Oratory Preparatory School

Oratory Preparatory School, commonly known as Oratory Prep, is a Roman Catholic college preparatory day school for boys in grades 7-12, located in Summit, in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately 19 miles (31 km) west of Manhattan. The school is located one block away from the Kent Place School and is in close proximity to Summit High School.

This article is about the school in Summit, New Jersey. For school in Berkshire, England affiliated with Cardinal Newman, see The Oratory Preparatory School.

Oratory Preparatory School
Address
425 Morris Ave.

Summit
,
(Union County)
,
New Jersey
07901

United States
Coordinates40°43′27″N 74°22′10″W
Information
TypePrivate, All-Boys
MottoFidelitas
(Faithfulness)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1907
School code311435
NCES School ID00863464[1]
Head of schoolRobert Costello
ChaplainFr. Matthew Dooley
Faculty36.6 FTEs[1]
Grades7–12
Enrollment373 (as of 2017–18)[1]
Student to teacher ratio10.2:1[1]
CampusSuburban
Campus size10 acres (40,000 m2)
Color(s)  Navy
  Gold[2]
Athletics11 varsity sports
Athletics conferenceUnion County Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Team nameRams[2]
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
PublicationThe Phoenix (literary/art magazine)
NewspaperThe Omega
YearbookAries
School fees$300 (2022–23)[4]
Tuition$25,400 (2022–23)[4]
AffiliationRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark
Academic DeanOwen McGowan
Admissions DirectorThomas Boniello
Athletic DirectorJ. Patrick Gist
Websitewww.oratoryprep.org

Overview

The school is associated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[5] Oratory Preparatory School is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.[6] The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1973.[3]

As of the 2017–18 school year, the school had an enrollment of 373 students and 36.6 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. The school's student body was 80.7% (301) White, 6.2% (23) Hispanic, 5.9% (22) Asian, 4.0% (15) two or more races and 2.9% (11) Black.[1]

The school was founded in 1907 as Carlton Academy, with grades 4-12. Most of the students lived on campus. Due to the school's relatively small size, students in a given grade are not individually ranked. Oratory is home to young men from more than 70 communities in the New York metro area. Tuition for the 2022–23 academic year is $25,400 and a $300 registration fee is required; this does not include costs for transportation, books and meals.[4] Each year 100% of Oratory seniors are accepted to four-year colleges.[7]

Awards, recognition and rankings

In 2015, the United States Department of Education announced that Oratory had been recognized with the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence, the Education Department's highest honor. Oratory was one of 15 schools in the state and one of two private secondary schools across the nation to receive this distinction.[8][9]

History

Oratory originally resided on a 15-acre (61,000 m2) lot, but was reduced to its current ten after selling off a portion of land in the 1960s. In 1967, the school was sold to the Archdiocese of Newark after running into financial difficulties. Among century-old specimen trees and rolling hills, the campus consists of two main academic buildings, athletic fields, and a prayer garden. Around the start of the 21st century, the campus was conversationally referred to as "The Park" by Summit residents because it had various athletic fields, intricate lamp posts, its own irrigation system, and a small pond that was used for skating during the winter season.[10]

In 2006, the land was assessed at $6,270,000, and the buildings at $2,752,700, a total of $9,022,700.[11]

Athletics

The Oratory Prep Rams[2] compete in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, following a reorganization of sports leagues in Northern New Jersey by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).[12] Prior to the NJSIAA's 2009 realignment, the school had participated in the Mountain Valley Conference, which included public and private high schools in Essex County, Somerset County and Union County.[13] With 500 students in grades 10-12, the school was classified by the NJSIAA for the 2019–20 school year as Non-Public A for most athletic competition purposes, which included schools with an enrollment of 381 to 1,454 students in that grade range (equivalent to Group II for public schools).[14]

Carlton Academy's first football team. Photograph circa 1913.

The boys track team won the indoor track Non-Public Group B state championship in 1980.[15] The boys' track team won the Non-Public indoor relay state championship in 1980.[16] The spring / outdoor track team won the New Jersey Prep B Championship two years running (2009 and 2010).[17][18] The track team won the inaugural winter track Prep B championship in February 2011.[19]

The boys cross country running team won the Non-Public Group C state championship in 1974 (as co-champion) and 1975.[20]

Oratory Golf's home course is Canoe Brook Country Club. The golf team was NJSIAA Non Public B State Champions in 2004-05, and won the NJSIAA Prep B state championship in 2005-06. For the 2006 season, the Oratory golf team was ranked 20th in the state by The Star-Ledger.[21] Steve Zychowski won the state and Mount Valley tournaments and helped lead the golf team to a win in the NJSIAA Parochial B tournament in 2009.[17]

For 14 consecutive years through 2009, the swim team won the Mountain Valley Conference and won the NJ Prep B Championship in 2004.[17] The cross country team was the NJISAA Prep B State Champions in 2004, and has continually placed first in the conference for the past ten years. The team is led by Coach E.J. Cronin, who is also the junior varsity baseball coach. The varsity baseball team were conference champions in 2006, a feat not accomplished since 1956, and had a perfect in-conference record of 12-0.[7]

