Rice Memorial High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary and college preparatory school in

South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the h ...

. It is located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington ( la, Dioecesis Burlingtonensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States, comprising the entire state of Vermont. The Diocese of Burlington was canonically e ...

. The student body is mostly drawn from Northern and Central

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

but includes other students including international students. The school and buildings were named for Bishop Joseph Rice who had established Cathedral High School in 1917.

History

Rice Memorial High School was opened on February 1, 1959 by Bishop Robert Joyce. Previous to this the school was known as Cathedral High School, which had been founded in 1917, and was located in Burlington, Vermont. Rice Memorial High School was built to replace the decaying building of Cathedral High School. On the day it became Rice Memorial High School, 900 students marched from the old Cathedral High School to the new high school. The school equally recognizes the graduates of both schools, Cathedral/Rice, as a "joint" alumni.Rice Memorial High School newsletter
Spring 2006; accessed March 30, 2015. Boys' basketball had a 54-6 record from the fall season of 2007 through January 2009. Its only losses were to Burlington High School. Burlington's only loss since the 2007 season had been to Rice, in the 2009 State Championship They played Burlington High School in consecutive seasons, 2007–09, for the Vermont State Division I championship's, winning in 2007-09. From 2007-14, the boys' basketball team played in 7 out of 8 finals, winning 5 state titles. In 2009, a fire caused damage to the gymnasium.

Academic

The school is accredited by the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) is a United States' regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation. NEASC serves over 1500 public, independent schools, and technical/career institution ...

Students

The student body has approximately 400 students, approximately 2/3 of whom are Catholic. 21 courses are offered in the Honors and Advanced Placement programs. In 2006, 64% of students scored 3 or higher on Advanced Placement exams. The average SAT score is 1799. 96% of students are accepted into four-year colleges.

Faculty

The average faculty member has 17 years experience, and 68% of the faculty have advanced degrees.

Principals

#Msgr. Wendell Searles #Rev. Roland Rivard 1975-1982 #Rev. Ronald Soutiere 1982 #Mr. John Lemon 1982 #Mr. Phillip Soltau 1982-1984 #Bro. John Collignon 1984-1994 #Bro. Roger Lemoyne 1994-1998 #Mr. John McCarthy 1998-2003 #Dr. Alan Crowley (1976) 2003-2006 #Msgr. Bernie Bourgeois 2006-2016 #Sister Laura Della Santa 2016-2017 #Lisa Lorenz 2017–2022 #Dr. Andrew Keough 2022-Present

Athletics

About 80% of the students participate in interscholastic athletics. There are 32 athletic teams that compete in 17 different sports. The school's prime rival is cross-town Burlington High School. Rice Memorial's mascot is the

Green Knight The Green Knight ( cy, Marchog Gwyrdd, kw, Marghek Gwyrdh, br, Marc'heg Gwer) is a character from the 14th-century Arthurian poem ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'' and the related medieval work ''The Greene Knight''. His true name is revea ...

. In 2022, both the girls basketball and boys basketball won the division 1 state championship. Rice Memorial boys basketball has won 18 Vermont state championships, with their most recent championship being in 2022 where they won without any seniors on their roster.

Recognition

State Championships: Division I Boys' Basketball 2020-2022 * Division II Boys' Golf (2014) * Division I Boys' Ice Hockey (1994, 1995) * Division I Girls' Soccer (1999)Vermont Principals Association (girls' soccer)
accessed January 5, 2008 * Division I Boys' Baseball 1964, 2014, 2015) * Division I Boys' Basketball (1968, 1970, 1971, 1980, 1985, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020) * Division I Girls' Basketball (1980, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2011, 2012) * Division I Boys' Tennis (1984, 1987) * Division I Girls' Tennis (1985, 1988, 2008) * Division II Boys' Soccer (1994, 2001, 2014) * Division II Girls' Track & Field (1994) * Division II Girls' Soccer (1989, 1997, 2019, 2022) * Division II Boys' Track (2003) * Division II Football (1983, 1988, 1989, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014)Vermont Principals Association (football)
accessed 11 December 2010 * Division III Football (2004) * Division II Boys' Lacrosse (2005, 2011, 2022) * Division III Boys' Swimming (2007) * Division I Scholar's Bowl (1984, 1986) * Division II Field Hockey (2014) * Division III Field Hockey (2008, 2009, 2010) * Division II Girls' Lacrosse (2012, 2013) * Division II Girls' Indoor Track (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) * Division II Boys' Indoor Track (2015)

Notable alumni

Dan Chiasson Dan Chiasson (; born May 9, 1971 in Burlington, Vermont) is an American poet, critic, and journalist. The ''Sewanee Review'' called Chiasson "the country’s most visible poet-critic." He is the Lorraine C. Wang Professor of English Literature a ...

(Class of 1989), author and poet * Keith Cieplicki (Class of 1981), athlete and coach * Johannah Leddy Donovan, (Class of 1962), member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

* Michael Hastings (Class of 1998), journalist and author * James P. Leddy (Class of 1960), Vermont state senator, 1997-2007 * Christina E. Nolan (Class of 1997), United States Attorney for Vermont * Elizabeth M. Ready (Class of 1971), Vermont Auditor of Accounts, 2001-2005 * William Sorrell (Class of 1964), Vermont Attorney General, 1997-2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice Memorial High School Catholic secondary schools in Vermont Educational institutions established in 1917 Schools in Chittenden County, Vermont Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington Buildings and structures in South Burlington, Vermont 1917 establishments in Vermont