Devon Preparatory School is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

all-male

college preparatory school A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher educatio ...

Devon, Pennsylvania Devon is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Tredyffrin and Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,515 at the 2010 census. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs. Geography Devon is located ...

, in the United States, founded in 1956 by

Piarists The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools ( la, Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the ...

. It is divided into a

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

(grades 6–8) and an

upper school Upper schools in the UK are usually schools within secondary education. Outside England, the term normally refers to a section of a larger school. England The three-tier model Upper schools are a type of secondary school found in a minority of ...

(grades 9–12), both located on the same campus. The school operates independently under the auspices of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Philadelphia is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as ...

History

The Devon Preparatory School site was originally owned by Philadelphia publisher,"Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society History Quarterly Digital Archive

April 1999 Volume 37 Number 2, Pages 63–70" art collector, and socialite Charles Matthew Lea, who built his mansion in 1913 that was later to become Calasanctus Hall. Lea, son of historian Henry Charles Lea, inherited his fortune from the

Lea & Febiger Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) is an American imprint of the American Dutch publishing conglomerate Wolters Kluwer. It was established by the acquisition of Williams & Wilkins and its merger with J.B. Lippincott Company in 1998. Under the LW ...

publishing firm, the oldest publishing company in the United States (1785–1990). The firm's best-known title was the American edition of '' Gray's Anatomy'', which they began publishing in 1859. In 1920, the school expanded the original tract on the east side of Valley Forge Road by purchasing an additional . This consolidated property was known as Westthorpe Farm. The main entrance to Westthorpe Farm was at the intersection of Conestoga Road, Valley Forge Road, and Hunters Lane, where large stone pillars still stand. Several stone pillars that initially formed a southern fence line remain partially in place along West Conestoga and Upper Gulph Roads. The current entrance to Devon Preparatory School, on Valley Forge Road, was the service entrance to the mansion. An outbuilding from Westthorpe Farm still stands northeast of the intersection of Upper Gulph and Hunters Lane. The 25-room Westthorpe mansion, designed by Brockie & Hastings, was the home of Charles M. Lea until he died in 1927. His widow, Charlotte Augusta Lea, remained at the mansion until she died in 1945. The property was then sold to Alexander Shand, a developer who built one of the first post-World War II developments of homes known as the Shand Tract on Steeplechase Road and Hunters Lane. Shand sold the mansion to Joseph Lerner, who had hoped to make it a psychiatric hospital. Because of neighborhood opposition to his project, Lerner sold the property to the Piarist Fathers in 1955.

Admissions

Demographics

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Devon Prep's athletic teams compete in the

Philadelphia Catholic League The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school sports league composed (as of the 2012-13 year) of 18 Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps ...

(12 teams). *Fall: Cross Country, Soccer (Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshmen), Golf (Varsity and Junior Varsity), and Crew. *Winter: Basketball (Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshmen), Indoor Track, Bowling, Squash, Ice Hockey, and Swimming. *Spring: Baseball (Varsity and Junior Varsity), Lacrosse, Track and Field, Tennis, and Crew.

PIAA Championships

Devon Prep has won multiple championships, which include the following: * Golf: ** 2022 PIAA 2A INDIVIDUAL GOLF CHAMPION - Nick Ciocca ** 2021 PIAA 2A GOLF CHAMPIONs - Team (Graham White, Tyler Kenneson, Kidder Urban, Nick Ciocca, Charlie Hurchalla, Patrick Duffy) * Basketball: ** 2022 PIAA 3A BASKETBALL PIAA CHAMPIONS * Baseball: ** 2014 PIAA 1A BASEBALL CHAMPIONS ** 2019 PIAA 2A BASEBALL CHAMPIONS * Tennis: ** 2021 2A PIAA DOUBLES CHAMPIONS - Evan Bramlage and Ryan Bill

Clubs and activities

Devon Prep has over 50 different extracurricular activity groups. Some of them include: Mock Trial,

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

, Film Club, Devon Dialogue (newspaper), Calasanctian (yearbook), Art Club, and many more. There is an elected Student Council, honor societies, and an Academic Challenge Team. Musical groups for students include Jazz Band, Rock Band, Choral Tide, and Rip Tide. There is an annual Fall Drama and Spring Musical.

Summer enrichment program

In the summer, Devon Prep hosts a Summer Enrichment Program. Students participate in sports and dramatic arts camps and various other courses throughout the two sessions. They attend classes including algebra readiness, digital photography, painting and sculpting, video production, study skills, web building, and history explorations. The sports camps include baseball, soccer, track, golf, and basketball.

Notable alumni

Raymond Geuss Raymond Geuss, FBA (; born 1946) is a political philosopher and scholar of 19th and 20th century European philosophy. He is currently Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge. Geuss is primarily known for three ...

, philosopher, professor at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

* Mark Malseed, co-author, '' The Google Story'' and a named collaborator, with author

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for '' The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor. While a young reporter for ''The Washingt ...

, on the #1 New York Times non-fiction bestsellers '' Plan of Attack'' and ''

Bush at War ''Bush at War'' is a 2002 book by ''The Washington Post'' reporter Bob Woodward recounting President George W. Bush's responses to the September 11 attacks and his administration's handling of the subsequent War in Afghanistan. Much of the book re ...

''.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Boys' schools in the United States Piarist Order Private middle schools in Pennsylvania Catholic secondary schools in Pennsylvania Catholic elementary schools in Pennsylvania Educational institutions established in 1956 Schools in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1956 establishments in Pennsylvania