Central Catholic High School (Massachusetts)

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Central Catholic High School
Central Catholic High School, Lawrence MA.jpg
Central Catholic High School
Address
300 Hampshire Street
Lawrence
Lawrence, MA, Massachusetts, (Essex County) 01841
United States
Coordinates 42°42′45″N 71°10′17″W / 42.71250°N 71.17139°W / 42.71250; -71.17139Coordinates: 42°42′45″N 71°10′17″W / 42.71250°N 71.17139°W / 42.71250; -71.17139
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic,
Marist Brothers
Patron saint(s) Saint Marcellin Champagnat, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Established 1935 (1935)
Founder Brother Florentius
President Chris Sullivan
Chairperson Joe Faro '87
Principal Doreen Keller
Faculty 125
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1330 (2015–2016)
Average class size 24
Student to teacher ratio 14:1
Campus Urban
Campus size 1 Block
Campus type Cluster
Color(s) Red and navy blue         
Athletics conference Merrimack Valley Conference (MVC)
Team name Raiders
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Tuition $12,690 (2015–2016)
Alumni 14,000+
Admissions Director Christopher Merrill
Athletic Director Ernie DiFiore
Website centralcatholic.net

Central Catholic High School is a college preparatory school with an academic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts and an athletic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts associated with the Marist Brothers of the Schools and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and founded in 1935 by Brother Florentius. In 2010, Doreen Keller became the school's first woman principal. The president is Chris Sullivan. The school has approximately 1,330 students and growing and 14,000+ alumni. It was originally a boys-only school, but has been co-educational since 1996. [3]

History[edit]

Sources[2]

  • 1926: Brother Florentius founds Mount Saint Michael Academy in Bronx, New York
  • 1932: Brother Florentius is assigned as principal of St. Anne's School in Lawrence, Massachusetts
  • 1935
    • July: Brother Florentius announces that Central Catholic High School was scheduled to open in September, meeting the need of an all-boys school in Lawrence
    • September 16: Fifty boys began their first day of classes at Central Catholic at its location on Haverhill Street
  • 1935–1938: The school outgrows its small campus at the Knights of Columbus building and expands into borrowed spaces at Holy Trinity School, Franklin Street School, and Hampshire Street School. The Hampshire Street site would later grow into the school's current location.
  • 1938
    • May 1: Brother Florentius dies
    • June 10: Ground is broken on Auburn Street, near the intersection of Hampshire Street, on a permanent building for the school
    • August: Brother Joseph Abel is named principal
    • June: The fifty boys who enrolled in school four years previously become the school's first graduating class
    • December 11: The completed building is dedicated, complete with eight classrooms, a library, cafeteria, science laboratory, and residence quarters for the fifteen Marist Brothers who taught at the school
  • June 1945: The school graduates its 400th student
  • 1950: Memorial Gymnasium Building is completed with the largest-at-the-time auditorium seating 2500 and gymnasium in the Merrimack Valley, locker rooms, and more classrooms. The building, still in use to this day, is known as the "Gym Building"
  • 1951: Memorial Gymnasium Building is dedicated to fourteen alumni killed in action during World War II
  • 1960: The first three lay teachers are hired at the school. Two of these men, Mr. Warren Hayes and Mr. Michael Sullivan, continued teaching until 2001.
  • 1967: The first lay female teacher is hired at the school
  • 1969: The Board of Directors are established and initiate a campaign to construct a new building
  • 1970: The new building, at 300 Hampshire Street, is opened and is still used to this day.
  • September 16, 1971: The Hampshire Street building is dedicated
  • 1972: The Auburn Street building's use is discontinued
  • 1984: The Auburn Street building is demolished
  • 1989: Football team wins its first Merrimack Valley Conference Football title completing a perfect 10–0 regular season. The team was led by dynamic big-play receiver Mark Conway, who was named to the Boston Herald All Scholastic team.
  • Mid '90s: The Memorial Gymnasium Building undergoes extensive renovations.
  • September 1996: Upon the closing of its sister school, St. Mary's High School, Central Catholic opens in September as a co-educational institution and admitting young women from St Mary's as well as from throughout the Merrimack Valley.
  • December 1997: Football team wins the MIAA Division II Super Bowl by beating Wakefield, MA 34–16 behind captain Joseph Uliano '98 who was The Eagle-Tribune Defensive Player of the Year and named to both the Boston Herald and Boston Globe All-Scholastic Teams.[3]
  • December 1998: Football team repeats as MIAA Division II Super Bowl champions with its 29–13 victory over Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (Acton, MA) behind captain and 2-time MIAA Super Bowl champion quarterback Niall Murphy '99.[3]
  • March 14, 1999: The Central Catholic Boys Varsity Basketball Team wins their first MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) Division 1 State Championship, beating Holy Name of Worcester 63–57 in the title game.[4] The team was led by Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year,[5] Merrimack Valley Conference MVP, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, and eventual McDonald's All-American Scott Hazelton '00.[3]
  • 1999: Brother Thomas Long, FMS, who graduated from the school in 1973, is appointed as the first president of the school. Mr. David DeFillippo, from the class of 1966, is appointed as the school's first layperson principal. Marc Pelletier, from the class of 1979, is named Dean of Students
  • 2001: Christopher Sullivan, from the class of 1981, is named Dean of Studies.
  • 2003: The replacement of 1100 student lockers paid for by Walk 4 and 5
  • 2005: A brand new $12.5 Million addition is opened which connects the Memorial Gymnasium to the Hampshire street building and includes a new main entrance between the buildings, a new cafeteria, chapel and state-of-the art lab and computer facilities
  • April 25, 2006: In Memoriam: Mr. Peter V. O'Sullivan, beloved teacher, mentor and coach at Central for over 30 years dies.
  • 2006: For the first time in the school's history, 100% of Central Catholic's 272 seniors graduate and go on to higher education.
  • March 15, 2008: The Central Catholic Boys Varsity Basketball Team wins the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) Division 1 State Championship, beating St. John's High School (Shrewsbury, MA) in the title game, and complete the season ranked #17 in the nation by maxpreps.com.
  • July 2010: Doreen Keller is named first woman principal at Central Catholic.
  • November 2010: The girls varsity soccer team wins their first ever MIAA Division 1 State Title in the 15 yr history of the program. The game was against Shrewsbury at Worcester State College November 19 where the Raiders took the Colonials down 2–1.
  • August 2013: School President Bro. Thomas P. Long, FMS resigns.
  • October 2013: Brother Rick Carey is named CCHS President.[6]
  • December 7, 2013: Football team wins the MIAA Division I State Championship by defeating Xaverian 34–17, behind head coach Chuck Adamopoulos, nicknamed Ground Chuck, captain and All-State running back D'Andre Drummond-Mayrie and wide receiver Cody Demers.[7]

