Co-ed high school in Burbank, Illinois
St. Laurence High School is a
co-educational ,
STEM-based high school founded in 1961. Located in the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago , the school is conducted by the
Congregation of Christian Brothers and is named for the Irish
Saint Laurence O'Toole .
The school is located in the southwest
Chicago
suburb of
Burbank, Illinois , adjacent to the property of the former
Queen of Peace High School , a private, all-female Catholic high school that closed in 2017. St. Laurence became co-ed beginning with the 2017–2018 school year after Queen of Peace closed.
History
St. Laurence High School was founded by the
Congregation of Christian Brothers as a boys' school. With the closure of its neighboring sister school
Queen of Peace High School , a girls' school run by the Dominican Sisters, it was announced that St. Laurence would become
co-educational from the 2017–2018 academic year onwards and accommodate transferring female students.
[5]
Due to construction delays on the Queen of Peace High School building, Queen of Peace High School classes were held in the D and E wings of the St. Laurence building for one school year while construction on Queen of Peace High School was completed.
Currently, AERO Special Education Cooperative occupies the former Queen of Peace campus, with new accessible construction completed in 2023.
[6]
Classes
At the start of the 2013 school year, St. Laurence High School became a
STEM school. The school incorporates spirituality and leadership in their STEM program. St. Laurence High School also pioneers "Career Explorer" courses.
All classrooms are located on the first floor of the school. Classrooms are divided among four of the five academic wings, labeled A, B, C, D, and E.
In 2021, St. Laurence High School began an
IB Diploma Programme , making it one of only three Catholic high schools in Illinois to offer the program, the others being
DePaul College Prep and
Trinity High School .
[7]
Athletics
St. Laurence High School is a member of both the
Chicago Catholic League (CCL) for boys sports and the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference (GCAC) for girls sports. It is also a member of the
Illinois High School Association (IHSA). St. Laurence sponsors interscholastic teams in
baseball ,
basketball ,
bowling , cheer,
cross country , dance,
eSports ,
flag football ,
football ,
golf ,
lacrosse ,
soccer ,
tennis ,
track and field ,
volleyball , and
wrestling , which compete in IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments. The school also sponsors an
ice hockey team.
[8]
The following teams have finished in the top four at the IHSA state tournament in their respective class.
Baseball: 2nd place (2019), 3rd place (1993, 2017, 2021), Semifinalist (1987)
Basketball: 4th place (1976–1977)
Football: Champions (1976–1977), Runner-Up (1979–1980, 2023–2024)
Soccer: 3rd place (2023), 4th place (2019)
Wrestling: Champions (1989–1990)
Notable alumni
Brent Bowers ,
Major League Baseball outfielder with the
Baltimore Orioles
Kevin Bracken , United States team member in
Greco-Roman wrestling at the
2000 Summer Olympics
[9]
Jimmy Dore , comedian and political commentator
Jim Dwyer , Major League Baseball outfielder with the
1983 World Series champion Baltimore Orioles
Tim Grunhard ,
NFL All-Pro center with the
Kansas City Chiefs
[10]
James Hickey , retired United States Army colonel who was involved in the capture of Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein in December 2003
Daniel R. Jenky , bishop of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Peoria ; rector of the
Basilica of the Sacred Heart at
Notre Dame University ; chaplain of Notre Dame's last football team to win a national championship
Kevin J. O'Connor , film and TV actor (
The Mummy ,
Van Helsing ,
Steel Magnolias ,
Color of Night ,
There Will Be Blood )
Steve Puidokas , professional basketball player in Europe and
Pac-12 Conference Hall of Honor member
Stan Smagala , NFL safety with the
Dallas Cowboys
Jim Stack ,
NBA executive with the
Minnesota Timberwolves and
Chicago Bulls
[11]
John Tumpane , Major League Baseball umpire
Jeff Vintar , motion picture screenwriter (
I, Robot )
References
^
"Faculty" . St. Laurence High School. Retrieved August 18, 2023 .
^
a
b
c
"ST LAURENCE H.S." Private School Universe Survey .
National Center for Education Statistics . Retrieved November 12, 2023 .
^ NCA-CASI.
"AdvanceEd-NCA Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement" . Archived from
the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009 .
^
"Tuition and Financial Aid" . St. Laurence High School. Retrieved August 18, 2023 .
^ Swanson, Lorraine (February 14, 2017).
"All-Boys' St. Laurence High School Announces Plans to Go Co-Ed" .
Burbank, Illinois :
Patch.com . Retrieved April 18, 2017 .
^ Bong, Bob (September 22, 2023).
"AERO opens new facility in Burbank" . Southwest Regional Publishing. Retrieved November 8, 2023 .
^ Martin, Michelle (March 3, 2021).
"St. Laurence High School to launch IB program next year" .
Chicago Catholic . Retrieved August 18, 2023 .
^
"Athletics Main" . St. Laurence High School. Archived from
the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via
Wayback Machine .
^
"Kevin Bracken – Olympian" . olympianwrestling.com . Retrieved August 18, 2023 .
^
"Tim Grunhard" . databaseFootball.com . Archived from
the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2023 – via
Wayback Machine .
^
"Catholic League Basketball Champions Since 1913" (PDF) .
Chicago Catholic League . Retrieved August 18, 2023 .
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Chicago area Became coeducational Merged Closed