Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is a private
, Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Olney
, an unincorporated area in Montgomery County
, Maryland. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
.
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a coeducation
al school, covering grades nine through twelve, operated under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers
. With a student body of just over 1,000, the school prides itself on the quality of its academic offerings including AP and IB programmes, faculty, students and community spirit. The school was founded in 1958 as a boys school, and in 1988 became coeducational.
The faculty comprises 200 teachers, counselors and administrators. In September 1993 and 2002, Good Counsel High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Secondary Education
by the United States Department of Education
. The school is fully accredited by the Middle States Association.
In the middle of the 2006–2007 school year, the school relocated to a new campus in Olney
in Montgomery County, Maryland
, about 7 miles (11.3 km) north of its previous location in Wheaton
.
After a longstanding tenure at Good Counsel President Arthur Raimo will be retiring at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Mr. Paul Barker from the John Carroll School will take the helm as President starting July 1, 2011. The Principal for the 2010-2011 school year, John Yore, parted from the school at the end of the year. Former Principal and Athletic Director Patrick Bates will serve as interim principal for the 2011-2012 school year. A new principal will be appointed for the 2012-2013 school year.
(it was the first private school in its district that has the IB Program). The school labels the majority of their classes under the headings of Honors, College Prep, or Ryken. Ryken classes are geared towards students with mild learning disabilities; the classes are named after Theodore Ryken
, founder of the Xaverian
tradition of which Good Counsel High School is a part of.
The graduating class of 2010 was awarded over 18 million dollars in merit-based scholarships. Additionally, many students received the recognition of being either a National Merit Scholarship Commendent Students
or a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention recipient.
sponsored school, Good Counsel has an active campus ministry. Students are all required to take 4 years of religious studies classes, as well as participate in religious retreats (which focus on all sorts of issues – spiritual and secular). Masses are held on major religious holidays, with students taking part as altar servers or readers, and with the school's major choir (as well as faculty and staff) providing accompaniment.
All students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours each year, for a total of 100 hours upon graduation.
Good Counsel has a vibrant visual arts program. This begins with the Art Fundamentals course, and continues through a variety of other courses that focus on drawing, sculpting, and artwork in other mediums. The highest level art course offered is the IB Art course, part of the school's International Baccalaureate program. Students in IB Art have an exposition of their work for the IB examiners in Good Counsel's Gallery hallway every spring, and sit for the IB exam in May. All art students store their work in portfolios, which grow and develop over their years in the program.
The school has a myriad of musical ensembles. The regular school-day ensembles are the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, String Ensemble, Beginning and Advanced Percussion Ensembles, Honors Chorus, Mixed Chorus, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, and Liturgical Chorus Several other ensembles for students more interested in the music program meet after school. The Jazz Ensemble, made up of saxophones, brasses, and a rhythm section, meets twice a week and plays music from a variety of eras. The Falcon Marching Band, made up of a wind section and drum battery, plays at home football games, as well as playoffs and the WCAC Championship, should the team qualify. Past shows have included one featuring the music of Chuck Mangione
, one celebrating the school's 50th Anniversary, a Latin show, and Michael Jackson
, Journey
, and other pop culture shows. Many of the students in Marching Band also participate in the Pep Band, a more low-key ensemble that plays at most of the home basketball games. The Chamber Choir was added to the after-school music program in 2010 to perform more modern, secular music than the other ensembles. It is known to be working on pieces from Jason Robert Brown
's musical Songs for a New World
. Each year (around April), the majority of the students in the Fine Arts department participate in a "Band/Chorus Trip" to compete against other bands and choruses from around the country. This trip is an opportunity for students to experience and observe the sounds and techniques of bands and choruses from other regions of the nation. Recent trips have taken students and teachers to Disney World, Virginia Beach, The Bahamas
, Toronto
, and Myrtle Beach.
The school also has a rapidly developing theatrical department. Although the school has consistently put on a couple of shows a year, it is only within in the past couple of years that Drama classes have become part of the curriculum. These include everything from Intro to theater to IB Theater. Previous shows produced include Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific
, Lend Me a Tenor
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
, The Cocoanuts
, Charley's Aunt
, Into the Woods
, The Foreigner
, and All Shook Up
. The Theater Program has been working up a history of High Quality performances. The school does not currently have an auditorium so the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and more recently the Performing Arts Center at Sandy Spring Friends School
have been used for performances. The school is in the process of raising the money to build an auditorium.
