St. Bonaventure High School is a

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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 ...

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 ...

secondary 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., b ...

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

, United States. This

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

institution was founded on the spiritual ideals of St. Francis of Assisi and the academic fervor of its namesake, St. Bonaventure. The nearby

Mission San Buenaventura Mission San Buenaventura (, Ventureño language, Ventureño: ), formally known as the Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura, is a parish (Catholic Church), Catholic parish and basilica in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archdiocese ...

was founded by the

Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

in 1782 and was also named after Saint Bonaventure. The school's mascot, the

Seraph A seraph ( ; pl.: ) is a celestial or heavenly being originating in Ancient Judaism. The term plays a role in subsequent Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fif ...

, was derived from one of the titles of Bonaventure, "Seraphic Doctor".

Accreditation

Saint Bonaventure High School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the Western Catholic Educational Association (WCEA). On February 22, 2015, a WASC/WCEA accrediting committee arrived at Saint Bonaventure to begin a three-day process of observation, interviews, and goal-setting. Saint Bonaventure High School, as a result of the committee's recommendation, again received a six-year accreditation in June 2015, the longest term of accreditation that can be granted.

History

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 ...

founded the school in 1963 with 70 students. Over the years, members of both the Sisters of Notre Dame and the

have provided leadership and instruction. In 1782 Father Junipero Serra established a mission in the area now known as Ventura, naming the mission San Buenaventura, after the Franciscan priest and scholar Bonaventure. Over the next 100 years, people began to move to and live in the area around the mission, and in 1887 the city of San Buenaventura was formed. In 1963 St. Bonaventure High School was established in the city of San Buenaventura, more popularly known now as the city of Ventura. The school was named in honor of St. Bonaventure, the patron of the city, whose work as a philosopher and theologian during the Middle Ages earned him the title of Seraphic Doctor; hence the school mascot of Seraph, the highest order of angels. St. Bonaventure's first student body consisted of 70 freshmen that started classes in partially completed buildings in September 1963. The teaching staff, headed by Sister Mary St. Lawrence, was composed of five Sisters of Notre Dame, with lay men and women to supplement the faculty as needed. In September 1966 the Franciscan Brothers were added to the faculty and administration. In September 1966, St. Bonaventure became a complete four-year co-educational high school with an enrollment of 264 students. Reverend Thomas Meskill became the new Principal, serving from 1966 to 1976. The school's Alma Mater, composed by Claire Miller of Santa Paula, one of the school's original graduates, was sung for the first time in the 1966/67 school year. Father Meskill was followed as principal by Brother Hilarion O’Connor from 1976 to 1979. Brother Thomas Fahy became Principal in September 1979 and was succeeded by Brother Paulinus Horkan, Principal from 1986 to 2007. Mr. Marc Groff was appointed the first lay Principal in the school's history in May 2007. Under their guidance, the school grew in enrollment, curriculum, and facilities, displaying excellence in academics, athletics, and service to the community. Mrs. Christina Castro (Class of 1986) was selected by the Department of Catholic Schools to be Principal in June 2019 and will continue to guide the school's growth and maintain Saint Bonaventure High School's excellence in academic, extra-curricular, service and athletics programs. Currently, approximately 440 students from all areas of Ventura County and southern Santa Barbara County attend Saint Bonaventure High School.

Academics

Classes are rigorous and comprehensive to meet California state requirements and recommendations for admission to 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 ...

and

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. Religious instruction is required of every student for each year of attendance. St. Bonaventure's mission statement reads: "Graduates are prepared to live their lives spiritually, intellectually and socially to meet the challenges encountered in their lives". Ninety-nine percent of the school's graduates go on to attend college, and 90 percent complete a college education. Saint Bonaventure also provides membership to the

National Honor Society The National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized cocurricular student organizations in American high schools, with 1.4 million members. The purpose of the NHS is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to ...

and the California Scholarship Federation

Athletics

St. Bonaventure High School athletic teams are nicknamed the

s. The school is a member of the

CIF Southern Section The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...

(CIF-SS), competing in the Tri-County Athletic Association for all sports except football and in the Marmonte Football Association for football. SBHS is known for its many state and section championships, particularly in football. The Seraphs girls' soccer team won CIF-SS championships in 1998 (shared with

Maranatha High School Maranatha High School is a private, college preparatory Christian school in Pasadena, California. This co-ed high school opened in 1965. The athletic teams are known as the Minutemen. The school colors are Red, White, and Navy Blue. The sc ...

of Pasadena) and 2021. The St. Bonaventure softball team won CIF-SS titles in 2014, 2015, and 2021.

Football

From 2002 to 2009, the St. Bonaventure football team competed in the Channel League as the only private school among six members. During that time, the Seraphs won every league game. However, the team was forced to forfeit its undefeated league championship in 2009 due to the use of an ineligible player. For the 2010 season, St. Bonaventure and rival private school

Oaks Christian School Oaks Christian School (OCS) is a co-educational, college-preparatory, non-denominational Christian school serving grades 4–12. Oaks Christian School is located on in Westlake Village, Los Angeles County, California. The school was established ...

were placed into the Marmonte League for football, a grouping consisting mostly of large public schools. The Seraphs continued their success, sharing the 2010 league title with Oaks Christian and Westlake High School, all with identical 8-1 conference records. St. Bonaventure won two California state football championships back to back in 2007 and 2008. The Seraphs also hold ten

championships dating back to 1968. *CIF-State **Division III — 2007, 2008 *

CIF-SS The California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) is the governing body for high school athletics in most of Southern California and is the largest of the ten sections that comprise the California Interscholastic Federation (CI ...

— 1968 **Division XI — 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 **Division IV — 2002, 2004, 2005 **Division III — 2007, 2008

Notable alumni

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

, 1973, singer/songwriter and author *

Lorenzo Booker Lorenzo Adarryll Booker (born June 14, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. He play ...

, 2002, football player (2001 Hall Trophy winner) * Steve Hawkins, college basketball coach * Whitney Lewis, 2003, football player *

Darrell Scott James Darrell Scott (born August 6, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He has written several mainstream country hits, and is well-established as one of Nashville's premier session instrumentalists. B ...

, 2008, football player * Troy Hill, 2010, football player * Darius Vines, 2016, MLB pitcher * Patrick Weigel, 2012, MLB pitcher

Gallery

File:EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS FROM ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOL SPEND RECESS PERIOD PICKING UP LITTER ON BEACH NEAR OIL WELLS - NARA - 542657.jpg, Two eighth grade students picking up the beach during recess, 1972 File:EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS FROM ST. BONAVENTURE HIGH SCHOOL SPEND RECESS PERIOD PICKING UP TRASH ON BEACH NEAR OIL WELLS - NARA - 542655.jpg, Eighth grade girls picking up the beach during recess, 1972

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bonaventure High School 1963 establishments in California Catholic secondary schools in California High schools in Ventura County, California Buildings and structures in Ventura, California Educational institutions established in 1963