Mock Trial

The mock trial team, sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, began at Oratory in 2003. In 2006, 2007, 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the team won the state regional final championship, and in 2007 the team won the state semifinals, finishing third in the state, and in 2016 finished 2nd in the state. The team has won the Union County Championship 13 years, including the past eight years. In 2007 the team qualified for the American Mock Trial Invitational held in New Jersey. There the team won two of three trials and finished fifth in the nation. The team was coached by Bill Martin, Director of Student Activities, since the team's inception.[22] In 2012, the team won the state championship, marking the first time that a school from Union county had won the state championship.[23]

Noted alumni

References
  1. School data for Oratory Preparatory School, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed September 1, 2020.
  2. Search ResultsOratory Catholic Prep School, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  3. Oratory Preparatory School, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools. Accessed July 17, 2022.
  4. Tuition & Financial Aid, Oratory Prep. Accessed January 25, 2022.
  5. Union County Secondary Schools, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Accessed July 17, 2022.
  6. List of Member Schools, New Jersey Association of Independent Schools. Accessed August 13, 2017.
  7. Oratory Prep Fast Facts, accessed September 10, 2006 Archived May 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Oratory Prep Named a 2015 National Blue Ribbon School", Summit Patch, September 30, 2015. Accessed October 10, 2015. "U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan made the official announcement Tuesday morning that 50 private schools and 285 public schools from across the country have been chosen for this prestigious honor based on academic excellence. Of the 50 private schools, we are one of only two secondary schools to receive this distinction."
  9. 2015 National Blue Ribbon Schools All Public and Private, United States Department of Education. Accessed October 10, 2015.
  10. Rae, John W. & John W. Rae Jr. (1985). Summit's Forgotten Past "The Gilded Age." Summit, NJ, John W. Rae.
  11. Tax Records, accessed February 5, 2007
  12. League & Conference Officers/Affiliated Schools 2020-2021, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed October 20, 2020.
  13. Home Page, Mountain Valley Conference, backed up by the Internet Archive as of February 2, 2011. Accessed December 15, 2014.
  14. NJSIAA General Public School Classifications 2019–2020, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  15. NJSIAA Indoor Group Championship History, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed November 20, 2020.
  16. History of the NJSIAA Indoor Relay Championships, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  17. Polakowski, Art. "Success recognized in Oratory sports", Independent Press, June 8, 2009. Accessed June 21, 2011.
  18. Staff. "NJ Track: Oratory boys, Villa Walsh girls win prep B titles", The Star-Ledger, May 19, 2010. Accessed June 21, 2011. "Laroche's double fueled Oratory, which scored in 14 of 16 events to beat runner-up Pennington, 152-127."
  19. Koomar, Joe. "Rambling On: Oratory becomes track power with third prep championship", Independent Press, March 6, 2011. Accessed June 21, 2011. "On February 15, Oratory's winter track squad defied all odds and captured the inaugural Prep B state championship. Oratory dominated the meet from start to finish. In the 3200 M Run, Cormac Raeda, Joey Mascolo and Mark Weinhoffer finished one-two-three respectively."
  20. NJSIAA Boys Cross Country State Group Champions, New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Accessed May 1, 2023.
  21. Final Golf Top 20, The Star-Ledger, June 19, 2006.
  22. Oratory Prep team rules in court, The Star-Ledger, March 22, 2007
  23. Dougherty, Susan. "Oratory Prep Mock Trial Team Wins State Championship". SummitPatch, March 22, 2012. Accessed March 24, 2012. "After scores of Mock Trial scrimmages and matches this year among 221 high school teams in New Jersey, only two schools were left standing to compete for the title of Mock Trial State Champions on Thursday, March 22, 2012, at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick. Oratory Prep School of Summit was named New Jersey State Champions by one of the two presiding judges, The Honorable Barry T. Albin, the Chief Justice of the NJ Supreme Court."
  24. Golway, Terry. "On Politics; The Bishops, in Codey, Have a New Target", The New York Times, November 14, 2004. Accessed October 16, 2018. "He is a graduate of Oratory Prep in Summit, and his wife, Mary Jo, attended Caldwell College and Seton Hall, all Catholic institutions."
  25. Saturday Morning Shootout: Danny DeVito, AMC (TV network). Accessed April 2, 2007. "DeVito attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel grammar school and Oratory Prep School in Summit, New Jersey, but appeared in only one school play, as St. Francis of Assisi."
  26. Nationally Recognized Photographer at Oratory Preparatory School. Oratory Preparatory School. Accessed March 13, 2008. "When Justin Guariglia, a 1992 graduate of Oratory Preparatory School in Summit came 'home' on January 24 to present an assembly program to the student body of grades 7 – 12, he did not know what to expect...."
  27. "William J. Lyons Jr.", The Hour (newspaper), April 22, 2014. Accessed November 2, 2017. "A graduate of Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, NJ, he attended Notre Dame University until enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1943."
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