Trenton Catholic Academy
Encyclopedia
Trenton Catholic Academy is a regional Catholic
elementary and high
school in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
, serving students in pre-K through 12th grade
, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
.
The schools is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
.
As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 493 students and 49.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0.
The name McCorristin refers to Monsignor Michael (Iron Mike) McCorristin, a well known Catholic cleric responsible for major parish expansion projects at Holy Angels Church and Saint Anthony Church in Hamilton, Mercer County, NJ (a suburb of Trenton). The announcement of the closing of Trenton Catholic High School in the early 1960s prompted Monsignor McCorristin to build a new high school to serve the parishes of Trenton and Hamilton Township. Monsignor McCorristin was noted for his staunch support of education and parish life as well as a devotion to a spartan personal lifestyle.
Trenton Catholic Academy competes in the Burlington County Scholastic League
(BCSL), which consists of nineteen public and non-public high schools covering Burlington County
, Mercer County
and Ocean County
in central New Jersey
. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
(NJSIAA).
The girls basketball team won the 2006 South B state sectional title, topping Cardinal McCarrick High School
64-53.
The team won the South B state sectional championship again in 2007 with a 74-54 win over Sacred Heart High School
. The team moved on to win the Group B State Championship with a commanding 69-27 win against St. Anthony High School
.
The Trenton Catholic lower school soccer team won all their matches in the 2008 season.
The 2008-09 Trenton Catholic Lower School Girl's basketball team finished the season with a 26-1 record, won the Mercer County CYO Championship, and was Runner-up in the Tournament of Champions.
At the high school level the Iron Mikes have added other sports to the list such as Cross Country, Winter and Outdoor Track for the 2008-09 year.
The 2009-10 Trenton Catholic boys' basketball team became the first Mercer County team to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, defeating the Irish of Camden Catholic High School
, 53-39, at the Izod Center on March 23, 2010.
On March 21, 2011 the Trenton Catholic Academy girls' basketball team defeated Neptune HS 54-49 in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final. In doing so, TCA became the first New Jersey high school to capture both a boys (2010) and girls (2011) TOC title.
Notable alumni
[Correction] Nick Werkman and Joe Plumeri graduated from Trenton Catholic Boys High School in 1960 and 1961 respectively. Trenton Catholic Boys High School was located on Chestnut Avenue in Trenton and closed in June 1962. The Trenton Catholic Academy on Leonard Avenue in Hamilton (and its predecessors, St. Anthony High School and McCorristin High School) has no affiliation with the former Trenton Catholic Boys High School.
A little background on Catholic high schools in Trenton
St. Mary’s Cathedral High School opened its doors around 1900. Cathedral was coed through June 1936 when it changed to an all girls high school. Immaculate Conception High
School had opened in September 1921 using the building of the former St. Francis College on Chestnut Avenue. It too was coed through the
1935-36 school year. In September 1936 it became an all boys high
school. The boys from Cathedral High School and the girls from Immaculate Conception High School swapped schools in September 1936. It wasn’t until 1938 that the name of the high school was changed from Immaculate Conception to Trenton Catholic Boys High School. The
nickname of the school remained “Golden Wave”. Cathedral was
known as the “Gaels” beginning 1962. Other parishes in Trenton may have
established their own high schools during earlier years but by
the 1930s Immaculate Conception and St. Mary’s Cathedral were the
only Catholic parishes operating high schools in Trenton. From
the fall of 1936 until 1957 when the Catholic Diocese of Trenton opened Notre Dame
High School on Lawrenceville Road, the gender of the Trenton area student
determined the Catholic high school that was attended. Parish affiliation
was the factor that determined attendance at Notre Dame High School. The
number of graduates of Trenton Catholic and Cathedral each
declined by nearly 100 students between June 1957 and June 1961.
Presumably these 200 students were now graduating from Notre Dame.
In February 1962 it was announced that Trenton Catholic Boys High
School would be closing at the end of the school year. In April 1961, Msgr. Michael McCorristin of St. Anthony’s Church on South Olden Avenue had announced that his parish would be building a
parish high school on Leonard Avenue in Hamilton Township. The
teaching staff would include lay teachers and Franciscan nuns.
The Franciscan nuns of Aston, Pa. were also the primary teachers
at the grammar schools operated by these same four parishes. The parish high school was to be named St. Anthony's High School and when it was announced that Trenton Catholic would be closing, it was decided that graduating students from Immaculate Conception, Holy Angels and St. Raphael's in addition to St. Anthony's parish would be allowed to enroll in September 1962. Students from these four parishes who would be sophomores in September would be accepted as transfers. Boys
from these four parishes who would have been juniors and seniors
at Trenton Catholic in September 1962 would transfer to Cathedral
High School. The first graduating class for St. Anthony HS was in June 1965. Cathedral was coed again from September 1962 until it closed in June 1972. In June 1979 St.