Guitar Club
The Guitar Club, a relatively new club at Good Counsel, has risen to success throughout the school. The club was created by students who wanted the opportunity to play guitar together. Recently, they have graced the community with performances at Large Communities and, in combination with the long-boarding club, a "Jam Sesh" on the front lawn of the school.
Speech and Debate Team
The Speech and Debate Team, an old club at Good Counsel, had been revived and has been a strong force is the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL). The team was revived by Asst. Principal Chuck Ehrman who also serves as the current head coach. The team is also coached by Randy Mackiewicz, Colleen McNamara, and Dick Metrey. In 2011, the team won its 4th consecutive league championship, defeating teams from Maryland, Virginia, and DC. The Team has also been invited to participate in the Grand National Tournament with other top speakers across the country. The team also travels to many invitational tournaments including the Villager tournament at St. Joseph's University, the Sunvitational in Florida, and the prestigious Harvard Invitational tournament.
The Film Club
The Film Club at Good Counsel was created by Patrick Philips, Molly Ryan and Andrew Hoag. The clubs original projects were assigned to them from various offices in the school including advancement and admissions. These projects were very successful, including the 50th anniversary video. Now the Film Club produces a news show twice a month called FNN or Falcon News Network. They also have many requests for filming and archival recording from the school athletic and arts department.
Under the guidance of Good Counsel High School's experienced coaching staff, their student athletes develop skills which will serve them well throughout their lives, including
The school has many of the top ranked programs in the area. In 2009 the Women's Lacrosse team was nationally ranked and on top of The Washington Post's Top 10 list. The women's lacrosse team has won the WCAC championship the past 6 years. Also adding to their consecutive victories and with a pre-season ranking of #2 in The Washington Post is the women's volleyball team. The volleyball team is looking to add to their 4 consecutive WCAC titles. Not to be outdone is the school's women's soccer team - ranked #1 in The Washington Post. The 2010 squad may be the strongest in school history. This program is looking to return to the top of the WCAC and add to their 8 WCAC championships. Also prominent is the women's basketball team who took home the WCAC championship for the 4th time in the past 6 years.
On October 2, 2008 Our Lady of Good Counsel defeated rival DeMatha 42-21 in football in a game aired on ESPN2. Caleb Porzel '09 scored 3 touchdowns and Jelani Jenkins
'09 (#4 recruit in nation) scored 2 touchdowns. When the two teams met yet again in the 2008 WCAC Championship football game, the outcome was quite different, and the Falcons found themselves in second place to the DeMatha Stags for the fifth year in a row. The win was the Stags' sixth straight conference championship.
On Saturday, November 21, 2009, before a crowd of 7,000 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, history was made for GC as they handed DeMatha their only loss in the 2009 season. The Falcons, having never won the league title and losing five consecutive championship games to the Stags, decisively beat DeMatha, 14-7. The Falcons were led by senior Louis Young who caught the winning touchdown and intercepted two passes in the second half. However, the entire GC defense was recognized as the force that shut down DeMatha's offense, ending the Stag's championship winning streak.
For Head Coach Bob Milloy, who spent nine years attempting to bring home the three foot trophy, finally receiving his cherished WCAC title to go along with his Maryland-record eight public school championships, was an end to a long climb. He knew this was no easy task against the nationally ranked Stags. “This is the hardest. Beating these guys is no day at the park – by far the hardest of all,” said Milloy. “Nothing worth anything is easy. They’re just terrifically talented and well-coached. It’s a real feather to beat those guys.”
Good Counsel has been extremely successful in other sports including swimming, baseball, basketball, and track and field.
Good Counsel has also experienced a resurgence in baseball winning conference championships in 2006 and most recently 2010 against arch rival Dematha. Good Counsel finished its 2010 season ranked #1 in the state of Maryland. It has posted three players in of the year in the last decade in Brad Taylor, Steve Ulaky and Jake Taylor.
GC is also the home of a distinguished swim team which features Jack Conger and Sarah Hasse, both nationally ranked swimmers. Both the men and women are traditionallly among the best in the Washington area. The women's team won 13 straight Metro titles from 1997 to 2009.
