Cistercian Preparatory School

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{{Infobox school

| name = Cistercian Preparatory School

| logo = Cistercian Preparatory School logo.png

| streetaddress = 3660 Cistercian Road

| city = Irving

| county =

| state = Texas

| zipcode = 75039

| country = United States

| coordinates = {{coord|32.85533|N|96.92143|W|format=dms|type:edu_region:US-TX_source:placeopedia|display=inline,title}}

| schoolnumber =

| schoolboard =

| district =

| authority =

| religion = Roman Catholic
Cistercians

| principal_label1 = Headmaster

| principal1 = Fr. Paul M. McCormick, O.Cist.{{cite web|title=Headmaster's Welcome | date = 20 September 2017 | url = http://school.cistercian.org/about/ | publisher=Cistercian Preparatory School | access-date = 24 March 2021}}

| ceeb = 443-558

| type = Private{{cite web | url=https://school.cistercian.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2020-21-school-profile.pdf | title=2020-2021 Academic Profile | publisher=Cistercian Preparatory School | access-date=23 March 2021}}

| gender = Boys

| grades = 5–12

| campus size = {{convert|82|acre}}

| campus type =

| hours_in_day =

| athletics =

| conference = Southwest Preparatory Conference{{cite web | url=https://spcsports.org/index.aspx?path=cistercian | title=Cistercian Preparatory School - Southwest Preparatory Conference | publisher=Southwest Preparatory Conference | access-date=23 March 2021}}

| motto = {{lang|la|Ardere et Lucere}}

| motto_translation = To Enkindle and Enlighten

| accreditation = Independent Schools Association of the Southwest{{cite web | url=https://www.isasw.org/page.cfm?p=543&max=1000 | title=Independent Schools Association of the Southwest: School Directory | publisher=Independent Schools Association of the Southwest | work=Independent Schools Association of the Southwest | access-date=23 March 2021}}

| mascot = Hawks

| colors = {{color box|black}} Black
{{color box|white}} White

| yearbook = Exodus

| publication = Reflections (literary/art magazine)

| newspaper = Informer

| established = {{start date and age|1962}}

| enrollment = 355 (2020-21)

| teaching_staff = 53 (2020-21)

| ratio = {{ratio|7|1}} (2020-21)

| homepage = {{URL|school.cistercian.org}}

}}

Cistercian Preparatory School is a private school for boys located in Irving, Texas. The school follows the Cistercian tradition.

History

Cistercian was founded by a group of monks from Hungary's Zirc Abbey, who had fled Hungary from ongoing Soviet pressure following WWII. In 1948, Cistercian secondary schools in Hungary had been closed and in 1950, their monasteries had been confiscated. Zirc monks began immigrating, with many of them ending up in Dallas, where they created a new abbey and found leadership and teaching roles at the University of Dallas. Cistercian monks had been involved in secondary education in Europe since the 18th century, and by 1962, they founded the Cistercian School in Dallas.{{cite web | url=https://www.cistercian.org/abbey/history/our-lady-of-dallas/founding.html | title=The Founding of Our Lady of Dallas | publisher=Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey | access-date=23 March 2021}}{{cite web| url = https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/1983/april/the-abbey-on-highway-114/| title = THE ABBEY ON HIGHWAY 114 - D Magazine| date = April 1983}}

Current program

The graduating class of 2021 had 46 students, and there were 355 total students in grades 5-12. While community service is not required, the typical class averages 8000 hours of volunteer contributions. All graduates attend 4-year colleges. In 2021, 19% of the students received financial assistance. Of the 53 faculty members, 30% are Cistercian monks and 85% have graduate degrees.{{Cite web|url=https://school.cistercian.org/about/school-profile/|title = School Profile | Cistercian Preparatory School| date=12 October 2020 }}

