Assumption Preparatory School (for a while previously known as Assumption High School) was an American

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

located in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...

, and operated by the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

order

Augustinians of the Assumption The Assumptionists, officialy named the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption ( la, Congregatio Augustinianorum ab Assumptione) abbreviated AA,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priests and b ...

. It was closely associated with Assumption College: both trace their beginnings to 1904, when they were founded by French clergymen with the assistance of French-speaking Americans. The school shared its campus with Assumption College, and grew in size, reaching 400 students at one point, and reputation, benefiting intellectually from its co-location with the college. Instruction was French-oriented and often given in the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

, with class groupings referred to as "Eléments" and great importance given to the learning of French, Franco-American culture, and

French Canadian culture The Culture of French Canada, French Canadian Culture or the Culture of Francophone Canadians may refer to: * The culture of Quebec * Acadian culture, the culture of the French-speaking people of Acadia, in the Maritime provinces * The culture of ...

, in addition to Catholic teachings. Following French custom, classes were held on Saturday mornings, but not on Wednesday or Saturday afternoons. Philosophically, the priests at the school emphasized using rational analysis in the pursuit of truth. School authorities behaved in a firm but fairly reasonable manner. Basketball was the most popular sport at the school. Among the graduates of Assumption Preparatory School was the future U.S. Senator from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

and 2008 presidential candidate

Mike Gravel Maurice Robert "Mike" Gravel ( ; May 13, 1930 – June 26, 2021) was an American politician and writer who served as a United States Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1981 as a member of the Democratic Party, and who later in life twice ran for ...

in 1949. In 1953, a tornado destroyed the campus. The College was moved to a different site within Worcester, but the Preparatory School was rebuilt on the same spot. The 1960s saw financial troubles, dwindling enrollment, and an aging staff. Assumption Preparatory School was as a result closed in June 1970. The physical campus of the school subsequently became part of

Quinsigamond Community College Quinsigamond Community College ()(''colloquialism, colloq:'' QCC, Quinsig) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Worcester, Massachusetts. It has an enrollment of over 7,000 students. Many stud ...

. Assumption Preparatory School graduates are included in the alumni activities of Assumption College, which is still in operation.

References

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External links

Assumption Preparatory School alumni site
Educational institutions established in 1904 Educational institutions disestablished in 1970 Defunct schools in Massachusetts Assumption University (Worcester) 1904 establishments in Massachusetts 1970 disestablishments in Massachusetts