Summary
Saint Sebastian's School is an independent, all-boys Catholic secondary school located in Needham, Massachusetts. The school instructs around 380 boys in grades seven through twelve. It is the only Catholic school in the Independent School League.
| Saint Sebastian's School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
 | |
1191 Greendale Avenue , , 02492-4699 United States | |
| Coordinates | 42°16′10″N 71°12′25″W / 42.26944°N 71.20694°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Semen est sanguis Christianorum (The blood of Christians [i.e., martyrs] is the seed [of faith]) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1941 |
| Founder | William Cardinal O'Connell |
| Headmaster | William L. Burke III |
| Chaplain | John Arens |
| Faculty | 65 |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Enrollment | 380 |
| Average class size | 10 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 7:1 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 26 acres (110,000 m2) |
| Color(s) | Red and Black |
| Athletics conference | Independent School League |
| Team name | Arrows |
| Rival | Belmont Hill |
| Accreditation | NEASC[1] |
| Publication | The Quiver (literary magazine) |
| Newspaper | The Walrus The Dart |
| Yearbook | The Arrow |
| Website | stsebs.org |
History edit
St. Sebastian's was founded in 1941 as St. Sebastian's Country Day School by William Henry Cardinal O'Connell, who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 to 1944. O'Connell's policy was to encourage the establishment of Catholic private schools outside the parochial system.[2] He purchased the old Newton, Massachusetts campus of the Country Day School of Boston, which had merged with The Rivers School the previous year.[3] The school opened with 21 ninth-graders and six teachers, all of whom were Catholic priests,[4] and charged $350 a year in tuition ($7,239 in March 2024 dollars).[5] The first students graduated in 1945.[6]
Although St. Sebastian's is not a parochial school, it is a Catholic school, and the Archbishop of Boston (Sean Cardinal O'Malley) chairs its board of trustees.[7] The foundation of the school reflected the increasing affluence of Boston's Irish Catholic community. One alumnus from the 1950s said that the school provided "a regimen of tough academics, fierce sports teams, and a cadre of Catholic Irish city kids mixed with new after-the-war Irish suburbanite kids."[8] Today, the school states that it accepts both Catholic and non-Catholic students, but that "the majority of students come from the Catholic faith."[9] The Archdiocese of Boston lists the school as a "related organization," meaning that the Archdiocese either sponsors the school or has the right to elect or appoint school officers and/or members of the board of trustees.[10]
In 1982, the school moved to its current 26-acre campus in Needham.[11][12] It currently educates boys from 68 towns in Massachusetts.[13] St. Sebastian's claims a student-teacher ratio of 7:1, with an average class size of 10.[12]
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Birmingham Academic Building. St. Sebastian's Chapel is on the right. -
The Art and Academic Center (left) houses art studios, music facilities, and the school hockey rink. Martin Hall (right) houses the college counseling office and athletic facilities. -
Campus and playing fields
Tuition edit
Tuition and financial aid edit
In the 2023–24 school year, St. Sebastian's charged students $58,200.[14] 30% of the student body is on financial aid.[14]
The school's policy is to meet 100% of an admitted student's demonstrated financial need. Based on the school's $4.5 million financial aid budget, the average aid grant is roughly $39,500, or 68% of tuition.[14]
Endowment and expenses edit
St. Sebastian's does not file publicly accessible Internal Revenue Service disclosures.[15] Its financial endowment is separately incorporated.[16] In its IRS filings for the 2021–22 school year, the St. Sebastian's endowment reported total assets of $78.7 million and net assets of $69.4 million, and disclosed that the school drew $6.4 million from its endowment that year.[17]
In 2023, a consulting firm retained by the school disclosed that St. Sebastian's annual operating budget was $21.5 million.[13]
Notable alumni edit
Politics and government service edit
- William B. Evans, former Commissioner of the Boston Police Department
- Paul G. Kirk, former US Senator and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee
- Kevin E. Moley, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva
- James H. Maloney, former congressman
- Lawrence O'Donnell, writer/producer
Sports edit
- Tony Barros, basketball player
- Rick DiPietro, hockey player
- Mike Grier, hockey player
- Joe Hulbig, hockey player
- Mike Morris, hockey player
- Mike Smith, baseball player
- Noah Welch, hockey player
- Brian Boyle, hockey player
- Richard Pitino, basketball coach
- Carl Corazzini, hockey player
- Matt Duffy, baseball player
- Danny O'Regan, hockey player
- Noah Hanifin, hockey player
- Connor Strachan, football player
- Kevin Regan, hockey player
- Sean Sullivan, hockey player
- Drew Commesso, hockey player
- Albie O'Connell, hockey coach
- Mike Pandolfo, hockey player
- Chris Kelleher, hockey player
- Ryan Lannon, hockey player
- AJ Dybantsa, basketball player
- Jayden Struble, hockey player
- Mike Walsh, hockey player
- Mike Morrison, hockey player
Other edit
- John Slattery, actor
- Bob Arnot, physician and television personality
Notes edit
- ^ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ^ Sanders, James W. (2018-02-02). Irish vs. Yankees: A Social History of the Boston Schools. Oxford University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-19-068158-6.
- ^ Fortmiller Jr., Hubert C. (2003). Find the Promise: Middlesex School, 1901-2001. Concord, MA: Middlesex School. pp. 46–47.
- ^ "A Few Benchmarks in an Arrow's Life". Arrows Archive. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "The First Viewbook". Arrows Archive. 2017-05-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "The First Commencement". Arrows Archive. 2017-06-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Leadership - St. Sebastian's | Massachusetts Private School". www.stsebs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
- ^ Byrne, Al (2023-08-10). For Country and Cannabis. Page Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-1-6624-8353-0.
- ^ "FAQs - St. Sebastian's | Boys Independent Catholic School MA". www.stsebs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Annual Reports". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "From Nonantum Hill to Greendale Ave". Arrows Archive. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b "At a Glance - St. Sebastian's | Boston Area Private School". www.stsebs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b "HEAD OF SCHOOL SEARCH: ST. SEBASTIAN'S SCHOOL" (PDF). Carney Sandoe & Associates. 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ a b c "Affordability - St. Sebastian's | Independent Catholic School MA". www.stsebs.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "St Sebastians School Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "St Sebastians School Fund Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "St Sebastians School Fund Inc, Full Filing - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
References edit
- St. Sebastian's School profile provided by schooltree.org
External links edit
- Saint Sebastian's School website
- Saint Sebastian's School fact sheet