Campus[edit]

Central Catholic's campus consists of three inter-connected buildings on a small plot of land off Hampshire Street in north Lawrence. The first of which is the oldest remaining part of the Auburn St. school known as the Memorial Gymnasium, known as the "Gym Building" (opened 1950). This building houses classrooms in a hallway known as "the Horseshoe" and the gym, along with a large performance stage. The second of which is the Hampshire Street building, known as the "Old Building" (opened 1969). This building houses the small gymnasium, theatre, administrative offices, computer labs, library, and classrooms. Third, an 80,000 square foot $12.8 Million building, the South Wing is known as the "New Building" (opened 2005). This building houses the new main entrance and lobby, offices of the president and principal, the campus store, additional locker rooms, the campus ministry office, the cafeteria, state-of-the-art science labs, the chapel, and classrooms. The Lawrence campus has a softball field adjacent to the parking lot by Holly St.

Because of a lack of playing fields at its urban campus, Central Catholic is exploring the possibility of developing a satellite athletic campus to serve its growing athletic program.

Academic departments[edit]

Graduation awards[edit]

The two major awards given at graduation ceremonies every year are the Brother Florentius, FMS Memorial Award, which is the highest honor presented to "the graduate who best exemplifies the ideals and values embodied in the founder of Central Catholic High School" and the Florentian Yearbook Dedication, presented "by the graduating class to the person or persons whom they consider worth of special praise." The Florentius award has been given annually since 1963 and the Florentian Dedication has been given annually since the inception of the yearbook in 1945. Also given at graduation are the Michael Garvey Award which is given to an outstanding male student-athlete and the Mary J. Kilcoyne Award is given to the outstanding female athlete.

Athletics[edit]

Central Catholic Raiders are a member of the MIAA and the Merrimack Valley Conference. Up until 2000, the athletic teams were known as the Red Raiders, but the school dropped the word "Red" in 2000. The school offers 29 varsity programs and 51 teams at levels such as varsity, junior varsity, and freshman. Central Catholic has a softball field and open practice field on its Lawrence, MA campus.

