Benet Academy ( /ˈbɛnɛt/ BEN-et; often shortened to Benet) is a co-educational, college-preparatory, Benedictine high school in Lisle, Illinois, United States, overseen by the Diocese of Joliet. Founded in 1887, the school was initially established in Chicago as the all-boys St. Procopius College and Academy by Benedictine monks, who also operated the St. Joseph Bohemian Orphanage. In 1898, the orphanage moved to Lisle, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Chicago, to be joined by St. Procopius three years later. In 1926 Benedictine nuns constructed the all-girls Sacred Heart Academy near the orphanage and school in Lisle. The orphanage closed in 1956 to make room for St. Procopius Academy, which separated from the college in 1957. Due to rising costs and waning enrollment, Sacred Heart merged with St. Procopius Academy in 1967 to form Benet Academy on the St. Procopius campus. Since then, numerous building projects have been undertaken to expand Benet's athletics, music, and science programs.
Admission is competitive and relies primarily on test scores. All students complete a college-preparatory curriculum and may earn college credit through programs including Advanced Placement. As of 2009, Benet's average ACT test score regularly exceeds state and national averages, and more than 99 percent of students go on to college after graduation. The school's academic program has been featured in reports by the Chicago Sun-Times and U.S. News & World Report.
The athletic program has fielded several teams that have placed fourth or higher in state tournaments. The boys' basketball team has broken two state records, including a 102 home-game winning streak. Other activities include the annual Christmas Drive fundraiser and over 30 clubs and organizations, including the Math Team and Science Olympiad team, both of which have won awards in their state tournaments. Benet's performing arts program stages an annual musical. The band program performed in state-wide events in 1998 and 2002. Notable alumni of the school include former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and Grammy-winning singer Dave Bickler.
Read more about Benet Academy: Admissions, Academics, Students and Faculty, Notable Alumni
Famous quotes containing the word academy:
“...I have come to make distinctions between what I call the academy and literature, the moral equivalents of church and God. The academy may lie, but literature tries to tell the truth.”
—Dorothy Allison (b. 1949)