Philosophy & History

The call to Goodness involves all aspects of one’s lifestyle.  It primarily involves daily prayer through which one comes to know personally the tremendous love of the Father.  It includes a willingness to be like Jesus in sacrificing oneself for others, aware of their supreme dignity as human persons.  “If anyone wishes to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”  (Mt. 16:24) Goodness also involves being empowered by the Holy Spirit to join with others in forming a community in service of others and in concern for the physical, social, and spiritual environment in which we live.  In all aspects of student life, but especially through service and campus ministry, Bishop Amat High School tries to instill goodness as the binding force of the “Amat Family.”

The importance of Discipline and a disciplined lifestyle follows from the call to Goodness.  The underlying purpose of the disciplinary code is to help students master the internal forces of their personalities so as to enable them to submit themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Thus obedient, they will be responsible and accountable members of the human family.  School regulations such as the distinct dress and grooming regulations are part of the call to self-respect, self-discipline, and personal responsibility.  The aim of Discipline is not conformity but authentic freedom to be all that God has created us to be.

The Knowledge taught at Bishop Amat High School reflects the varied needs of our student body, a diversified campus that includes many academic abilities.  The multicultural student body itself provides an atmosphere of learning that enables the students to affirm their own cultural traditions and to be enriched by the other cultures, which they encounter here.  The Knowledge taught at Bishop Amat High School flows from a college-prep curriculum, which prepares students for continued instruction in institutions of higher learning.  However, the curriculum is designed with the flexibility to help all students of varied academic abilities to reach their full potential.  The instructional program centers on a solid foundation in the scholarly disciplines within a Christian perspective, and along with the co-curricular and counseling programs, gives emphasis to the spiritual, personal, social, and physical development of the adolescent.

The campus site has grown over the years with the present 200 and 500 wings added in 1959.  The gymnasium was added in 1962, the Kiefer Stadium in 1965 and the 300 wing in 1966.  In 1973, the school formally became co-educational, with a single administrative structure.  A building dedicated to the performing arts was completed in 1982.  Four classrooms, including a full computer lab, containing the latest technology available, were completed in 1988.  A second computer lab was added in 1992, a new state of the art biology lab in 1993, a refurbished physics lab in 1994, and the Brutocao Library in 1995.  In 2000, a new covered lunch structure was built complete with an integrated sound system and barbeque pit.  

In 2002, the school undertook a major renovation with plans for the replacement of the Tate Duff Memorial Gymnasium.  On May 16, 2004, the Living Rosary was held as the first activity in the new facility.  The Student Activity Center houses a main pavilion which seats 1,600 spectators for Masses, assemblies, rallies, and basketball and volleyball contests.  The building also includes a dance studio, locker rooms, an updated weight room facility, a dining room, and offices for members of our athletics and activities programs.

The 2021-2022 school year saw the long-awaited completion of a state of the art Performing Arts Center built to showcase Bishop Amat’s varied choral, dance, music, and theater programs. The main feature of the building is a 400-seat theater complete with a 1,800 square foot stage and orchestra pit. Additionally, the performing arts center includes two classrooms specifically designed for instrumental music and choral instruction as well as two dressing rooms, a set design shop, conference space, and costume and prop storage facilities. 

When the school was opened in 1957 it was part of the Cardinal McIntyre construction boom in Catholic Schools.  The original staff was composed primarily of men and women religious. Women from the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart, Sisters of St. Louis, Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Carmelites, Benedictine Sisters and Franciscan Sisters taught the girls.  Fathers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus staffed the boys’ department.  The early faculty had very few lay teachers.

The founding principal, Msgr. Thomas Kiefer, served from 1957 until 1971, Rev. Roland Zimmerman from 1971-1973, Msgr. Jeremiah Murphy from 1973-1976, Rev. Thomas Meskill from 1976-1978, and Rev. Charles Hill from 1978-1981.

In 1981, Mr. Merritt Hemenway, a member of the Class of 1964, was appointed as the first lay principal of the school.  He was succeeded in 1990 by Rev. James Anguiano who served until 1992, at which time, Msgr. Aidan M. Carroll was appointed.  In 2001, Msgr. Carroll was named as President/Principal of the school.  In July 2002, Dr. Merritt Hemenway was named Principal and Msgr. Carroll, President.  In 2012, Mr. Richard Beck was named Principal.  In 2021, Monsignor Carroll officially retired from 29 years of leadership at Bishop Amat and 58 years of service to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, upon which Mr. Beck has assumed the role of School President. Mr. Gabriel Escovar, a member of the Class of 1998, serves as Principal – the second alumnus of Bishop Amat to be named to this position of leadership. 

Since its inception, Bishop Amat has excelled in building Catholic leadership in the areas of scholarship, athletics, and activities.  Christian Service is an inherent element of the school philosophy, and students are encouraged to serve the school and community

Bishop Amat has consistently met the standards required for accreditation by the Western Catholic Education Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. In 2017 the school received a full six-year term of accreditation from WCEA and WASC, the maximum possible term.  In 2021, WCEA/WASC extended the school’s full accreditation status, with a self-study and subsequent accreditation review scheduled for Spring 2024.   

The foundation of Bishop Amat’s comprehensive curriculum is a solid core of college preparatory courses complemented with Accelerated, Honors, Advanced Placement, and the International Baccalaureate Programme. In 2005 Bishop Amat was approved for accreditation by the prestigious International Baccalaureate Organization. Overall, more than 98 percent of the school’s graduates attend college, and many are accepted to the most prestigious colleges and universities across the country.