St. Michael's High School
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St. Michael's High School is a private Catholic junior/senior high school located in Santa Fe,
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
. It is privately run under the auspices of the international
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...
, better known as the De La Salle Christian Brothers. St. Michael's teaches grades 7 through 12 and has an enrollment of approximately 450 students. The school has a president/principal structure and is overseen by a board of trustees. The school operates on a semester schedule.


History

St. Michael's High School was founded in 1859 as El Colegio de San Miguel in an
adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
hut next to the
San Miguel Mission San Miguel Chapel, is a Spanish colonial mission church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally built around 1610, it is often referred to as the oldest church in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). The church was rebuilt twice, once in ...
on present-day Old Santa Fe Trail (formerly College Street), in what is now the
Barrio De Analco Historic District The Barrio de Analco Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District centered at the junction of East De Vargas Street and Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The seven buildings of the district represent one of the oldest clu ...
. The school was established at the behest of Archbishop
Jean-Baptiste Lamy Jean-Baptiste Lamy (October 11, 1814 – February 13, 1888), was a French-American Roman Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Willa Cather's novel ''Death Comes for the Archbishop'' is based on his life ...
, who had arrived in New Mexico in 1851 to find that formal education in the territory was almost nonexistent. After establishing the Loretto Academy for girls in 1852, Lamy recruited four
De La Salle Christian Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...
from his native France to open a similar school for boys. Brothers Hilarien, Gondulph, Geramius and Galmier Joseph arrived on October 27, 1859, after two and a half months of travel by ship, train and covered wagon, and St. Michael's held its first classes shortly afterward. In 1870, the school nearly closed due to financial hardship and falling morale of the Brothers and students. Brother Peter J. Schneider, known as Brother Botulph, arrived to open a novitiate to train local student Brothers and recruit more Brothers to Santa Fe. Under Botulph, St. Michael's began offering high school diplomas, and later, teaching certificates. In 1874, the territorial legislature granted the school a charter as the College of the Christian Brothers of New Mexico. In 1876, St. Michael's conferred diplomas on its first graduates. In 1877, Brother Botulph started a fundraising campaign to construct the school's first permanent building, which still exists in modified form as the
Lamy Building The Lamy Building, also known as St. Michael's Dormitory, is a historic building in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was built in 1878 as the main building of St. Michael's College, the predecessor of St. Michael's High School and the College of Santa ...
. Ground was broken on the building in April 1878 and it was ready for classes by November. In 1887 the school completed a second building, now known as the Lew Wallace Building. In the early decades of the twentieth century, the St. Michael's science labs were remodeled, a gymnasium, financed by alumni donations, was constructed, and athletic teams began competing in New Mexico's interscholastic sports program. After World War I, the college phased out its post-secondary courses but continued to operate as a high school, while a new St. Michael's College was established at a separate campus in 1947. In 1926, a fire destroyed the wood-framed third story of the main building, which was then truncated at the second floor and used as a dormitory. To make up for the loss of space, a new building, Chavez Memorial Hall, was added in 1927. In 1968 St. Michael's moved to its current location at 100 Siringo Road and became co-educational upon the closing of the Loretto Academy for Girls. It also became exclusively a day school; previously the high school took on boarders from New Mexico and other states. The original campus was sold to the State of New Mexico, which turned the two older buildings into government offices and demolished the other campus structures. Since 1967 there has been a gradual but steady increase in the number of lay teachers at St. Michael's, as the Brothers grow older and retire. In 1988, St. Michael's admitted its first lay person to the board of trustees and soon after hired its first lay, and first female, principal. In 1957, students at St. Michael's helped tear down old barracks at Los Alamos, and moved them to the then St. Michael's College (now College of Santa Fe). A large number of students participated in this on weekends. St. Michael's used the road system at St. Michael's College, which had been an Army Hospital during World War II, for drivers training for their students In the 1950s, it was very popular for St. Michael's boarding students to investigate the old New Mexico State Prison. Sitting in the Electric Chair was always popular. School dances were regularly held with the students of Loretto Academy. The BIG football rivalry was St. Michael's against Santa Fe High School. Students regularly went ice skating at a reservoir near Las Vegas, NM. These things were all experienced by Lynton "Bill" Sterwart, while a student at St. Michael's in 1957–1958.


Facilities

The school's campus covers 25 acres, and includes two gymnasiums, athletics fields, and other facilities. St. Michael's is the owner of the
San Miguel Mission San Miguel Chapel, is a Spanish colonial mission church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Originally built around 1610, it is often referred to as the oldest church in the United States (excluding Puerto Rico). The church was rebuilt twice, once in ...
, reputed to be the oldest church west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
, as well as the " Oldest House" across the alleyway, said to be the remnants of an Indian pueblo.


Athletics

St. Michael's athletic nickname is the Horsemen. The school has won over 70 State Championships from NMAA sanctioned sports and events. St. Michael's competes in District 2AAA, along with
Raton High School Raton High School (RHS) is a state school, public senior high school in Raton, New Mexico. It is a part of the Raton Public Schools district. History In 1891, the New Mexico Territorial Legislature approved taxes for the purpose of creating sta ...
,
Robertson High School Robertson High School (RHS) is a public senior high school in Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States. The school is part of the Las Vegas City Schools District in former East Las Vegas. The building dates from about 1945, when it was known as Las V ...
,
Santa Fe Indian School The Federal Government established the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS) in 1890 to educate Native American children from tribes throughout the Southwestern United States. The purpose of creating SFIS was an attempt to assimilate the Native American c ...
,
Santa Fe Preparatory School Santa Fe Preparatory School is a private school located in Santa Fe, New Mexico The school provides grades 7-12 with an enrollment of 340 students. It was founded in February 1961. History The school was founded in February 1961. The school op ...
and
West Las Vegas High School West Las Vegas High School (WLVHS) is a public senior high school in Las Vegas, New Mexico and part of the West Las Vegas Schools District. Founded in 1947, it is the oldest high school in the city. The mascot of WLVHS is the Don, and the schoo ...
.
Nmact.org. Retrieved on 2018-02-22.


Notable alumni

* Ron Porterfield (1983), MLB athletic trainer *
Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and directe ...
, Fashion Designer and Film Director *
Marjorie Herrera Lewis Marjorie Herrera Lewis (born 1957) is a sports journalist best known for her 2018 novel ''When the Men Were Gone''. In 2018, the book was selected by ''Sports Illustrated'' as one of the best sports books in its year-in-review issue. In 2017, at ag ...
, author *
Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham (; born October 24, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S. representative for N ...
, Governor of New Mexico *
Ally Walker Allene Damian "Ally" Walker (born August 25, 1961) is an American actress. She made her television debut in the NBC daytime soap opera '' Santa Barbara'' (1988) before landing the leading roles on the short-lived dramas '' True Blue'' (1989–199 ...
(1979), Actress


Notable faculty

*
John Hamman Brother John Charles Hamman S.M. (September 3, 1927 – December 5, 2000) was a close-up magician and Marianist Brother. The tricks he invented are still an integral part of many close-up magician's repertoire. Hamman was world-renowned in the magic ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael's High School Buildings and structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico Educational institutions established in 1859 Lasallian schools in the United States Catholic secondary schools in New Mexico Schools in Santa Fe County, New Mexico 1859 establishments in New Mexico Territory