Salesianum School

Salesianum
Location
1801 North Broom Street

Wilmington
,
Delaware
19802-2891

United States
Coordinates39°45′39″N 75°32′58″W / 39.76083°N 75.54944°W / 39.76083; -75.54944
Information
TypePrivate
MottoTenui Nec Dimittam
(I have taken hold and will not let go.)
Religious affiliationsRoman Catholic
(Oblates of St. Francis de Sales)
Established1903 (1903)
CEEB code080195
PresidentTom Kardish
PrincipalRev. Chris Beretta, O.S.F.S.
Grades9–12
GenderBoys
Enrollment924
ColorsGold and White
Song"In the Shadows of the Night"
Athletics conferenceDelaware Interscholastic Athletic Association
Team nameSallies / Sals
RivalSt. Mark's
AccreditationMiddle States Association of Colleges and Schools
NewspaperThe Salesianum Review[2]
YearbookThe Salesian
Tuition$21,200 (2025–2026)[1]
Websitewww.salesianum.org

Salesianum School is a Catholic independent school for boys located in Wilmington, Delaware. It is run independently within the Diocese of Wilmington and is operated by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.

The current enrollment is about 930 students, declining from a peak of about 1,100 in recent years, from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Salesianum has established a close connection with Lycée Saint Michel, another Oblate high school, located in Annecy, France. Salesianum was named one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in America by the Catholic Honor Roll in 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010.[3][4][5][6][7]

Campus

The 22-acre (89,000 m2) campus is home to the school itself as well as a gymnasium. In addition to the campus, the athletic program also makes use of Wilmington's newly constructed Abessinio Stadium, formerly Baynard Stadium, which is located directly across from the school. In 2023, the school was given a $10 million donation by Anthony Fusco to build a new athletic facility.[8]

Athletics

Salesianum School has won 200 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) approved boys' state championships as of summer 2025, with particular success in cross country, swimming, lacrosse, and soccer.[9] Salesianum won its first state championship in basketball, led by Donte DiVincenzo and Brian O'Neill (American football), in 2014[10] and latest one in 2023.[11]

Salesianum's historical rival is St. Mark's High School, which is located in Newark, DE. Their fall meeting in football is commonly referred to as "The Holy War".[12][13]

The soccer team won 11 state championships between 2002 and 2014, and in 2013 defeated Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, the top ranked high school program in the nation, on a game-winning goal scored by Joseph Dolce. They finished the season ranked as the number two high school team in the country.[14] The 2016 soccer team finished the season ranked sixth in the nation by USA Today on its final Super 25 Expert Rankings.[15]

The cross country team has won 37 of the 42 DIAA state boys' championships, losing only five years between 1972 and 2013.[16]

The Salesianum swimming team has won ten consecutive state boys' championships between 2005 and 2015, and 11 of 12 from 2005 to 2017.[17]

History

Salesianum (Latin for "House of Sales", referring to St. Francis de Sales) was founded in 1903 and was located at 8th and West Streets until the move to its current location in 1957. In 1950, Rev. Thomas Lawless, OSFS, a 1908 graduate of Salesianum, admitted five African American students four years prior to the Brown v. Board of Education decision which made it mandatory, thus making Salesianum the first racially integrated school in the state of Delaware. The school was recognized for this with a historical marker.[18]

In August 2012, the Wilmington/Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales published a letter stating, "Since 2004, the Wilmington/Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales has been named in lawsuits in the Superior Court of Delaware filed by 40 plaintiffs, each of which contained allegations of sexual abuse of a minor." The letter named 12 oblates who had been involved and expressed regrets, stating, "The abuse of children by priests and other clergy is shocking, reprehensible, and devastating to all whose trust has been shattered by their selfish deeds."[19] This followed a settlement in August 2011 of 39 lawsuits against the school and the order, with the order and its insurers paying $24.8 million to be shared between the plaintiffs.[20]

Notable alumni

Academia

Name Class year Notability References
Donald E. Pease 1963 Professor of English and comparative literature at Dartmouth College. Scholar on Dr. Seuss. [21]
F. Gregory Gause III 1976 Professor of International Affairs and Head of the International Affairs Department at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. [22]

Arts, Entertainment, Media, and Literature

Name Class year Notability References
Bernie McInerney 1954 actor
Bill Press 1958 political commentator and talk radio host, chair of the California Democratic Party (1993–1996) [23]
Thomas Turcol 1971 1985 Pulitzer Prize winner for General News Reporting [24][25]
Bill Marsilii 1980 screenwriter [26]
Patrick Kenney 1986 professional wrestler [27]
David Acord 1989 Emmy award winning sound editor [28]
Christopher Castellani 1990 novelist
Neil Casey 2000 actor and writer

Business

Name Class year Notability References
Miguel Bezos 1963 adoptive father of Jeff Bezos [29]