Anthony HS was renamed McCorristin HS in honor of its founder.
It was renamed again in September 2005 to Trenton Catholic Academy
and divided into an upper division (grades 9-12) and lower division
(grades 1-8). Earlier in 2005, the Diocese of Trenton had announced the
closing of last remaining parochial grammar schools in the city of
Trenton and those affected students would be accommodated at the lower
division of TCA.
External links
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
elementary and high
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
school in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Hamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
, serving students in pre-K through 12th grade
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....
, under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes the counties of Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean, and Mercer ....
.
The schools is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
.
As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 493 students and 49.1 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.0.
History
Trenton Catholic Academy's high school, i.e., upper school, was known as McCorristin Catholic High School from 1979 to 2005. Prior to 1979, the school was known as Saint Anthony High School and was affiliated with Saint Anthony Church on Olden Avenue in Hamilton Township.The name McCorristin refers to Monsignor Michael (Iron Mike) McCorristin, a well known Catholic cleric responsible for major parish expansion projects at Holy Angels Church and Saint Anthony Church in Hamilton, Mercer County, NJ (a suburb of Trenton). The announcement of the closing of Trenton Catholic High School in the early 1960s prompted Monsignor McCorristin to build a new high school to serve the parishes of Trenton and Hamilton Township. Monsignor McCorristin was noted for his staunch support of education and parish life as well as a devotion to a spartan personal lifestyle.
Trenton Catholic Academy competes in the Burlington County Scholastic League
Burlington County Scholastic League
The Burlington County Scholastic League is a New Jersey high school sports association under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association...
(BCSL), which consists of nineteen public and non-public high schools covering Burlington County
Burlington County, New Jersey
There were 154,371 households out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 22.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had...
, Mercer County
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
and Ocean County
Ocean County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 510,916 people, 200,402 households, and 137,876 families residing in the county. The population density was 803 people per square mile . There were 248,711 housing units at an average density of 151/km²...
in central New Jersey
Central Jersey
Central Jersey is a common designation for a region of the state of New Jersey in the United States of America. Trenton is considered the boundary between designated "North Jersey" and "South Jersey"...
. The league operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.-State championships:...
(NJSIAA).
The girls basketball team won the 2006 South B state sectional title, topping Cardinal McCarrick High School
Cardinal McCarrick High School
Cardinal McCarrick High School is a Catholic secondary school located in South Amboy, New Jersey.As of the 2007-08 school year, the school had an enrollment of 469 students and 31.3 classroom teachers , for a student–teacher ratio of 13.0....
64-53.
The team won the South B state sectional championship again in 2007 with a 74-54 win over Sacred Heart High School
Sacred Heart High School (New Jersey)
Sacred Heart High School is a co-educational four-year Catholic high school in Vineland, New Jersey, United States, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden...
. The team moved on to win the Group B State Championship with a commanding 69-27 win against St. Anthony High School
St. Anthony High School (New Jersey)
St. Anthony High School is a four-year co-educational Roman Catholic high school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark...
.
The Trenton Catholic lower school soccer team won all their matches in the 2008 season.
The 2008-09 Trenton Catholic Lower School Girl's basketball team finished the season with a 26-1 record, won the Mercer County CYO Championship, and was Runner-up in the Tournament of Champions.
At the high school level the Iron Mikes have added other sports to the list such as Cross Country, Winter and Outdoor Track for the 2008-09 year.
The 2009-10 Trenton Catholic boys' basketball team became the first Mercer County team to win the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, defeating the Irish of Camden Catholic High School
Camden Catholic High School
Camden Catholic High School is a four-year comprehensive private coeducational Roman Catholic High School, located in Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey, serving students from the Camden County area...
, 53-39, at the Izod Center on March 23, 2010.
On March 21, 2011 the Trenton Catholic Academy girls' basketball team defeated Neptune HS 54-49 in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final. In doing so, TCA became the first New Jersey high school to capture both a boys (2010) and girls (2011) TOC title.
Notable alumni
- Billy GazonasBilly GazonasBilly Gazonas is a former U.S. soccer midfielder who won the 1977 Hermann Trophy as the top collegiate soccer player of the year. He four seasons in the North American Soccer League and several in Major Indoor Soccer League.-Youth:...
