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Verbum Dei Jesuit High School

Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, nicknamed the Verb, is a private Catholic all-boys college preparatory school sponsored by the Society of Jesus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1962 by the Society of the Divine Word to serve students from the Watts neighborhood and the surrounding communities who are economically and academically under-served.

Verbum Dei Jesuit High School
Location
Map
11100 South Central Avenue

Los Angeles
,
California
90059

United States
Coordinates33°56′5″N 118°15′12″W / 33.93472°N 118.25333°W / 33.93472; -118.25333
Information
TypePrivate, Jesuit, Catholic, Cristo Rey, College Prep
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1962; 62 years ago (1962)
FounderSociety of the Divine Word
OversightSociety of Jesus
PresidentTravis Russell, SJ
PrincipalJesse Rodriguez (as of June 2023)
Grades9–12
Enrollment325
Average class size17
Student to teacher ratio13:1
Color(s)Blue and Gold   
SloganWork Hard. Play Hard. Pray Hard.
Athletics conferenceCIF Southern Section
Santa Fe League
Sports
List
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Cross Country
  • Track and Field
MascotEagle
NicknameThe Verb
AccreditationWestern Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
NewspaperPresent Dei
Tuition$2,700
AffiliationCristo Rey Network
Websitewww.verbjesuit.org

Verbum Dei is known for sending its graduates to some of the more selective colleges in the United States and has held a 100% success rate for sending graduating seniors to college.[2][3]

History

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Verbum Dei was founded in 1962 by the Divine Word Missionaries with the permission and recommendation of Cardinal James McIntyre to serve the educational needs of the black community of South Los Angeles. The school was named after one of Jesus' epithets, Verbum Dei ("the Word of God"). Bishop Joseph Francis, S.V.D., led the founding team and was the school's first principal. The Society maintained a presence at the school until December 2006, when the long-time Verbum Dei faculty/staff member Br. Richard "Rich" Morrill, S.V.D.,[4] left because of terminal illness.

At some point, the school expanded its mission in order to also serve the educational needs of the Latino community of South Los Angeles.

Verbum Dei's performance began to decline in the 1980s and suffered further during the neighborhood gang wars of the 1990s; it experienced declining enrollment and instability within the administration. However, it received significant financial help in the mid-1990s and improvements were made in various buildings on campus and new buildings were added.

In 2000, Cardinal Roger Mahony asked the California Province of the Society of Jesus to assist in the administration of the school, asserting that the school had to improve significantly by 2006 to avoid permanent shutdown. Verbum Dei became recognized as a Jesuit school at that point.[5] Leading the Jesuit team was Fr Bill Wood. The school became a member of the Cristo Rey Network and adopted its current scholastic model (see Corporate Work Study Program below) in 2002.

On July 1, 2022, the school changed its name to Verbum Dei Jesuit High School to reflect fully transitioning to a school solely sponsored by the Jesuits. The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary have also been providing a sister to the Verbum Dei staff.

Accreditation

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The school has joint accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA). Verbum Dei also has accreditation by the USA West Province of the Society of Jesus.

Corporate Work Study Program

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Like other members of the Cristo Rey Network, Verbum Dei assigns students to jobs that are "donated" by local white-collar companies and non-profit entities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. This experience is intended to acclimate students to corporate culture, build their character and provide a motive for seeking higher education and productive careers.

The money earned by the students defrays the cost of the students' education. Participating organizations give one "full-time equivalent" student internship for a fee of $28,000. The position is filled by carefully selected young men from low-income families with an average work attendance of 99 percent. Each student works five full days a month on a rotational basis, and they attend classes and participate in extracurricular activities the remaining days. Ninety-seven percent of the student interns receive a performance evaluation of good or excellent. While almost all students benefit from various internship experiences, 37 percent of seniors have remained at the company they were placed with in their freshman year.[6]

Verbum Dei provides transportation, insurance, workers' compensation, and work permits for its student interns. The CWSP staff has a program coordinator to co-manage the students.[7]

Activities

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Verbum Dei High School's teams have won national championships in various sports, including basketball.[8]

  • Basketball: CIF champions – 1969 through 1974, 1979, 1994-1995, 1998-1999, 2002-2003; runners-up – 1978, 1990, 1993, 1996, 2004
  • American football: CIF champions – 1981, 1982, 2006[5]
  • Track & field: CIF champions – 1993, 1997, 1998; runners-up – 1979, 1983

Students can choose from 22 extracurricular activities,[9] including working to produce films in partnership with Underground film company with the assistance of J. J. Abrams and Will Smith.[10]

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  2. ^ "Verbum Dei Celebrates National Commitment Day", Los Angeles Sentinel, May 27, 2011
  3. ^ "Every Student at This L.A. High School Got Accepted to College". Time. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  4. ^ "Flickr". Flickr. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Jennings, Angel. "Next stop for Verbum Dei High's disadvantaged students: college". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "A Model for Success". www.verbumdei.us. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Quick Facts about the Corporate Work Study Program" Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Verbum Dei website
  8. ^ "Verbum Dei CIF Championships" Archived July 1, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Verbum Dei website
  9. ^ "Activities". www.verbumdei.us. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  10. ^ "Underground's High School Mentorship Takes Aim at Hollywood Diversity". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  11. ^ "L.A. Basketball Legend: Raymond Lewis" at raymondlewis.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  12. ^ Player biography, UCL Bruins website. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Sean Waters, "State Crown Signals Verbum Dei's Return to Glory : In the 1970s, the Eagles Soared With Some of the Greatest Squads Ever to Compete in the Southern Section", Los Angeles Times, March 26, 1995. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  14. ^ Kenny Fields at basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  15. ^ Kenneth Miller, "Hardy Nickerson: Former Steeler living the hearty life after football", Los Angeles Sentinel, January 29, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  16. ^ Profile at nba.com
    "Against All Odds, Miller Marked for Success" Continuum, Vol. 9 No. 1 Summer 1999, University of Utah. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  17. ^ Profile at nfl.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  18. ^ [1] at espn.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Profile at nfl.com. Retrieved October 22, 2013.

Further reading

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  • Kearney, G. R. More Than a Dream: The Cristo Rey Story: How One School's Vision Is Changing the World. Chicago, Ill: Loyola Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-82-942576-5
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