Founded in 1886 by a German Jesuit on the invitation of BishopRichard Gilmour, the school was originally a six-year secondary school based on theGerman Gymnasium that was to be attended after the completion of six years of grammar school. Separate four-year high school and college programs were formed in 1902, with the college changing its name toJohn Carroll University in 1923 and moving out of theCleveland location to neighboringUniversity Heights, Ohio, in 1935.
The words and music of St. Ignatius'alma mater were composed by the school's band director, Jack T. Hearns, in August 1937. His band debuted the alma mater at halftime during a football game on October 1, 1937, replacing their customary "Victory March". In 1958, St. Ignatius gaveSt. Xavier High School inCincinnati permission to adapt the song.[4][5][6][7]
Saint Ignatius High School remains at its original location at 1911 West 30th Street. The campus includes the original structure, now known as the Main Building, which was completed in 1891[8][9] and is now a designated Cleveland Historic Landmark.[10] On January 21, 1974, Saint Ignatius was added to theNational Register of Historic Places.
Other buildings are Loyola Hall (originally St. Mary of the Assumption Elementary School), Clavius Science Center, Saint Mary of the Assumption Chapel (named after a church that once was located on the current campus), Gibbons Hall, Kesicki Hall (which now houses The Welsh Academy), The Carfagna Family Magis Athletic Center, Father Sullivan, S.J. Gymnasium, Murphy Field House, Kyle Field, McLaughlin Field, and the O'Donnell Athletic Complex, which houses Wasmer Field and Dale Gabor Track. In addition, the $11.5 million Breen Center for the Performing Arts replaced the Xavier Center in August 2009. It houses all student performing arts programs and hosts many events for other local arts groups. A new $3.3 million cafeteria has replaced the former Student Center, stage, senior lounge, and cooking areas. It was renamed the Rade Dining Hall. Both the Saint Mary of the Assumption Chapel and the Murphy Field House projects were funded and overseen byMurlan J. Murphy.[11] From 1904 to 1917 Saint Ignatius operated a summer retreat and science campus, inVermilion, known as Loyola-on-the-Lake.[12]
In 1990, a fine arts program was added to the school's curriculum. Its most recent addition has been the Breen Center for the Performing Arts. Musical opportunities include the Wildcat Marching Band, Pep Band, Stage Band, Chorus, Steel Drum Band,Jazz Band, Liturgical Musicians, and others.[15]
Saint Ignatius boasts nearly 100 extra-curricular clubs and student groups, ranging from the student-led yearbook (The Ignatian) to Billiards Club.[16] Some activities meet daily while others meet less than monthly.
Saint Ignatius' athletic teams are known as the Wildcats and compete as an independent in theOhio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA), at the Division I level. Through the 2023–24 school year, the Wildcats have won 58 state championships across eleven sports teams, highlighted by their 13 state titles in soccer, including six consecutive titles from 2019-2024. Both the overall total of 13 and the six-year streak are the most in OHSAA history for soccer, and the school's 58 state championships rank third overall[citation needed] in boys' athletic titles.
^Fay, John (November 28, 2001)."St. X, St. I look like twins".The Cincinnati Enquirer. Gannett Company. Archived fromthe original on April 2, 2015. RetrievedMarch 29, 2015.
^Brennan '24, Jack (November 15, 2022)."History Is Made by the Soccer Cats".Saint Ignatius High School Athletics. RetrievedNovember 16, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Ignatius.edu Announcement of Victory on Ignatius website
