The History of St. Francis DeSales High School
In 1960, a new Catholic High School was founded, using borrowed classrooms in St. Augustine and St. James the Less Schools. In the fall of 1961, facilities of the newly constructed Bishop Ready High School were extended to these students under the direction of the Dominican Sisters and Reverend Monsignor James M. Berendt. There are many memories of long bus rides to and from those temporary quarters.
In September of 1962, the students moved into their permanent home on Karl Road, St. Francis DeSales High School. Named after the patron saint of the Diocese of Columbus, the new school had a faculty of ten sisters of St. Francis of Stella Niagara, New York, four priests and eight lay people. The school opened with 523 students registered – 120 juniors, 160 sophomores, and 243 freshmen. The school was solemnly dedicated in January of 1963 by the Most Reverend Clarence G. Issenmann, Bishop of the Columbus Diocese.
Remarkably, over the years of our school’s existence, we have had only five principals: Reverend Monsignor James M. Berendt, 1960-1971; Reverend John Tague, 1970-1973; Reverend Monsignor Edward McFarland, 1973-1979; Mr. Patrick D. Rossetti, 1979-2004; and Mr. Daniel Garrick, 2004-present.
Today, we have grown to over 850 students and our faculty has tripled. To accommate this growth, our campus has experienced several changes through the years. In 1997, we added new theology, science and performing arts classrooms, and by 2002, construction was complete on the visual arts wing, as well as renovation of the construction technology and family consumer science labs. The Alumni Stadium received a complete overhaul in 2005, and now features a turf field, an eight-lane track and first class amenities. With the upgrade and expansion of computer labs in 2008 and 2009, we have created a state-of-the-art learning environment for our students that sets them on the path for a dynamic future as they move into college and beyond.
Our academics match our top-notch facilities, as we have twice been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as an Exemplary Blue Ribbon School. Over the last decade more than 96% of graduating seniors have pursued post-secondary studies at colleges and institutions across the nation, and have been awarded over $7,000,000 on average each year in scholarships to help make their dreams a reality.
The St. Francis DeSales curriculum has kept pace with an ever-changing world, and we now offer over 140 courses from our 14 departments. When we initiated our Advanced Placement program fifteenyears ago, we offered two courses and 18 students took the tests for possible college credit. Now, we offer 14 AP classes in all major subjects, and at last count, over 230 tests were administered.
