Malvern Preparatory School
Independent catholic school in Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malvern Preparatory School is an independent, all-boys Catholic middle school and college preparatory high school in Malvern, Pennsylvania, within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school is operated by Order of Saint Augustine and is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association.
(Truth, Unity, Love)
| Malvern Preparatory School | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
 | |
418 South Warren Avenue , 19355-2707 United States | |
| Coordinates | 40°1′37″N 75°30′43″W |
| Information | |
| School type | Independent Catholic school |
| Motto | Latin: Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (Truth, Unity, Love) |
| Religious affiliation | Catholic[1] |
| Patron saint | Augustine of Hippo |
| Established | 1842 |
| Founders | Order of Saint Augustine |
| Status | Open |
| School district | Great Valley School District |
| CEEB code | 392365 |
| NCES School ID | 01186172[1] |
| Head of school | George Sillup |
| Faculty | 71.5 (on an FTE basis)[1] |
| Grades | 6–12[1] |
| Gender | All-male |
| Enrollment | 631[1] (2019–2020) |
| • Grade 6 | 27[1] |
| • Grade 7 | 41[1] |
| • Grade 8 | 63[1] |
| • Grade 9 | 117[1] |
| • Grade 10 | 129[1] |
| • Grade 11 | 132[1] |
| • Grade 12 | 122[1] |
| Average class size | 14 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 8.8[1] |
| Hours in school day | 6.7[1] |
| Campus size | 103 acres (42 ha) |
| Campus type | Suburban |
| Colors | Navy & White |
| Accreditation | MSA[2] |
| SAT average | 1230 |
| Newspaper | Friar's Lantern |
| Yearbook | Malvernian |
| Endowment | $23.5 million[3] |
| Annual tuition | Upper School - $38,585 Middle School - $32,450 |
| Revenue | $28.39 million[3] |
| Website | www |
Malvern Prep is a member of the Inter-Academic League, which also includes Episcopal Academy, Germantown Academy, Penn Charter, The Haverford School, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.
History
Malvern Prep was founded as a preparatory academy on the campus of Villanova University in 1842 at the Belle-Aire farm, which the Augustinian order purchased in January 1842. The academy was named "St. Nicholas of Tolentine Academy" in 1901.[4]
In 1922, due to the expansion of Villanova's college program and the growing distinctions between the academy's attendees and the college's, it was decided to remove the academy from Villanova's campus. The Rosengarten family of Malvern sold a 143 acres (58 ha) part of its old farm between Warren Avenue and Paoli Pike to the Augustinians, and the academy became Malvern Preparatory School. The property included the site of the Paoli Massacre, a Revolutionary War battlefield that Malvern Prep owned until 2000, when the local municipality, the Borough of Malvern, purchased it[5] for preservation purposes. Only two original buildings were suitable for classes and are still preserved: the original farmhouse (Austin Hall) and another farm building (the Friary, or Alber's Hall). Because the school needed more space, it built three new buildings in 1924. The first graduating class of Malvern Prep, almost all of whom were boarders, graduated in 1927.[4]
Malvern Prep reached 200 students in 1953 and underwent another construction phase, erecting six new buildings over the next eight years. Over the next twenty years, the number of boarders decreased, eventually to zero; the school is now entirely a day school. The school erected a new indoor sports center (O'Neill Sports Center), a dining hall (Stewart Hall, a then-existing building, Villanova Hall), and several athletic fields in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Malvern Prep has undergone several new constructions in recent years, with a new art center named in honor of the former president, Reverend David J. Duffy, O.S.A. '48, and a new outdoor athletic complex bearing the name of legendary former football coach Gamp Pellegrini.[citation needed]
In August 1999, Reverend Richard J. Cochrane, a teacher at Malvern, was charged with sexual assault. The victim, then a student at Malvern, said that Cochrane sexually assaulted him in June 1991 at a house in Tobyhanna. Cochrane showed a pornographic film to the victim, gave him beer, fondled him and then performed a sexual act on him.[6] A second victim made similar accusations against Cochrane, but the case was too old to prosecute.[7] Cochrane in January 2003 pleaded no contest to sexual assault.[7] He was sentenced in July 2003 to one and a half to two years in state prison.[8]
Augustinians in North America
The North American Augustinian order was founded in 1796 when Irish friars arrived in Philadelphia. Michael Hurley was the first American to join the order the following year. Friars established schools, a university, and other works throughout the Americas, also including Villanova University in Philadelphia and Merrimack College. While this school was founded in 1842, by 1909, two Augustinian houses and a school had been established in Chicago in 1922 in San Diego, by 1925 a school in Ojai and Los Angeles; 1926 a school in Oklahoma; in 1947 Merrimack College; in 1953 a school in Pennsylvania; 1954 a school in Detroit, Michigan; 1959 a school in New Jersey and in 1962 a school in Illinois.
