Consider this my first, last, and only posting on this message board.
First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 2003 graduate of Rockhurst High School. I participated in multiple sports while at The Rock (football was not one of them), and immersed myself in many extracurricular activities that the school offered. In my four years at Rockhurst, I gained the knowledge that allowed me to be a successful college student. Fast forward to today: I have a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master’s Degree, and I hope to be starting law school soon. But Rockhurst was so much more to me that an educational institution, it was four of the best years of my life. I made so many friends, fellow students and teachers alike, many of whom I still talk to on a fairly regular basis.
So that’s where I’m at now, but let me quickly tell you how I came to choose Rockhurst. Growing up in Southern Kansas City, my options were limited: Hickman Mills (now closed), or a private school. Many of my grade school friends chose O’Hara, but I wanted something different. I was fortunate enough to score high enough on the entrance exam to receive a scholarship to Rockhurst…
I have occasionally checked in on this message board for the past few years, and it seems like a broken record. “Rockhurst recruits…” “Private schools should have their own conference/league…” “Of course they’re always good, they can pick and choose from the best athletes on both sides of the state line.”
It’s amazing how many experts there are about my high school. Perhaps what’s even more amazing is how many of these experts have little to no affiliation with Rockhurst. While I don’t consider myself an expert either, I’d like to share with you what I do know about the school that I love:
- Rockhurst High School is an all-male Jesuit Preparatory school in Kansas City. It serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area (much like SLUH & DeSmet serve the St. Louis Metro Area, Loyola Academy & St. I serve the Chicago Metro Area, St. Peter’s, Fordham, Loyola, Regis, & Xavier serve the NYC metro area, and so on…). In RHS’s case, the Kansas City Metropolitan Area includes cities in Kansas & Missouri.
- Rockhurst, at last count, had 1074 students, which represent over 100 elementary & junior high schools (public & private). The class of 2009 had 13 National Merit Finalists, 15 National Merit Semifinalists, & 20 National Merit Commended award winners. That same class had a mean ACT score of 27 (the state average is 21.6; the national average is 21.1).
- Rockhurst has a very strong athletic tradition. Total placings at state (by Rockhurst’s definition, a “placing” is a top 3 finish) by sport: Baseball ? 3, Basketball ? 10, Football ? 13, Golf ? 21, Hockey ? 3, Lacrosse ? 7, Soccer ? 14, Swimming ? 8, Tennis ? 21, Track & Field ? 2. That’s a total of 102 placings (55 state championships).
- Rockhurst awards varsity letters for both athletic and academic endeavors, including music, choir, band, theatre, debate, & chess. Speaking of chess… The chess team is one of the school’s most successful extracurricular activities. The chess team has placed very high at national competitions in the past 10 years.
- Rockhurst has a well-known and respected reputation in the area as an active community service member. The senior class donates thousands of hours each year as part of the curriculum. The school raises thousands of dollars and tons of food each year for various charities.
Why are these statistics brought up? Because it’s often easy to put a label on something we don’t truly know anything about... Because Rockhurst is so much more than a football powerhouse... People look at Rockhurst and the success they’ve had, and say “they obviously recruit.” I was there for 4 years, and I never knew of any “recruiting” going on (and keep in mind, I was there during the Tony Temple years).
Now that I think about it, maybe Rockhurst does recruit… Maybe they recruit future Ignatian leaders, MEN FOR OTHERS, in the Roman Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory tradition. Rockhurst recruits men who are open to growth. Rockhurst recruits men who strive for academic excellence. Rockhurst recruits men who are religious. Rockhurst recruits men who are loving. Rockhurst recruits men who are committed to justice through growth.
But here’s the key point to all of this: Through all that Rockhurst has to offer, they don’t have to outwardly recruit student-athletes (and at Rockhurst, the men are truly students first, athletes somewhere farther down the line). Instead there are thousands of students who would jump at the chance to attend The Rock, but they don’t fit the needs of the school. It’s a sad but true fact.
Rockhurst recruits by name only. The ideals of Rockhurst are enough to attract the best and brightest in the area, whether they are D-1 prospects, or the future leaders of America.
If anyone else can prove otherwise, I welcome a response.
First, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 2003 graduate of Rockhurst High School. I participated in multiple sports while at The Rock (football was not one of them), and immersed myself in many extracurricular activities that the school offered. In my four years at Rockhurst, I gained the knowledge that allowed me to be a successful college student. Fast forward to today: I have a Bachelor’s Degree, a Master’s Degree, and I hope to be starting law school soon. But Rockhurst was so much more to me that an educational institution, it was four of the best years of my life. I made so many friends, fellow students and teachers alike, many of whom I still talk to on a fairly regular basis.
So that’s where I’m at now, but let me quickly tell you how I came to choose Rockhurst. Growing up in Southern Kansas City, my options were limited: Hickman Mills (now closed), or a private school. Many of my grade school friends chose O’Hara, but I wanted something different. I was fortunate enough to score high enough on the entrance exam to receive a scholarship to Rockhurst…
I have occasionally checked in on this message board for the past few years, and it seems like a broken record. “Rockhurst recruits…” “Private schools should have their own conference/league…” “Of course they’re always good, they can pick and choose from the best athletes on both sides of the state line.”
It’s amazing how many experts there are about my high school. Perhaps what’s even more amazing is how many of these experts have little to no affiliation with Rockhurst. While I don’t consider myself an expert either, I’d like to share with you what I do know about the school that I love:
- Rockhurst High School is an all-male Jesuit Preparatory school in Kansas City. It serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area (much like SLUH & DeSmet serve the St. Louis Metro Area, Loyola Academy & St. I serve the Chicago Metro Area, St. Peter’s, Fordham, Loyola, Regis, & Xavier serve the NYC metro area, and so on…). In RHS’s case, the Kansas City Metropolitan Area includes cities in Kansas & Missouri.
- Rockhurst, at last count, had 1074 students, which represent over 100 elementary & junior high schools (public & private). The class of 2009 had 13 National Merit Finalists, 15 National Merit Semifinalists, & 20 National Merit Commended award winners. That same class had a mean ACT score of 27 (the state average is 21.6; the national average is 21.1).
- Rockhurst has a very strong athletic tradition. Total placings at state (by Rockhurst’s definition, a “placing” is a top 3 finish) by sport: Baseball ? 3, Basketball ? 10, Football ? 13, Golf ? 21, Hockey ? 3, Lacrosse ? 7, Soccer ? 14, Swimming ? 8, Tennis ? 21, Track & Field ? 2. That’s a total of 102 placings (55 state championships).
- Rockhurst awards varsity letters for both athletic and academic endeavors, including music, choir, band, theatre, debate, & chess. Speaking of chess… The chess team is one of the school’s most successful extracurricular activities. The chess team has placed very high at national competitions in the past 10 years.
- Rockhurst has a well-known and respected reputation in the area as an active community service member. The senior class donates thousands of hours each year as part of the curriculum. The school raises thousands of dollars and tons of food each year for various charities.
Why are these statistics brought up? Because it’s often easy to put a label on something we don’t truly know anything about... Because Rockhurst is so much more than a football powerhouse... People look at Rockhurst and the success they’ve had, and say “they obviously recruit.” I was there for 4 years, and I never knew of any “recruiting” going on (and keep in mind, I was there during the Tony Temple years).
Now that I think about it, maybe Rockhurst does recruit… Maybe they recruit future Ignatian leaders, MEN FOR OTHERS, in the Roman Catholic, Jesuit college preparatory tradition. Rockhurst recruits men who are open to growth. Rockhurst recruits men who strive for academic excellence. Rockhurst recruits men who are religious. Rockhurst recruits men who are loving. Rockhurst recruits men who are committed to justice through growth.
But here’s the key point to all of this: Through all that Rockhurst has to offer, they don’t have to outwardly recruit student-athletes (and at Rockhurst, the men are truly students first, athletes somewhere farther down the line). Instead there are thousands of students who would jump at the chance to attend The Rock, but they don’t fit the needs of the school. It’s a sad but true fact.
Rockhurst recruits by name only. The ideals of Rockhurst are enough to attract the best and brightest in the area, whether they are D-1 prospects, or the future leaders of America.
If anyone else can prove otherwise, I welcome a response.
