West Philadelphia Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
West Philadelphia Catholic High School is a co-educational Catholic
high school
in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 45th and Chestnut Streets, the University City
neighborhood of West Philadelphia
.
, opened in 1916, and West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School, opened in 1927.
When they originally opened, both West Catholic Girls and West Catholic Boys served students from West Philadlephia, Southwest Philadlephia and Delaware County. As more Archdiocesan high schools opened in the suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s, West's "feeder schools" became limited to parishes in West and Southwest Philadelphia. With the advent of "open enrollment" for Archdiocesan high schools in the 1990s, West Catholic continued to draw from West and Southwest Philadelphia, and also attracted students from throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs. Currently (2011), approximately 25% of the students come from suburban areas, with the other 75% from across the City of Phialdelphia.
, also known as the Christian Brothers, the Lasallian Brothers, the French Christian Brothers, or the De La Salle Brothers, is a Roman Catholic religious teaching order, founded by French Priest Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle.
De La Salle was a canon of the cathedral and came from a wealthy family. He dreamed of setting up free schools where the children of the working and poor class citizens could learn reading, writing and arithmetic and also receive religious instruction and other training appropriate for forming good Christians.
There are many Christian Brothers that still today work in the school.
St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle is the school's Patron Saint. The Blessed Mother is the School's Patroness.
Faculty
In addition to the Christian Brothers, the School faculty includes members of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph (Chestnut Hill), as well as lay teachers. The Chaplain is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The Christian Brothers taught at West Catholic Boys beginning in 1926 (succeeding the Brothers of Mary). The Immaculate Heart Sisters and the Sisters of St. Joseph are two of the women's religious teaching orders at West Catholic Girls.
) has awarded West Catholic the prestigious 'Blue Ribbon School of Excellence' recognition several times.
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the Blue Ribbon Schools program in the academic year of 1983-1984
Co-Educational West Philadelphia Catholic High School was also named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the Blue Ribbon Schools program in the academic years of 1994-1996.
West Catholic graduates have gone on to Swarthmore, NYU, Georgetown, Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.
West Catholic graduates earned scholarships such as Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, Gates Millennium Scholarships, Nelson Scholarships, Mayor's Scholarships, and an F.C. Haab Science Scholarship.
Below are statistics of West Catholic's recent graduating classes and some of their academic achievements.
Class of 2005
165 Graduates
152 (92%) attending further schooling
192 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$7,531,023 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2004
170 Graduates
156 (92%) attending further schooling
176 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$5,545,025 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2003
192 Graduates
173 (91%) attending further schooling
133 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$5,008,135 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2002
188 Graduates
171 (91%) attending further schooling
118 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$4,507,018 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2001
190 Graduates
172 (91%) attending further schooling
86 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$4,237,965 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Blue Division, which comprises schools with smaller enrollment.
In 1974 West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Girls won the city championship.
at the 46th Street Station and the 31 and 64 SEPTA bus routes.
(Southern and Blue Divisions).
West Catholic and the rest of the Philadelphia Catholic League
will soon be joing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
.
was first broadcast in the 1950s, and many girls from West regularly attended the show. The girls were forbidden to wear their school uniforms on TV, and wore cardigans over their uniforms, with their blouses' rounded collars showing. "Peter Pan collars" became popular as a result.
West's school colors are blue, gold, and white.
The West Catholic team nickname is the "Burrs," which was reportedly first used in a newspaper report on a football game. Chestnut Street has many burr trees.
Ethnicity
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
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 the Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It covers the City and County of Philadelphia as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. The diocese was...
. It is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 45th and Chestnut Streets, the University City
University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University City is the easternmost region of West Philadelphia.The University of Pennsylvania has long been the dominant institution in the area and was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban-renewal effort...
neighborhood of West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
.
Mission
West Philadelphia Catholic High School is a Catholic Community of Academic Excellence in an urban setting open to all students. The school's academic, technological, and co-curricular programs help develop our diverse student body into young men and women of strong moral character prepared to accept the challenges of a dynamic, ever changing global society. We believe that education is a life-long process and that the school, parents, and students are partners in the moral and academic learning experience.History
The school opened on September 8, 1989, as a result of a merger between West Philadelphia Catholic High School for BoysWest Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys open it doors in 1916 and was located on 49th between Chestnut and Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, opened in 1916, and West Philadelphia Catholic Girls High School, opened in 1927.
