Salesianum 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 ...

independent school for boys located in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. It is run independently within the

Diocese of Wilmington The Diocese of Wilmington ( la, Dioecesis Wilmingtoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the eastern United States and comprises the entire state of Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland (i.e ...

and is operated by the

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (Latin: ''Oblati Sancti Francisci Salesii'', O.S.F.S.) are a congregation of Roman Catholic priests and brothers who follow the teachings of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. The community was foun ...

. The current enrollment is about 930 students, declining from a peak of about 1,100 in recent years, from

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Salesianum has established a close connection with Lycée Saint Michel, another Oblate high school, located in

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...

, France. Salesianum was named one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in America by the Catholic Honor Roll in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Campus

The campus is home to the school itself as well as a gymnasium. In addition to the campus, the athletic program also makes use of Wilmington's newly constructed Abessinio Stadium formerly Baynard Stadium which is located directly across from the school.

Athletics

Salesianum School has won 153

Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) is an organization that oversees and regulates interscholastic athletics in the US State of Delaware. The DIAA is headquartered at the John W. Collette Education Resource Center in Dover. H ...

(DIAA) approved boys' state championships, winning its first state championship in basketball in 2014. Salesianum's historical rival is

St. Mark's High School Saint Mark's High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic high school located at 2501 Pike Creek Road, in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, with a Wilmington postal address. - The school is not in the Wilmington city limits, as seen i ...

, which is located in suburban Wilmington. Their fall meeting in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

is commonly referred to as "The Holy War". The soccer team won 11 state championships between 2002 and 2014, and in 2013 defeated

Saint Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictines. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The school has been accredite ...

, the top ranked high school program in the nation, on a game-winning goal scored by Joseph Dolce. They finished the season ranked as the number two high school team in the country. The 2016 soccer team finished the season ranked sixth in the nation by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' on its final Super 25 Expert Rankings. The cross country team has won 37 of the 42 DIAA state boys' championships, losing only five years between 1972 and 2013. The Salesianum

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

team has won ten consecutive state boys' championships between 2005 and 2015 and 11 of the last 12 from 2005-2017 Original Salesianum - 8th and West Streets

Original Salesianum - 8th and West Streets

History

Salesianum (Latin for "House of Sales", referring to

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 ...

) was founded in 1903 and was located at 8th and West Streets until the move to its current location in 1957. In 1950, Rev. Thomas Lawless, OSFS, a 1908 graduate of Salesianum, admitted five African American students four years prior to the ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

'' decision which made it mandatory, thus making Salesianum the first racially integrated school in the state of Delaware. The school was recognized for this with a historical marker. In August 2012 the Wilmington/Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales published a letter stating, "Since 2004, the Wilmington/Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales has been named in lawsuits in the Superior Court of Delaware filed by 40 plaintiffs, each of which contained allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The letter named 12

oblates In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally livi ...

who had been involved and expressed regrets, stating, "The abuse of children by priests and other clergy is shocking, reprehensible, and devastating to all whose trust has been shattered by their selfish deeds." This followed a settlement in August 2011 of 39 lawsuits against the school and the order, with the order and its insurers paying $24.8 million to be shared between the plaintiffs.

Notable alumni

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(1989): sound editor at Skywalker Sound; nominated for Academy Award for sound editing for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker; won

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for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation (2020) for

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(2000): actor and writer, ''

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'' (2016), ''

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'' * Christopher Castellani (1990): novelist * Steve Casula (2005):NCAA football coach; Currently the offensive coordinator at UMass * Cesidio Colasante (1993): NPSL

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* James J. Connell (1957): Lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, recipient of the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

. Inducted into Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019 *

Simon Diamond Patrick Kenney (born May 26, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and baseball player, better known by his ring name, Simon Diamond. He is currently working for the National Wrestling Alliance as Director of Talent Relations. Diamo ...

(Pat Kenney):

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(1963): United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (1983-1988) *

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(2015):

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player, currently with the

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, drafted 17th overall by the Bucks in the

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, played college basketball at Villanova, winning national championships in 2016 and 2018 20170213 Villanova-Depaul Donte DiVincenzo watches free throw

20170213 Villanova-Depaul Donte DiVincenzo watches free throw

Charles J. Dunlap Jr. Major General Charles J. Dunlap Jr. (born June 16, 1950) retired in February 2010 as the deputy judge advocate general, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. As of 2018, Dunlap is executive director of Duke Law School's Centre on Law, ...

(1968): Major General,

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; professor at

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law school * Bill Marsilii (1980): screenwriter, ''

Déjà Vu ''Déjà vu'' ( , ; "already seen") is a French loanword for the phenomenon of feeling as though one has lived through the present situation before.Schnider, Armin. (2008). ''The Confabulating Mind: How the Brain Creates Reality''. Oxford Univer ...

'', ''

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'' *

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(attended for two years, left in 2006): actor, best known for the role of Axel Heck in the sitom '' The Middle'' *

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(1954): actor, played old man on scooter in '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' *

Anthony Monaco Anthony P. Monaco (born October 10, 1959) is an American geneticist and university administrator. He has been president of Tufts University since 2011. Life Monaco was born in Wilmington, Delaware and graduated from the Salesianum School in 19 ...

, M.D., Ph.D. (1977): President of

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; geneticist * Brian O'Neill (2014):

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' (2010),
The New American Exceptionalism
' (2009) *

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(1993–1996) * Michael Reed (1990):

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* Troy Reeder (2014):

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* Kevin P. Reilly (1969):

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* Ken Szotkiewicz (1965):

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( 1933):

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* Francis D. Vavala (1965): United States Army

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and

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for Delaware * Tom Welling (attended as a freshman in 1992): actor, best known for the role of

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in the show ''

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'' * Victor Zwolak (1956): 1964 Olympic runner

References

External links

* {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1903 Boys' schools in Delaware High schools in New Castle County, Delaware Salesian secondary schools Catholic secondary schools in Delaware Schools in Wilmington, Delaware Roman Catholic Diocese of Wilmington 1903 establishments in Delaware