St. RITA High School

A Great FitA Great Future

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missionThe aTmosphere at St. Rita makes it more than just a high school. Teachers, administrators and coaches get to know each student individually, creating a bond that lasts a lifetime.Students come to St. Rita from more than 175 different grammar schools throughout theChicagoland. This diversity enriches their entire experience, from the classrooms to the athletic fields and beyond.

sT. riTa of CasCia high sChool is a Catholic college

preparatory school for young men,

rooted in the gospel of Jesus and the

tradition of St. Augustine, following the

Augustinian philosophy of education.

St. Rita aims to form each student as a

whole person: spiritually, intellectually,

emotionally, physically, and socially, and

to provide its young men with the

necessary skills to succeed in college

and in life, leading to life-long learning

and personal awareness. Through the

Augustinian core values of

Veritas (Truth), Unitas (Unity), and

Caritas (Love), St. Rita strives to

develop a bond between the members

of the entire family: Augustinians,

faculty, staff, students, parents, and

alumni.

While I have had manyexperiences at St. Rita, theone that stands out most is the brotherhood of Ritamen. I know that by attending St. Rita, I am a member of afamily that goes beyond the physical walls of the school. I am the youngest of fivebrothers, and I’ve had many cousins, and uncles attend St. Rita. Their experiences might be different than mine, but one thing is constant: St. Rita is a family from day one. Myexperiences outside theclassroom have strengthened the bond of brotherhood. On the varisty football team and on my Kairos retreat I have been taught how to be aleader by this wonderful brotherhood.

Jack LaddcLass of 2014st. caJetan ‘10

family

While not all students who attendSt. Rita are Catholic, we strive todevelop each student’s relationshipwith God and his faith.

Each year, St. Rita awards over $1.3 million inmerit-based scholarships and need-based financial aid.

St. Rita’s state-of-the-art facilities are spread across a beautiful, self-contained 31-acre campus.

Students at St. Rita are involved beyondthe classroom: 93% of our studentsparticipate in at least one sport orextra-curricular activity.

excellence faith and values

In the spirit of St. Augustine, Ritamen since 1905 have been challenged to be restless in their pursuit of theknowledge of God; and in the spirit of our patroness, St. Rita, to be committed to their faith. We welcome students of all faiths and challenge them to grow in their knowledge and love of God. Through theology classes, mass, daily prayer, retreats and community service, our students have numerous opportunities to know God better and to serve God’s people. All grade levels participate in an annual retreat, with seniors having the opportunity to experience a four-day Kairos retreat.

St. Rita of Cascia High School is an all male, Catholic, college preparatory high school located on the Southwest side of Chicago. St. Rita has an enrollment of 650 students which leads to a more personalized educational experience. Anaverage class size of 25 and a student-to-teacher ratio of 15:1 gives faculty and administration the opportunity to get to know every student individually. The St. Rita student body represents 175 grammar schools within the city of Chicago, surroundingsuburbs, and Northwest Indiana.

Advanced Placement Courses AP courses at St. Rita are all certified by theCollege Board as college-level courses. College admissions officers recognize and approve the quality of the curriculum and instruction in these College Board certified classes.

“Our academic program is focused on the individual student: we meet him where he is and do all we can to challenge him and prepare him for admission to college, but more

• Biology• Calculus• Chemistry• Computer Science• English - Language & Composition• English - Literature & Composition

• European History• French• Human Geography• Latin• Music Theory• Psychology

• Spanish • Studio Art• US Government & Politics• US History• World History

• Band• English• French• Latin

• Mathematics• Science• Social Studies• Spanish

• Technology• Theology

Honors Courses St. Rita High School offers honors level courses to qualified students in thefollowing subject areas:

ACT Test Data 99% of Ritamen in the Class of 2013 took the ACT test. While the nationalaverage score was 21.3, and the average score in Illinois was 20.9, the St. Rita Class of 2013 averaged a score of 23. Students who took two or more honors classes averaged a composite score of 28.