Government

Name Class year Notability References
William M. Duffy 1936 served as the President Judge of the Delaware Superior Court, the Chancellor of the Court of Chancery, and later as a Justice on the Delaware Supreme Court; co-author of The Supreme Court Until 1951: The "Leftover Judge" System and The Supreme Court of Delaware After 1951: The Separate Supreme Court [30][31]
Joseph T. Walsh 1948 Justice on the Delaware Supreme Court (1985–2005)
Joseph diGenova 1963 United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (1983–1988) [32]
Orlando J. George Jr. 1963 Served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1974 to 1995. President of Delaware Technical Community College from 1995 to 2014. [33][34][35]
Richard S. Gebelein 1964 Politician and jurist who served as the Attorney General of Delaware from 1979 through 1983, as a judge on the Delaware Superior Court from 1984 through 2005, and as an international judge in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina (2005–2006).
E. James Burke 1967 Chief Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court (2014–2018)
Thomas P. Gordon 1971 Delaware law enforcement officer and politician: He was co-commander of the state's first serial killer task force which led to the apprehension and prosecution of Steven Brian Pennell, the only known serial killer in Delaware history. He eventually became Chief of Police of New Castle County Police Department, serving in the role for eight years.

7th New Castle County Executive (1997–2005). 10th New Castle County Executive (2012–2017).

[36][37]
John F. Brady 1977 Delaware attorney and politician: Sussex County Register in Chancery (2001–2003), Sussex County Recorder of Deeds (2003–2011), Sussex County Clerk of Peace (2013–2017) [38]
Mark Toner 1982 26th Spokesperson for the United States Department of State (January 20, 2017 – April 24, 2017). United States ambassador to Liberia (August 7, 2024 – August 4, 2025)
N. Christopher Griffiths 1998 Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court (2023 – present) [39][40][41]
Anthony Delcollo 2004 Republican member of the Delaware Senate representing District 7 (2016–2021) [42]

Military

Name Class year Notability References
John F. R. Seitz 1925 Major General, United States Army. Commanded an infantry battalion at Schofield Barracks at Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Commanded the combat team at Omaha Beach during the Normandy landings on D-Day, in the breakout from Normandy and at the approach to close the gap in the Falaise Pocket. Recipient of the Silver Star. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery. [43][44][45]
James J. Connell 1957 Lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, recipient of the Navy Cross. POW in the Vietnam War. Delaware Aviation Hall of Fame inductee. [46][47]
Francis D. Vavala 1964 United States Army Lieutenant General and adjutant general for Delaware
Hugh T. Broomall 1966 United States Air Force Major General [48]
Charles J. Dunlap Jr. 1968 Major General, United States Air Force JAG Corps; professor at Duke University law school [49]

[50] [51] [52]

Timothy Szymanski 1980 vice admiral, United States Navy. Commander of United States Naval Special Warfare Command in Coronado, California. [53]

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine

Name Class year Notability References
John M. Byrne 1967 Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the University of Delaware. Contributed to Working Group III of the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since 1992. The panel was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. [31][54][55]
Anthony Monaco 1977 His doctoral research led to his landmark discovery of the gene responsible for X-linked Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. He subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship in London, where he worked on the Human Genome Project at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now Cancer Research UK), and subsequently a faculty position at the Institute of Molecular Medicine of the University of Oxford. Monaco identified the first gene specifically involved in human speech and language. 13th President of Tufts University (2011–2023). [56]

Sports

Name Class year Notability References
Edward J. Michaels 1932 American professional football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, and Philadelphia Eagles [57]
John Tosi 1933 NFL offensive lineman [58]
Dominic Montero 1938 Football coach at the University of Maryland (1967–1972). Inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. [59][60]
Leon Dombrowski 1956 American football linebacker who played for one season in the American Football League (AFL). He played in one game for the New York Titans in 1960
Victor Zwolak 1956 1964 Olympic runner [61]
Thomas F. Hall 1958 National Football League (NFL) wide receiver. He played for the Detroit Lions (1962–1963), Minnesota Vikings (1964–1966, 1968–1969), and New Orleans Saints (1967). Inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. [62][63][64]
Edgar Johnson 1962 University of Delaware swimming and cross country coach and long serving Athletic Director from 1984–2009 [65]
Ken Szotkiewicz 1965 MLB shortstop
Kevin P. Reilly 1969 NFL linebacker. Inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 1985.
Joseph Campbell 1973 NFL player, Super Bowl champion (XV) with Oakland Raiders.
Michael Reed 1990 NFL player, defensive back coach at Clemson University [66]
Cesidio Colasante 1993 NPSL player
Joe Hortiz 1994 general manager (GM) for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL) (2024–present) [67][68]
Steve Casula 2005 NCAA football coach [69]
Andrew Szczerba 2007 NFL tight end
Brian O’Neill 2014 NFL offensive lineman [70]
Troy Reeder 2014 NFL linebacker. Super Bowl champion (LVI) with the Los Angeles Rams. [71]
Donte DiVincenzo 2015 NBA player and 2021 NBA Champion with the Milwaukee Bucks [72]
Stephen Mallozzi 2019 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver [73]

Other

Name Class year Notability References
Paul Anthony Ciancia 2008 terrorist shooter at Los Angeles International Airport in 2013 [74]

Notable Non-Graduates

Name Class year Notability References
Tom Welling 1995 (attended as freshman, 1991–1992) Actor. Best known for starring as Clark Kent/Superman in the television series Smallville (2001–2011).
Charlie McDermott 2008 (attended for two years, left in 2006) Actor. Best known for his long‑running television role as Axl Heck on The Middle (2009–2018).

References

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