When they originally opened, both West Catholic Girls and West Catholic Boys served students from West Philadlephia, Southwest Philadlephia and Delaware County. As more Archdiocesan high schools opened in the suburbs in the 1950s and 1960s, West's "feeder schools" became limited to parishes in West and Southwest Philadelphia. With the advent of "open enrollment" for Archdiocesan high schools in the 1990s, West Catholic continued to draw from West and Southwest Philadelphia, and also attracted students from throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs. Currently (2011), approximately 25% of the students come from suburban areas, with the other 75% from across the City of Phialdelphia.
The Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian SchoolsInstitute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
, also known as the Christian Brothers, the Lasallian Brothers, the French Christian Brothers, or the De La Salle Brothers, is a Roman Catholic religious teaching order, founded by French Priest Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle.
De La Salle was a canon of the cathedral and came from a wealthy family. He dreamed of setting up free schools where the children of the working and poor class citizens could learn reading, writing and arithmetic and also receive religious instruction and other training appropriate for forming good Christians.
There are many Christian Brothers that still today work in the school.
St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle is the school's Patron Saint. The Blessed Mother is the School's Patroness.
Faculty
In addition to the Christian Brothers, the School faculty includes members of the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sisters of St. Joseph (Chestnut Hill), as well as lay teachers. The Chaplain is a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
The Christian Brothers taught at West Catholic Boys beginning in 1926 (succeeding the Brothers of Mary). The Immaculate Heart Sisters and the Sisters of St. Joseph are two of the women's religious teaching orders at West Catholic Girls.
Academics
Based on the school'sthe Blue Ribbon Schools program (in affiliation with the United States Department of Education
student focus and support; school organization and culture; challenging standards and curriculum; active teaching and learning; professional community; leadership and educational vitality; school, family, and community partnerships, and indicators of success,
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
) has awarded West Catholic the prestigious 'Blue Ribbon School of Excellence' recognition several times.
West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys was named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the Blue Ribbon Schools program in the academic year of 1983-1984
Co-Educational West Philadelphia Catholic High School was also named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the Blue Ribbon Schools program in the academic years of 1994-1996.
West Catholic graduates have gone on to Swarthmore, NYU, Georgetown, Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others.
West Catholic graduates earned scholarships such as Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards, Gates Millennium Scholarships, Nelson Scholarships, Mayor's Scholarships, and an F.C. Haab Science Scholarship.
Below are statistics of West Catholic's recent graduating classes and some of their academic achievements.
Class of 2005
165 Graduates
152 (92%) attending further schooling
192 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$7,531,023 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2004
170 Graduates
156 (92%) attending further schooling
176 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$5,545,025 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2003
192 Graduates
173 (91%) attending further schooling
133 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$5,008,135 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2002
188 Graduates
171 (91%) attending further schooling
118 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$4,507,018 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Class of 2001
190 Graduates
172 (91%) attending further schooling
86 Scholarships/Grants Awarded
$4,237,965 in Scholarship/Grant money awarded
Athletics
West Catholic is a member of the Philadelphia Catholic LeaguePhiladelphia Catholic League
The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school sports league composed of eighteen Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy by an Augustinian monk, who would later be...
Blue Division, which comprises schools with smaller enrollment.
Football highs and 'woes'
In the 2006 football season, varsity Head Coach Brian Fluck led his team to the Blue Division championship on December 2, 2006.Championship history
West Catholic has won several football championships. The following is a listing of the championship wins, the year they were won, and the winning head coach:- 1925: Tom Tracey
- 1932: Jocko McGarry
- 1940: Bob Dougherty
- 1941: Bob Dougherty
- 1943: Bob Dougherty
- 1944: Bob Dougherty
- 1945: Bill McCoy
- 1946: Bill McCoy
- 1951: Jack Shields
- 1962: Vince McAneney
- 1965: John McAneney
- 2006: Brian Fluck
- 2007: Brian Fluck
- 2008: Brian Fluck
- 2009: Brian Fluck
Rankings
West Catholic is currently second in the Catholic League's list of the Most Football Championships Won (behind Saint Joseph's Prep, whichholds the title with 15 championships won)Basketball
West Catholic has won many men's basketball championships:- 1921: Brother Michael Quinlan
- 1931: Jocko McGarry
- 1938: Pat Conway
- 1949: Joe Langan
- 1952: Jim Usilton, Jr.
