IT’S ACADEMIC: The Patrick School builds a foundation for higher learning; books + basketball = success

HILLSIDE, N.J. – To understand The Patrick School is to walk its hallways.

There’s a vibe and walls whisper the best kept secret about the independent, private school situated in a working class neighborhood is academics thrive and are trending upward.

For sure Patrick School is a destination for basketball. That’s a fact but there’s more to the school that has sent six players to the National Basketball Association—more than any other New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association member school. That’s saying something for a hoop hotbed that once featured legendary St. Anthony High School in Jersey before it shuttered its doors in 2017 and Camden to the south.

In June 2012, the Archdiocese of Newark helped create the current school status (Grades 6 through 12 with a middle school and high school curriculum prepared to take a student to the next level of education) when it pulled the plug on then-St. Patrick High School in nearby Elizabeth due to soaring costs and declining enrollment.

Three months later, The Patrick School opened as an independent, non-denominational school. Despite the move and change, 98 percent of the teachers and staff stayed on; 99 percent of the returning students did the same, and the basketball tradition seamlessly transitioned, maintaining a high level of play, including national rankings and the coveted status of a Nike-sponsored program. The school also retained the green and white colors and the nickname Celtics.

Today the school is situated on the Christ the King Roman Catholic church property, having laid claim to their vacant school. The present building has the same feeling—small, quaint with tight hallways and a throwback gymnasium as the original location. There are 135 students but a push to increase enrollment is ongoing and a major undertaking.

When entering the school’s main entrance, the visitor is family, the good feel starts instantaneously.

The walls are adorned with motivational placards, “Think Big” and “Never Stop Learning” are a subtle reminders: Our small school is an academic powerhouse and, oh, we’re pretty in basketball too.

“We’re more than known for basketball,” says The Patrick School Principal Dr. Mary Jo McKinley, “but there are other facets of the school that needs to be told.”

In April, when the COVID-19 novel coronavirus was wreaking havoc in New Jersey—not to mention globally—McKinley was hired. She was a semi-retired educator, who consulted with school districts but Patrick School had an opening. McKinley, who was raised in New Providence, had 32 years in education with a crowning achievement opening the Academic Charter High School in Belmar from scratch. As the Monmouth County school’s name proclaims—academics are No. 1.

That mantra has not changed since the highly respected McKinley’s arrival in the spring.

She and school president/head basketball coach Chris Chavannes examined the way the school operates. In March, the coronavirus forced schools into distance learning and the cancellation of the remainder of the winter athletics season and eventually the spring season, The Patrick School’s famed basketball program—that includes a varsity, National Prep (post-graduates) and Academy teams—needed to restructure after the NJSIAA or the state’s governing athletics questioned the school’s basketball structure.

The TPS National and Academy teams were born out of demand and under the guidance of the NJSIAA. The framework for those teams included static rosters, adhering to the NJSIAA health, physical and academic requirements, team uniforms do not bear the name of the high school, and scores were not to be reported to a statewide newspaper website (nj.com). TPS checked all the boxes.

However, on June 3, NJSIAA forced TPS’ hand and that introduced a new model. The TPS National and Academy teams will no longer be offered at The Patrick School. Instead the programs will operate at TPS Academy Inc. The National team is now a member of the New Jersey State Post-Graduate School Athletic Association.

“The NJSIAA felt our National and Academy teams were setting a precedent that other schools could follow,” McKinley says. “So, they passed a resolution prohibiting that sort of action in the state of New Jersey. We now have a non-profit TPS Academy Inc., and that works out quite well because the middle school and high school students can choose to add layer on top of their academics as an elite training program that has made our basketball program so successful.”

McKinley was brought to TPS to boost the public’s awareness of the existing strong academic foundation.

“I was brought  here to take our academic program to the next level much the way our basketball program has already done,” said the principal, who earned a doctorate (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership at Rutgers University. “But maybe the public doesn’t pay attention or are aware of the academic programs that our athletes and non-athletes eventually go on to.”

TPS graduates have attended Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Fordham, Seton Hall, Villanova, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph’s, North Carolina, Fairfield, Clemson, Duke, La Salle, Rutgers, Saint Peter’s, Penn State, American, Memphis, Bucknell and St. John’s to name a few. The TPS graduating Class of 2017 hit the jackpot when they awarded more than $7 million in scholarship monies.

“Without a strong academic foundation, you do not get into these schools; we hold everyone accountable. There are no free passes here,” McKinley emphasized.

The academic facts back McKinley’s whip-smart assessment:

• Graduation rate since reforming as an independent school is 100 percent

• Graduates regularly attend elite colleges such as those from the Ivy League

• Annually more than 90 percent of graduates enroll in a post-secondary education

• The last two year’s average SAT score is 1090

• Student/teacher ratio is 15:1

• AP and Honors classes are offered

• The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

TPS also breaks the mold once graduates are in college. Where the national college graduation rate on average, regardless of demographics, is 50 percent, TPS’ alumni graduate with their degrees at a far higher rate, usually within four years. TPS has sent alumni to the professional rankings in basketball but others are working in business, education, broadcast journalism, coaching, medicine and sports and entertainment fields.

For the record, the Celtics have won 20 Union County Tournament, 14 State and six Tournament of Champions boys’ basketball championships with much of the harvest in the last 22 years. During the 2019-20 season, TPS had more than 30 college student-athletes playing Division I men’s and women’s basketball.

There’s more.

And when you play for Chavannes or his predecessor, Kevin Boyle (now at Montverde Academy in Florida), loyalty runs deep.

