# Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Maryland)

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is a private, Catholic, college-preparatory high school in Olney, Maryland, an unincorporated area of Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Operated under the sponsorship of the Xaverian Brothers, Our Lady of Good Counsel serves students grades nine through twelve.

## History

The school was founded in 1958 as an all-boys school in Wheaton, Maryland. In 1988, the school became coeducational, and during the 2006-2007 school year, the school relocated to a new campus in Olney, Maryland, about 7 miles (11 km) north of its previous location in Wheaton, Maryland.

## Academics

Good Counsel High School has Advanced Placement courses, a STEM Program, and the International Baccalaureate Program. The school also has the Ryken Program, which is geared towards students with mild learning differences. It is named after Theodore Ryken, founder of the Xaverian Brothers.
The faculty consists of 200 teachers, counselors, and administrators. In September 1993 and 2002, Good Counsel High School was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence in Secondary Education by the United States Department of Education. The school is fully accredited by the Middle States Association.

## Religious life

Students are required to take four years of religious studies classes as well as participate in religious retreats. There is a daily Mass as well as all-school Masses on major religious holy days. All students are required to complete a certain number of community service hours each year.

## Fine arts

The school offers theatre, band, chorus, dance, and visual arts classes. Musical ensembles include a wind ensemble, symphonic band, string ensemble, beginning and advanced percussion ensembles, jazz ensemble, and a marching band.
The school's theater program performs two mainstage productions a year. A 650-seat performing arts center opened in 2016. Good Counsel's theatre production of Les Misérables in 2013 received a five-star rating from the DC Metro Theatre Arts magazine.

## Athletics

Good Counsel competes in the WCAC and has many highly ranked athletic teams in the region. Many student-athletes have continued at the collegiate level and have received athletic scholarships at division one schools. The football team has even had several players make it to the NFL.
WCAC Championships
* Baseball: 1972, 1986, 1990, 2006, 2010
* Basketball (girls): 1995, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012
* Cross County (boys): 1976, 1977, 1983, 1996,1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
* Cross Country (girls): 1989 (CGAA), 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006
* Field Hockey: 2004, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019
* Football: 1995& 1996 (both WCAC Division II), 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2019 (Capital)/Ryken (Metro), 2023 (Capital)/Ryken (Metro)
* Golf (boys): 1973, 1974, 1975, 1982, 1990, 1992
* Lacrosse (girls): 2022, 2023, 2024
* Soccer (boys): 1976, 1978, 1979, 1988, 2021
* Soccer (girls): 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2023
* Swimming & Diving (girls): 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25
* Tennis (boys): 2001, 2018
* Tennis (girls): 1996, 2016, 2017, 2024
* Volleyball (girls): 1992, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
* Wrestling (boys): 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

