audience of 1,400. The southeast portion of the campus is the home of the renovated athletic center, which was dedicated to alumnus and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Al López, and the library dedicated to Fr. Richard Hartnett, S.J.[5] Recently, the chapel has been replaced by a larger one and plans are complete for a comprehensive multipurpose building with cafeteria and arts and theater rooms, in a $35 million project.[20][21]
Notable alumni
Jesuit has graduated many political leaders, priests, teachers, physicians, journalists, scientists, attorneys, professional athletes, writers, scholars, actors, painters, engineers, entrepreneurs, and, according to Nick Suszynski, Director of Development, 15 judges. The Alumni Association commonly refers to the high school as "Tampa's largest fraternity."
