Servite High School is a private,

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 ...

, all-boys college preparatory

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

founded in 1958. As of 2023, it enrolled 751 students and had nearly 10,000 alumni. While located within the Diocese of Orange, it is not a diocesan school; it is operated independently by the Order of Servants of Mary (OSM), also known as the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

, after whom the school is named. The schools is accredited by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

(WASC) and by the

Western Catholic Educational Association The Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA) is a private educational accreditation agency for elementary and secondary Catholic schools in Western United States. History It was founded in 1957 in San Francisco. For the 2022–23 academi ...

(WCEA). In prep sports, it competes in the Trinity League of the

California Interscholastic Federation The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the U.S. state of California. CIF membership includes both public and private high schools. Unlike most other state organizations, it does not have s ...

Southern Section (CIF SS). Its mascot is the Friar and its colors are black and white, trimmed with gold.

Academics

Servite's curriculum is designed so that its graduates meet entrance requirements for the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a Public university, public university system in California, and the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, largest public university system in the United States ...

systems. The core curriculum including classes in English, fine arts, world languages, health and physical education, mathematics, theology, science, and social studies. Courses are designated as "College Preparatory," "Honors Placement," or "

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere ...

" depending on their level of intellectual intensity. The school's educational philosophy reflects the Catholic concept of formation, i.e. discovering and becoming the person God has intended one to be. The school motto ''Credo ut Intelligam'' ("I believe so I may understand") illustrates the emphasis the school places on developing leaders who are faith-filled men of God. Since 2007, the student body has been grouped into eight student-led communities called "Priories," named after St. Philip Benizi and each of the Seven Holy Founders, and 48 smaller student-led homeroom communities. Each week, a block period is dedicated to student-led leadership activities. Additionally, students must perform 100 hours of "Christian service" over four years in order to graduate.

History

In 1957, the

Roman Catholic 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 ...

invited the Servites to open a school. The school opened the following fall under principal Fr. Maurice Gillespie, OSM, who had previously served at St. Philip Basilica High School (closed 1970) in Chicago. As the academic buildings were not yet completed, some classes were taught at nearby St.

Philip Benizi Philip Benizi (sometimes Saint Philip Benitius, and in Italian Filippo Benizzi) (August 15, 1233 – August 22, 1285) was a general superior of the Order of the Servites, and credited with reviving the order. Biography Philip Benizi was born on ...

Elementary School, also operated by the Servites. The

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...

also being under construction, the priests lived on the second floor of the main building. The main building was officially dedicated by Cardinal McIntyre on February 12, 1959, the feast day of the

Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order (Bonfilius, Alexis, Manettus, Amadeus, Hugh, Sostene and Buonagiunta) were seven men of the town of Florence who became bound to each other in a spiritual friendship. They eventually felt called by Mary ...

. From early on the school developed a strong athletic tradition. Its inaugural football team, fielded in 1960 and consisting of all sophomores and juniors, was CIF Southern Section co-champion in the Small Schools division. Head football coach George Dena created Servite's Hut Drill in 1961, a choreographed formation drill performed at the start and end of every football game, and one of the school's most noted football traditions. The same year, Servite joined the newly formed Angelus League with other Catholic schools in Los Angeles and Orange Counties; Mater Dei in Santa Ana would become its principal football rival. Major campus expansions include a gym and aquatics facilities (in 1967), theater (1977), new classrooms (1984), and new science and library facility (1998). Servite's wrestling room was also a recent addition to the school on the campus' priory lawn (2006). In 2016 and 2017, the school constructed a new baseball complex, practice fields, weight pavilion, and new aquatics complex. In 2017, the new $5.7 million aquatics facility opened and was dedicated to Fr. Kevin Fitzpatrick, who had worked at the school from 1970 to 1992 as swim and water polo coach as well as an algebra and religion teacher. After the passage of California AB 218, which gave a three-year window to file allegations of child sexual abuse beyond the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

, a former student brought suit in 2022 against the school claiming Fitzpatrick had abused him repeatedly. Lawsuits from other former students followed, and in July 2022 the school removed his name from the aquatics center.

Admissions

Admission to Servite is based on academic aptitude and leadership potential as assessed through 7th and 8th grade academic transcripts, standardized test and entrance exam scores, separate parent and student interviews, and letters of recommendation. Base tuition for the 2023–24 school year of $19,995 could be offset by discounts. Servite also offers need-based financial aid and merit scholarships; over half of students receive financial aid in some form.

Sister schools

Servite's sister school is Rosary Academy, Fullerton, an all-girls Catholic institution. It also had a similar relationship with

Cornelia Connelly High School Cornelia Connelly School of the Holy Child Jesus (Connelly), was a Catholic college-preparatory high school for girls in Anaheim, California, the only such independent school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. It operated from 1961 to 2020 ...

in Anaheim before it closed in 2020. Servite also has exchange programs with Servite schools around the world including Collège Notre-Dame des Servites ( Ayer's Cliff, Quebec), Servite College (

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

), Blanche de Castille ( Villemomble, France), Marian High School (

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

), San Pelligrino ( Misano, Italy), and Mary Star of the Sea (Zululand, South Africa).

Athletics

Servite currently competes in the Trinity League in 13 CIF sports: * Fall: cross country, football, water polo * Winter: basketball, soccer, wrestling * Spring: baseball, golf, lacrosse, swim, tennis, track & field, volleyball Additionally, ice hockey and rugby are offered on a non-CIF, club sport basis, and all athletes are supported by sports medicine and strength and conditioning staff. Servite's historic football rival is Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, having played every year since 1961. In 2018, MaxPreps rated it the 22nd greatest high school rivalry in the United States, and "the best rivalry in the toughest league in the nation." In some years, there has been enough interest in the football game for it to be played at

Angel Stadium Angel Stadium is a ballpark in Anaheim, California, United States. Since its opening in 1966, it has been the home venue of the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), who relocated from Los Angeles to Anaheim following the 1965 seas ...

