St Rita of Cascia High School - Cascian Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

Page 13 text:

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: 111 Fr. Ruellon P, Fink - a twenty-one year reign and a flourishing technical program: 121 seventeen year English Depart- ment Chairman Mr. Donald Racky and English honor students: 131 Fr. Mario Porecca and Fr. La Vern Flach 1Principal 1971-19791 look over student's records: 141 twenty-six year Rita teacher Mr. Florian Dodge in the old Metal Shop: 151 one of the first groups of Augustinians at St. Rita: 161 Modern faculty - a new emphasis on Theology.

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Fifty years had passed since the opening of the school, and Rita was celebrating its Golden Anniversary. The school continued to see expansion as the enrollment called for more teachers - both lay and religious. To house the growing number of priests, a new monastery went under construction in April of 1947 and was completed in September of 1949. Under Fr. Fink,s twenty-one year reign as principal, the school's technical program flourished and became one of the best in the city of Chicago. The nation's educational mood was taking a different course, however, it was in 1957 that Russia put its first satel- lite, Sputnik I, into orbit. The United States became worried that Russia was advancing in the field of technology, and the nation immediately started to question its educational values. Education, because of the fear that the United States was no longer Number Onel, in the field of technology, shifted from the technical emphasis of carpentry, aeronautics, and refrigeration to an academic emphasis of English, Math, and Science. Reform was taking place all over the United States including St. Rita, when in 1956, Fr. John E. McLaughlin became the new principal and proposed that the school should stress academics and theology more. This changing of values started the shedding of St. Rita's technical school image. gb Y ,Q it R V ft tx 14' S I HW, i f ,Mp-v . vt' . as. A M, r wa if ,.,,q.qki A 5. ff, 'A ,iw as Rf f ? , 5-.si psi.

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St. Rita's athletic program has also striven to keep up with the traditions of excellence found in its 75 years of academic success. Football rose from floundering seasons of 1908- 1920 with the 1923 Chicago City Championship, com- petitive seasons through the 30's and 40,s including the 1946 team that went 7-0-0, and the 1963 National Championship football team. Baseball dominated the Catholic League, with championships in 1922, 1923 and 1927, seven of ten Chicago Amateur Baseball League championships from 1930 to 1940, then a triumphant return to a suc- cession of Catholic League championships in the '40's and 50's under Fr. J. J. O'Ma1ley. Many years of competitive basketball reached a varsity climax with the 1961 City Championship team with other great teams as well - the 1953 junior champs, the 1970 light champs, and so on. And today, football owns four City Championships and the 1978 State crown. In the decade of the 1970's baseball continued to win with the '76 league crown and the ,77 IHSA District championship, basketball rose up to a 21-6 record in 1978 and continues to win in prestigious state holiday tournaments, track and field has experienced a rebirth at Rita in the era of the l980's. Cross-Country has come into its own with two straight state district wins and state ranking in 1979, hockey won the '75 league championship and third in the Illinois AA Tourney of 1980, and soccer won the '77 league crown. l 1 x l 'Q S .uv 1 5 :Y .X txt .sf Q -lu f 3'