Holy Ghost Preparatory School

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Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Cor unum et anima una. One heart and one mind.
Address
2429 Bristol Pike Bensalem (Cornwells Heights), Pennsylvania, (Bucks County), 19020  United States
Coordinates	40°4′46″N 74°56′45″W / 40.07944°N 74.94583°W / 40.07944; -74.94583Coordinates: 40°4′46″N 74°56′45″W / 40.07944°N 74.94583°W / 40.07944; -74.94583
Information
Type	Private, All-Male
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Spiritan)
Established	1897
President	Rev. Jeffrey Duaime
Principal	Michael O'Toole
Faculty	52
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	517 [1] (2008-2009)
Average class size	17
Student:teacher ratio	10:1
Campus	Urban
Campus size	50 acres
Color(s)	Red, Royal Blue and White
Athletics conference	Bicentennial Athletic League
Mascot	Firebird
Team name	Firebirds
Accreditation(s)	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Average SAT scores	1240
Publication	Embers (literary magazine)
Newspaper	The Flame
Tuition	$14,900 (2009-10)
Dean of Studies	Jeffrey Danilak
Dean of Students	Tony Chapman
Director of Advancement	Kenneth Ferrara
Admissions Director	Ryan Abramson
Athletic Director	James Stewart
Campus Minister	Daniel Ryan
Website	www.holyghostprep.org

Holy Ghost Preparatory School (often shortened to Ghost, HGP, or Holy Ghost Prep) is a private secondary school for boys located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It is a Roman Catholic school, founded by and under the supervision of the Spiritan missionaries.

Contents 1 History 2 Mission 3 Student body 4 Academics 5 Philadelphia Magazine ranking 6 Athletics 7 Extracurricular programs 7.1 Campus Ministry 7.2 Christian Service Program 7.3 Forensics 7.4 Journalism 7.5 National Honor Society 7.6 Peer Ministry 7.7 Student Government 8 Notable alumni 9 External links 10 Notes and references

[edit] History

Holy Ghost Prep was founded in 1897 as Holy Ghost Apostolic College, a preparatory school and junior-college seminary for young men studying to become members of the religious order of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers. In the 1950s, the school started to move its college-level program to Duquesne University and opened its doors to non-seminarians in 1959 for the first time. In 1969, the seminary program was discontinued, and a year later, Holy Ghost Preparatory School was formed as a non-profit institution. In the 1990s, the school began a long-range planning process, which resulted in significant structural enhancements to the campus, and today its enrollment consists entirely of non-resident college-bound students.

[edit] Mission

Holy Ghost Preparatory School, founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (the Spiritans) is a private Catholic school dedicated to the quality education of college-bound young men.

With Christ at the center, Holy Ghost Preparatory School aspires to form young men morally, intellectually, and spiritually in the Spiritan tradition. This tradition fosters the development of community in "one heart and one mind," the cultivation of each student's unique gifts, academic excellence, and generous service to the poor.

[edit] Student body

Holy Ghost consists of slightly more than 500 students, approximately 125 per grade. Located adjacent to the busy I-95 corridor in metropolitan Philadelphia, the school attracts students from more than 100 elementary schools from Bucks County, other metropolitan Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey.

[edit] Academics

Recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, Holy Ghost Prep is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

Graduation requires coursework in English, mathematics, social studies, science, foreign language, fine arts, and theology with many electives, including computer science, cinematography, and portfolio art. As a school for the college-bound, HGP offers an extensive honors and Advanced Placement program, preparing students to take AP tests for college credit in nineteen areas of study prescribed by the College Board. A large number of students are designated as AP Scholars, earn merit-based college scholarships, and perform well on the SAT. In fact, AP Calculus AB teacher Jerry Colapinto was awarded the 2007-2008 Siemens AP Teacher of the Year award for Pennsylvania.

Nearly 100 percent of its graduates go on to attend four-year colleges, with acceptance rates consistently higher than national averages. Over the past few years, students have been accepted to the following reputable schools: Boston College, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Princeton University, Rice University, Swarthmore College, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, and Williams College.

[edit] Philadelphia Magazine ranking

In the September 2006 edition of Philadelphia magazine, Holy Ghost Prep was ranked eighth among top high schools in the Delaware Valley. Holy Ghost Prep was the top-ranked school with tuition less than $20,000, and ranked considerably higher than rivals St. Joseph's Preparatory School (24th) and La Salle College High School (23rd). Of all-boys schools, Holy Ghost Prep ranked second.

[edit] Athletics

HGP has many interscholastic and intramural sports teams. Major sports include basketball, baseball, bowling, soccer, swimming, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, cross country, golf, and track and field. Athletic facilities on campus include seven fields for various sports, a fieldhouse, and an all-weather track. Holy Ghost Prep is a proud member of the Bicentennial Athletic League, founded in 1976. The Firebirds have a tradition of excellence in all sports. There have been three Pennsylvania state champions in school history: the 1972 and 1974 Basketball teams as well as the 1992 Soccer team.

