St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
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Address
St. Thomas Aquinas High School

Vita. Deo. Veritas. (Latin: Life. God. Truth.)
2801 SW 12TH ST Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33312-2953 USA
Coordinates	26°6.5'N, 80°10.9'W
Information
School type	Private
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	1936
Oversight	Archdiocese of Miami
Dean	Mr. Robert Biasotti
Principal	Mrs. Tina Jones
Supervising Principal	Monsignor Vincent T. Kelly
Faculty	118
Gender	Coeducational
Students	2,152
Student:teacher ratio	18:1
Campus size	20 acres (8 hectares)
Campus	Urban
Nickname	Raiders
Accreditation(s)	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Average SAT scores	572 Critical Reading 570 Mathematics 568 Writing
Average ACT scores	23 (mean composite score)
Publication	Spectrum Literary Magazine
Newspaper	Raider Review
Yearbook	Veritas
Tuition	$10,200 $8,400 for students and families participating and contributing in a Catholic Parish
School Colors	█ █ Blue & Gold
College Placement	The most recent graduating class had 99% of the students matriculating to college directly from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Four-year colleges were attended by 86%, and 13% attended two-year colleges.
Phone Numbers	954-581-0700 (Voice) 954-581-8263 (FAX) 954-581-0700 ext. 8626 for Balloon Room Orders
Website	www.aquinas-sta.org

St. Thomas Aquinas High School (also known as STA) was established in 1936, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA as St. Anthony Catholic High School. In 1952, it was renamed Central Catholic High School. Finally, in 1961, it was renamed St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the school has 2,152 students on its 20-acre (81,000 m²) campus in southwest Fort Lauderdale. The school is well-known in both Florida and the United States for excelling in academics and athletics.

1 Academic achievements
- 1.1 National Merit achievements
2 Arts achievements
3 Athletic Achievements
- 3.1 State Championships
  - 3.1.1 Men
  - 3.1.2 Women
4 Notable alumni
5 References
6 External links

Academic achievements

In 1985 and 1996 the school was recognized by the Department of Education initially as a "School of Excellence" and later was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award. This was awarded in recognition of 90% of the students passing which was unheard of for this school.
In 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 the Catholic High School Honor Roll named STA as one of "the Top 500 Secondary Schools in the nation." STA is unique in that it is one of only 111 high schools in the nation to have received this honor in four consecutive years. It is also the only high school in the state of Florida to have this distinction.

National Merit achievements

Class Year	Semi and Finalists	Commended	National Ranking
2008	33	30
2007	22	34
2005	16	23
2004	27	29
2003	36		13th
2002	21	35
2002	21	35
2001	25
2000	16
1999	21

Arts achievements

An impressive element of St. Thomas Aquinas is the weekly episodes of the school's news television show Raider 1. Massively popular among the student body, the program features student broadcasters from two teams (Blue and Gold, the school's colors) who deliver information on campus news, sports events, and activities around the campus. These broadcasts made the anchors local celebrities and invigorated the school with a sense of pride and fun as a Friday morning diversion to the school's rigorous courses.

An annual film festival also bolsters the school's dedication to the performing arts. STAsis (St. Thomas Aquinas script into screen - the school's film organization) sponsors the festival which is in its third year in 2007. Held in the last week of April, the festival showcases student films and offers prizes for the top three films. The festival is open to any students of the school and will be open to surrounding schools in the next year.

Both the Film and Television Programs are run by STA graduate Carl Boehm, M.A., M.A.T.E.(class of '92).

The St. Thomas Aquinas Choir, traveled to Rome, Italy in the spring of 2007 to sing for the Pope.

Violinist Katherine "Kate" Johnson was a recipient of the 2008 Bob Weaver Award, presented to a musician in Florida who has shown exceptional commitment as well as the 2006 Lois Deicke award for outstanding performance as a musician in Florida. She was selected to play for the Queen Of England and President George W Bush in Jamestown, Virginia for the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown in Spring 2006, and also Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.

There is also a drama program. They are in the process of building a new performing arts center which is set to open in the beginning of 2008.

Athletic Achievements

In 2005, the school was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the third [1] "Best High School Athletic Program" in the nation.
STA has won the Broward County All-Sports Trophy for 27 consecutive years.
STA has won the Dodge Sunshine Cup FHSAA All-Sports award for 12 consecutive years.