Chaminade College Preparatory School is an independent, college preparatory Catholic school administered by the Marianist Order for boys in grades six through twelve in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The school is located in Creve Coeur, Missouri.

The school offers 7-day, 5-day, and temporary boarding. Students come from throughout the United States and from countries throughout the world. Marianist Hall, the name of the newly constructed dormitory, accommodates up to eighty-six residents along with twelve prefects across its 31,700 square feet of living space.

The school bears the name of William Joseph Chaminade, a priest who lived during the era of the French Revolution and who founded the religious order that runs the school. The school maintains an active relationship with the Marianists through governance structures and the employment of lay and religious Marianists.

History

Chaminade was founded by the Society of Mary in 1910, less than one hundred years after the school's namesake, Blessed Father William Joseph Chaminade, had founded the order, and only sixty years after the Marianists had established themselves in the United States. Originally it was a boarding and day school, with most of its students residing in the open dormitories that were located on the third and fourth floors of the main building; the priests and brothers of the Society of Mary resided in rooms on the north and south ends of each floor.

When the school opened in 1910, only one building, which later would be named "Chaminade Hall," existed on campus, besides the original farmhouse that existed when the land was purchased. In 1919, however, the school built a gymnasium north of the school building. The main building, the farmhouse, and the gymnasium were for many years the only permanent structures on the campus until the 1950s, when the school built new dormitories for students (Canning Hall), a new residence building for the members of the Marianist order, and a new chapel. Other athletic facilities on campus include eight tennis courts, a football stadium and track, a baseball diamond, a soccer stadium, and two multi-purpose practice fields, one of which has an all-weather turf field. The West Wing or New Wing has a cafeteria, an Atrium, a library and media center, 16 middle school classrooms, and weight lifting facilities.

The Skip Viragh Center for the Arts, a performing and fine arts facility, opened in August 2011. This building houses a 1000-seat auditorium, four art classrooms, three music rehearsal rooms, several individual practice rooms, a smaller black box theatre, and an art gallery. This building was endowed by the family of Skip Viragh, a Chaminade alumnus who graduated in 1959.

Academics

Chaminade offers a demanding academic program for students with superior, above average, or strong average ability. In recent years, Chaminade has expanded its college credit offerings to include, besides 23 Advanced Placement courses, 59 semester-long courses through Saint Louis University and the University of Missouri–St. Louis.

Activities

thumb|right|280px|Canning Hall (left), Immaculate Conception Chapel (center), and Frische Hall (right).

, over 150 students participate in the school band

Community service

Chaminade requires all students to participate in community service projects annually. Students help numerous groups throughout the St. Louis area. Some Spring Break community service trips have been to "Coal Country" (West Virginia), as well as Mexico, Africa, and Haiti. It also includes a Global Citizens Club, and membership in the St. Louis Mosaic Ambassador School program.

The House System

Chaminade began The House System in 2003. Chaminade has five houses, and each student belongs to one of the five Houses: Gray, Lamourous, Mauclerc, Meyer and O'Donnell.

  • Gray House is named after C. Vincent Gray, the first African American Marianist in the St. Louis Province of the Society of Mary.
  • Lamourous House is named after Marie Therese de Lamourous. She and her family were close friends of Blessed Chaminade and provided shelter for him during his persecution at the time of the French Revolution. Marie Therese and her family were closely involved in the Blessed Chaminade's early Sodalities and his work to re-Christianize France after the revolution.
  • Mauclerc House is named after Reverend Francis Xavier Mauclerc, S.M., who was the first Marianist to be ordained in the United States. Originally from France, Rev. Mauclerc joined the Marianists as a seminarian in 1850, and was ordained in 1852.
  • Meyer House is named after Father Leo Meyer, S.M., who was the first Marianist in the United States. Father Meyer arrived from Switzerland in 1849, settling in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati where he founded St. Mary's Institute, which later became the University of Dayton.
  • O'Donnell House is named after Brother John O'Donnell, S.M., a working brother for the Society of Mary. He died in 1973 at the age of 90.

Athletics

Chaminade offers over 60 teams in 18 different sports. Sports offered include baseball, basketball, bocce, bowling, cross country, football, golf, hockey, lacrosse, racquetball, rugby, soccer, swimming/diving, tennis, track/field, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. Chaminade is part of the Metro Catholic Conference with Christian Brothers College High School, De Smet Jesuit High School, St. John Vianney High School (Kirkwood, Missouri), and St. Louis University High School.

Missouri State Championships

Chaminade teams have won 25 state championships competing in the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

  • Baseball 1992, 1998
  • Basketball 2009, 2016
  • Cross Country 2001
  • Golf 1988, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004, 2017 (Joe Terschluse), 2021, 2023
  • Hockey 2025
  • Soccer 2001, 2002, 2006
  • Swimming/Diving 1974, 1984, 2025
  • Tennis 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992
  • Volleyball 2009, 2019
  • Wrestling (Danny Conley) 2017, 2018
  • Tom Barlow, American soccer player for MLS's New York Red Bulls
  • Bradley Beal, guard for NBA's Los Angeles Clippers; third overall selection of 2012 NBA draft for the Washington Wizards
  • Ben Bishop, former goalie for NHL's Dallas Stars
  • Chris Butler, former defenseman for NHL's St. Louis Blues
  • Brady Cook, quarterback for New York Jets
  • Tyler Cook, former forward in the NBA
  • Brad Davis, retired midfielder for MLS's Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City
  • John Doerr, billionaire venture capitalist
  • Jericole Hellems, professional basketball player
  • Mike Kehoe, 58th Governor of Missouri
  • Neil Komadoski, hockey player, Bradshaw Cup champion
  • David Lee, former forward in the NBA; member of 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors; drafted by New York Knicks; inductee in Florida Gators Hall of Fame CEO of EWTN 2000-09