Baseball

• District Championship: 1985, 1990, 2003
• B.A.L. Championship: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Basketball

• State Championship: 1972, 1974
• Eastern State Championship: 1972, 1974, 1976, 1999, 2004
• P.I.A.A. Final Four: 1972, 1974, 1976, 1988, 1989, 1996, 1999, 2004
• District Championship: 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1987, 1996, 2004, 2005
• B.A.L. Championship: 1978, 1979, 1982, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008

Bowling

• B.A.L. Championship: 2007

Cross Country

• District Championship: 1983, 2007
• B.A.L. Championship: 1978, 1983, 1986, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Golf

• District Championship: 1998, 1999, 2000
• B.A.L. Championship: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Ice Hockey

• Flyers Cup Championship: 2003, 2007
• L.B.C.S.H.L. Commissioners Cup: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008

Lacrosse

• Northeast League Championship: 2004, 2006, 2008

Soccer

• State Championship: 1992
• Eastern State Championship: 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993
• District Championship: 1986, 1988, 1992, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2007
• B.A.L. Championship: 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008

Track and Field

• District Championship: 1974, 1986
• B.A.L. Championship: 1974, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Tennis

• B.A.L. Championship: 1999, 2001

[edit] Extracurricular programs

At Holy Ghost Prep, participation in extra-curricular activities is an important part of the formation of community "in one heart and one mind," emphasizing the school's focus on student achievement while still maintaining its spiritual focus. More than seventy-five percent of Holy Ghost students compete in interscholastic athletics and all HGP students are involved in extracurricular activities.

[edit] Campus Ministry

Campus Ministry consists of members of the Holy Ghost Preparatory Community who strive to promote a sense of spirituality and Christian character among the student body, faculty, and the entire Holy Ghost Community. It represents the community as spiritual leaders in our commitment to God, Christ, and the Christian way of life.

[edit] Christian Service Program

As part of its Spiritan tradition, Holy Ghost Prep remains committed to community service. As a result, freshmen and sophomores are required to participate in ten hours of service, annually, while juniors and seniors are required to participate in twenty hours of service. Students may participate in some of the following school sponsored service opportunities: Blood Drives, Habitat for Humanity, Hand-in-Hand, Operation Santa Claus, St. Francis Inn (a soup kitchen), Spring Fling, Taste of Mission trips to Harlem, New York and Appalachia, and West Virginia, and AARP.

[edit] Forensics

Forensics (public speaking) is one of the most notable achievements of the school. In recent history, the team has won numerous individual events as well as holding the record for overall team sweepstakes award at the PHSSL state championships, and is consistently a threat to place high at the NCFL Grand National Tournament as well as the National Forensics League Tournament. It enables students to develop leadership and public speaking through competitive performance in several categories, including Current Affairs Speaking, Persuasive Oratory, Lincoln-Douglas Debate, and Single or Duo Perfor­mance of Humorous or Dramatic Litera­ture. Longtime coach Tony Figliola was inducted into the National Forensics League Hall of Fame in 2007.

[edit] Journalism

HGP's newspaper, The Flame, is published six times yearly. It solicits writing, art, and photography from the entire student body, discussing news, opinions, sports, and features. In addition, outstanding writers produce literary works, essays, and poems that are showcased in the school's annual literary magazine, Embers.

[edit] National Honor Society

Members of the National Honor Society are student selected based on a criteria focusing on academic achievement, character, leadership, and service. They assist the community through tutoring, concession and book sales, and fundraising activities for scholarships given to rising sophomores.

[edit] Peer Ministry

Peer Ministers stress leadership in service to the HGP community, helping administration and student government with freshmen orientation and the annual Christmas Charity Ball.

[edit] Student Government

Student government at HGP consists of an executive board comprised of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and spirit chair as well as of eight senators from each grade level. Elected student government members are directly responsible for the concerns of the student body and their appropriate presenta­tion to administration to effect change. They work as a whole to promote healthy and spirited participation for attendance at sports and other school events and to conduct various dances throughout the year, including Junior-Senior prom and the Christmas Charity Ball.

[edit] Notable alumni

• Bronne Bruzgo, class of 2006, featured on 2009 season series The Real World: Cancun.
• Paul McCrane, class of 1978, actor, guest-star on 24, played Dr. Robert Romano in TV series ER, 1997-2003.
• Kevin Michael Collins, class of 1986, actor and prominent voice-over artist, appeared in TV shows, such as Law & Order, Guiding Light, and All My Children, appeared in Steven Spielberg's film Munich and also starred in Jamil Dehlavi's Infinite Justice.
• Ryan Gunderson, class of 2003, professional ice hockey player for the Trenton Devils of the ECHL, and former player for the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL and of the Lowell Devils of the AHL.
• Joe Quinlan, class of 1971, husband of Mary Lou Quinlan, an American consumer strategist who is the CEO of Just Ask a Woman, wrote the book Just Ask a Woman: Cracking the Code of What Women Want and How They Buy, and appeared on an episode of American Inventor.
• Tom Sabbatelli, class of 2004, appeared on an episode of Wheel of Fortune for college students on May 25, 2009 and earned $54,900 in cash and prizes. [2]

[edit] External links

• Holy Ghost Preparatory school website

[edit] Notes and references