Saint Monica Preparatory is a

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

school in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, consisting of students in grades

Transitional kindergarten Transitional kindergarten (abbreviated TK) is a California school grade that serves as a bridge between preschool and kindergarten, to provide students with time to develop fundamental skills needed for success in school in a setting that is appro ...

grade 12 Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final year of formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final year of secondary school and K–12 ...

. It is located in the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern coastal portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the arc ...

and serves the parish of St. Monica Catholic Church. The school in its current organizational structure was formed by the merging of the parish elementary and high schools into a single TK–12 school, but the elementary and high schools remain on their respective separate campuses.

Background

Saint Monica was established in 1899 by the

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary The Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie) is a teaching religious institute founded at Longueuil, Québec, Canada, in 1843 by Blessed Mother Marie Rose Durocher for the Christian education of ...

. The academy housed both an elementary school and a high school until 1930, when the elementary school became the "Saint Monica Parish Elementary School" and was transferred to its present site on Seventh Street. The school was sold in 1935, and Saint Monica High School was opened in 1939. The women's high school and the men's high schools were operated separately until the fall of 1968, when classroom instruction became co-educational. The elementary and high schools had long been affiliated with one another as parish schools serving the St. Monica Catholic Church but were administered separately. In the spring of 2022, the school board announced that the two schools would merge into one legal entity under a single administration beginning in the 2022–23 academic year. The TK-12 school would be rebranded as Saint Monica Preparatory.

Notable alumni

Donna Corcoran Donna Corcoran (born September 29, 1942) is an American former child actress who appeared in nine Hollywood films from 1951 through 1955. She was in two aquatic musicals that featured Esther Williams (portraying swimmer Annette Kellerman as a ch ...

, actress *

Bison Dele Bison Dele ( ; born Brian Carson Williams; April 6, 1969 – disappeared July 7, 2002) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the NBA's Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Detroit ...

, formerly Brian Williams, basketball player * Steven M. Hilton, businessman and philanthropist. His mother Marilyn is also an alumnus * Adrian Klemm, football player * Bob Klein, football player for USC, LA Rams and San Diego Chargers * Michael Klesic, actor * Daniel "Danny" Moder, cameraman, husband of Julia Roberts *

Jason Patric Jason Patric (born John Anthony Miller III; June 17, 1966) is an American film, television and stage actor. He is known for his roles in films such as '' The Lost Boys'' (1987), '' Rush'' (1991), '' Geronimo: An American Legend'' (1993), '' Sle ...

, actor *

Terry Schofield George Terence Schofield (born June 16, 1948) is an American former basketball player and coach. He played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, winning three national championships (1969–1971) under Coach John Wooden. Schofield played profes ...

, basketball player on three NCAA Championship teams at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. German Professional Basketball League player and coach *

Leon Wood Osie Leon Wood III (born March 25, 1962), is an American former professional basketball player. A college All-American, he was a first round NBA draft pick, and both an Olympic and Pan-Am Games gold-medalist. He subsequently has had a career ...

, NBA Basketball player and referee *

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, singing family *

Randy Pedersen Randy Pedersen (born May 28, 1962) is an American sportscaster and former professional Bowler (ten-pin), bowler as a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). He is currently a color analyst for Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports ...

(1980), professional bowler, color analyst for ESPN coverage of PBA Tour *

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

, actor *

Marcellus Wiley Marcellus Vernon Wiley Sr. (born November 30, 1974) is an American sportscaster and former professional football player. He played as a defensive end for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Charger ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

Pro Bowl defensive lineman,

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Hall of Fame, former

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

TV and Radio Host, now co-host on Speak for Yourself * C.J. Wallace, actor, musician, son of

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

and

Faith Evans Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in Lakeland, Florida, and raised in New Jersey, she relocated to Los Angeles in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Catholic secondary schools in California 1899 establishments in California Buildings and structures in Santa Monica, California Educational institutions established in 1899 Organizations based in Santa Monica, California Roman Catholic secondary schools in Los Angeles County, California