Gonzaga Preparatory School

  Athletics conferenceGreater Spokane LeagueMascotBullpupTeam nameBullpupsAccreditationWestern Catholic Educational Association^[2]YearbookThe LuigianAffiliationJSNAthletic DirectorPaul ManfredElevation1,980 ft (604 m) AMSLWebsitegprep.com

Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, is a private, Catholic high school in the Inland Northwest. Colloquially nicknamed "G-Prep", the Jesuit school has been recognized for its college preparation education and community service.

History

Gonzaga High School was founded in 1887 in the basement of the Gonzaga University administration building. In 1922, the high school became a formal department of Gonzaga University. In 1954, the school moved from the original campus to its present site in the Logan neighborhood of Spokane. In 1975, in response to changing educational conditions, Gonzaga Prep became a co-educational school. In 1992, the high school implemented the Fair Share tuition program. Currently the school is within the Diocese of Spokane and is administered separately from the university.^[3]

The current campus was extensively remodeled in the late 1990s. Then in 2006 $4.4 million was allotted for the construction of a new chapel (Chapel of the Three Companions), renovation of the academic wings, and a new football field. This was followed by a $6 million upgrade of the athletic complex in 2017.^[4]

Gonzaga Preparatory School was the first Jesuit school in the country to have a lay president, John Traynor.^[5]

Cindy Reopelle is the first Catholic lay woman to serve as principal of Gonzaga Preparatory School.

Christian Service

As a part of its extensive service program,^[6] Gonzaga requires a semester course on Christian service of all seniors.^[7]

Food drive

The Gonzaga Prep Food Drive consistently gathers over 100,000 pounds of food each year before the Thanksgiving holiday. Recipients of collected groceries and turkeys include over two hundred families, the Colville Indian Reservation, the Spokane Tribe, the Morningstar Baptist Church, residents of Summit View Apartments, Second Harvest food bank, and many local food pantries.^[8]

Athletics

The Gonzaga Prep Bullpups compete in the 4A classification and are part of the GSL (Greater Spokane League), a league of 10 teams from around Spokane. As a member of the 4A Greater Spokane League, the Bullpups offer athletic opportunities in ten boys sports and ten girls sports: for boys, football, cross country, basketball, wrestling, soccer, tennis, baseball, track, lacrosse, robotics and golf; and for girls, volleyball, soccer, robotics, cross country, basketball, tennis, softball, track, golf, lacrosse, and cheerleading. Over sixty-five percent of Gonzaga Prep's student body participates in athletics.^[9]

Girls' Tennis

G-Prep won seven straight GSL Tennis championships from 1997 to 2003. The Bullpups tennis teams went undefeated for eight years. When Lewis and Clark High School defeated G-Prep on April 13, 2003, it was the Bullpups' first loss since 1996. The team continues to experience success.^[10]

Notable alumni

• John D. Boswell - electronic musician and filmmaker
• David A. Condon - Mayor, City of Spokane 2012–2020
• Bing Crosby - singer/entertainer, winner of Academy Award for Best Actor for role as Father Chuck O'Malley in 1944 film Going My Way
• Devin Culp - college football tight end for the Washington Huskies^[11]
• Joe Danelo - NFL placekicker
• Timothy Egan - Pulitzer Prize-winning writer^[12]
• Ray Flaherty - NFL Hall of Famer
• Tom Foley - Speaker of the United States House of Representatives 1989-95
• Steve Gleason - New Orleans Saints special teams captain
• Paulette Jordan - Idaho state representative and 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee
• Max Krause - NFL running back
• Tim Lappano - College football player, American football coach (College football, NFL, and AFL); had his jersey retired from Gonzaga Prep
• Anne McClain - NASA astronaut, engineer and lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army
• Al Mengert - professional golfer
• Wyatt Mills - baseball player for the Boston Red Sox
• Mike Redmond - baseball player and 2013-15 manager of Miami Marlins
• Bishop Sankey - running back for University of Washington and NFL's Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots
• David Stockton - professional basketball player
• John Stockton - Basketball Hall of Famer, all-time NBA assists and steals leader^[13]
• Julia Sweeney - actress, comedian, cast member of Saturday Night Live
• Tag Brothers - 10 friends from Gonzaga Prep whose long-standing game of "tag" was first featured in the Wall Street Journal, and was the basis for the 2018 movie Tag. Recently inducted in the Gonzaga Prep Hall of Fame.^[14][15]
• Chris Tormey - college football head coach
• Anton Watson - American college basketball player
• Evan Weaver - linebacker for California and NFL's Arizona Cardinals
• Miriam Weeks - sex-positive feminist and pornographic actress known by stage name Belle Knox
• John Yarno - NFL center, All-American at Idaho (attended G-Prep through junior year)

References

External links

• Official website
• Video