academicsThe college prep curriculum at St. Rita is flexible, serving students’individual abilities and needs and challenging each student to develop his intellect fully.Freshman course placements, based onEntrance Exam scores and other input, offer the new student appropriate challengesaccording to his strengths and areas of growth. For example, a freshman may be placed inhonors college prep for some classes andcollege prep for other classes, depending on his demonstrated ability and need. Beyond freshman year, course placements aredetermined by in-class performance. Manystudents take a mix of Advanced Placement (AP), Honors and college prep courses.Additionally, students complete ROSE(Reflective Outward Service Experience), annual Augustinian retreats and Kairos forjuniors and seniors.

Ritamen are required to complete 28 credit units for graduation, including seven units of diverse electives.

Augustinian Academy courses include 17 Advanced Placement (AP) classes in all subject areas and honors courses in nearly every academic department. Highly-motivated and qualified students who take advantage of Augustinian Academy offerings are well-prepared to enter the nation’s mostcompetitive universities with academic scholarships.

The Mendel Academic Program offers an appropriately challenging curriculum for thecollege-bound student. Focused on developing the essential tools for success at the college level,Mendel courses also stretch students to grow in many ways and inspire them with interesting electives. The Mendel Program students often take honors and AP courses.

The Villanova Program is rooted in St. Augustine’s directive, “to each according to his need.” We assess each student’s individual level of development and assist him to reach his full potential to prepare him for college. Counseling, extended testing time, tutoring, double-periods of math, learning resource and reading classes are offered to freshmen and sophomores.

Faculty St. Rita High School employs 51 faculty members, 32 of whom hold one or more advanced degrees. The student-teacher ratio is 15:1.

“I love teaching my graphic design elective. I think elective courses provide students an opportunity to cultivate interests beyondtraditional subjects and to demonstrate a depth and seriousness of study that appealto colleges. In essence, they are aboutletting the students explore their passions and possibilities!” Brian Gilbert, Faculty

I have chosen to teach at St. Rita for a number ofreasons. Ultimately, I know that teaching is not aboutstandardized test scores and simply meeting state quotas. It’s about helping build students into respectable men who will go on to do great things. It’s not textbooks; it’s life lessons and preparing young men for the real world. As educators, we are trying to prepare students for jobs that may have not been created yet. They need to be able to think critically and write well. My goals in the classroom are to makeliterature relatable—andfun—on a daily basis. Students may enter my classroomtimidly at the beginning but they leave better citizens. These are the types of skills that set Ritamen apart from other students. I am immensely proud to be associated with this community.

tim Baffoe, facuLty Governor’s state university, Baappointed: 2007cLasses tauGht: ap enGLish, honors 9th Grade enGLish,african american Literature

The flexible, college prep curriculum challenges each student according to his individual strengths and needs.

“Our academic program is focused on the individualstudent: we meet him where he is and do all we can tochallenge him and prepare him for admission to college, but more importantly for success in college and life. All we do aims to address his needs and capitalize on his strengths through individual attention from caringteachers and counselors.” Brendan Conroy, Principal

athletics

St. Rita offers 16 interscholastic sports, most with three playing levels:Fall Sports Winter Sports Spring Sports• Cross Country • Basketball • Baseball

• Football • Bowling • Lacrosse

• Golf • Hockey • Rugby

• Soccer • Swimming • Tennis

• Wrestling

• Track & Field

• Volleyball

• Water Polo

St. Rita High School has a rich tradition of athletic excellence forged by determination, hard work, and character. Students are encouraged toparticipate in a variety of sports and to develop their talents. Ritamen are truescholar-athletes: high expectations in the classroom carry over to athletics.Participation in St. Rita’s storied athletic program teaches studentsdiscipline, teamwork, dedication, sportsmanship and hustle.

Our teams compete in the Chicago Catholic League, one of the most competitive in the state. The Mustangs regularly contend for league and state championships. For example, the Mustangs are two-time defending CCLbasketball champions, the baseball team captured the 2013 summer statechampionship and the hockey team has won two of the last four statechampionships. We maintain state-of-the-art athletic facilities on our 31-acrecampus.

