Winning one for gender in Portland, Oregon.

Just two years after going coeducational, Jesuit High School of Portland, OR accomplished what many perceived as the impossible: It won the 1994-95 All-Sports Award for 4A schools in Oregon!

The Oregon High School Coaches Association has been picking winners since 1974. Its voting is based on a point system in the post-season playoffs. A state championship is awarded 16 points; runner-up, 14 points; third place, 12 points, and so on down to 2 points for eighth place.

In June, all the points earned in playoff competition are added together, and an All-Sports Award is presented to the top school in each classification: 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A.

The 1994-95 Award marked an historic first for Jesuit H.S. Founded as an all-male school in 1956, Jesuit's single-gendered teams competed regularly in post-season play and won championships in soccer, football, tennis, and skiing, as well as numerous titles in league competition.

As the only all-male school in the state, the Jesuit teams fused a strong sense of uniqueness and camaraderie into a tradition of quality athletics.

But ... no matter how well its teams did, the All-Sports Award remained an unrealistic possibility, as the other schools were able to field many more teams, thanks to their women's programs.

Jesuit's "gender revolution" began in 1988 when the school decided to become coeducational in keeping with the other high schools in the Pacific Northwest operated by the Jesuit order of the Catholic Church.

In 1993, after nearly five years of planning and preparation, Jesuit High School adopted the co-ed format and committed itself to provide the women students with the same quality of education as that of the male students.

The administration immediately established 10 varsity women's athletic programs to match the 10 quality boys programs.

The new women's teams, comprised mainly of underclassmen (since relatively few 11th and 12th grade girls were available), competed in the state's tough Metro League right from the beginning.

School officials admitted to some trepidation over the use of such young athletes in varsity competition.

"We wondered whether going varsity the first year would discourage some of the kids," says Jim Perkin, former assistant principal. "But we decided that the advantage of gaining maximum varsity experience outweighed any disadvantages."

As it turned out, the new teams responded surprisingly well to the challenge. In its first co-ed year (199394), the school came in third overall in the All-Sports Award point totals.

In 1994-95, nine different Jesuit teams - four men's and five women's teams - advanced far enough in post-season play to earn 92 all-sport points, 18 more than the 4A runner-up school. These included men's soccer, which claimed its seventh title in nine years; women's tennis, repeating as state champs in only its second year; and women's soccer, which earned its first state crown.

Men's track, golf, and cross-country, and women's swimming, golf, and cross-country also contributed playoff points to the total.

Men's football, volleyball, basketball, swimming, and skiing, and women's track and skiing all advanced to post-season competition as well. Coincidentally, the Jesuit teams also won seven Metro League championships.

Besides reflecting the exceptional efforts of its student/athletes, the early success of Jesuit High's expanded athletic department was due in part to three factors: hiring teachers who were effective coaches, building on existing traditions, and major improvements in athletic facilities.

When the decision to go co-ed was first made, our immediate concern was how to merge the new women's teams into the program in a way that (1) would not threaten the men's sports, which would have to share facilities and practice times, and (2) would encourage a supportive attitude toward the women's teams composed of students new to the school and staffed largely by coaches new to the faculty.

As a starting point, the administration had to do all they could to see that the new head coaches and assistants would join the faculty as teachers. As a result, only two of the 20 head varsity coaches were non-faculty in 1994-95, while 25% of the assistants also served as teachers.

Care was taken to recruit coaches who saw themselves as educators first and who had the personality to mesh with the current men's coaches.

The advantage of having so many new coaches/teachers became quickly apparent. Daily contact with one another and with the veteran coaches' led to social and professional interaction outside of coaching and a shared commitment to the overall mission of the high school.

This did more than just break the ice. It created a strong sense of collegiality as the coaches worked hard to accommodate to one another throughout the different seasons.

"I think the openness of the coaches has carried over to the athletes," says Kathy Adelman, a newly hired teacher who also head coaches the women's basketball team. "We all communicate well on the staff and support one another. At least partly because of this the players on the different boys' and girls' teams are getting the sense that we're all in this together."

"It's great to see the male athletes trying to help the girls improve," notes Gary Rombach, an assistant coach in two sports. "You have a lot of acceptance and support for everyone's programs. Much of this has to do with the coaches getting along so well. It also helps when someone like myself, who coaches football in the fall, can also work with female athletes, as I do in the spring with the discus."

Jesuit's proud 40-year old tradition of competitive intensity and cohesiveness has stayed intact. "We used our boys' tradition, work ethic, and past successes to give the girls' team a good start," says Tom Rothenberger, head coach of men's cross-country and track since 1982 and now head coach of the women's teams in those sports as well. "Boys and girls train side by side and the new coaches work alongside coaches who have been in the program for years."

Part of the focus on tradition includes a prominent display in the school gym of the new 4[feet] x 6[feet] banners honoring both of the school's state and league championships of the past and the rapidly growing championships of the present.

"We want our current athletes, male and female, to feel connected to a legacy that's a lot bigger than just themselves and their current season," asserts Jerry Hahn, assistant principal for student affairs, assistant football and basketball coach, and moderator of the student government. "Our tradition is very important to us."

The decision to go coeducational also provided a catalyst for major new construction with funds provided by an intense fundraising campaign. Besides impressive expansion of Jesuit's academic facilities, the improvements include the new Knight Physical Education Center, where varsity volleyball, men's basketball, and women's basketball now play their home games.

The Center includes a gymnasium, a fully equipped weightroom, and a collegiate-sized training room with whirlpools, taping tables, hydrocollators, and other rehabilitation equipment. New locker rooms, team rooms, and storage areas now give all the varsity student/athletes a first-class place to call home.

Among the other facility improvements: The existing all-weather running track was rebuilt and resurfaced and new long-jump pits added.

Four worn-out tennis courts were torn up and replaced by the Merlo Tennis Center, featuring six new courts, four of them under lights and with built-in seating for 350 spectators.

Finally, softball field and backstops were added and adjacent property was acquired for future school expansion.

For these major efforts to accommodate the women students/athletes, Jesuit H.S. was awarded the 1994 Excellency Award by the National H.S. Athletic Coaches' Association in conjunction with the Ocean Spray Corp. The award commends the school "for being a voice of encouragement for young women in its community."

All of the massive construction was funded by contributions in excess of $12.5 million. The figure dramatically testifies to the level of support given the school by parents, alumni, and the community it serves.

Fr. William Hayes, S.J., president of Jesuit High and the driving force behind much of the school's recent development, firmly credits staff and students for the early achievements since the transition:

"Quality people produce quality programs which attract quality students," he says. "We continue to have students who are hard workers, intelligent, with good habits. They want to be successful so they work. And they are team-oriented because of our family spirit."

Despite all the progress to date, the challenge is considered ongoing at Jesuit. "We view the All-Sports Award as a milestone, not an end point," asserts a school administrator. "More than wins and losses, it's a sign that we're headed in the right direction - to realize whatever potential we have."

The motto on the Jesuit coat of arms displayed in the lobby of the main office reads, "Age Quod Agis." ("Do Well In All That You Do.") Given Jesuit High's past tradition and current achievements, it is obviously a maxim the school has taken to heart.