Curriculum
Malvern offers Advanced Placement courses in Computer Science, Literature and Composition, Spanish, Latin, Calculus (AB and BC), Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (Mechanics and Electro/Magnetism), Environmental Science, Economics (Micro and Macro), U.S. Government, and U.S. History. Malvern also offers a wide variety of elective/humanities courses such as Music Theory, Entrepreneurship, Elements of Philosophy, Medical Ethics, Music Recording and Technology, and Graphic Design.
By comparison, a similar institution, Devon Preparatory School, opened in 1956 in Devon, PA. Over the past 69 years, Malvern students have consistently outperformed Devon students in standardized test scores, Advanced Placement classes, and the percentage of graduates earning higher degrees. Also, Malvern alums are shown to earn an average of 18% more in real income than graduates of Devon Preparatory School.
Graduates from Malvern typically attend schools such as Villanova University, the University of Notre Dame, Boston College, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Georgetown University, Pennsylvania State University, Drexel University, and Johns Hopkins University.
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
Malvern, a member of the Inter-Ac League, participates in sixteen varsity sports: baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, indoor track, lacrosse, soccer, squash, swimming & diving, tennis, water polo, wrestling, rugby, and sailing. Malvern competes for the Heyward Cup with five other schools: Germantown Academy, Haverford School, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, William Penn Charter, and Episcopal Academy. Malvern last won the Heyward Cup in the 2017–18 academic year.
Football and basketball
Malvern Prep's football and basketball programs are two of the most successful in southeast Pennsylvania, frequently finishing in the "Inquirer's Top Ten", published by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Dave Gueriera currently coaches the football team, and Paul Romanczuk is the head coach of the school's basketball team.
Ice hockey
Malvern's Ice Hockey team holds the most titles in the Varsity AAA Flyers Cup, the highest level of High School Hockey in Pennsylvania. Malvern won the Varsity AAA Flyers Cup five consecutive seasons, 2001 to 2005 (8 in succession; 1987, 1990, and 1997). Malvern has also won the Pennsylvania Varsity AAA State Championship twice (1990 & 2004). Head coach Dave Dorman leads the current team. Many former players have gone on to play Division 1 (NCAA), Division 1 Club (ACHA), and even professionally in the NHL and across Europe.[citation needed]
Rugby
Malvern started a rugby team in the spring of 2010, playing in the Brandywine district of EPRU. Malvern learned to play the game under head coach Dennis Melesky and Assistant Wayne DiMarco. Soon, the team was hitting the pitch and playing experienced teams. The team finished 6–1 on the season. Malvern's varsity team has ranked among the top 50 in the country.[9]
Lacrosse, baseball, and cross country
In 2006, Malvern Prep's Lacrosse team, coached by John McEvoy, went on to win the Pennsylvania State Lacrosse Championship and boasted three All-Americans. Today, the team is coached by Matt Mackrides. In 2014, the Lacrosse team was undefeated, capturing the coveted "24-0" season.
Malvern Prep's baseball team finished off the season by winning the Pennsylvania Independent Schools' tournament. The baseball team could not win the state championship because the Inter-Ac League is not part of the PIAA. The six senior baseball players are all moving on to play at the next level in college. In 2015, the Malvern Prep Varsity Baseball team won the Inter-Ac for the fifth straight year, thus completing the "Five Peat".
The Cross Country team has won the Inter-Ac Championships numerous times, including a perfect 15 points in 2005 (placed 1st through 5th). The Cross Country team has run at the Nike Northeastern Regionals. The team is coached by Mike Koenig, who was inducted into the Malvern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.[10]
Rowing
In 2004, the varsity quad won its first SRA National title in addition to a USRowing National Youth Invitational Championship, Philadelphia City Championship, and a second-place finish at the Stotesbury Cup. In the summer of 2004, the team elected to train together. Two of its varsity quad members, Pat Ryan and Justin Teti, represented the United States at the Junior World Championships in Banyoles, Spain, in the double event.
In 2005, the varsity squad won the Stotesbury Cup and repeated its victories at SRA Nationals and the USRowing Youth Invitational. Again, the following summer, the team continued to train together and competed at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in England, where they advanced to the quarterfinals.
