Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington, is a private Catholic high school in the Inland Northwest. Colloquially nicknamed "G-Prep", the Jesuit school has been recognized for its college preparation education and community service.
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History
Gonzaga High School was founded in 1887 in the basement of the Gonzaga University administration building. In 1922, the high school became a formal department of Gonzaga University. In 1954, the school moved from the original campus to its present site in the Logan neighborhood of Spokane. In 1975, in response to changing educational conditions, Gonzaga Prep became a co-educational school. In 1992, the high school implemented the Fair Share tuition program. The school is within the Diocese of Spokane and is administered separately from the university.
The current campus was extensively remodeled in the late 1990s. In 2006, $4.4 million was allotted for the construction of a new chapel (Chapel of the Three Companions), renovation of the academic wings, and a new football field. This was followed by a $6 million upgrade of the athletic complex in 2017. Gonzaga Preparatory School was the first Jesuit school in the country to have a lay president in John Traynor. Cindy Reopelle was the first Catholic lay woman to serve as principal of Gonzaga Preparatory School.
Christian service
As a part of its extensive service program, Gonzaga requires a semester course on Christian service of all seniors.
Food drive
The Gonzaga Prep Food Drive consistently gathers over 100,000 pounds of food each year before the Thanksgiving holiday. Recipients of collected groceries and turkeys include over two hundred families, the Colville Indian Reservation, the Spokane Tribe, the Morningstar Baptist Church, residents of Summit View Apartments, Second Harvest food bank, and many local food pantries.
Athletics
The Gonzaga Prep Bullpups compete in the 4A classification and are part of the Greater Spokane League, a league of 17 teams from around Spokane. As a member of the 4A Greater Spokane League, the Bullpups offer athletic opportunities in eleven boys sports and eleven girls sports: for boys, football, cross country, basketball, wrestling, soccer, tennis, baseball, track, lacrosse, robotics and golf; and for girls, volleyball, soccer, robotics, cross country, basketball, tennis, softball, track, golf, lacrosse, and cheerleading. Over sixty-five percent of Gonzaga Prep's student body participates in athletics.
Girls' Tennis
G-Prep won seven straight GSL Tennis championships from 1997 to 2003. The Bullpups tennis teams went undefeated for eight years. When Lewis and Clark High School defeated G-Prep on April 13, 2003, it was the Bullpups' first loss since 1996. The team continues to experience success.
Notable alumni
Michael Baumgartner, nominee for Washington's 5th congressional district, Spokane County Treasurer (2019–present), former state senator from the 6th district (2011–2019), and runner-up for U.S. Senate in 2012
John D. Boswell – electronic musician and filmmaker
David A. Condon – 46th mayor of Spokane (2012–2020)
Jimmy Condon – three-sport athlete at Gonzaga University and noted Spokane physician
Bob Crosby – jazz singer and band leader, host of The Bob Crosby Show, and brother of Bing
Bing Crosby – singer, entertainer, and winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in 1944 film Going My Way
Devin Culp – NFL tight end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Joe Danelo – NFL placekicker
Timothy Egan – Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
Ray Flaherty – NFL Hall of Famer
Tom Foley – 49th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1989–1995)
Terri Givens – author and political scientist
Samuel Grashio – Colonel in the U.S. Army Air Force who survived the Bataan Death March and participated in the only successful mass escape from a Japanese prison camp, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star with cluster for heroism
Steve Gleason – New Orleans Saints special teams captain and ALS activist