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Born in Germany on October 14, 1876, the
infant Joseph Francis Rummel was destined for greatness. At the age of six
his family moved to the United States and settled in New York City. It was
there that a young Joseph Rummel started his elementary education at St.
Boniface Parochial School, now the location of the United Nations
buildings. He left St. Boniface and began his training in Rome and was
ordained there in the Basilica of St. John Lateran on May 24, 1902. One
year later, after obtaining his doctorate in theology, he returned to New
York and served in several parishes for the next 25 years.
In 1928, Father Joseph Rummel was named
bishop of Omaha, Nebraska, and served that diocese for seven years. On
March 9, 1935, Joseph Francis Rummel was named the ninth archbishop of New
Orleans, upon the death of Archbishop Shaw.As the leader of the Catholic
Church, Archbishop Rummel's years in New Orleans numbered 29. During those
years he was active in directing many programs which benefitted youth and
the poor. He saw to it that CCD religious education programs were
established in every parish in 1935. He led in organization of welfare
programs under the Associated Catholic Charities.
From 1935 to 1960, the number of students
in Catholic schools grew from fewer than 40,000 to more than 85,000. The
number of church parishes increased from 135 to 180. And in 1945, he
launched the Youth Progress Program to raise money for education which
resulted in the building of schools. During that time some 70 new schools
were opened.
In 1958, a new archdiocesan-wide campaign
was begun which resulted in the opening of four new high schools in
Jefferson Parish (County) in 1962. Archbishop Rummel was one of those
schools and was named for him over his protests.
In late 1960, Archbishop Rummel's health
began to fail. By then he had served as New Orleans' Catholic archbishop
for 25 years and was the oldest active archbishop in the United States. On
the occasion of his 60th anniversary as a priest in 1962, Archbishop
Rummel announced that Pope John XXIII had appointed Archbishop John
Patrick Cody as his coadjutor archbishop with full jurisdiction over the
Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Despite his age, poor health and almost
total loss of sight, Archbishop Rummel maintained an active interest in
the activities of the Church. He participated in the dedication of
Archbishop Rummel High School in the fall of 1962 and he journeyed to Rome
for the opening of the second Vatican Council. But, finally, on November
9, 1964, this strong, determined spiritual leader passed on to his reward,
leaving a heritage of many good works, not the least significant of which
is the school that bears his name. The spirit of Joseph Francis Rummel
still lives in the faculty, student body, and alumni of Archbishop Rummel
High School; and that spirit is characterized in the Archbishop's own
motto, "Animam pro ovibus ponere" --- to give one's life for the sheep.
LaSallian School
Archbishop Rummel High School, a Christian
school in the Roman Catholic tradition, is owned by the Archdiocese of New
Orleans and administered and staffed by lay and religious personnel.
The school continues the tradition of the
Christian Brothers who responded to the request of the Archdiocese of New
Orleans in 1962 to conduct the school. For a period of 31 years (1962 -
1993), the Christian Brothers provided administrators and faculty who
brought into the school the 315-year tradition of St. John Baptist de la
Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who was named
patron of all teachers by Pope Pius XII on May 15, 1950.
Archbishop Rummel High School continues to
incorporate that LaSallian philosophy of education with a strong
commitment to the individual student. The school provides a well-balanced
education, providing for the spiritual, intellectual, and physical
development of its students. The faculty perceives its role as one of
ministers of grace, touching hearts as well as minds.
The LaSallian tradition seeks to give
students a Christian spirituality of frequently remembering God's holy
presence, of seeing God's work in life's situations with the eyes of
faith, and of directing one's life with a view to pleasing God. The school
recognizes as its two founders and patrons -- Archbishop Joseph Francis
Rummel and St. John Baptist de la Salle.
School's
Beginning
Open on September 10, 1962, Archbishop
Rummel High School was one of four archdiocesan Catholic high schools
established for students of Jefferson Parish (County), a New Orleans
suburb, as a result of an archdiocesan campaign. On that first day of
class, 225 freshmen formed the charter class of the school. In its second
year, with the admission of nine freshman classes, the school had an
enrollment of almost 600 students. Additional freshman classes were added
each year until the 1965-66 school year when the school was a complete
high school with 1,100 students. The charter class of 222 was graduated on
May 27, 1966. The school operated as a four year high school until 1981
when the Archdiocese of New Orleans gave permission for the school to
begin an eighth grade program for the 1982-83 academic year.