## Notable alumni

* Rev. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., Ph.D. (1965) – President, Loyola Marymount University.
* Al Checchi (1966) – former chairman of Northwest Airlines and California gubernatorial candidate.
* Marty Hurney (1974) – American football executive.
* John Berry (1977) – United States Ambassador to Australia.
* Kevin Blackistone (1977) – columnist, Dallas Morning News; panelist, ESPN Around The Horn.
* Joseph Curl (1978) – columnist; White House correspondent, The Washington Times; editor, The Drudge Report.
* Christopher Jarzynski (1983) – physicist and professor; known for contributions to non-equilibrium thermodynamics and statistical mechanics; derived the now famous Jarzynski equality; winner of 2019 Lars Onsager Prize.
* Mark Povinelli (1989) – actor; Water for Elephants (2011 film), Modern Family, Cold Case.
* Rick Yune (1989) – actor, The Fast and the Furious and Die Another Day (James Bond villain), a graduate of Wharton School (Penn)
* Elizabeth Scott (1993) – swimmer; United States Paralympian; earned 17 Paralympic medals (10 gold, 2 silver and 5 bronze) in three Paralympic Games between 1992 and 2000 (Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney).
* Zach Hilton (1998) – former NFL player with New Orleans Saints 2003–2005 and New York Jets 2006; graduated from University of North Carolina.
* Chas Gessner (1999) – professional football player; Super Bowl XXXVIII champion with New England Patriots; formerly of Berlin Thunder, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Orlando Predators, Seattle Seahawks,Florida Tuskers, Spokane Shock, and Virginia Destroyers; graduate of Brown University.
* Roger Mason Jr. (1999) – professional basketball player; formerly of Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Olympiacos, Hapoel Jerusalem, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets, and Miami Heat; former deputy executive director of the NBA Players Association; former president and commissioner of Big3; graduate of University of Virginia.
* James Gist (2004) – professional basketball player; 2008 second-round draft pick by NBA's San Antonio Spurs; formerly of Biella, Lokomotiv Kuban, Partizan, Fenerbahçe, Málaga, Panathinaikos, Crvena zvezda, Bayern Munich, ASVEL, Bahçeşehir Koleji, Peñarol, and Prawira Bandung; graduate of University of Maryland.
* Jelani Jenkins (2009) – 2013 fourth-round draft pick by NFL's Miami Dolphins; former linebacker for Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans; graduate of University of Florida.
* Lou Young (2010) – undrafted free agent signed in 2014 by NFL's Denver Broncos; former defensive back for Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Legends; graduate of Georgia Tech.
* Rodney Glasgow Jr. (2010) – professional basketball player for Sheffield Sharks; formerly of BBC Monthey, Leuven Bears, BC Prievidza, Newcastle Eagles, and Njarðvík; graduate of Virginia Military Institute.
* Blake Countess (2011) – 2016 sixth-round pick by NFL's Philadelphia Eagles; former defensive back for Los Angeles Rams, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, New Jersey Generals, University of Michigan, and Auburn University.
* Phylicia Pearl Mpasi (2011) – actress; The Color Purple (2023); Broadway and National Tour cast member of The Lion King; 55th NAACP Image Awards winner for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture.
* Stefon Diggs (2012) – wide receiver for NFL’s Houston Texans; 2015 fifth-round pick by NFL's Minnesota Vikings; formerly of Buffalo Bills; 2020 NFL First Team All-Pro; four-time Pro Bowl; attended University of Maryland.
* Jack Conger (2013) – swimmer for USA Swimming; Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics 4 × 200 meter freestyle relay gold medalist; NCAA record holder for the 200-yard butterfly; graduate of University of Texas at Austin.
* Kendall Fuller (2013) – 2016 third-round pick by NFL's Washington Redskins; defensive back for Miami Dolphins; Super Bowl LIV champion with NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs; attended Virginia Tech.
* Dorian O'Daniel (2013) – 2018 third-round pick by NFL's Kansas City Chiefs; former linebacker for Pittsburgh Maulers; winner of 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship with Clemson University; Super Bowl LIV champion.
* Midge Purce (2013) – current member of senior United States women's national soccer team and NJ/NY Gotham FC of the NWSL; drafted with the 9th pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft by the Boston Breakers; formerly of Portland Thorns; 2021 NWSL Best XI; named to 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30; elected to Harvard University's Board of Overseers.
* Kyle Snyder (2014) – freestyle wrestler; 2016, 2017, and 2018 NCAA heavyweight champion; 2015 and 2017 World Champion; 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2022 Pan American Games champion; Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympics 97 kg freestyle gold medalist; Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics 97 kg freestyle silver medalist.
* Imani Dorsey (2014) – current member of senior United States women's national soccer team and Utah Royals of the NWSL; drafted with the 5th pick in the 2018 NWSL College Draft by NJ/NY Gotham FC; 2018 NWSL Rookie of the Year.
* Sam Mustipher (2014) – undrafted free agent signed in 2019 by NFL's Chicago Bears; center for Denver Broncos; formerly of Baltimore Ravens; graduate of University of Notre Dame.
* Uche Eke (2015) – gymnast; first-ever Olympic gymnast for Nigeria at Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics; gold medal winner in pommel horse at 2019 African Games; graduate of University of Michigan.
* Nicole Enabosi (2015) – professional basketball player for MBK Ružomberok; member of Nigeria women's national basketball team at Paris 2024 Summer Olympics; graduate of University of Delaware.
* Stephen Schoch (2015) – NCAA baseball pitcher; attended Appalachian State University, UMBC, and University of Virginia.
* Keandre Jones (2016) – undrafted free agent signed in 2020 by NFL's Chicago Bears; linebacker for Washington Commanders; formerly of Cincinnati Bengals; attended Ohio State University and University of Maryland.
* Ayinde Eley (2017) – professional football player for the BC Lions.
* Lindsey Pulliam (2017) – professional basketball player for Slávia Banská Bystrica; drafted by the Atlanta Dream in the third round of the 2021 WNBA draft; formerly of Elazığ İl Özel İdarespor, CB Estudiantes, and Valur; silver medal winner for Team USA at 2019 Pan American Games; graduate of Northwestern University.
* Josh Paschal (2017) – 2022 second-round pick by NFL's Detroit Lions; graduate of University of Kentucky.
* Mohamed Ibrahim (2017) – undrafted free agent running back signed in 2023 by NFL's Detroit Lions; graduate of University of Minnesota.
* Jalen Green (2019) – former defensive end for the James Madison Dukes; 2023 First-Team NCAA All-American.
* Cam Hart (2019) – 2024 fifth-round pick by NFL's Los Angeles Chargers; graduate of University of Notre Dame.
* Heather Hinz (2019) – professional soccer player for Houston Dash of NWSL.
* Jameese Joseph (2019) – professional soccer player for Chicago Red Stars of NWSL.
* Kris Jenkins (2020) – 2024 second-round pick by NFL's Cincinnati Bengals; winner of 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship with University of Michigan