The Bishop's School

The Bishop's School is a private, highly selective, college preparatory Episcopalian day school located in La Jolla, California. Originally a boarding school for girls with a short-lived downtown San Diego day school component, upon a merger with the San Miguel School of San Diego, California in 1971, it became co-educational and, in June 1983, the boarding department was closed. It continues to distinguish itself as one of the finest college preparatory day schools in Southern California, with a large percentage of its graduates matriculating to Ivy League-calibre universities. Its main rival and competitor is another private school located in La Jolla, the La Jolla Country Day School.

Related Topics:
Episcopalian - La Jolla, California - San Diego, California - 1971 - June 1983 - Ivy League - La Jolla Country Day School

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Bishop's was founded in 1909 by the Right Reverend Joseph Horsfall Johnson, at that time Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, with gifts of land and money by notable La Jolla, California philanthropists Ellen Browning Scripps and Virginia Scripps, her half-sister. The earliest parts of the campus were designed by architect Irving Gill, responsible for a multitude of buildings in downtown La Jolla, including the nearby Recreation Center and the Women's Club. The tower illustrated above was designed by Carleton Monroe Winslow, a replacement for the original Gill tower.

Related Topics:
1909 - Joseph Horsfall Johnson - Bishop - Los Angeles - Ellen Browning Scripps - Irving Gill

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The school was led from 1921 to 1960 by Headmistress Caroline Cummins, who has an academic hall named after her on the campus. For much of the second half of the 20th century, Bishop's was known for its proficiency in tennis. Upon the arrival of new Headmaster Michael Teitelman in 1983, Bishop's quickly began an effort to transform itself into a thoroughly academic school. In addition to academic prowess, Bishop's is known throughout Southern California as a water polo power, winning the CIF title in men's water polo in its district in both 2002 and 2003. The schools athletic teams are known as "The Knights".

Related Topics:
1921 - 1960 - 20th century - Tennis - 1983 - Water polo - CIF - 2002 - 2003

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Over the past 12 years 86 Bishop's graduates have been named Advanced Placement Scholars for their top performances in the Advanced Placement Program. The class of 2004 had 5 National Merit Scholarship recipients, 10 Merit Finalists and 15 Commended students.

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Bishop's gained national attention in the 1990s due to its status as the high school of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who in 1997 embarked on a killing spree across America that culminated in the assassination of the popular Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Related Topics:
1990s - Andrew Cunanan - 1997 - Italian - Fashion design - Gianni Versace

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Other notable alums include Gary Aguirre (stage name, Gary Jules) who graduated from Bishops in 1987 and Shane Walton an NFL defensive back.

Related Topics:
Gary Jules - Shane Walton

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