Cathedral High School (Springfield, Massachusetts)

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Cathedral High School
Address
321 Main Street
Wilbraham, Massachusetts, (Hampden County) 01095
United States
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1883
Authority Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Principal John Miller
Staff 25
Faculty 44
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 166 (2015/16)
Color(s) Purple and White         
Slogan PRO DEO PRO PATRIA
Athletics conference Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference (PVIAC)
Team name Panthers
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Publication Cathedral Literary Magazine
Newspaper Cathedral Chronicle
Yearbook PantherPix
Athletic Director Joe Hegarty
Website www.cathedralhigh.org

Cathedral High School is a Catholic co-educational college-preparatory high school in Springfield, Massachusetts. Opened in 1883 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph at the diocese's Saint Michael's Cathedral, its current facility has been at 321 Main Street in Wilbraham, Massachusetts due to the June 1, 2011, tornado. It is one of four Catholic high schools within the Springfield Roman Catholic Diocese.

History

In 1883, the diocese's Bishop Patrick Thomas O'Reilly sought a teaching staff for a high school in response to the growing number of Catholic immigrants in the area. Responding to the call, two members of the Sisters of St. Joseph from Flushing, New York came to Springfield to start up the school. In the years that followed Cathedral High School flourished in facilities on Elliot Street in downtown Springfield. By the 1940s the school had grown to nearly 1600 students. The school had outgrown its facilities, so the Diocese purchased a 30 acre (121,000 m²) farm on Surrey and Wendover Roads in Springfield and built a new school. It opened on September 9, 1959. In the first decade at Surrey Road student enrollment grew to more than 2600 students.

Cathedral maintains a strong reputation in the Greater Springfield area for academic excellence and success in extracurricular and athletic activities.

In 2002 the school was re-accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

In an effort to consolidate the Diocese's educational resources in the wake of increasing financial difficulties, Cathedral High School was selected to host the newly established St. Michael's Academy, which now hosts students from Grades 6 to 8. From 2008 to 2009, Cathedral was extensively remodeled to accommodate the new facility, which occupied a full wing of the main school facility.

On June 1, 2011, Cathedral High School was severely damaged in the tornado that struck Springfield, Massachusetts. The building was declared a total loss. The students had finished the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year at Elms College, located in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The school has been based out of Memorial Elementary School in neighboring Wilbraham, Massachusetts since the 2011-2012 year. The original Cathedral High School completed demolition in 2015, with plans for a new facility under the name of Pope Francis High School having been approved for construction on the original site at Surrey Road.

Campus

The school's Surrey Road campus was in Springfield's East Forest Park Neighborhood on a green and hilly plot of land. The school was divided into four main sections. Most of the classrooms were in a building that, from the air, was shaped like a boxy eight with two courtyards in the open spaces formed by the eight. A small chapel took up part of the first floor in one of the courtyards. The school offices were near the main entrance, and the cafeteria extended towards the few athletic fields.

Extending north from the main building was the science wing. Because of the hills the school was built in, the science wing's first and second floors were just above the main building's second and third floors. The auditorium abutted the main building and was the largest high school auditorium in the area. On a lower grade than the rest of the school, were the gymnasium, a parking lot, and playing fields which included a full size football field that doubled as a soccer and lacrosse field.

Students and faculty

Throughout its history, Cathedral has predominantly served the students of the City of Springfield. However, many of its students have come from the suburbs of the city and some as far away as Sunderland, Palmer, and Connecticut. Being a Catholic school, a majority of its student have been Catholic. However, that has never been a requirement for admission. Currently, the school has approximately 250 students. 70% of the students are from Springfield itself.

The school has 45 faculty members and administrators. Most of the faculty have a master's degree. Many have taught at the school for 20+ years. For many years the faculty consisted of Sisters of St. Joseph and a small number of lay men and women. Today members of religious communities remain a vital part of the school community, but in significantly smaller numbers. Nearly all the teachers are full-time.

Cathedral High School also sponsors teachers who are in the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers, or PACT program, part of the University Consortium for Catholic Education. Through this program, young teachers are given the chance to earn a Masters in Education from Providence College, while devoting two years of service to the school where they are assigned. Currently, there is one teacher in the program at Cathedral and two graduates of the program still teach at the school.

In recent years, the school has maintained an approximate 15:1 student/teacher ratio. Some classes, particularly those that are compulsory, have a larger ratio. Others, particularly electives, have a smaller ratio.

In 2004, the school welcomed its first lay principal. With this, all Cathedral's academic leadership, including vice-principal, guidance director, business manager, librarians, and all department heads were lay people.

Cathedral High School is a college-preparatory program, where 96% of the graduates further their education. Members of the Class of 2009 attended Boston College, Boston University, Fairfield University; Fordham University, College of the Holy Cross, Northeastern University, Bryant University, Providence College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. Anselm’s, University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, University of Rochester, The Elms College, Villanova University, The Catholic University of America, and others.

Curriculum

Cathedral has religion, science, English, fine arts & business, social studies, foreign language, physical education and mathematics departments.

The school offers courses that challenge students at various skill levels in all grades in all the academic departments. Within their respective departments, Cathedral offers classes in scripture, world religions, earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, journalism, computer literacy, art (painting, drawing, and sculpture), United States History, World History, sociology, Spanish, French, Latin, algebra, geometry, calculus, and statistics. Many of these classes and others are available as college prep or honors. Advanced Placements are available in English, Calculus, Statistics, US History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Latin.

Sports

Cathedral has 39 sports teams at three competitive levels (varsity, JV and freshman). Over the past 70 years Cathedral teams have won countless Western Massachusetts and state titles, including in football, soccer, cross country, basketball, hockey, indoor track and field, baseball, outdoor track and field and tennis. The school's colors are purple and white. Cathedral's mascot is a Panther, and the squads are often referred to as the Purple Panthers.

With the exception of Field Hockey and Football, all sports have both boys' and girls' teams. Football, soccer, basketball, and baseball all have freshman, junior varsity, and varsity teams. The others have JV and varsity teams. In recent years, the school is perhaps best known for its Ice Hockey team. The Panthers have the only Division 1 hockey program in Western Massachusetts.

In 2009, the Cathedral High School ice hockey team won the Division 1 State Championship for the first time since 2003, beating Arlington Catholic, the Division 1 North Champions, for the title.

Clubs

Cathedral's clubs include several service groups, which organize events for the school and community. Some groups direct their efforts in volunteering (e.g. at a soup kitchen) or planning religious events, others organize dances and other activities. One such group is the school's Saint Thomas Aquinas chapter of the National Honor Society.

Other groups include yearbook, the school newspaper, photography, language clubs, choir/band, lighting and sound, Red Cross, Amnesty International, pro-life clubs, adventure club, drama, and Model Senate.

Notable alumni

References

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External links

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