West Philadelphia Catholic High School

West Philadelphia Catholic High School West Catholic
United in Faith, Loyalty, Knowledge
Address
4501 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19139 United States
Coordinates	39°57′26″N 75°12′42″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Patron saint(s)	St. Jean-Baptiste de la Salle
Established	1916
President	Br. Tim Ahern ( Resigned ) 2-9-12
Principal	Sr. Mary Bur
Asst. Principal	Br. Patrick Cassidy John Jackson Mary DeMasi
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	360</ref>http://www.faithinthefuture.com/schools/1154115611581152-2/</ref>  (2011-2012)
Color(s)	Blue and Gold
Athletics conference	Philadelphia Catholic League
Mascot	Burr-Man
Team name	Burrs
Accreditation(s)	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Tuition	Approximately $5,500
Admissions Director	Brian Fluck
Athletic Director	Brian Fluck Mary DeMasi
Website	www.westcatholic.org

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.

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.^{[citation needed]}

History

The school opened on September 8, 1989, as a result of a merger between West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys, 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 Schools, 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's

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,

the Blue Ribbon Schools program (in affiliation with the United States Department of Education) 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 League 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)^{[citation needed]}

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).^{[citation needed]}

Alumni

• Peter Boyle, actor
• Elizabeth Gallagher, artist and author
• Jim Murray, co-founder of the Ronald McDonald House and a former general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles
• Joseph Mark McShea, founding bishop of Allentown
• John Joseph Cardinal O'Connor, Archbishop of New York, 1984-2000.
• Big Daddy Graham, Comedian, 94.1 WIP, Philadelpha

School Program

Accessibility

West Catholic is easily accessible via the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line 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 League (Southern and Blue Divisions). West Catholic and the rest of the Philadelphia Catholic League will soon be joing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Fashion

West Catholic School for Girls was located near the Philadelphia television studios where American Bandstand 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%7CPhiladelphia/WestPhiladelphiaCatholicHig.html
• http://www.westcatholicalumni.org/