I have been given opportunities that I could only get at St. Rita. As an honors student, a member of the football, baseball and soccer team, I was recognized as a finalist for the U.S. Army and Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence, which highlights ten student athletes from around the country. This award has shown me that when I put my mind to something, anything can be achieved. The family at St. Rita, including faculty and coaches, has made it possible for me to excel in every opportunity I am given,whether in the classroom or on the field. As a senior, I have fourAdvanced Placement classes and two honors classes. Mostimportantly for my future, my time here has made me a well-rounded person. I wouldn’t trade my time at St. Rita for anything.

nick GoLdsmith

cLass of 2014kahLer middLe schooL

dyer, indiana

“At St. Rita, winning never comes before

doing the right thing.Our coaches strive to develop a balanced

athlete. When you win with that approach it is

so much moregratifying.”

Mike Zunica,Athletic Director

93% of St. Rita Students participate in one or more activities or sports

clubs & activitiesstudent life

The St. Rita Communityincludes students, faculty, parents and alumni. Ritamen participate innumerous school-sponsored academic clubs, special interest organizations, and athletic activities. Alumni return to give an extra hand at special events and share their stories and experiences with current Ritamen.

True Ritamen learn life is best lived in service to others. Many of our clubs and activities offer students the opportunity to contribute their time, talents and energy to the outside community volunteering across the Chicagoland area. These include Southwest P.A.D.S, blood drives, food collections for local shelters, and St. Baldrick’s Day. Ritamen are also active in the Knights of Augustine, our service fraternity.

St. Rita students travel throughout the world to participate in leadershipopportunities, mission trips, performances and tournaments. Language and culture trips offer students an immersion experience, and the band tours Italy every four years, playing at the birthplace of St. Rita. Additionally, St. Rita sponsors an International Exchange Program with students from Augustinian schools in Germany, Spain, Australia and Peru.

During the 2012-2013 academic year,

Ritamen raised over $40,000 for charitable

causes.

“At Orientation, I ask everystudent, ‘What are you

going to get involved in?The opportunities at St. Rita are endless.’”

Rev. Tom McCarthy, O.S.A. ‘83Chairman of the Board and Chaplain

“Learning, Involvement,Leadership,

Creativity, Faith,Brotherhood...

Student life at St. Rita.”Jodi McLawhorn,

Activities Director

the cLassof 2013...will have 98% of its members enrolled incollege this fall. Two-thirds received academicscholarships, earning over $12 million, and 11% of the graduates were Illinois State Scholars.

coLLeGecouseLors guide every Ritaman as he seeks the best match and fit in a college. Each student worksone-on-one with his college counselor to navigate the application process, fromresearching schools to applying to determining college finances toultimately deciding where to go to college.

college bound college success

When I entered St. Rita, I was an average student. The teachers immediately recognized that I was not reaching my full potential in the classroom. I was pushed and challenged every day to be my best. My hard work paid off as I was able to work my way into honors classes by my junior year. In addition to my time in the classroom, I was a member of the varsity football team, a Kairos leader, and in Student Government. After graduation, it wasimportant for me to find a community similar to St. Rita. It is because of thefoundation I developed at St. Rita that my transition to Grinnell College has been so seamless.

For the same reasons I felt brotherhood at St. Rita, I imme-diately felt a similar connection at Notre Dame. At both schools you are entrenched in anenvironment that breedssuccess. This successundoubtedly comes fromindividuals who challenge, support, and inspire each other every day. I know I have joined two special communities that will forever be a part of who I am. While I was at St. Rita, I challenged myself with Advanced Placement classes in Latin, English, Calculus,Chemistry and History. I won a Catholic League title inWrestling and played on the football team for four years. I spent a year as a volunteer with PeaceBuilders through the Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. These opportunities andexperiences, supported andencouraged by my St. Rita family, have fully prepared me for life after the classroom.

