St. Francis de Sales High School is a

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Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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. It is located on the southeast side of the city, in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

History

The school is named for

St. Francis de Sales Francis de Sales (french: François de Sales; it, Francesco di Sales; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Bishop of Geneva and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to ...

(1567–1622), a

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and

Doctor of the Church Doctor of the Church (Latin: ''doctor'' "teacher"), also referred to as Doctor of the Universal Church (Latin: ''Doctor Ecclesiae Universalis''), is a title given by the Catholic Church to saints recognized as having made a significant contribu ...

. The school was started by the School Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Joliet; who staffed the St. Francis de Sales parish schools, starting in 1893. In the late 1890s the school began to offer high school courses, though the school did not become a four-year high school, until 1937. In the 1950s, enrollment saw a significant increase and it became evident that if the school were to meet the educational challenges before it, an expansion of facilities was eminent. New developments for the school were finished on February 19, 1956 and two years later, on April 20, 1958, the new building was dedicated. In 1962, the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...

officially took over operation of the school.

Architecture

Designed in 1955 by well-known modernist architects Belli & Belli, the high school integrates several interesting features into the design of the high school and convent. The curvilinear south-facing library facade with a breezeway on the ground floor as well as the extremely large and regular windows punctuating the western facade was designed at least in part to take advantage of flow-through lake breezes from nearby Lake Michigan. An interesting use of textures includes terrazzo stairways, glazed terracotta tiles and clerestory windows in interior hallways. The outside is notable for limestone cladding, a southwestern orientation that maximizes both daylight and passive solar heating in the winter, the aforementioned breezeway, as well as modernist, circular concrete pads in the rear yard.

Academics

Accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, St. Francis de Sales’ academic program is guided by standards designed to provide a competent faculty, and a variety of instructional strategies, which allow each student to be successful. Specific graduation requirements for St. Francis include the following: 4 credits of English 4 credits of Theology 2 credits of History 7 credits of Math and Science combined 2 credits of Foreign Language 2 credits of Electives 1 credit of Physical Education/Health 1 credit of Fine Arts Students are strongly encouraged to take at least three units each in math, science, and social studies to comply with entrance requirements for the universities sponsored by the state of Illinois.

Athletics

St. Francis de Sales is a member of two athletic conferences. Teams for young men compete in the

Chicago Catholic League The Chicago Catholic League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. All of the schools are part of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for Illinois scholastic sports. While some o ...

.Men's athletics at St. Francis de Sales; accessed 17 May 2009
Teams for young women compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC).Women's athletics at St. Francis de Sales; accessed 17 May 2009
The men's teams are called the Pioneers, while the women's teams are called the Lady Pioneers. St. Francis de Sales is also a member of the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

(IHSA) which governs most sports and competitive activities in Illinois, as well as sponsoring many of the state championship tournaments. Sports currently available to St. Francis students include men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, and wrestling.

Notable alumni

* Eric Anderson was a professional

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player, playing for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

(1992–94) in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

. *

Malik Dixon Malik Dixon (born September 7, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the top scorer in the 2005 Israel Basketball Premier League. He currently resides in Sydney, and plays amateur An amateur () is generally consid ...

was a basketball player, top scorer in the 2005 Israel Basketball Premier League * Mike Sullivan was a professional

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

(1992–95), playing his entire career for the NFL's

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. Sullivan is an offensive line coach for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

.Mike Sullivan coaching info; San Diego Chargers website; accessed 7 June 2009
*

Tracy Wilson Tracy Wilson, (born September 25, 1961) is a Canadian former competitive ice dancer. With partner Rob McCall, she won the Canadian national championship seven times (1982–1988), is a three-time World bronze medallist, and the 1988 Olympic ...

is a safety (2011–present), playing for the NFL's

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. Wilson graduated from SFDS in 2006 and was the starting quarterback and a safety for the Pioneers. Wilson went on to play for

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...

External links

School Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Francis de Sales High School (Chicago, Illinois) Catholic schools in Chicago Catholic secondary schools in Illinois Educational institutions established in 1893 Private high schools in Chicago 1893 establishments in Illinois