Walsh Jesuit High School

Walsh Jesuit High School is private, Catholic, co-educational college preparatory high school located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, approximately 30 miles south of Cleveland.

Walsh Jesuit High School
Location
4550 Wyoga Lake Road

Cuyahoga Falls
,
Ohio
44224-1059

United States
Coordinates41°11′33″N 81°29′46″W
Information
TypePrivate, coeducational, college preparatory
MottoMen and Women for and with Others
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1964 (1964)
PresidentKarl Ertle
ChairmanThomas Haag ‘81
PrincipalSean Lynch ‘94
Faculty80
Grades9–12
Enrollment1,014 (2021-2022)
Campus size110 acres (45 ha)
Color(s) Maroon  and  Gold 
Athletics conferenceCrown Conference
Sports
Team nameWarriors
RivalsArchbishop Hoban High School Knights, St. Vincent-St.Mary High School Fighting Irish
AccreditationOhio Catholic Schools Accrediting Association
Publication"The Trek" (yearbook) 'The Sketch (literary magazine)
NewspaperThe Pioneer
Tuition$12,700.00 (2020-21)
AffiliationJesuit Schools Network
Websitewww.walshjesuit.org

Walsh Jesuit is reputed to be one of Ohio's leading college preparatory schools and is consistently ranked among the top high schools in Northeast Ohio for college scholarships in Crain’s Cleveland Business. Its campus covers 110 acres and is just minutes from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is a member of the Jesuit Schools Network with a motto of “Men and Women for and with Others,” with a stated mission of instilling in its students the spirit of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.

The school’s patron saints are the North American Jesuit Martyrs and its chapel, topped with the distinctive metallic cross which has become the school's most prominent symbol and landmark, is named in their honor.

History

Walsh Jesuit High School was funded by a generous gift from Cornelius Walsh (b. 1864), a prominent industrialist and Catholic layman who had lived his entire life in Cuyahoga Falls. Upon his death in 1932, Cornelius bequeathed his entire fortune to his wife, Jane, who continued to donate generously to Catholic institutions and, with the assistance of her nephew, William A. Walsh, designed her will to include a large gift for the foundation of a Catholic high school. William, partial to the Jesuits, convinced his aunt to bequeath to the Society of Jesus her property and $100,000 for the building of an all-boys school that would be a memorial to her husband. William approached the Chicago Province of the Jesuits with the proposal, but the gift lay dormant for years until found during a transfer of files from the Chicago Province to the Detroit Province in 1959. William urged Fr. John McGrail, S.J., the head of the Jesuits' Detroit Province, to reconsider the proposal made in Jane's will. The school's campus was originally planned to be built in downtown Cuyahoga Falls near St. Joseph Parish School, but using the gift from Jane (which had grown to $2 million under William's stewardship, and to which the Cleveland Catholic Diocese added $1 million), 50 acres were purchased from the Conway family farm north of downtown, with an additional 50 acres purchased later.[1][2]

Groundbreaking ceremonies for Walsh Jesuit took place in 1964, and the school opened its doors to 153 freshmen on September 7, 1965. The school was dedicated in May 1966, and the first class graduated in 1969.[3]

Initially founded as an all-boys institution similar to other prominent Northeast Ohio Catholic high schools, Walsh Jesuit's leadership decided to go co-ed in 1991 amid excess capacity and financial challenges to the school's continued existence. The decision was initially met with resistance by many Walsh Jesuit alumni and students, culminating in a student walkout, which received extensive local media coverage, when the news of the decision was made public.[4] Despite the protests, the first girls entered the school at the beginning of the 1993-1994 academic year.[5]

Athletics

Walsh Jesuit won a total of 39 Ohio High School Athletic Association team state championships[6][7] and claims seven national team championships.[8] The school is also home to 113 individual state championships in various sports.[9] Walsh Jesuit currently competes in the Crown Conference, since the beginning of the 2021–22 school year. Walsh Jesuit was previously a member of the North Coast League from 2011 to 2020.

National championships

State championships
Further information: Ohio High School Athletic Association

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. "Walsh Jesuit to celebrate 50 years rooted in faith". Akron Beacon Journal, September 26, 2014. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  2. "WJ At A Glance - Our History". Walsh Jesuit High School website. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  3. "WJ At A Glance - Our History". Walsh Jesuit High School website. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  4. ""Better dead than co-ed!"". The Pioneer (Walsh Jesuit student newspaper), October 21, 2018. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  5. "Walsh Jesuit to celebrate 50 years rooted in faith". Akron Beacon Journal, September 26, 2014. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  6. "OHSAA Team State Champions" (PDF). OHSAA. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  7. OHSAA. "Ohio High School Athletic Association Web site". Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  8. "Walsh Jesuit High School Athletics website". Walsh Jesuit High School. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  9. "OHSAA Individual State Champions" (PDF). Ohio High School Athletic Association. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
  10. "Walsh Jesuit High School Athletics website". Walsh Jesuit High School. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  11. "Walsh Jesuit High School Athletics website". Walsh Jesuit High School. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  12. Yappi. "Yappi Sports Baseball". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  13. Yappi. "Yappi Sports Football". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  14. Yappi. "Yappi Sports Wrestling". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
  15. Yappi. "Yappi Sports Softball". Retrieved 2007-02-12.
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