The women's primary rival is Holy Cross, which is an all girls school. They compete closely with them in basketball, field hockey, soccer, and softball.
.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Olney
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
, an unincorporated area in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, Maryland. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
.
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a coeducation
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al school, covering grades nine through twelve, operated under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers
Xaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
. With a student body of just over 1,000, the school prides itself on the quality of its academic offerings including AP and IB programmes, faculty, students and community spirit. The school was founded in 1958 as a boys school, and in 1988 became coeducational.
The faculty comprises 200 teachers, counselors and administrators. In September 1993 and 2002, Good Counsel High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Secondary Education
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
. The school is fully accredited by the Middle States Association.
In the middle of the 2006–2007 school year, the school relocated to a new campus in Olney
Olney, Maryland
Olney, a census-designated place and an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, is located in the north central part of the county, twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. It was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when growth of the Washington suburbs led to its conversion into...
in Montgomery County, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, about 7 miles (11.3 km) north of its previous location in Wheaton
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton , a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of...
.
After a longstanding tenure at Good Counsel President Arthur Raimo will be retiring at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Mr. Paul Barker from the John Carroll School will take the helm as President starting July 1, 2011. The Principal for the 2010-2011 school year, John Yore, parted from the school at the end of the year. Former Principal and Athletic Director Patrick Bates will serve as interim principal for the 2011-2012 school year. A new principal will be appointed for the 2012-2013 school year.
Academics
Good Counsel High School offers both Advanced Placement courses and the International Baccalaureate ProgramIB Diploma Programme
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a two-year educational programme for students aged 16–19that provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education, and is recognised by universities worldwide. It was developed in the early to mid-1960s in Geneva by...
(it was the first private school in its district that has the IB Program). The school labels the majority of their classes under the headings of Honors, College Prep, or Ryken. Ryken classes are geared towards students with mild learning disabilities; the classes are named after Theodore Ryken
Theodore Ryken
Known as Brother Francis Xavier and founder of the Xaverian Brothers. Raised by his uncle after he was orphaned at a young age. He was originally trained as a shoemaker, like many of the Xaverian Brothers....
, founder of the Xaverian
Xaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
tradition of which Good Counsel High School is a part of.
The graduating class of 2010 was awarded over 18 million dollars in merit-based scholarships. Additionally, many students received the recognition of being either a National Merit Scholarship Commendent Students
National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Program is a United States academic scholarship competition for recognition and college scholarships administered by National Merit Scholarship Corporation , a privately funded, not-for-profit organization. The program began in 1955...
or a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Honorable Mention recipient.
Religious Life
As a Xaverian BrothersXaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
sponsored school, Good Counsel has an active campus ministry. Students are all required to take 4 years of religious studies classes, as well as participate in religious retreats (which focus on all sorts of issues – spiritual and secular). Masses are held on major religious holidays, with students taking part as altar servers or readers, and with the school's major choir (as well as faculty and staff) providing accompaniment.
All students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours each year, for a total of 100 hours upon graduation.
Fine arts
All Good Counsel students are required to fulfill at least one art credit before graduation. However, many of the students in the arts programs are those who return every year to the program and advance through the different levels. Those seeking to fulfill just the one required credit enroll in what recurring students think of as classes largely intended for Freshmen (Beginning Percussion, Men's Choir, Art Fundamentals, Intro to Performing Arts, and Intro to Theater).Good Counsel has a vibrant visual arts program. This begins with the Art Fundamentals course, and continues through a variety of other courses that focus on drawing, sculpting, and artwork in other mediums. The highest level art course offered is the IB Art course, part of the school's International Baccalaureate program. Students in IB Art have an exposition of their work for the IB examiners in Good Counsel's Gallery hallway every spring, and sit for the IB exam in May. All art students store their work in portfolios, which grow and develop over their years in the program.
The school has a myriad of musical ensembles. The regular school-day ensembles are the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, String Ensemble, Beginning and Advanced Percussion Ensembles, Honors Chorus, Mixed Chorus, Women's Chorus, Men's Chorus, and Liturgical Chorus Several other ensembles for students more interested in the music program meet after school. The Jazz Ensemble, made up of saxophones, brasses, and a rhythm section, meets twice a week and plays music from a variety of eras. The Falcon Marching Band, made up of a wind section and drum battery, plays at home football games, as well as playoffs and the WCAC Championship, should the team qualify. Past shows have included one featuring the music of Chuck Mangione
Chuck Mangione
Charles Frank "Chuck" Mangione is an American flugelhorn player and composer who achieved international success in 1977 with his jazz-pop single, "Feels So Good." Mangione has released more than thirty albums since 1960.-Early life and career:...
