Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
| Conwell-Egan Catholic High School | |
|---|---|
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| Character, Excellence, Commitment | |
| Address | |
| 611 Wistar Road Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, (Bucks County), 19030  United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°9′44″N 74°50′59″W / 40.16222°N 74.84972°WCoordinates: 40°9′44″N 74°50′59″W / 40.16222°N 74.84972°W |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1957 |
| School district | Archdiocese of Philadelphia |
| School code | 691-671 |
| President | Ms. Janet Dollard |
| Principal | Dr. Kathleen Herpich |
| Asst. Principal | Mr. Brian Lari Ms. Kelly O'Connor Mr. Evan Ortiz |
| Chaplain | Father Christopher Lucas |
| Faculty | 45 (2009) |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 570[1] (2011) |
| Color(s) | Royal Blue and White |
| Slogan | Character, Excellence, Commitment |
| Athletics conference | Philadelphia Catholic League |
| Mascot | Eagle |
| Team name | Eagles |
| Accreditation(s) | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[2] |
| Publication | The Secret Rose (literary magazine) |
| Newspaper | The Crier |
| Yearbook | Aerie |
| Admissions Director | Mr. Ryan Van Zelst |
| Athletic Director | Mr. Ray O'Hara |
| Website | www.conwell-egan.org |
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Conwell-Egan Catholic High School is a coeducational Catholic high school in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Contents |
[edit] History
In the early years of Levittown, a Roman Catholic high school was constructed to educate local teenagers. To accommodate Levittown's fast-growing population in the 1950s and 1960s, the school was split. The girls stayed in the original building in the heart of Levittown, attending Bishop Conwell High School. A new, much larger building was built in Fairless Hills for the boys and was named Bishop Egan High School. Over the years, students from across the region were bused to both schools, as well. However, with decreasing enrollment and increasing tuition, the two schools merged once again in 1993 and became known as Conwell-Egan Catholic High School (CEC). The present-day school is located in the former Bishop Egan building. The former Bishop Conwell building was demolished after standing empty for several years
In March 2011, the student enrollment had dwindled to just 689 students, half of the population in 1996. When asked about a possible closure of the school, school Superintendent Mary Rochford remarked that "anything below 500 students makes it difficult to continue." Rochford speculated that the main reason for the decline was that Bucks County's public schools "were already pretty good".[3]
On January 6, 2012, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that Conwell-Egan Catholic, along with three other Catholic high schools in the Philadelphia region, would permanently close at the end of the 2011-2012 school year. [4]
Conwell-Egan Catholic appealed the decision to the Archdiocese not to close citing the fact that it is the only Catholic high school in Lower Bucks County. Major efforts were put in place to save the school, including the raising of over $3 million. On February 24, nearly 7 weeks after the closing announcement, Archibishop Chaput announced that Conwell-Egan and the three other high schools slated to close would remain open. Archbishop Chaput's reason for keeping the school open was the major fundraising efforts and support from current students, parents, teachers, and alumni.
[edit] Notable alumni/students
- Keith Armstrong '82, NFL Miami Dolphins assistant coach (special teams).[5]
- Jim Cawley '87, Current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania[6]
- Mike Fitzpatrick '81, Current Congressman (PA-8)
- Larry Marshall, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, kick returner
- Joe McEwing, Former professional baseball player, Current White Sox 3rd Base Coach
- Leo Rossi, Actor
- Mark S. Schweiker, Former Governor of Pennsylvania
- Steve Slaton, All-American football running back, Heisman Trophy Finalist, Miami Dolphins running back
- Bob Zupcic, Former professional baseball player
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.faithinthefuture.com/schools/116611481168-2/
- ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". http://www.css-msa.org/search.php/. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ http://www.phillyburbs.com/blogs/news_columnists/jd_mullane/on-the-brink/article_9c6d2471-6a46-5828-a3a1-d90ee1437f13.html
- ^ http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/conwell-egan-local-catholic-elementary-schools-to-close-see-full/article_deceebad-5343-55e7-99c2-63c3b9d2492a.html#.TwdeFnqfQ1w
- ^ Keith Armstrong bio, Miami Dolphins. Accessed December 22, 2007.
- ^ philly.com, Accessed January 05, 2012.