(born c. 1955), soccer midfielderMidfielderA midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who won the 1977 Hermann TrophyHermann TrophyThe Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
as the top collegiate soccer player of the year, and played in both the North American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer LeagueNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and Major Indoor Soccer LeagueMajor Soccer LeagueThe Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
. In 1999, he was named by The Star-LedgerThe Star-LedgerThe Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
as one of the top ten New Jersey high school soccer players of the 1970s. - Joe J. PlumeriJoe J. PlumeriJoseph J. "Joe" Plumeri II is the Chairman and CEO of Willis Group Holdings , a New York Stock Exchange-listed insurance broker. The company has 17,000 employees in 400 offices, which are located in 120 countries...
(born 1944), Chairman & CEO of Willis Group HoldingsWillis Group HoldingsWillis Group Holdings is a global insurance broker headquartered in the Willis Building, London, United Kingdom. It has more than 400 offices in 120 countries, and approximately 17,000 employees...
, and owner of the Trenton ThunderTrenton ThunderThe Trenton Thunder are an American Minor League Baseball team and are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Thunder play in the Eastern Division of the Eastern League, and are the two-time defending league champions...
. - Nick WerkmanNick WerkmanNicholas "Nick" G. Werkman III is an American former basketball player for the Seton Hall Pirates of South Orange, New Jersey. In just three seasons, Nick "The Quick" Werkman compiled 2,273 points and 1,036 rebounds and is currently one of only four players in Seton Hall University history to score...
, NCAA men's basketball leading scorer in 1962–63 for Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
[Correction] Nick Werkman and Joe Plumeri graduated from Trenton Catholic Boys High School in 1960 and 1961 respectively. Trenton Catholic Boys High School was located on Chestnut Avenue in Trenton and closed in June 1962. The Trenton Catholic Academy on Leonard Avenue in Hamilton (and its predecessors, St. Anthony High School and McCorristin High School) has no affiliation with the former Trenton Catholic Boys High School.
A little background on Catholic high schools in Trenton
St. Mary’s Cathedral High School opened its doors around 1900. Cathedral was coed through June 1936 when it changed to an all girls high school. Immaculate Conception High
School had opened in September 1921 using the building of the former St. Francis College on Chestnut Avenue. It too was coed through the
1935-36 school year. In September 1936 it became an all boys high
school. The boys from Cathedral High School and the girls from Immaculate Conception High School swapped schools in September 1936. It wasn’t until 1938 that the name of the high school was changed from Immaculate Conception to Trenton Catholic Boys High School. The
nickname of the school remained “Golden Wave”. Cathedral was
known as the “Gaels” beginning 1962. Other parishes in Trenton may have
established their own high schools during earlier years but by
the 1930s Immaculate Conception and St. Mary’s Cathedral were the
only Catholic parishes operating high schools in Trenton. From
the fall of 1936 until 1957 when the Catholic Diocese of Trenton opened Notre Dame
High School on Lawrenceville Road, the gender of the Trenton area student
determined the Catholic high school that was attended. Parish affiliation
was the factor that determined attendance at Notre Dame High School. The
number of graduates of Trenton Catholic and Cathedral each
declined by nearly 100 students between June 1957 and June 1961.
Presumably these 200 students were now graduating from Notre Dame.
In February 1962 it was announced that Trenton Catholic Boys High
School would be closing at the end of the school year. In April 1961, Msgr. Michael McCorristin of St. Anthony’s Church on South Olden Avenue had announced that his parish would be building a
parish high school on Leonard Avenue in Hamilton Township. The
teaching staff would include lay teachers and Franciscan nuns.
The Franciscan nuns of Aston, Pa. were also the primary teachers
at the grammar schools operated by these same four parishes. The parish high school was to be named St. Anthony's High School and when it was announced that Trenton Catholic would be closing, it was decided that graduating students from Immaculate Conception, Holy Angels and St. Raphael's in addition to St. Anthony's parish would be allowed to enroll in September 1962. Students from these four parishes who would be sophomores in September would be accepted as transfers. Boys
from these four parishes who would have been juniors and seniors
at Trenton Catholic in September 1962 would transfer to Cathedral
High School. The first graduating class for St. Anthony HS was in June 1965. Cathedral was coed again from September 1962 until it closed in June 1972. In June 1979 St.
Anthony HS was renamed McCorristin HS in honor of its founder.
It was renamed again in September 2005 to Trenton Catholic Academy
and divided into an upper division (grades 9-12) and lower division
(grades 1-8). Earlier in 2005, the Diocese of Trenton had announced the
closing of last remaining parochial grammar schools in the city of
Trenton and those affected students would be accommodated at the lower
division of TCA.
External links