, one celebrating the school's 50th Anniversary, a Latin show, and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, and other pop culture shows. Many of the students in Marching Band also participate in the Pep Band, a more low-key ensemble that plays at most of the home basketball games. The Chamber Choir was added to the after-school music program in 2010 to perform more modern, secular music than the other ensembles. It is known to be working on pieces from Jason Robert Brown
Jason Robert Brown
Jason Robert Brown is an American musical theater composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics...
's musical Songs for a New World
Songs for a New World
Songs for a New World is a work of musical theater written and composed by Jason Robert Brown. Its original off-Broadway production ran for 28 performances at the WPA Theater in New York City in 1995. The show sits on the boundary between musical and song cycle, but it is neither; it is an abstract...
. Each year (around April), the majority of the students in the Fine Arts department participate in a "Band/Chorus Trip" to compete against other bands and choruses from around the country. This trip is an opportunity for students to experience and observe the sounds and techniques of bands and choruses from other regions of the nation. Recent trips have taken students and teachers to Disney World, Virginia Beach, The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, and Myrtle Beach.
The school also has a rapidly developing theatrical department. Although the school has consistently put on a couple of shows a year, it is only within in the past couple of years that Drama classes have become part of the curriculum. These include everything from Intro to theater to IB Theater. Previous shows produced include Pirates of Penzance, South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
, Lend Me a Tenor
Lend Me a Tenor
Lend Me a Tenor is a comedy by Ken Ludwig. The play was produced on both the West End and Broadway . Although it received seven Tony Award nominations, it won only one, for Best Actor. A Broadway revival opened in 2010. Lend Me a Tenor has been translated into sixteen languages and produced in...
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
, The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts
The Cocoanuts is the first feature-length Marx Brothers film, produced by Paramount Pictures. The musical comedy stars the four Marx Brothers, Oscar Shaw, Mary Eaton, and Margaret Dumont. Produced by Walter Wanger and the first sound movie to credit more than one director , and was adapted to the...
, Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt
Charley's Aunt is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances....
, Into the Woods
Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
, The Foreigner
The Foreigner (play)
The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...
, and All Shook Up
All Shook Up (musical)
All Shook Up is a jukebox musical with Elvis Presley music, with a book by Joe DiPietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.-Production history:...
. The Theater Program has been working up a history of High Quality performances. The school does not currently have an auditorium so the Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and more recently the Performing Arts Center at Sandy Spring Friends School
Sandy Spring Friends School
Sandy Spring Friends School is a Quaker pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade co-educational college preparatory day school with optional five and seven day boarding programs in the Upper School. SSFS is located on a wooded campus in the historic Quaker community of Sandy Spring in the heart of...
have been used for performances. The school is in the process of raising the money to build an auditorium.
Extra Curricular Activities
Good Counsel houses 39, very diverse, extra curricular activities. They range in purpose. Some are intended for service and some are intended for those with joint hobbies.Guitar Club
The Guitar Club, a relatively new club at Good Counsel, has risen to success throughout the school. The club was created by students who wanted the opportunity to play guitar together. Recently, they have graced the community with performances at Large Communities and, in combination with the long-boarding club, a "Jam Sesh" on the front lawn of the school.
Speech and Debate Team
The Speech and Debate Team, an old club at Good Counsel, had been revived and has been a strong force is the Washington Arlington Catholic Forensic League (WACFL). The team was revived by Asst. Principal Chuck Ehrman who also serves as the current head coach. The team is also coached by Randy Mackiewicz, Colleen McNamara, and Dick Metrey. In 2011, the team won its 4th consecutive league championship, defeating teams from Maryland, Virginia, and DC. The Team has also been invited to participate in the Grand National Tournament with other top speakers across the country. The team also travels to many invitational tournaments including the Villager tournament at St. Joseph's University, the Sunvitational in Florida, and the prestigious Harvard Invitational tournament.
