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 |
Introduction
The Roman Catholic High School of Philadelphia 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, a nineteenth century Philadelphia merchant. Cahill saw the need to create a school that offered a free Catholic education for boys- past their grammar school years. He died before he saw his vision come to life; however, the wishes that he laid out in his will were followed. As such, Roman Catholic opened its doors in 1890 and offered a free education to boys. Roman is the oldest free Diocesan Catholic high school in North America. Despite Cahill's dream, due to increased costs of staff and facilities, free admission to the school ended in the 1960's.
As of 2005 the tuition for all Archdiocesan high schools in Philadelphia was approximately $3,500 per year.
Crisis of the 1980's
Roman was not always as successful as it is today. In the 1985, the Archdiocese slated the school for closing due to the lowering of enrollment. The Archdiocese also placed Saint James High School in Chester, Pennsylvania on the chopping block. Saint James was not able to be saved and it closed down; however, Roman's alumni association, with the blessing of then Archbishop of Philadelphia John Cardinal Krol, embarked on a campaign to save the school.
Roman's Alumni Association, which had existed for over 70 years, came together to raise funds and increase enrollment. The rector of the school even applied to have the building itself kept as a historic landmark, which was accepted. The significance of the historic landmark designation means the building on the corner of Broad and Vine Streets can never legally be torn down. Also, its exterior must always stay the same - though it does not have to remain a school.
The New Roman
Before 1986, students who attended Roman were from "feeder parishes"; Roman served as the school for the boys from the Center City, Chinatown, East Falls, Fairmount, Manayunk, North Philadelphia, and Roxborough regions of Philadelphia.
Today, however, Roman has boys from almost every Philadelphia nieghboorhood, including The Near and Far Northeast, West Philly, Fishtown, Port Richmond, South Philly, New Jersey, and the outlying suburbs.
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 may 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 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 sent 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. 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.
Rectors of Catholic High
- Msgr. Nevin F. Fisher (1890 - 1902)
- Msgr. Hugh T. Henry (1902 - 1919)
- Msgr. William P. McNally (1919 - 1933)
- Rev. Leo D. Burns (1933 - 1938)
- Rev. John A. Cartin (1938 - 1952)
- Msgr. James T. Dolan (1952 - 1966)
- Msgr. Charles V. Gallen (1966 - 1975)
- Rev. Edward Cahill (1975 - 1981)
- Rev. Richard J. McLoughlin (1981 - 1990)
- Msgr. Francis W. Beach (1990 - 1997)
- Rev. Paul C. Brandt (1997 - 2006)
- Rev. Joseph W. Bongard (2006 - Present)
School Song
The Purple and Gold
(Short Version)
When Day mounts the East,
What flag does he hold?
He flings out his banner
Of Purple and Gold!
And when at the eve,
He sinks to his rest,
With Purple and Gold
Still aflame is the West!
Then stand by the flag
The young and the old!
Its colors are yours –
The Purple and the Gold!
A smile on the lip,
A tear in the eye --
Salute ye the colors of
Catholic High!
Refrain:
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
- Msgr. Hugh T. Henry
Sports
Roman Catholic has been prominent in the Philadelphia Catholic League in 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.
Roman football has always been a favorite by the students and alumni. In the 2006 playoffs, Roman finished with a strong 9-3 record while losing to LaSalle in the second round of Catholic League playoffs.
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 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 teams in North America, practicing for over 10 months a year. 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 over St. Joe's Prep.
Roman Catholic offers every Varsity sport. One of those sports, Ice Hockey, which is not a school sport but a club sport, has been the most successful sport at Roman since 2000. They captured their first championship in 2000. Then titles came in 2002, 2004 and 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 Philadelphia Catholic League does not sponsor a hockey league, and Roman participates in the Eastern High School Hockey League.
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 10. 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 basketball title victories during the 1989-1990 and 1990-1991 season.