Family and community are very important to me. Incoming to St. Rita, I followed the footsteps of a number of my uncles and grandfather who have been associated with the school for many years. My experiences at St. Rita led me to the University of Illinois where I majored in Integrated Biology and was a member of the Naval ROTC program. During my time in ROTC, I served as Battalion Commander, where I was in charge of the Navy andMarine Corps ROTCmidshipmen. I was alsoselected to be BattalionMaster Chief, where I was in charge of discipline and professionalism for allmidshipmen. Two weeks after graduation, I moved toPensacola, Florida after being selected to go to Naval Flight School. For the next two years, I will be working toward a new type ofbrotherhood: becoming a Naval Flight Officer and receiving my wings.

When I enrolled at Villanova University, I knew that I was prepared to be successful in college. During my time at St. Rita, I challenged myself with all Advanced Placement and honors classes andgraduated with a 4.62 GPA. The foundation instilled in me at St. Rita was solid, making the transition toVillanova very easy. What I found at Villanova was that there was a community at my doorstep, much like the one I had at St. Rita. In theclassroom, I know myprofessors and they know me. In the community, I am able to help numerousphilanthropies that are close to my heart. I am able to be an active participant in the loudest cheering section in the country at homebasketball games. It wasimportant to find acommunity where I would be supported like I was at St. Rita.

I immediately felt at ease when I first stepped on campus at Cornell Universitybecause of the skills that I learned at St. Rita. Skills such as time-management andorganization helped me easily adapt to the rigors of life as a student-athlete in the Ivy League. Time management was one of the things I really needed while at Cornell, and I definitely feel I was prepared by my teachers at St. Rita. The college life differs greatly from life as a high school student, but the “open-door” policyinstituted by my teachers at St. Rita gave me the confidence to seek out my professors at Cornell and continue to ask questions when needed. I was able to apply the same skills after I graduated and began working in Chicago on the floor of the Stock Exchange.

amir WaLton ‘11GrinneLL coLLeGe ‘15st. saBina parish schooL

Zach WaGner ‘12viLLanova university ‘16st. christina

mike murphy ‘12university of notre dame ‘16centraL Jr. hiGh

Brian aLLen ‘09navaL fLiGht schooL

university of iLLinois ‘13paLos south middLe schooL

dreW mcGoWan ‘08corneLL university ‘12most hoLy redeemer ‘04

William WhiteSutherland

University of Dayton

Ivan OrtegaSt. Turibius

Loyola University Chicago

Dennis RutterHomer Jr. High

Villanova University

Kevin GoosherstSt. John Fisher

Pepperdine University

James UnikHealy Elementary

University of Illinois

Ryan FosterC.I.c.s Wrightwood

Northern Illinois University

Scott KingsleySt. Josaphat

Fairleigh Dickinson University

Anthony Raya Jr.St. Cajetan

Illinois State University

Robert KelleySt. Bernadette

West virginia University

Peter CozziCass Jr. High

John Carroll University

Nick HenrichsSt. Gerald

University of Rochester

Dustin DrewAshburn Lutheran

Central Michigan University

Bradley GlazierCardinal Bernardin

Miami University Ohio

Erik LandstromSt. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Louis University

Jonathan HolubikQueen of MartyrsTampa University

Eric PonioSt. Joseph (Summit)

University of Arkansas

“When Nick entered St. Rita, he was not a great test taker and was placed in non-honors classes. By the time hegraduated, he had taken multiple AP and Honors classes and was a member of the National Honor Society. Theimprovement in critical thinking and diligent studying over four years has made his transition to college seamless. As a parent I could not be happier with his experience nor imagine a young man having a better four years. The passion, caring, and energy that were poured into the school made it a special time for him.”Paul Dachota ‘84, father of Nick Dachota ‘12, Indiana State ‘16

Canaryville

Bridgeport

Lakeview

North Riverside

BerwynCicero

Blue IslandMatteson

Chicago Heights

Lansing Indiana

Lincoln Park

Crestwood

Oak Lawn

Evergreen Park

Beverly

Gar�eld RidgeArcher Ave./55th St.