Cistercian's academic program has been highly rated, both regionally and nationally, for many years.{{cite web | url=http://dallas.culturemap.com/news/city-life/03-25-15-smartest-private-schools-country-business-insider-rankings/ | title=Dallas boasts trio of smartest private high schools in U.S. — and No. 1 in Texas | publisher=CultureMap | work=CultureMap | access-date=29 December 2015}}{{cite web | url=https://inthenews.unt.edu/sites/default/files/PDF/2002/11/1/11_01_2002_DMag_Top20.pdf | title=Ranking the Private High Schools 2002 | publisher=University of North Texas | work=D Magazine | access-date=29 December 2015 | archive-date=6 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306014051/https://inthenews.unt.edu/sites/default/files/PDF/2002/11/1/11_01_2002_DMag_Top20.pdf | url-status=dead }} For example, Cistercian was ranked among the 50 “Smartest Private High Schools in the United States” by one independent group{{cite web | url=http://www.businessinsider.com/smartest-private-high-schools-in-the-us-2015-3 | title=The 50 smartest private high schools in the US | publisher=BusinessInsider | work=BusinessInsider | access-date=29 December 2015}} and, in 2021, was named the 3rd best Catholic high school in the country.{{cite web | url=https://k12.niche.com/rankings/private-high-schools/best-catholic/ | title=2016 Best Catholic High Schools in America | publisher=Niche | work=Niche K-12 | access-date=24 February 2016}}

Athletics

Students are encouraged to participate in sports in every season. Cistercian fields teams in nine varsity sports in three athletic seasons: football and cross country (fall); basketball, soccer, and swimming (winter); baseball, track & field, tennis (spring). The school is a member of the Southwest Preparatory Conference, which hosts championship tournaments and meets at the end of every season. The school's mascot is the hawk. Its colors are black and white.

Notable alumni

Will Arbery (2007), playwright, author of Heroes of the Fourth Turning;{{cite web | url=https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2020/05/dallas-raised-playwright-will-arbery-nominated-for-a-pulitzer-prize/ | title=Dallas-Raised Playwright Will Arbery Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize | date=6 May 2020 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/next-great-playwright-will-arbery/ | title=Broadway's Next Great Playwright is a Texan | date=17 May 2022 }} 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist, winner of 2020 Whiting Award in drama
Will Ford Hartnett (1974), former member of the Texas House of Representatives (1993–2013){{cite web|url=https://www.hartnettlawfirm.com/will-hartnett | title=Will F. Hartnett - Partner | publisher=The Hartnett Law Firm | access-date=23 March 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://lrl.texas.gov/mobile/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=143 | title=Texas Legislators: Past & Present - Mobile | publisher=Legislative Reference Library of Texas | access-date=23 March 2021}}
Geoff Marslett (1992), independent filmmaker and professor{{cite web | url=https://experts.colorado.edu/display/fisid_155970 | title=Marslett, Geoff Assistant Professor | publisher=CU Experts | access-date=23 March 2021}}{{cite web | url=http://www.swervepictures.com/geoff-marslett/ | title=About Geoff Marslett | publisher=Swerve Pictures | access-date=23 March 2021}}
Andrés Ruzo (2005), geoscientist, conservationist, author, science communicator and educator, who studied the Boiling River of the Amazon{{cite web | url=https://www.smu.edu/News/2016/research-andres-ruzo-techinsider-22feb2016 | title=SMU grad student discovers river in Peru so hot it boils animals alive | publisher=Southern Methodist University | access-date=23 March 2021}}
Ryan Sitton (1993), member of the Texas Railroad Commission (2015–2021){{cite web | url=https://today.tamu.edu/2018/05/09/texas-railroad-commissioner-sitton-honors-texas-am-science-teachers/ | title=Texas Railroad Commissioner Sitton Honors Texas A&M Science Teachers | date=9 May 2018 | publisher=Texas A&M University | access-date=23 March 2021}}

Notable faculty

Fr. Bede Lackner, theologian and historian
Fr. Denis Farkasfalvy, Abbot of Our Lady of Dallas Abbey from 1988 to 2012, theologian, and historian; Headmaster of Cistercian from 1969 to 1981 and longtime math teacher at the school
Fr. Roch Kereszty, theologian

References

Category:Irving, Texas

Category:Independent Schools Association of the Southwest

Category:Catholic secondary schools in Texas

Category:Educational institutions established in 1962

Category:Boys' schools in Texas

Category:Private high schools in Dallas County, Texas

Category:1962 establishments in Texas