Regis High School

I had called last spring to connect with Eric DiMichele in admissions and even met an “in” at the Princeton Club who’d graduated from Regis, and promised to help schedule a visit, but the doors to Regis High School open just once a year on Columbus Day, and it’s worth the wait.

When I arrived at 55 East 84th Street for the annual open house, the line wound around the block, and I said shyly to a mom standing next to me, “Nice that it’s not raining today!”  She smiled in response, and soon we started chatting about her family:  the eldest son attends Xavier and the quiet 8th grader beside her is currently enrolled at a neighborhood school in New Jersey.

This mother provided a brief glimpse of the application process at Regis:  basically, boys are invited to apply if they have demonstrated leadership potential, proven academic excellence, and practice Roman Catholicism.  Just as we began delving into whether there are other religions represented at this school, two very articulate young men approached and asked if we had any questions, so I jumped right in…

After several inquiries about favorite classes and teachers, I explored the topic of discipline with “Enrique,” who told me about JUG:  “Justice Under God,” a fitting and somewhat humorous title for detention.  I dug deeper and questioned, “What if you don’t know the line for respect—perhaps you engage in a class discussion and become passionate, but the instructor thinks you’ve been disruptive or even disrespectful?”  Enrique blinked once and instantly replied with a grin, “If that’s your personality, I highly recommend joining our debate team—” whereupon he shared details about his latest speech meet at Staten Island.  Of course I found myself shaking my head in admiration at this gregarious young man in his royal blue blazer, funky black glasses, and cardinal-red tie who absolutely “sold me” before I ever entered the building.

The hour on line spun by quickly while we enjoyed the polite and engaging responses of three different freshmen, and then we were ushered into an atrium, where we waited again for a welcome speech inside a cozy auditorium.  One of the school’s administrators presented a slide show that made me laugh at several junctures as he made light of the history and tradition of this selective school with graduates from the likes of Yale, Brown, and the United States Naval Academy.  Established in 1914 by Father David Hearn, Regis is the only private high school in the country that is free-–a vision fueled by Jesuit priests who modeled their approach to teaching on St. Ignatius Loyola, who had “an abiding faith in the power of education to transform students’ lives…and desired that Jesuits run tuition-free schools available to all students who were qualified—’for everybody, poor and rich.’ ”

Walking through the sunlit halls painted yellow in this landmark building, a sense of goodness and order permeates five flights of old-fashioned classrooms filled with straight rows of green desks and views of tree-lined streets on the Upper East Side.  There is a deep echo of history and legacy here, and as I passed the debate trophies and athletic photos from many decades ago, a memory of Dead Poets Society seeped into me.  “The Boys” spoke of studying hard but of balancing their lives to accommodate homework with other activities—one young man admitted that he found the schedule grueling to arrive home at 8pm every night in Brooklyn, after soccer practice, but this articulate freshman seemed much older than his years as he expressed learning how to juggle the demands of a being a winning scholar/athlete.  Standing on the polished oak floor of the basketball gym with ancient pendants behind him, I imagined so many other young men before “Tim”—had much changed besides an account on Facebook?  Yes, the school is now wireless, with 150 new computers and 23/25 rooms sporting smart boards—but what abides at Regis High is a sort of a timeless intellectual curiosity mixed with very humble pride.

There are no transfers so you get only one shot, but it’s not accurate that 8th grade boys have to be invited to apply—our student tour guide encouraged us to pick up an application on our way out of the building, and I felt myself wishing that someday I too could have a son who would take a tour and feel the power and majesty of this exciting Jesuit tradition.  Alas—as a Baptist minister’s daughter, the chance that I will convert into a practicing Roman Catholic are rather slim, but “The Boys” gave me new hope on an old holiday that America is still a land of opportunity if one is willing to work hard.   I left Regis feeling a little regal—proud to be in such an eclectic city that provides, still today, a free private school which educates “Men for Others”—and I won’t soon forget the bright smiles of these bright young men, with their tentative confidence and eager desire to reach out.