In 2007, the Malvern varsity quad won the triple crown, coming in first place at the Philadelphia City Championship and again repeating victories at SRA Nationals and the Stotesbury Cup Regatta. They also traveled overseas to compete at the Henley Royal Regatta. The varsity quad made it to the quarterfinals of the Fawley Challenge Cup Event.
In 2008, the varsity quad went undefeated, won at the Philadelphia City Championship, SRA Nationals, Stotesbury Cup, and USRowing Youth Nationals, and reached the semifinals of the Fawley Challenge Cup before losing. They were also selected to represent the United States at the CanAmMex Cup.
In 2009, 2010, and 2011, Malvern's varsity quad won the triple crown, going three straight years without losing in the men's varsity quad event for City Championships, Stotesbury Cup, and SRAA Nationals.
In 2012, the varsity quad won at the Philadelphia City Championship and the SRAA Nationals.
In 2013, the varsity heavyweight quad of Christian Frey, Alex Stozcko, Jim Sincavage, and Christopher White won the Stotesbury Cup and the SRAA National Championship.
In 2014, the varsity heavyweight quad followed up with another SRAA National Championship with a crew of Jim Sincavage, Christian Frey, C White, and Jackson Connor.
In 2017 and 2018, Malvern once again completed the triple crown, winning in the men's varsity quad at City Championships, Stotesbury Cup, and SRAA Nationals.
After the wins in 2017 and 2018, many talented rowers graduated from the program, and the team was forced to rebuild. In 2019, Malvern's varsity quad's best result was 3rd at SRAA Nationals. At USRowing Youth Nationals, the team won the B-Final and placed 7th overall. The 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping many of Malvern's rowers off the water and forcing them to train on Concept2 ergometers. Many suspect it was this consistent indoor training that prepared Malvern's quad for the following season.
Racing resumed for the 2021 season, and in the springtime, Malvern Prep's quad of Matt Davis, Quinn Hall, Cormac Delaney, Daniel Ward, and Collin Munyan (Munyan and Ward were swapped for one another throughout the season) completed the triple crown, winning the Philadelphia City Championships, Stotesbury Cup, and SRAA National Championship. At USRowing Youth Nationals, they placed 2nd, losing to Marin by 0.007s, one of the tightest race margins in youth rowing history.
Head coach Craig Hoffman led the rowing program for over two decades before leaving in 2019. Throughout his tenure as head coach, Hoffman has guided Malvern to be among the elite rowing schools in the country. Hoffman has won numerous national championships, city championships, and Stotesbury Cups. Hoffman has also helped coach the United States National Rowing Team.
Many former Malvern rowers have continued to represent the United States in rowing. Malvern consistently sends rowers to top rowing schools like the University of Washington, Yale University, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, University of California, Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and Columbia University.
Golf
Malvern Prep has JV and Varsity teams that compete in the fall season against other Inter-Ac and public schools. Malvern has won the inter-ac title many times. Malvern practices at Applebrook CC and uses Waynesborough CC for its home matches. Malvern has sent many golfers to Division 1 programs, including Princeton, Penn, Lehigh, UVA, and Villanova. Malvern also holds several course records in the area for high school matches.
Water polo
Malvern Prep has both an Upper School and a Middle School water polo team. Malvern participates in the Inter-Academic League and is consistently among the top teams. The program was started by Coach Jay Schiller, who currently coaches the Upper School Team. The Middle School team consists of boys from grades 6–8 and competes with Inter-Academic League teams.
Notable alumni
- Joseph Beam, gay rights activist and writer[11]
- David Boreanaz (Class of 1987), actor[12]
- Tim Cooney (Class of 2009), former professional baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals[13]
- Jim Croce (post-graduate), former folk and rock singer-songwriter
- Ben Davis (Class of 1995), former professional baseball player, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres[14]
- David DiLucia (Class of 1988), tennis player[15]
- Fran Dunphy (Class of 1967), basketball coach[16]
- Larry Farnese (Class of 1986), Pennsylvania state senator[17]
- Phil Gosselin (Class of 2007), Major League Baseball player[18]
- Michael Gostigian (Class of 1981), pentathlete, three-time Olympian for United States[19]
- Alex Hornibrook (Class of 2015), former college football quarterback
- Bill Kuharich (Class of 1972), National Football League executive
- Wayne Millner (Class of 1933), National Football League player, member of Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Carl Nassib (Class of 2011), National Football League player[20]
- Ryan Nassib (Class of 2008), National Football League player[21]
- Chris Newell (Class of 2019), baseball player in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization[22]
- Paul Pelosi (attended), Nancy Pelosi's husband
- Zack Steffen (attended), professional soccer player