Holyoke Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Holyoke Catholic High School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in Chicopee
, Massachusetts
, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
.
in Holyoke, Massachusetts
. The school is the product of the merger of three Catholic
parish schools in the City of Holyoke, with a fourth added later in the decade. The school flourished under the leadership of the Rev. John J. Mara for whom a campus building was later named.
The Chestnut Street campus was occupied from the fall of 1963 until the summer of 2002 when the Diocese of Springfield deemed the buildings "unsafe" for occupation. The Diocese commissioned the architectural firm of A.P. Casella to conduct the evaluation of the property. To address safety concerns, the Diocese suggested that the school be merged with the other Diocesan high school- Cathedral High School
. The merger would be temporary and last only until a new school could be built, but it never happened. The school was relocated temporarily to the former site of Saint Hyacinth Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts
.
In 2006, HCHS accepted an offer from Elms College
in Chicopee, Massachusetts
to occupy the nearby Assumption School. An $11 million renovation of the existing 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) building and construction of a 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) addition began on September 20, 2007. Construction was completed in August 2008, and the students attended their first full day of classes at the new location on August 28, 2008.
which sponsor athletic activities in 33 sports.
The school's athletic mascot is a gael
, a reflection on the school's Irish background. The school's colors are green and gold.
Holyoke Catholic's football program began in 1947 and continued until the end of the 1980 season. The varsity football program was revived in 2000 after entering into a co-op agreement with Granby High School. Due to low participation, the football program was once again shutdown before the start of the 2008 season.
Holyoke Catholic's boys' cross country and track program is under the direction of Coach Dan "Rudy" Lengieza, who as of 2011 had coached at the school for 48 years. Rudy will be inducted into the Holyoke Catholic High School's sports hall of fame in June 2011. In recent years, the girls' cross country and track program, coached by John Goda.
The school also participates in golf, cheerleading, cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, soccer, basketball, skiing, swimming and diving, baseball, softball, tennis, and lacrosse.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Roman Catholic high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Chicopee
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden in the state of Massachusetts. It is led by...
.
Background
Holyoke Catholic High School was founded in the fall of 1963 at the campus of the former Saint Jerome High SchoolSaint Jerome High School
Saint Jerome High School is a high school in Holyoke, Massachusetts-The early years:The Sisters of Notre Dame came to Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1869 to take charge of the education of girls. For many years, this was the only religious order in the parish of St. Jerome, Holyoke...
in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
. The school is the product of the merger of three Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
parish schools in the City of Holyoke, with a fourth added later in the decade. The school flourished under the leadership of the Rev. John J. Mara for whom a campus building was later named.
The Chestnut Street campus was occupied from the fall of 1963 until the summer of 2002 when the Diocese of Springfield deemed the buildings "unsafe" for occupation. The Diocese commissioned the architectural firm of A.P. Casella to conduct the evaluation of the property. To address safety concerns, the Diocese suggested that the school be merged with the other Diocesan high school- Cathedral High School
Cathedral High School (Springfield, Massachusetts)
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 260 Surrey Road since 1959 in one of the city's residential...
. The merger would be temporary and last only until a new school could be built, but it never happened. The school was relocated temporarily to the former site of Saint Hyacinth Seminary in Granby, Massachusetts
Granby, Massachusetts
Granby is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,420 at the 2010 census.It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is comprised in the census-designated place of Granby....
.
In 2006, HCHS accepted an offer from Elms College
Elms College
The College of Our Lady of the Elms, often called Elms College, is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near Springfield.- History :...
in Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee, Massachusetts
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in...
to occupy the nearby Assumption School. An $11 million renovation of the existing 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) building and construction of a 32000 square feet (2,972.9 m²) addition began on September 20, 2007. Construction was completed in August 2008, and the students attended their first full day of classes at the new location on August 28, 2008.
Athletics
Holyoke Catholic High School is part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), an organization of 368 high schoolswhich sponsor athletic activities in 33 sports.
The school's athletic mascot is a gael
Gaël
Gaël is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies southwest of Rennes between Saint-Méen-le-Grand and Mauron...
, a reflection on the school's Irish background. The school's colors are green and gold.
Holyoke Catholic's football program began in 1947 and continued until the end of the 1980 season. The varsity football program was revived in 2000 after entering into a co-op agreement with Granby High School. Due to low participation, the football program was once again shutdown before the start of the 2008 season.
Holyoke Catholic's boys' cross country and track program is under the direction of Coach Dan "Rudy" Lengieza, who as of 2011 had coached at the school for 48 years. Rudy will be inducted into the Holyoke Catholic High School's sports hall of fame in June 2011. In recent years, the girls' cross country and track program, coached by John Goda.
The school also participates in golf, cheerleading, cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, soccer, basketball, skiing, swimming and diving, baseball, softball, tennis, and lacrosse.