Roman Catholic High School
| Roman Catholic High School for Boys | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
 | |
Philadelphia , Pennsylvania United States | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Fides et Scientia (Faith and Knowledge) |
| Established | 1890 |
| President | Rev. Joseph W. Bongard |
| Principal | Mr. Robert O'Neill |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | The Cahillite |
| Alma Mater | "The Purple and Gold" |
| Website | http://www.cahillite.com |
The Roman Catholic High School for Boys opened in 1890 as an all-male high school located at the intersection of Broad and Vine Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Roman Catholic, or simply Roman, as it is often called, was founded by Thomas E. Cahill, who wanted to create a school that offered a free Catholic education. As such, Roman Catholic is the oldest free Diocesan Catholic high school in North America.
History
Despite Cahill's dream, free admission to the school ended a long time ago; as of 2005 the tutition was about $3500 per year, the tuition applied to all Archdiocesan High Schools in the city. Its students usually come from middle and working class families all across the Philadelphia region. However, before the 1980s, students were not allowed to choose their high school in Philadelphia, like they do today. Catholic high schools would draw from specific "feeder parishes"; Roman served as the school for the boys from the Roxborough and Manayunk regions of Philadelphia.
Today, however, Roman has boys from almost every Philadelphia nieghboorhood. Including, The Near and Far Northeast, West Philly, Fishtown, Fairmount, South Philly, New Jersey, and the outlying suburbs.
Roman was not always as successful as it is today. In the 1980s, the archdiocese wanted to close it because of lowering enrollment. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia put it and Saint James High School in Chester, Pennsylvania on the chopping block. Saint James was closed down; however, Roman's alumni association, which has existed for over 100 years, came together, and raised funds to keep the school intact. The rector of the school also applied to have the building itself kept as a historic landmark, and it was accepted. As such, the Roman Catholic building can never legally be torn down, its exterior must always stay the same - though it does not have to remain a school.
Current
Roman Catholic is built to hold around 750 to 800 students. However, because of high demand, it is above capacity and holds closer to 900. To select its students, Roman holds an entrance test every October and November. Of the 600 or 700 students that apply, only about 300 to 350 will be accepted. Students who do well on these tests also receive scholarships ranging from a few hundred dollars to as much as $2800 a year. Usually, about 40 students receive scholarships.
Roman, like other high schools, has a tracking system: that is, first track (also called honors track), second track, and third track. Roman, however, is unique in that it tracks its honors class into three classes. While students in the honors classes learn the same material at the same pace, it creates a better learning system to have students of the same level together. A downside to such a tracking is that students find themselves among the same 35 boys in every single class.
Today, Roman seeks to further its expand its campus. Plans are in the works for an annex at 13th and Callowhill and an expansion to the main building extending down Vine Street to 13th Street. The Class of 2005 is sending nine students to the nearby Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, an impressive number for a Catholic School. One of Roman's noteworthy feats is sending two students to military academies in back to back years. A class of 2004 student briefly attended West Point before going to the University of Pennsylvania, and a student in the class of 2005 currently attends the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Also, the class of 2004 sent two of the nation's top rowers to Princeton University, and students of previous classes have attended Yale University. Outside the top tier of students, most graduates tend to stay local for college. Many alumni can be found at nearby St. Joseph's University, Villanova University, Drexel University, Temple University and LaSalle University, where nearly a dozen faculty at Roman studied.
Sports
Roman Catholic has dominated Philadelphia Catholic League basketball since the League's inception, winning 27 of 86 championship games since 1920. Almost a dozen future NBA players have played for the Roman squad during that time. Recently, Roman has been doing well in basketball, but has not secured a championship since 2000. The 2006 season featured Roman's best team in recent years, ranked 2nd among all basketball teams in Southeastern Pennsylvania by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The season ended in disappointment however, with a last second loss to Neumann-Goretti High School in South Philadelphia, and an after-game incident [see here]. Multiple citations and suspensions were issued to students of both schools, and the PCL issued various penalties [see here]including that no spectators from either school will be allowed at Roman-Neumann games through the 2007 season.
Roman football has always been a favorite by the students and alumni. The current coach works his players hard on the practice field, leads them to victory on the gridiron, and then teaches them how to be good Christians the next morning in theology class. Roman's cross country team has gone from the worst in the Catholic league 5 years ago to now running alongside the very best teams. Though the Cross Country team has not yet won a title under the tutelage of the enigmatic Coach Kevin, he is one of the most respected coaches in the Catholic League, known for keeping his very large team (over 60 boys, unheard of for cross country) in great shape via their intense workouts.
Roman Catholic is home to one of the most successful Crew (rowing) teams in North America. The team works hard over 10 months a year to win its championships. Roman is the only Catholic high school in Philadelphia that sculls (uses two oars per man while rowing) rather than sweeps (uses one oar a man while rowing). Recently it contributed a formidable Lightweight Four to the Philadelphia Catholic League Rowing championships, finishing second in 2005 to Monsignor Bonner, who has dominated the category in recent years, by only six-tenths of a second. Roman's major sculling rivals are suburban private schools including The Haverford School and Malvern Prep. In 2003 and 2005, two Roman students represented the United States at the Junior World Championships in Athens, Greece. In 2006, the Crew team won the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship for the first time in the school's history.
Roman Catholic offers every Varsity sport. One of those sports, Ice Hockey, which is not a school sport, has been the most successful sport at Roman since 2000. They captured their first championship in 2000. Then two years later, in 2002. Then, in 2004, they recorded another championship only to win it the following year in 2005. In 2006, the Cahillites had a tough time, although it led to a little playoff run, which ended by losing in the semifinals, in overtime, versus Bishop Shanahan High School. The ice hockey team looks to continue their past success in the coming years.
Alumni
Roman Catholic boasts some famous alumni, including Charles Fuller, who won the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for "A Soldier's Play," a story about racism in the military that was later turned into a successful movie starring Denzel Washington. Roman was also home to John Facenda, a radio and television broadcast fixture in Philadelphia from the 1930s through the 1960s. He is perhaps best known as the deep baritone narrator of NFL Films. John Ogden, class of 1999, is the daily traffic reporter for NBC. However, Roman's most famous alumni is likely Marvin Harrison, the wide receiver, and current record holder of "Most Connections Between a Wideout and a Quarterback for Touchdowns," of the Indianapolis Colts. Harrison graduated in 1991 from Roman, after being a local sports star in both football and basketball. He led the Roman team to one of its most impressive title victories during the 1990-1991 season.