The Film Club
The Film Club at Good Counsel was created by Patrick Philips, Molly Ryan and Andrew Hoag. The clubs original projects were assigned to them from various offices in the school including advancement and admissions. These projects were very successful, including the 50th anniversary video. Now the Film Club produces a news show twice a month called FNN or Falcon News Network. They also have many requests for filming and archival recording from the school athletic and arts department.
Athletics
Our Lady of Good Counsel High School believes that a truly comprehensive education challenges the whole person. They are proud of their superior athletic program, which is distinguished by both its breadth of its program and the performance of individual student athletes.Under the guidance of Good Counsel High School's experienced coaching staff, their student athletes develop skills which will serve them well throughout their lives, including
- Teamwork
- Fairness
- Character
- Individual excellence
The school has many of the top ranked programs in the area. In 2009 the Women's Lacrosse team was nationally ranked and on top of The Washington Post's Top 10 list. The women's lacrosse team has won the WCAC championship the past 6 years. Also adding to their consecutive victories and with a pre-season ranking of #2 in The Washington Post is the women's volleyball team. The volleyball team is looking to add to their 4 consecutive WCAC titles. Not to be outdone is the school's women's soccer team - ranked #1 in The Washington Post. The 2010 squad may be the strongest in school history. This program is looking to return to the top of the WCAC and add to their 8 WCAC championships. Also prominent is the women's basketball team who took home the WCAC championship for the 4th time in the past 6 years.
On October 2, 2008 Our Lady of Good Counsel defeated rival DeMatha 42-21 in football in a game aired on ESPN2. Caleb Porzel '09 scored 3 touchdowns and Jelani Jenkins
Jelani Jenkins
Jelani Jenkins is an American football player. He currently starts at linebacker for the University of Florida. Jenkins was one of the highest ranked college recruits in the high school class of 2009.-High school:...
'09 (#4 recruit in nation) scored 2 touchdowns. When the two teams met yet again in the 2008 WCAC Championship football game, the outcome was quite different, and the Falcons found themselves in second place to the DeMatha Stags for the fifth year in a row. The win was the Stags' sixth straight conference championship.
On Saturday, November 21, 2009, before a crowd of 7,000 at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, history was made for GC as they handed DeMatha their only loss in the 2009 season. The Falcons, having never won the league title and losing five consecutive championship games to the Stags, decisively beat DeMatha, 14-7. The Falcons were led by senior Louis Young who caught the winning touchdown and intercepted two passes in the second half. However, the entire GC defense was recognized as the force that shut down DeMatha's offense, ending the Stag's championship winning streak.
For Head Coach Bob Milloy, who spent nine years attempting to bring home the three foot trophy, finally receiving his cherished WCAC title to go along with his Maryland-record eight public school championships, was an end to a long climb. He knew this was no easy task against the nationally ranked Stags. “This is the hardest. Beating these guys is no day at the park – by far the hardest of all,” said Milloy. “Nothing worth anything is easy. They’re just terrifically talented and well-coached. It’s a real feather to beat those guys.”
Good Counsel has been extremely successful in other sports including swimming, baseball, basketball, and track and field.
Good Counsel has also experienced a resurgence in baseball winning conference championships in 2006 and most recently 2010 against arch rival Dematha. Good Counsel finished its 2010 season ranked #1 in the state of Maryland. It has posted three players in of the year in the last decade in Brad Taylor, Steve Ulaky and Jake Taylor.
GC is also the home of a distinguished swim team which features Jack Conger and Sarah Hasse, both nationally ranked swimmers. Both the men and women are traditionallly among the best in the Washington area. The women's team won 13 straight Metro titles from 1997 to 2009.
Rivals
Good Counsel's most notable men's rival is DeMatha, an all boys school, with whom they compete fiercely in several sports, including football, wrestling and swimming.The women's primary rival is Holy Cross, which is an all girls school. They compete closely with them in basketball, field hockey, soccer, and softball.
Notable alumni
- Rick YuneRick YuneRichard "Rick" Yune is a Korean American actor, screenwriter, producer, and martial artist.Yune, a Korean American, was born in Washington D.C. He is the older brother of actor Karl Yune...
