St. Thomas High School
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas High School is a Roman Catholic university preparatory school
for young men in Houston
, Texas
, United States
. Founded in 1900, St. Thomas is the second oldest continuously operating private high school in Houston behind Incarnate Word Academy
, which was founded in 1873. The school is operated by the Basilian Fathers
in the
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
.
When the original school suffered hurricane damage, the Fathers relocated at Capitol and Main. In 1903, permanency was assured when Father Roche bought a block of land at Austin and Hadley and constructed Houston's first College Preparatory School for boys. Thanks to the foresight of a naitive Texan, The Rev. T.P. O'Rourke, C.S.B., educator and author, St. Thomas High School in 1940 moved to a site on the bank of Buffalo Bayou. Father A.L. Higgins directed the building of the new plant, which has expanded in later years.
During Houston's 20th century growth into a focus of world culture, St. Thomas High School has trained men of vision and responsibility, winners of national and international fame; statesmen, churchmen, artists, historians, athletes, civic and business leaders, industrial pioneers, and citizens of many talents.
The school was named after St. Thomas Aquinas
, the patron saint of students and education. St. Thomas has occupied its current (as of 2010) site since 1940. The school's location in central Houston on the north bank of the Buffalo Bayou
at Memorial and Shepherd which places it 3 miles close to Downtown Houston
. The campus is self-contained with a fine arts center, computer lab, library, competition gymnasium, baseball field, chapel, and stadium, most housed in distinguished limestone buildings.
on the wooded banks of Buffalo Bayou at the corner of Memorial Drive and Shepherd, near the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
, a public school operated by the Houston Independent School District
.
and Annunciation Orthodox School
.. Students from public middle schools also often choose to apply for admission for their freshman year.
Currently, St. Thomas competes in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS). The Eagles have prospered well in its league with numerous district and state championships. The most recent state championship came in 2010 with the baseball team winning state under the guide of Coach Craig Biggio.
In May 2008 the school hired Craig Biggio
, the long time Houston Astros
second baseman and fan favorite, as a baseball coach.
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
for young men in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1900, St. Thomas is the second oldest continuously operating private high school in Houston behind Incarnate Word Academy
Incarnate Word Academy (Houston)
Incarnate Word Academy is a Roman Catholic secondary girls' school located in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States.Incarnate Word serves grades 9 through 12 and is administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and by the sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament...
, which was founded in 1873. The school is operated by the Basilian Fathers
Congregation of St. Basil
The Basilian Fathers, also known as The Congregation of Saint Basil, is an international order of Catholic priests and students studying for the priesthood, who focus on education and ministering through oratories....
in the
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
.
History
St. Thomas was established in 1900 as St. Thomas College and housed that year at Franklin Avenue and Caroline Street. The founders were the Rev. Nicholas Roche, C.S.B. and two other Basilian Fathers. (Their order originated in France in 1822 and expanded into Canada in 1850, the Basilians in HoustWhen the original school suffered hurricane damage, the Fathers relocated at Capitol and Main. In 1903, permanency was assured when Father Roche bought a block of land at Austin and Hadley and constructed Houston's first College Preparatory School for boys. Thanks to the foresight of a naitive Texan, The Rev. T.P. O'Rourke, C.S.B., educator and author, St. Thomas High School in 1940 moved to a site on the bank of Buffalo Bayou. Father A.L. Higgins directed the building of the new plant, which has expanded in later years.
During Houston's 20th century growth into a focus of world culture, St. Thomas High School has trained men of vision and responsibility, winners of national and international fame; statesmen, churchmen, artists, historians, athletes, civic and business leaders, industrial pioneers, and citizens of many talents.
The school was named after St. Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, the patron saint of students and education. St. Thomas has occupied its current (as of 2010) site since 1940. The school's location in central Houston on the north bank of the Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou
Buffalo Bayou is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins in Katy, Fort Bend County, Texas and flows approximately east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico...
at Memorial and Shepherd which places it 3 miles close to Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
. The campus is self-contained with a fine arts center, computer lab, library, competition gymnasium, baseball field, chapel, and stadium, most housed in distinguished limestone buildings.