Summit

Hickory Hills

St. Rita High School is committed to providing students with the most efficient andaffordable transportation possible. St. Rita’s privately owned shuttle buses allow students to have a shorter commute at a lower cost. Routes are re-drawn every year based upon ridership.

admissions transportation, tuition & financial aid

St. Rita Awards over $1.3 million in financial aid annually

Southeast Chicago-Indiana RouteSouthwest Service Line (SWS)

Bus Routes:Bridgeport Route

South Suburban Route

Garfield Ridge RouteNorth Lake Shore Drive Route

FOR MORE INFORMATIONCONTACT:Mrs. Mary Rita Insley,Director of Transportation773-925-6600 ext. 6620mrinsley@stritahs.com

Admissions Process

St. Rita’s tuition for the 2013-2014 school year is $9,950. There is an annual non-refundable registrationfee of $400 and an activity fee of $150. Unlike other schools, there are no additional charges formandatory fundraising.

Academic Scholarships for Freshmen are awarded for Entrance Exam scores and are renewable for sophomore, junior and senior years based on performance in the classroom.

Cascian Award Applications for incoming freshmen exhibiting leadership are available atregistration. Awards are renewable and dollar amounts vary.

Legacy Scholarships of $1500 for the first year are awarded to freshmen whose father orgrandfather graduated from St. Rita or Mendel High School.

Sister Scholarship Freshmen who have a sister who concurrently attends any Catholic High School are awarded a $500 Sister Scholarship for the first year.

Mulitple Brother Discount Families with two sons enrolled at St. Rita High School at the same time will receive a $2,500 tuition discount every year and $6,000 per year for three sons at St. Rita.

Applications for St. Rita Financial Aid are available at registration. The amount of St. RitaFinancial Aid varies depending on need. Under IHSA rules, St. Rita does not offer athletic scholarships. Some students enter St. Rita with external scholarships.

7th grade

Shadow at SR

Open Houses at SR

Admissions events

Attend SR Athletic event

Attend SR Club Event

Summer Camps at SR

8th grade

Shadow at SR

SR Open Houses

Entrance Exam at SR

Registration at SR

Welcome to SR family

“The St. Rita Family will bring you in and make you feel at home from your first day oncampus. Ourdedicated faculty and staff forms each young man academically,spiritually, socially and physically. Thisdedication to student success makes the St. Rita experienceextraordinary. As a proud product of a St. Rita education andexperience, I lookforward to welcoming you into the St. Rita Family.”

ed Leiser ‘04,director of admissions

Want a bigger taste of St. Rita? Come in for our open house, Honors information night and Discover St. Rita night! Talk to Faculty, students, coaches and St. Rita parents to get a better idea of what St. Rita has to offer!

For more information contactthe office of admissions:Ed Leiser ‘04, Director of AdmissionsSean Estand ‘07, Assistant Director of admissionsstritahs.com/admissions 773.925.RITA

Academic Olympics Tues, Oct 1 4:00 pmBaseball Clinic Sat, Oct 5 12:00 pmColumbus Shadow Day #1 Fri, Oct 11 7:45 amColumbus Shadow day #2 Mon, Oct 14 8:30 amMom’s Shadow Day Wed, Oct 23 8:45 amIt’s Academic Wed, Oct 30 4:00 pmOpen House Sun, Nov 3 12:00 pmMom’s Shadow Day #2 Wed, Nov 13 8:45 amHonors Information Night Wed, Nov 13 6:30 pmDiscover St. Rita Wed, Dec 4 6:00 pmNight of Champions Wed, Dec 11 5:30 pmEntrance Exam Sat, Jan 11 8:00 am

St. Rita of Cascia High School7740 S. Western Ave | Chicago, Illinois 60620 | 773-925-RITA | www.stritahs.com

G O R I TA G O !