The senior high school plant occupies one
third of the campus and consists of five separate building adjoined by
covered walkways. The remaining portion of the campus is structure-free
for athletic programs and future development. The senior high campus is
divided into the faculty office wing, the administration-library wing, and
the classroom wings completing a quadrangle in the center of which is the
school chapel. A senior wing was added in 1966 to accommodate the first
senior class. Additionally, in 1985 the school purchased the former Stuart
Prep property adjacent to the school to use for a junior high campus.
The school cafeteria and gymnasium are
located on the senior high campus. In memory of the Nelson-Smyth family of
Chicago, the gymnasium was dedicated in May 1963. A building program that
saw the construction of the senior wing also included the music building,
an athletic field house, and an addition to the faculty office wing.
During the 1980-81 school year, the school enclosed the area under the
senior wing to make a student mall and also added a weight room to the
field house.
The Brothers of the Christian Schools
(Christian Brothers) conducted Archbishop Rummel High School through June
1993, when they relinquished governance to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Two Christian Brothers currently remain on staff for the school year. They
and lay men and women comprise the administration, faculty, and staff of
the school.
School Crest
The crest, or coat-of-arms, of Archbishop
Rummel High School symbolizes the school in a fourfold manner:
In the upper left quadrant is the star of faith of the Christian Brothers.
This star symbolizes the faith of the faculty in youth and the faith which
they seek to foster in their students.Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel is
symbolized in the upper right quadrant by a hunting horn from his own
coat-of-arms.
Dominating the lower left quadrant is an
open book, symbolic of the knowledge provided by Archbishop Rummel High
School and the basis of all the education and culture available to the
students.
The seal of the State of Louisiana
completes the crest in the lower right quadrant. The pelican is the state
bird of Louisiana. The bird, which legendarily gives its blood to sustain
its young, symbolizes devotedness which should characterize the Archbishop
Rummel student.Separating and joining the quadrant is the cross
symbolizing religion, which keeps each endeavor of the school in its
proper perspective and joins them all under its benevolent influence.
School Colors /
Mascot
After the school colors (Columbia blue,
scarlet red, and white) and the Raider mascot were established, the school
commissioned famed New Orleans artist John Chase to sketch the then
unnamed Archbishop Rummel Raider. But, in 1966, the Raiders were
participants in a District Track meet when Ms. John Cressend, the mother
of a senior track team member, suggested her son's name, Rufus, as an
appropriate mascot name to then principal Brother John Fairfax, FSC.
Brother John told Puffy Cressend that if her son won his upcoming mile
race, the name of Archbishop Rummel's mascot would be "Rufus." Sporting a
broken arm, senior Rufus Cressend won his race and the school's new mascot
has been called "Rufus" ever since.
In 1978 the Archbishop Rummel student body
had an election to name Rufus' horse. After reviewing hundreds of names,
the students finally selected "Rumpus" as the name of Rufus' horse.The
nickname "Super Ants" is sometimes associated with Archbishop Rummel
Raider football. This nickname dates back to 1972 when a tiny group of
Raiders defeated a heavily favored Chalmette Owl team by a 3-0 score. The
Owl coach said at the time that the Raider defense was so thorough that it
was like stepping into an ant pile.
Blue Ribbon Award
On September 28, 1989, Archbishop Rummel
High School was recognized as a Secondary School of Excellence by
President George Bush at ceremonies in Washington, D.C. Created by the
Secretary of Education in 1982, the Blue Ribbon Recognition Program's
purpose is to identify and honor America's outstanding public and private
schools.To receive recognition, Archbishop Rummel was nominated by the
Council for American Private Education and then passed a rigorous
screening and two-day site visit. The school was then recommended to the
Secretary of Education who presented the award to Archbishop Rummel
representatives.
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