Location
St. Thomas High School is situated west of Downtown HoustonDowntown Houston
Downtown Houston is the largest business district of Houston, Texas, United States. Downtown Houston, the city's central business district, contains the headquarters of many prominent companies. There is an extensive network of pedestrian tunnels and skywalks connecting the buildings of the district...
on the wooded banks of Buffalo Bayou at the corner of Memorial Drive and Shepherd, near the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice
High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice is a high school located in Houston, Texas, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District....
, a public school operated by the Houston Independent School District
Houston Independent School District
The Houston Independent School District is the largest public school system in Texas and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities...
.
Before St. Thomas
A majority of students at St. Thomas come from various private and parochial grade schools within the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, but a significant part of the student body comes from other area Christian schools, such as Presbyterian SchoolPresbyterian School
Presbyterian School is a combined primary and secondary independent school in Houston, Texas, United States.The school serves grades Kindergarten through 8....
and Annunciation Orthodox School
Annunciation Orthodox School
Annunciation Orthodox School, or AOS, is a private school located in Houston, Texas, United States, established in 1970.Annunciation Orthodox School began as a ministry of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Over the years it has grown from one early childhood class to a school averaging 670...
.. Students from public middle schools also often choose to apply for admission for their freshman year.
Notable alumni
- Henry GroverHenry GroverHenry Cushing "Hank" Grover , was a conservative politician from the U.S. state of Texas best known for his relatively narrow defeat as the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1972. Grover was born in Corpus Christi. He died in Houston of Alzheimer's disease.Grover lived as a youth in San Antonio...
, RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
gubernatorial nominee in 1972
- George Strake, Jr.George Strake, Jr.George William Strake, Jr. , is a Houston, Texas, businessman and philanthropist who served as Texas secretary of state from January 16, 1979–October 6, 1981, during the administration of Republican Governor William Perry Clements, Jr...
, Secretary of State of TexasSecretary of State of TexasThe Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...
(1979-1981); [Republican state chairman, 1983-1988; Houston businessman and philanthropist
- William MulveyWilliam MulveyWilliam Michael Mulvey STL is the current bishop of Corpus Christi since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 18 January 2010....
, BishopBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
-designate of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus ChristiRoman Catholic Diocese of Corpus ChristiThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi is a Roman Catholic diocese in Texas. It was founded on March 23, 1912.The past bishops of the diocese are:*Dominic Manucy *Peter Verdaguer y Prat...
- David Herbert McNerney, was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration — the Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
- Joe JamailJoe JamailJoseph Dahr Jamail, Jr. is a Lebanese American attorney and billionaire. The wealthiest practicing attorney in America, he is frequently referred to as the King of Torts. As of 2011, his net worth was estimated by Forbes to be $1.5 billion, making him the 833rd richest person in the world.Jamail...
, notable trial lawyer.
Athletics
St. Thomas originally competed in the now defunct T.C.I.L. (Texas Christian Interscholastic League) That league began in 1935 under the direction of Rev. Albert Mitchell (principal of Central Catholic, San Antonio) St. Thomas' last year of competition in the T.C.I.L. concluded when the league came to a close in the 1999-2000 athletic season. The Eagles are proud owners of numerous District, Regional and State Championships in various sports that date back from over the past 100 years, as well as several within the past five years in their current league. The athletic department provides 12 different programs which are: Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Football, Golf, Lacrosse, Rugby, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, and Wrestling.Currently, St. Thomas competes in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS). The Eagles have prospered well in its league with numerous district and state championships. The most recent state championship came in 2010 with the baseball team winning state under the guide of Coach Craig Biggio.
In May 2008 the school hired Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio is a former Major League Baseball second baseman, catcher, and outfielder. He played his entire 20-year baseball career with the Houston Astros . He ranks 21st all-time with 3,060 career hits, and is the ninth player in the 3000 hit club to get all his hits with the same team. He...
, the long time Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
second baseman and fan favorite, as a baseball coach.