Marist High School is a private Catholic preparatory high school located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, operated by the Marist Brothers on behalf of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Founded in 1963 as an all-male institution, the school became co-ed in 2002 and today educates over 1,700 young students each year. History In the early 1960s, the Christian Brothers of Ireland were asked by Cardinal Albert Gregory Meyer to operate an all-male high school on the far southwest side of Chicago, on land surrounded by St. Casimir Lithuanian Cemetery at the corner of 115th Street and Pulaski Road. With three area schools already under their purview (Leo Catholic High School, Brother Rice High School, and St. Laurence High School) the Christian Brothers declined, and shortly thereafter the Marist Brothers were asked to operate the school instead. Marist opened on September 9, 1963, with 323 young men enrolled in the charter class. In the mid-1990s, the Marist community decided to begin a transition from the school's original mascot and nickname, Redskins, to a less controversial one. RedHawks was chosen as the new mascot and nickname before the start the 1997–98 school year. This also caused several minor changes in student life, for example renaming the yearbook from Plainsman to The Lantern. The school remained an all-male institution until the 2002–03 school year, when girls were admitted for the first time. Starting in 2003, the school launched a multi-year fundraising campaign to advance needed upgrades to the school's physical structure, as well as to provide for the school's financial foundation, technology upgrades, and to continue financial assistance to students. Academics Like many Catholic high schools, students are required to take four years of coursework in religious studies. In their fourth year, students may opt out of traditional coursework and fulfill their graduation requirement through work in community service or in peer leadership. In community service, students are assigned to travel off campus to work at a hospital, a work community for adults with developmental disabilities, a grammar school, or other such environment. Peer leadership offers seniors the opportunity to work within a classroom aiding teachers and other students. Seventeen different AP classes are offered in: English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Calculus (both AB and BC), Biology, Chemistry, Physics (C), U.S. History, European History, U.S. Government and Politics, Psychology, Computer Science (A), Art History, Studio Art, French Language