“Rarely do our student-athletes transfer four-year colleges in an era when transferring is the in thing to do. They are usually a productive member of that institution and they graduate. Not many high schools around the country can boast that. We’re very proud of it,” Chavannes says. “Our players are prepared for the classroom and the court; they are fundamentally sound and ready to contribute.”

FORWARD PROGRESS

Cataloging the school as new breed of forward thinkers that embraced blended learning even before COVID-19 is correct. It is blend of using technology with a traditional component.

The school’s core values include: academic experience, moral integrity, leadership and holistic development. The latter is defined as “promoting the growth of the minds, bodies and souls of students by providing extra-curricular activities in such areas as athletics, the arts, volunteerism and community services. These activities will focus on developing the uniqueness of each student by fostering their special talents.”

Everything TPS does is centered upon its commitment to foster the development of these four core values in all that comprise the school community.

And when TPS needed to sell the Academy program, Chavannes reached out to the local community. Chavannes held a combine or “a taste” detailing a typical training session and what potential student-athletes can expect on a daily basis.

“I told the parents it’s a longer day but for five days per week and year round, you get all the training in one place. You have a strength and conditioning coach here, shooting coach, speed and agility coach, and basketball coach. You’ll save money in the long run; it all gets done in a day and in turn, you get back your family time. Instead getting home late, eating late and losing time on weekends, families save,” the coach says. “It’s like going shopping at a mall, where everything is in one place. That means less running around.”

Suffice it to say, the combine was a slam dunk and the small-group setup translated to more individual attention.

Ultimately, the main reason student-athletes choose TPS is for the competition on all levels. The Patrick School brand simply fuels the passion and kicks the drive to succeed. However, there are reasons why some middle school students opt to attend another high school, but failure is not in the equation.

Actually, it’s the contrary.

To wit in recent years, the academy has sent off more than 100 student-athletes to other high schools in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where they blossomed. Louis King, who was a McDonald’s All-American at Hudson Catholic Regional High School in Jersey City, attended TPS middle school but the opportunity did not present itself to stay. Eventually, King was draft pick in 2019 of the Detroit Pistons after a brief college career.

“Kids leave for a better opportunity,” explains Chavannes, who is the director of the newly formed TPS Academy Inc. “That’s originally why we created the three teams to give student-athletes an opportunity to play. We’ve middle school kids play at high schools such as Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter’s Prep and in the NBA. People wanted to stay here but there is only so much playing time. Opportunity is important and now we’ll have three teams and that is in compliance with the state.”

The TPS Academy Inc. is based on the European club model, where student-athletes attend core classes such as mathematics, social studies, language and science, before heading off to their individual sport training. This is especially successful in sculpting future Olympic-sport athletes and players in soccer and basketball.

The first school to embrace the model was IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. IMG started with tennis players and golfers in the 1970s, but more recently concentrated on team sports football, soccer and basketball. The varsity basketball team won the GEICO Nationals basketball tournament in 2019 and the football team is nationally ranked and floods the Division I level with well-prepared athletes.

“IMG has mastered this model in varsity sports of basketball and football,” Chavannes says. “They are great at everything; training their athletes and putting out elite programs.”

And placing elite students and athletes in schools while growing the enrollment is The Patrick School aim. That goal never rests but will be tested.

LOOKING AHEAD

The leads to the upcoming school year, which remains fluid. Thanks to the coronavirus it changes daily, hourly and by the minute. So, what is handed down by government official one week can be voided at any time.

That’s the challenge that lies ahead.

McKinley, the sage educator, is in constant contact with superintendents and administrators statewide to devise a strategy for the TPS reopening.

“We’re cutting edge in a variety of ways,” she says. “We’re developing a phone app that will be ready soon. We’re looking at a staggered schedule where the students would physically be at school two or three days per week. Distance learning (from home or on online) is known as a flipped classroom and then there’s blended learning. Students will interact more; at the start of each week a schedule will be sent and everyone will know the plan. Communication skills will be important for active debates or discussions.

“As for the Academy training, they won’t have a traditional 8 (a.m.) to 3 (p.m.) schedule per se, but we’ll be flexible and creative like they do in college.”

The Patrick School campus life will change, comingling new restrictions of activities and social gatherings with traditional routines. All grades will likely see a hybrid of in-person learning and flipped classrooms. However, returning to normalcy is the goal.

McKinley is “thrilled to here. First we have a family that is focused on the development of the students academically, mentally, physically, emotionally and socially.”

Chavannes, a veteran private educator, finds the principal’s approach refreshing.

“It’s like she’s (McKinley) been here 30 years,” he says, “and so far she’s made an impact. We share the same vision that the best is still ahead because there’s a plan—I’m elated. She has your back and the best interests of the school. We’re not in good hands but great hands!”

And the school’s signature activity is its nationally acclaimed basketball team. So, is McKinley a fan of the hardwood?

“Are you kidding, absolutely!” she said, smiling. “I’ve been a gym rat since I was four years old. My brothers played and my father coached CYO basketball in New Providence. In my first Zoom (Conference Call) meeting with the students, I said, ‘look we’re a family; we’re a team and we need to work together and help one another whether that’s in the classroom, on the court, or in the community.”’

McKinley paused before dropping a basketball analogy to tie it together.

“If you have a team with no point guard, you’ll never score points because you won’t get the ball up court. So, we need to develop each other and work together. I think I won a few points with kids with that comment.”

Consider that an understatement.