St. Bonaventure High School


St. Bonaventure High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Ventura, California, United States. This college preparatory institution was founded on the spiritual ideals of St. Francis of Assisi and the academic fervor of its namesake, St. Bonaventure. The nearby Mission San Buenaventura was founded by the Franciscan order in 1782 and was also named after Saint Bonaventure. The school's mascot, the seraph, was derived from one of the titles of Bonaventure, "Seraphic Doctor".

History

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles founded the school in 1963 with 70 students. Over the years, members of both the Sisters of Notre Dame and the Franciscan order have provided leadership and instruction. The first lay principal, Marc Groff, was named in 2007. As of the 2017-2018 academic year, the school serves about 600 students in grades 9-12 from throughout Ventura County.

Academics

Classes are rigorous and comprehensive to meet California state requirements and recommendations for admission to the University of California and California State University systems. Religious instruction is required of every student for each year of attendance. St. Bonaventure's mission statement reads: "Graduates are prepared to live their lives spiritually, intellectually and socially to meet the challenges encountered in their lives". Ninety-nine percent of the school's graduates go on to attend college, and 90 percent complete a college education.

Advanced Placement courses

course offerings include the following:
During the 2016-2017 academic year, 85 percent of St. Bonaventure students who took AP examinations earned scores of 3 or higher, this demonstrating college-level competency in a given subject.

Athletics

St. Bonaventure, which has a seraph for its mascot, is recognized for its athletic program, particularly in football. Interscholastic competition is offered in the following sports:
Boys
Girls
The Seraphs baseball team has won eight Tri-Valley League championships since 2002, including an appearance in the CIF Southern Section title game in 2006.
The St. Bonaventure softball program has also demonstrated much success in the 21st century. The team owns two back to back CIF-SS championships in 2014 and 2015 as well as four consecutive league championships from 2013 to 2016. The Seraphs also appeared in the CIF-SS semifinal round in 2016 and were ranked number one.

Football

From 2002 to 2009, the St. Bonaventure football team competed in the Channel League as the only private school among six members. During that time, the Seraphs won every league game. However, the team was forced to forfeit its undefeated league championship in 2009 due to the use of an ineligible player.
For the 2010 season, St. Bonaventure and rival private school Oaks Christian School were placed into the Marmonte League for football, a grouping consisting mostly of large public schools. The Seraphs continued their success, sharing the 2010 league title with Oaks Christian and Westlake High School, all with identical 8-1 conference records.
St. Bonaventure won two California state football championships back to back in 2007 and 2008. The Seraphs also hold ten CIF Southern Section championships dating back to 1968.
Outside the classroom, students can choose to participate in a variety of activities. Such offerings at St. Bonaventure include: