Seton Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Seton Catholic Preparatory High School is a college preparatory, co-educational Catholic
high school in Chandler, Arizona
. Seton Catholic Preparatory, named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, was established in 1954 and is staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
, Mesa
, and Chandler, the Diocese of Phoenix moved the school site to a location at Dobson and Ray roads, referred to when it opened as the "Seton Catholic High School Tri-City Campus". (For a time in the 1980s, the school even took the full name Seton Catholic Tri-City High School, though it was short-lived.) The school office at the site was completed in March 1983. That fall, the school reached a then-all-time high for enrollment, 259 students.
The 1990s saw stunning growth at Seton. Though Seton entered the 1990s at enrollment levels lower than any seen since the new campus, it jumped to 343 students in 1994 (when it broke ground on a new gymnasium) and to 493 students – the highest in its history – by 1999. In the 1990s, the school also built six new science classrooms.
The 1990s and 2000s were times of similarly prolific growth in the East Valley. As the only Catholic high school located central enough to serve the area (though it by no means is centrally located given the sprawl and rise of towns like Gilbert and Queen Creek), Seton continued to reap rewards in enrollment growth, and at its height, in the fall of 2004, Seton had 604 students.
In 2007, two things happened: the school finished its new, copper-domed chapel, and Seton was placed into 4A Division II athletics by the Arizona Interscholastic Association
. Since then, the school has won three girls' volleyball state titles, three softball state titles, and two girls' basketball state titles. In May 2009, the school officially renamed to Seton Catholic Preparatory High School. In February 2010, the school broke ground on a new, two-story academic building and black box theater complex. In October 2010, the school was the only school in Arizona and one of fifty in the United States chosen by the Catholic High School Honor Roll project to be on its honor roll. This will last for the next two years.
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"...
high school in Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%...
. Seton Catholic Preparatory, named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, was established in 1954 and is staffed by the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
History
It opened in 1954 at a different site in the city of Chandler, as just Seton Catholic High School or Seton High School. A fire destroyed the old campus in September 1980. Looking to be more centrally located to serve the growing cities of TempeTempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
, Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, and Chandler, the Diocese of Phoenix moved the school site to a location at Dobson and Ray roads, referred to when it opened as the "Seton Catholic High School Tri-City Campus". (For a time in the 1980s, the school even took the full name Seton Catholic Tri-City High School, though it was short-lived.) The school office at the site was completed in March 1983. That fall, the school reached a then-all-time high for enrollment, 259 students.
The 1990s saw stunning growth at Seton. Though Seton entered the 1990s at enrollment levels lower than any seen since the new campus, it jumped to 343 students in 1994 (when it broke ground on a new gymnasium) and to 493 students – the highest in its history – by 1999. In the 1990s, the school also built six new science classrooms.
The 1990s and 2000s were times of similarly prolific growth in the East Valley. As the only Catholic high school located central enough to serve the area (though it by no means is centrally located given the sprawl and rise of towns like Gilbert and Queen Creek), Seton continued to reap rewards in enrollment growth, and at its height, in the fall of 2004, Seton had 604 students.
In 2007, two things happened: the school finished its new, copper-domed chapel, and Seton was placed into 4A Division II athletics by the Arizona Interscholastic Association
Arizona Interscholastic Association
The Arizona Interscholastic Association is the major high school sports association in the state of Arizona. It comprises most of the state's public district high schools, various charter and private schools, plus one high school in California San Pasqual High School in Winterhaven, California,...
. Since then, the school has won three girls' volleyball state titles, three softball state titles, and two girls' basketball state titles. In May 2009, the school officially renamed to Seton Catholic Preparatory High School. In February 2010, the school broke ground on a new, two-story academic building and black box theater complex. In October 2010, the school was the only school in Arizona and one of fifty in the United States chosen by the Catholic High School Honor Roll project to be on its honor roll. This will last for the next two years.