Holy Cross High School is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
secondary school located in
Dunmore, Pennsylvania
Dunmore is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States, adjoining Scranton. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and was settled in 1835 and incorporated in 1862. Extensive anthracite coal, brick, stone, and silk interests had ...
. It operates under the jurisdiction of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton
The Diocese of Scranton is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church. It is a suffragan see of Archdiocese of Philadelphia, established on March 3, 1868. The seat of the bishop is St. Peter's Cathedral in th ...
, and is the second largest of four diocesan high schools in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Holy Cross School System has included five feeder schools since the 2011-2012 school year: All Saints Academy,
Scranton
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
; LaSalle Academy,
Dickson City
Dickson City is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, north of Scranton. Coal mining was an important industry in the past. The borough's population peaked at 12,395 in 1930 and was 6,051 at the 2020 census.
History
Dickson City was ...
and
Jessup; Our Lady of Peace,
Clarks Summit; St. Clare/St. Paul,
Scranton
Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...
; and St. Mary of Mount Carmel,
Dunmore Dunmore from the ga, Dún Mór, link=no or gd, Dùn Mòr, link=no, meaning "great fort", may refer to:
People
* Dunmore (surname)
* Earl of Dunmore, a title in the Peerage of Scotland, includes a list of earls
* Countess of Dunmore (disambiguat ...
.
History
In 1964 Central Dunmore Catholic High School was built at the school’s current location by the efforts of the five Catholic parishes within Dunmore to serve as centralized, larger secondary school than individual parish centers. In later years, the school was renamed Bishop O’Hara High School to commemorate the first bishop of Scranton, William O’Hara, and to reach out to Catholic students outside of Dunmore. In the 1960s Cathedral High School was built in Scranton to serve Catholic students at the secondary level in the central city. In later years, it was renamed
Bishop Hannan High School to commemorate the fifth bishop of Scranton, Jerome Hannan, and as it absorbed other Catholic high schools within Scranton, and to reach out to Catholic students outside of Scranton.
However, due to changing demographics and culture, the enrollment of Bishop Hannan and Bishop O’Hara declined through the 1990s and 2000s. Foreseeing an eventual demise of Catholic education, the ninth bishop of Scranton, Francis Martino, hired the Meitler Consultants to conduct a diocesan-wide study of the Catholic schools and submit recommendations for the renewal and strengthening of the Diocese’s schools. In early 2007, the Meitler Consultants recommended that the equally sized Bishops Hannan and O’Hara merge to form a new high school to serve all of Lackawanna County.
In 2007 Bishop O’Hara and Bishop Hannan graduated their last classes, and the schools were closed. Holy Cross High School was then formed, which operated in the O’Hara building as the Dunmore Campus and in the Hannan building as the Scranton Campus. The Dunmore and Scranton Campuses retained the upperclassmen of the original schools, and all of the freshmen attended the Dunmore Campus. For the 2008-2009 school year onward, the Scranton Campus was closed, several modular classrooms were added on to the Dunmore Campus, and Holy Cross High School was physically united.
Holy Cross today
Holy Cross High School enrolled 507 students in the 2015-2016 school year. The current student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1. Holy Cross has an academic curriculum that includes four years of Latin, Spanish, and French. All students are required to take four years of Theology, English, Mathematics, Physical and Natural Sciences, and Social Studies. Holy Cross offers a variety of Advanced Placement classes and many electives in Fine Arts, Computer Science, and Humanities. Since the 2011-2012 school year, the I.H.M. Scholarship Program has been in effect, where interested students can attend part of the school day at
Marywood University
Marywood University is a private Catholic university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, grad ...
to take advanced classes. Holy Cross High School has an annual theatrical performance and art show. Holy Cross High School offers twenty-two extra-curricular clubs and twenty-five sporting activities.
School activities
Holy Cross performs a yearly school musical. Bishop O'Hara was known for its theater department and produced many actors and singers, including Broadway performer Judy McLane. The school offers many other extracurricular activities.
On March 30, 2019, Holy Cross won its first Mock Trial State Championship defeating Germantown Friends School at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg, PA. This was the second team to win a state title in Holy Cross’ history.
Athletics
The boys varsity basketball team captured the 2008 District 2
PIAA championship in its first appearance since Hannan and O'Hara combined to form Holy Cross. Previously, the Bishop Hannan Golden Lancers boys varsity basketball team won the PIAA state championship in 2002 and went to the state championship in 2006, where it was defeated by Elk County Catholic High School. Also, in 2013 the Crusaders went to Hershey in the State Championship game for basketball but finished overall #2 in the state of Pennsylvania in Class AA. Holy Cross in basketball have always in its history made states for Pennsylvania. They won most years in districts for PA District II in its existence.
State championships
In 1990, Mark McLafferty won the 160lb PIAA class AA state wrestling championship for Bishop O'Hara, capping an undefeated season at 35-0 and becoming the first state wrestling champion from the Lackawanna League. Joining him in Hershey was Jason Kobrynich who placed 5th at 119lbs. Together they garnered a fifth-place team finish in the AA standings. The head coach was Lackawanna County sports hall of fame inductee Jerry Coyne.
In 2001, The Bishop O'Hara Lady Bruins won the PIAA softball state championship by defeating Sto Rox 3-1. The lady Bruins were coached by softball hall of famer John XE McAndrew. *In the spring of 2002 Bishop Hannan High School (The previous name of one of the two high schools that merged with Holy Cross) won the
PIAA state championship against
Sto-Rox High School
Sto-Rox High School is a high school located in the West Park neighborhood of Stowe Township, Pennsylvania. It is the only high school of the Sto-Rox School District, which educates the children of Stowe Township and the borough of McKees Rocks ...
. This Bishop Hannan Golden Lancers team was led by
Syracuse University former point guard
Gerry McNamara
Gerry McNamara (born August 28, 1983) is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team. A former guard for the Orange, he never missed a start in his career which lasted from ...
who had won the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
national championship just a few years later. The head coach was John Bucci.
*In 2012, Rico Galassi became Holy Cross' first individual state champion, securing the PIAA Class A state title in cross country with a time of 15:59 on a 3.1 mile course.
*In 2013, Holy Cross' varsity boys' basketball team advanced to the PIAA Class AA Championship game against Beaver Falls at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Holy Cross ended up losing to Beaver Falls, 69-63. The head coach was Al Callejas.
*In the spring of 2013, Rico Galassi obtained his second state title at the 2013 PIAA Track and Field State Championship Meet. He won the men's AA 3200 meter race with a winning time of 9:12.48.
*In the fall of 2013, Holy Cross' varsity girls' cross country team became the first team in Holy Cross' history to win a state title, beating Elk Lake in the PIAA Class A State Championship Meet 64-99.
Notable alumni
*
Gerry McNamara
Gerry McNamara (born August 28, 1983) is a retired American basketball player and current assistant coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team. A former guard for the Orange, he never missed a start in his career which lasted from ...
, retired American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player; helped capture
Syracuse University's first ever
National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
in 2003
Notes and references
External links
Diocese of Scranton WebsiteSchool website
{{authority control
Catholic secondary schools in Pennsylvania
Educational institutions established in 2007
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Schools in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
2007 establishments in Pennsylvania