On February 24, 2007 the Central Catholic Raiders received their first-ever invitation to participate in a play-in game for the Super Eight Hockey Tournament. The team beat Waltham in the play-in game and then proceeded to win one game against Malden Catholic High School and lose to both Catholic Memorial and Weymouth High School respectively in the round-robin bracket round. The football team, track teams, and girls' lacrosse team share the Veterans Memorial Stadium (Lawrence) with Lawrence High School. The baseball team has qualified for the MIAA tournament 20 of the past 24 years winning the North Sectional Championship once while runners up two other times. The baseball team has 8 MVC championship crowns ('08 & '09 & 10'most recent).

In 2008 the baseball team won the MIAA prestigious sportsmanship TEAM award as well as the Massachusetts Alliance for Sportsmanship award given by the Boston Red Sox. The boys winning the state championship in 2008. Girls were state champs in 2009. The golf team year in and year out competes for the MVC championship winning 5 back to back titles in recent years as well as in 2009. Wrestling and track perennially contend for MVC, sectional, and state championships. The boys recently won the 2009 state championship in outdoor track. The softball team in '08 won the Div 2 North Sectional Championship and more recently won the MVC Championship in 2010 . The Lady raider soccer program just captured their first MVC crown in ten years in 2008 and repeated in 09'. On March 14 of 09' the girls won the state championship in girls hoop at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. The Boys Outdoor Track team are back-to-back State Champions, in '09 and '10.

In 2013, the football team made a magical cinderella run to the Division 1 State Championship, upsetting multiple powerhouse programs throughout the playoffs including Everett, Acton-Boxborough, and Xaverian. They finished the season with a 12–1 record and defeated Xaverian in the Division 1 State Championship by a score of 34–17.

The school colors are red & navy blue. Those color are proudly worn during pep rallies and games as Central Catholic has some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic fans in the nation. The school has had a history of fans who have gone particularly out of their way to show their dedication. "Moses Parting the Red Sea", one of unique rallying cheers, has gone viral on Facebook since his first appearance in 2010. [8]

Sports teams[edit]

  • Baseball (boys' varsity, junior varsity, and freshman)
  • Basketball (boys' and girls' varsity, junior varsity, and freshman)
  • Cheerleading (co-ed varsity and junior varsity)
  • Cross Country (boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity)
  • Field Hockey (girl's varsity and junior varsity)
  • Football (varsity, junior varsity, sophomore, and freshman)
  • Golf (co-ed, varsity)
  • Gymnastics (co-ed, varsity)
  • Ice hockey (varsity, junior varsity a, and junior varsity b)
  • Indoor Track (boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity)
  • Lacrosse (boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity)
  • Outdoor Track (boys' and girls' varsity, junior varsity)
  • Soccer (boys' and girls' varsity, junior varsity, and freshman)
  • Softball (girls' varsity, junior varsity, and freshman)
  • Swimming and Diving (boys' and girls' varsity)
  • Tennis (boys' and girls' varsity)
  • Volleyball (boys' and girls' varsity and junior varsity and girls' freshman)
  • Wrestling (co-ed varsity and junior varsity)

Non-athletic activities and clubs[edit]

  • Liturgical Band
  • Student Newspaper (Raider Review)
  • Passport Club
  • GUTS (Guys and Girls United to Serve)
  • Student Council
  • Executive Board – consisting of class officers from all four grade levels
  • Theatre Guild
  • Catwalk for Cancer
  • Model United Nations
  • National Honor Society
  • Interact Club
  • Bowling Club
  • Yearbook Club
  • Technology Club
  • Art Club
  • Karate Club
  • Ski Club
  • Cinema Club
  • Math League
  • Student Alumni Association (SAA)
  • Mock Trial Club
  • Peer Leadership
  • Project Rebuild
  • Marist Youth Group
  • Fishing Club
  • Concert/Pep/Jazz Band
  • Spectrum Club
  • Robotics Club
  • International Dance Club
  • Chess Club
  • Amnesty International
  • Anime Club

Tuition and financial aid[edit]

The tuition cost of Central Catholic High School was $12,690 for the 2015/2016 school year. Central Catholic offers a financial aid program. Thirty percent of students receive some form of assistance or scholarship. [9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009. 
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ a b c [2] Archived September 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Central Catholic does job". Boston Globe. March 14, 1999. 
  5. ^ Massachusetts Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ http://www.centralcatholic.net/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=696835.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ http://www.centralcatholic.net/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=703136.  Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/12/19/lawrence-schools-moses-cheer-goes-viral-on-youtube/
  9. ^ http://www.centralcatholic.net/podium/default.aspx?t=127960

External links[edit]

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