Golden Time

Stepinac High School celebrates 50 years of quality, affordable education

By STEPHEN STEELE

An Archbishop Stepinac student of today is not much different from those of 50 years ago. Different hairstyles and tastes in music, sure. But they share the same drive for excellence in academics and athletics, and the love of God, family and school.

And both groups most likely came from the same type of middle-class families of lower Westchester County that have allowed the White Plains school to remain a lower-cost alternative to the many private schools located in one of the country's more affluent counties. Students are also drawn from Putnam and Rockland counties, north Manhattan, the Bronx and Connecticut.

The tuition, currently $3,975, is below that of most private schools in the area, said Msgr. John J. O'Keefe, president.

"This school needs to be affordable," he told CNY. "The reason Archbishop Stepinac was founded by Cardinal Spellman was its affordability."

Archbishop Stepinac High School was founded in 1948 to meet the educational needs of students from Westchester parishes. During the past 50 years it has graduated about 10,000 young men, about 98 percent of whom attended college.

The school is named after Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac, an archbishop in post-World War II Yugoslavia who was imprisoned from 1946 to 1951 during a harsh communist crackdown on the Church. He was elevated to cardinal in 1953 and died in 1960. In 1954 Cardinal Stepinac wrote a letter to the school, and he has been offered to students as a model of Christian heroism.

The school currently has some 700 students with more than 40 countries represented in the student body. Enrollment was down to 420 in 1992--Msgr. O'Keefe's first year. At its apex during the '50s, enrollment averaged more than 1,100.

Stepinac has embraced multiculturalism by broadening its curriculum and holding seminars on various cultures. A new sociology course discusses world culture. Students have been introduced to the music and dance of India, Northern Ireland and Latin America and to various aspects of African-American culture through performances and symposiums in recent years.

A course in multicultural studies was begun last year and is offered to seniors.

Msgr. O'Keefe was named the school's first president in 1992. Previous principals were: Msgr. Joseph Krug, 1948 to 1957; Msgr. James Nolan, 1957 to 1962; Msgr. Charles McManus, 1962 to 1970; Msgr. James McDermott, 1970 to 1979; Father Donald Malone, 1979 to 1990, and Father James Healy, 1990 to 1992.

The 37-member faculty includes five priests of the archdiocese and three women religious.

Some of Stepinac's notable alumni include actors Alan Alda and Jon Voight and NBA player Marty Conlon. Another graduate, Eric Ogbogu, was selected in the sixth round by the New York Jets in the recent NFL draft.

"We also have highly successful alumni in law, business and medicine," Msgr. O'Keefe said.

He said the school emphasizes graduating a well-rounded student. The average SAT score is 1,100. The football, hockey, golf and chess teams all have captured championships in recent years.

The majority of students are involved in the school's nonmandatory Volunteers in Christian Service program, which organizes such activities as tutoring homeless kids and assisting at nursing homes and hospitals.

Marty Tobias, a 15-year-old sophomore from Christ the King parish in Yonkers, said he chose Stepinac for its academic reputation and golf program. He made varsity as a freshman and went 16-0 for the squad, which won the 1997 metropolitan championship.

He said the school was initially intimidating because he knew only a few people. "But I made a lot of new friends quickly," he said. "The school's relaxing and I like it here."

The performing arts also have played a special role in Stepinac's history. Its jazz ensemble was selected from hundreds of schools to perform at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., March 25.

Its annual theater production routinely draws about 2,500 people. This year's musical, "The Wiz," was presented April 24 and 25 and May 1 to 3.

Last September, more than 800 people attended a ceremony inaugurating Stepinac's 50th anniversary. A golden anniversary flag was raised in front of the Mamaroneck Avenue entrance, where it will remain until the end of the school year.

A golden anniversary ball was held Feb. 28, and on May 5 the annual Hall of Fame dinner was held at Alex and Henry's restaurant in Eastchester. This year's inductees were Msgr. Augustine DiBlasi, who taught Latin for more than 40 years and still resides at the school; Vincent Farrell, Class of '64, managing director of the financial firm Spears, Benzak, Salomon and Farrell, and members of the 1955 football team, the first to win the city championship for Stepinac.

The Cardinal O'Connor Service Award was presented to Frank Becerra, an artist and retired illustrator for Gannett Suburban newspapers, whose five sons attended Stepinac.

Spread over 17.5 acres, the campus boasts two playing fields, a modern gym, an all-weather track and an official-size tennis court. Stepinac also has recently renovated computer facilities.

The school's third floor is the largest retirement facility in the archdiocese, with 16 priests between the ages of 75 and 92 residing there.

Stepinac is in the midst of a $1.5 million capital campaign for the construction of an additional baseball field, tennis court and two outdoor basketball courts.

Students describe a feeling of belonging. They see the ethnically and culturally diverse school community as one big family.

"I felt comfortable here right from the first day. I was at ease, which helped me work to my fullest potential," said Kevin Rader, 18, a senior from Sacred Heart parish in Hartsdale. He has been ranked number one in his class since his freshman year.

"The Stepinac man is one who is involved in several aspects of school life," he said. "While education is crucial, you're encouraged to participate in campus life."

Rader, who plans to study engineering at Manhattan College or Villanova University next year, is a member of the jazz band, student government and peer leadership teams.

Christian Fields, 16, of White Plains, said the religion classes help students "make moral decisions."

"A Stepinac student knows how to make his own decisions in life. We don't give in to peer pressure," he said.

A member of St. Anthony's in Harrison, he said he knew he wanted to attend Stepinac as a youngster.

"I've gone to Catholic schools all my life," he said. "I knew I wanted to come here because so many people I knew went here and said it was great."