- 1953: Jim Usilton, Jr.
- 1955: Jim Usilton, Jr.
- 1959: Bill Ludlow
In 1974 West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Girls won the city championship.
Rankings
West Catholic is currently fourth in the Catholic League's list of Most Basketball Championships Won (with the leader being Roman Catholic High School, which holds the title with 27 basketball championships won).Alumni
- Peter BoylePeter BoylePeter Lawrence Boyle, Jr. was an American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, and as a comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof Young Frankenstein ....
, actor - Elizabeth GallagherElizabeth GallagherElizabeth Gallagher was an American painter, illustrator, and author of children's books, including Spaghetti Betty and Skinny Minny, based on her comic of the same name that ran in the Chicago Tribune, the Philadelphia Bulletin, and the Washington Post during the 1960s.-Personal life:Born on June...
, artist and author - Jim MurrayJim Murray (football)Jim Murray is the co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House and a former General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a native of West Philadelphia and is also president of Jim Murray Ltd, a sports promotion and marketing firm.-Childhood Influences:...
, co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House and a former general managerGeneral managerGeneral manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... - Joseph Mark McSheaJoseph Mark McSheaJoseph Mark McShea was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Allentown from 1961 to 1983.-Early life and education:...
, founding bishop of AllentownRoman Catholic Diocese of AllentownThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown is a Roman Catholic diocese comprising the Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton and Schuylkill, in the United States. Its cathedral is the Cathedral Church of Saint Catharine of Siena, located in Allentown, Pennsylvania... - Daniel Bender, co-founder of Soul-Glow and creator of the disposable colostomy bag
- John Joseph Cardinal O'Connor,Archbishop of New York, 1984-2000.
Accessibility
West Catholic is easily accessible via the SEPTA Market-Frankford LineMarket-Frankford Line
The Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...
at the 46th Street Station and the 31 and 64 SEPTA bus routes.
Affiliations
West Catholic is a member of the National Catholic Education Association and the Philadelphia Catholic LeaguePhiladelphia Catholic League
The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school sports league composed of eighteen Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy by an Augustinian monk, who would later be...
(Southern and Blue Divisions).
West Catholic and the rest of the Philadelphia Catholic League
Philadelphia Catholic League
The Philadelphia Catholic League is a high school sports league composed of eighteen Catholic High Schools in Philadelphia and the surrounding Pennsylvania suburbs. The league itself was founded in the summer of 1920 on the steps of Villanova academy by an Augustinian monk, who would later be...
will soon be joing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc. is one of the governing bodies of high school and junior high school sports for the state of Pennsylvania, United States....
.
Fashion
West Catholic School for Girls was located near the Philadelphia television studios where American BandstandAmerican Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
was first broadcast in the 1950s, and many girls from West regularly attended the show. The girls were forbidden to wear their school uniforms on TV, and wore cardigans over their uniforms, with their blouses' rounded collars showing. "Peter Pan collars" became popular as a result.
School icons
The school's Patroness is Mary, Mother of God.West's school colors are blue, gold, and white.
The West Catholic team nickname is the "Burrs," which was reportedly first used in a newspaper report on a football game. Chestnut Street has many burr trees.
Student body
There were 819 students attending West Catholic:- Freshman: 222
- Sophomores: 210
- Juniors: 196
- Seniors: 191
Ethnicity
- Black - 68.86%
- White - 21.61%
- Asian/Pacific Islander - 7.81%
- Hispanic - 1.7%
- American Indian/Alaskan Native - 0%
External links
- West Philadelphia Catholic High School
- http://schools.privateschoolsreport.com/Pennsylvania|Philadelphia/WestPhiladelphiaCatholicHig.html
- http://www.westcatholicalumni.org/