'89 – Actor, The Fast and the FuriousThe Fast and the Furious (2001 film)The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 street racing action film starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Directed by Rob Cohen, The Fast and the Furious was the first mainstream film to feature the Asian automotive import scene in North America. It is the first film...
and Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
(James Bond villain), Graduate of the Wharton School (Penn). - Mark PovinelliMark PovinelliMark Povinelli is an American stage, television, and movie actor who also does occasional stunt work. He stands 3’ 9½” and weighs 75 pounds as a consequence of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita , a skeletal dysplasia caused by a mutation in the COL2A1 gene.-Life and career:Povinelli was...
'89 - Actor, Water for ElephantsWater for ElephantsWater for Elephants is a historical novel by Sara Gruen. Gruen originally wrote the novel as part of National Novel Writing Month.- Plot :...
(2011 film), Modern FamilyModern FamilyModern Family is an American television comedy series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, which debuted on ABC on September 23, 2009. Lloyd and Levitan serve as showrunner and executive producers, under their Levitan-Lloyd Productions label...
, Cold Case, Graduate of Miami University. - Zach Hilton '98 – Former NFL player. Played with the New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
2003–2005 and the New York JetsNew York JetsThe New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
2006. Graduated from the University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States... - Roger Mason '99 – Currently plays in the NBA for the New York KnicksNew York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Graduated from the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. Executive Vice President of the NBA Players Association. - Kevin BlackistoneKevin BlackistoneKevin B. Blackistone is a columnist for Fanhouse.com, also a frequent panelist for ESPN's Around the Horn and on Sundays for Comcast's Redskins Postgame Live. On radio, he appears as a frequent guest cohost on the Sports Reporters on DC's ESPN980.-Career:He was born in Washington, D.C...
'77 – Columnist, Dallas Morning News; Panelist, ESPN Around The Horn - James Gist '04 – Currently plays for the Serbian professional basketball club KK PartizanKK PartizanKošarkaški klub Partizan is a Serbian professional basketball club. It is part of the multi-sports Belgrade-based club Partizan. The club competes in the Serbian League, Adriatic League and the Euroleague....
. Graduated from the University of Maryland, College ParkUniversity of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C... - Oscar Santana – Washington D.C. radio personality WJFK-FMWJFK-FMWJFK-FM, known on-air as 106.7 The Fan, is a sports radio-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Manassas, Virginia, serving the metro Washington DC area...
- Al ChecchiAl ChecchiAlfred Attilio Checchi is an American politician who was a candidate for Governor of California in the 1998 gubernatorial election, losing to fellow Democrat Gray Davis in the June 1998 primary. Checchi finished in second place in the Democratic primary, capturing 12.49% of the vote. He ran as a...
'66 – Former Chairman of Northwest AirlinesNorthwest AirlinesNorthwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
and California Gubernatorial Candidate - Tarik El-Bashir '91 – Journalist, Washington Post Washington Capitals beat writerBeatnikBeatnik was a media stereotype of the 1950s and early 1960s that displayed the more superficial aspects of the Beat Generation literary movement of the 1950s and violent film images, along with a cartoonish depiction of the real-life people and the spiritual quest in Jack Kerouac's autobiographical...
- Rev. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., Ph.D. '65 – President, Loyola Marymount UniversityLoyola Marymount UniversityLoyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
- Tom Johnson '76 – Chief Executive Officer, Aeropostale, Inc.
- Marty HurneyMarty HurneyMarty Hurney is the General Manager of the Carolina Panthers. He is responsible for the salary cap and coordinates other facets of the football operations....
'74 – General Manager, Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Chas GessnerChas GessnerCharles Louis "Chas" Gessner is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
'99 – Professional football player, member of 2003 Super Bowl Champion New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... - John M. Kane '79 - Former chairperson of the Maryland Republican Party, late 2002-late 2006.
- Lindsay Murphyhttp://www.myfoxdc.com/dpp/about_us/personalities/lindsay_murphy '00 - Sports Anchor for WTTG-Fox 5 in Washington, DC.
- Dennis O. Kane '83 - Founder, President and CEO, KANE Construction, Inc.
- Richard Jeanneret '79 - Vice Chairman, Ernst & Young, LLP
Military Casualties
Marine Sgt. James R. McIlvaine, 26, Olney, MD.; died while supporting combat operations in Anbar province; assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, CaliforniaTwentynine Palms, California
Twentynine Palms is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. It was previously called Twenty-Nine Palms...
.