Coonis has been involved with St. Matthias High and its rich tradition since 1975, first as a teacher at the all-girls school, then as principal in 1983. St. Matthias occupied its campus on Stafford Avenue and Belgrave Street in Huntington Park for 35 years.
Consolidation of all-boys Pius X High and all-girls St. Matthias took place in 1995, combining their strong Catholic education orientations, and following an archdiocesan school realignment that also saw a similar consolidation of Montebello's Cantwell H.S. and Sacred Heart H.S. into a co-ed school, as well as the transformation of previously all-boys Sierra High in Gardena into co-ed.
Economic and demographic considerations played a major part in these developments, Coonis said.
Other Catholic high schools in the vicinity are co-ed St. Anthony in Long Beach, all-girls St. Joseph in Lakewood, all-boys St. John Bosco in Bellflower, and co-ed St. Paul in Santa Fe Springs.
This June Pius X-St. Matthias will graduate 120 seniors, thirty of them boys, holdovers from pre-consolidation Pius X. Coonis says some 15 boys will remain and presumably will graduate along with the rest of the graduating class next year. Then the phase-out will be over, the slate clean. The transitional Pius X-St. Matthias High School will, in another year or two, function as all-girls St. Matthias.
"A focus of our educational philosophy has always been the empowerment of the young woman," said Coonis, who holds a master's degree in school administration from CSU-Los Angeles. "Right now, however, we're co-ed, and we have to conduct programs appropriate to this reality."
For geographic and other reasons, Coonis said, 20 percent of the original 300-odd St. Matthias student enrollment in Huntington Park elected to transfer to other schools. Thus only 80 percent went with the move to the 17-acre Gardendale site. Current Pius X-St. Matthias enrollment stands at a "good" 450.
"I'd like to see 550," Coonis said, expressing satisfaction at the results of the recent Feb. 1 entrance exams for 8th graders. "It looks like we're going to have 120 [8th graders] coming in next year, up from 105 that entered this school year."
"We are holding another entrance exam this Feb. 22nd, for 9th and 10th graders," Coonis went on. "Those interested should call the school at 861-2271."
Asked what significant new programs have been infused into the school's schedule during the transitional phase, Coonis pointed to three areas which she said effectively brought the students closer together as they strove to attain common goals.
The first is the school's first time ever participation in the nationwide Academic Decathlon. "One of our teams medaled in Speech last year, and another medaled in Fine Arts this year," she said.
Another is expansion of the school's athletic program. "Our girls sports previously just revolved around basketball, softball, and volleyball. This year we have six. We've added cross country, soccer, and track and field." The football field, she said, is rented out to Calvary Chapel and Salesian High Schools for their home games; otherwise, Catholic elementary school kids have free access to the facility.
A third cause for excitement at the school, Coonis said, is the enlarged and intensified fine arts program which has seen the staging of plays and musicals such as the recent presentation of "Into the Woods." (The music program at St. Matthias features 3 choral groups and 2 handbell choirs. Its art program is also noteworthy).
Coonis strongly believes Catholic high schools such as St. Matthias fill a basic need. "Our student population is predominantly Hispanic [actually 90 percent Hispanic and 10 percent distributed among Anglos, African-American, and Filipino] because down South single-sex schools are the rule rather than the exception. Thus immigrants want to see their offspring undergo the same experience."
A more rational, and more compelling, attraction to Catholic parents, however, may well be St. Matthias' (and Pius X's) educational philosophy: "Essential to (our) philosophy is the recognition of each student's family and the role of parents as primary educators. The faculty and staff are committed to working with parents in meeting the spiritual, academic, and social needs of the students. The cultural heritage of each student is also affirmed, and efforts are made to broaden the student's appreciation of the customs and traditions of all cultures. A fundamental focus is placed on the development of a positive sense of self-worth. Students who value themselves and others have the potential to grow into mature Christian [men and] women, ready to take their place as leaders in service to their church, their community, and the world. In order to meet the diverse academic needs of the student body, [we] offer a comprehensive curriculum which includes remedial as well as honors and advanced placement courses."
"We're holding a big fiesta here on May 15-17. Hopefully, we can raise some money to enhance our technological capability," Coonis said. "Although we have a computer lab, we want every classroom to have a computer. We'd like to eventually raise $50,000."
© Downey Eagle, February 7, 1997