. Although the Mater Dei game has determined the league champion on a number of occasions, 2021 has been the only time the two have met to decide the CIF championship. Mater Dei prevailed 46-37 in that game, and has overall dominated the rivalry, with 44 victories to Servite's 17, and 2 ties, as of the 2022 season.

State championships

* Football: 1982, 2009, 2023 * Basketball: 1990 * Golf: 2011 * Cross Country: 2004 * Soccer: 2015, 2020, 2022, 2024

Fine arts

Servite High School offers arts courses including classical guitar, choir, drawing, film production, art history, and music theory. In partnership with Rosary Academy, it offers Fundamentals of Theatre as an elective, and many extracurricular classes partnering with its all-girls sister school Rosary Academy, including: acting, musical theatre, technical theatre, playwriting, directing, and dance.

Notable alumni

* Michael Bandy (2016), NFL wide receiver for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

* Steve Beuerlein (1983), Notre Dame and NFL quarterback * Derek Brown (1989), NFL running back * Steve Buechele (1979), MLB third baseman * Patrick Cantlay (2010), professional golfer * Dale A. Drozd (1973), United States district judge of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California The United States District Court for the Eastern District of California (in case citations, E.D. Cal.) is a federal court in the Ninth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appe ...

and former chief United States magistrate judge of the same court. * Sean Estrada (2003),

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

offensive lineman, NFL Attorney for Labor Relations * Cody Fajardo (2010), quarterback for University of Nevada and CFL's

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

* Noah Fifita (2022), quarterback for the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

* Ben Francisco (1999), former MLB outfielder for

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

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* Chris Galippo (2007), middle linebacker at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

and US Army Bowl MVP * Ryan Garko (1999), MLB first baseman for

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, college baseball coach * A. J. Gass (1993), former CFL football player * Mason Graham (2022), Defensive tackle for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

* Dennis Sean Houlton (1997), Major League Baseball pitcher * Cole Irvin (2012), former MLB pitcher for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

, KBO pitcher for the Doosan Bears * Frank Kalil (1977), NFL and USFL center * Ryan Kalil (2003), offensive lineman at

, center for

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

, author, filmmaker * Matt Kalil (2008), former offensive tackle for USC and

* Craig A. Kelly (1972), former Ambassador of the United States to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

* Keiro Kitagami (1985) Japanese

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, a member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

in the Diet (national legislature). * Brian Lee (1989), entrepreneur, founder LegalZoom.com, Shoedazzle.com and The Honest Company * Rex Lee (1987), actor, '' Entourage'' * Bruce Marchiano (1973), actor, filmmaker, and attorney * Jacob Manu (2022), linebacker for the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

* James D. McCaffrey (1970), software research and author * Mike McDonald (1983), comedian, actor * John McEntee (2008), former political advisor * Tetairoa McMillan (2022), wide receiver for the

* Richard McWilliam (1971), founder of Upper Deck Company * Matt Moran (1980), NFL offensive tackle and high school football coach * Troy Niklas (2011), former tight end for Notre Dame and NFL's

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

* Father Brian Nunes (1978), Auxiliary Bishop-Elect of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles * Blaine Nye (1964), former NFL offensive lineman, and economics consultant *

Chris Pontius Chris Pontius (born July 16, 1974) is an American stunt performer and television personality. He is best known as a cast member of the reality comedy show '' Jackass'' and co-host of its spinoff '' Wildboyz'' with fellow cast member Steve-O. ...

(2005), former soccer player, D.C. United midfielder * Michael A. Rice (1973), university professor and

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

state representative * Mike Robertson (1987), former MLB first baseman and left fielder * Marc Rzepczynski (2003), former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher for

* Vincent Bevins (2002), journalist for ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the large ...

'' and ''

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'' * Joseph Sanberg (1997), founder CalEITC4Me and co-founder, Aspiration.com * Turk Schonert (1975),

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

and NFL quarterback, former

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

offensive coordinator * Zach Shallcross (2014), star of season 27 of '' The Bachelor'' * Matt Slater (2003), former captain and wide receiver for

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* Equanimeous St. Brown (2015), former NFL wide receiver * Keith Taylor (2017), NFL cornerback for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

* Kurt Vollers (1997), former NFL tackle *

Patrick Warburton Patrick Warburton (born November 14, 1964) is an American actor. His live action TV roles include David Puddy on ''Seinfeld'', the Tick (character), title character on ''The Tick (2001 TV series), The Tick'', Jeb Denton on ''Less than Perfect'' ...

, (1982) actor (did not graduate; transferred out) * Ed Whelan, (1978), American lawyer, legal activist, and political commentator. *

Matt Willis Matt Willis (born 8 May 1983) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He is known as co-founder, bassist and co-vocalist of the pop-punk band Busted (band), Busted. Willis released his debut solo album ''Do ...

(2002), former wide receiver for

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and

* Mike Witt (1978), MLB pitcher, pitched perfect game on September 30, 1984 for

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References

External links

Servite High School Official Site

NCES: Servite High School

Servite Priory Website

ServiteFootball.com
{{authority control Boys' schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1958 Catholic secondary schools in California Catholic preparatory schools in California Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Servite schools High schools in Anaheim, California 1958 establishments in California