Bishop Fenwick High School (better known simply as "Fenwick") is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

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 ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in Peabody, Massachusetts. While located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the school is operated independently and with the blessing of the Archdiocese. Students who attend Bishop Fenwick come from over 40 towns and communities in New England, primarily those closest to the campus such as Saugus, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Marblehead, and Danvers, Massachusetts. The school also has a small number of international students, having welcomed its first international students in 2014.

Background

Bishop Fenwick High School was founded in 1959 by the late Cardinal

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

and was named for the second

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of Boston,

Benedict Joseph Fenwick Benedict Joseph Fenwick (September 3, 1782 – August 11, 1846) was an American Catholic prelate, Jesuit, and educator who served as the Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846. In 1843, he founded the College of the Holy Cross in ...

, S.J. The school was the first coeducational Catholic high school on Boston's North Shore and was staffed by the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) are a Catholic institute of religious sisters, founded to provide education to the poor. The institute was founded in Amiens, France, in 1804, but the oppo ...

. In 2003, the Archdiocese of Boston relinquished control of its "Central High Schools," including Fenwick, in response to financial difficulties in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal. The Archdiocese still owns the property and is involved in school governance, making appointments to the board of trustees; for that reason it is not considered truly independent. It is, however, financially independent of the umbrella of the archdiocese of Boston. As of the 2018-19 school year, it was one of the ten largest coeducational high schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, with a student body of 565. In the summer of 2018, it was announced that Fenwick will assume sponsorship of St. Mary of the Annunciation School in Danvers, Massachusetts.

Athletics

Bishop Fenwick's Crusaders have athletic programs in 26 interscholastic sports at a variety of levels, primarily competing in the Boston area's Catholic Central League. On a yearly basis over fifty percent of Fenwick students take part in at least one sport, and over the course of their four years, over 80% of the students participate in one or more sport. The school's teams have won state championships in boys' sports in baseball (2004), football (1965, 1999, 2000, 2013), hockey, and indoor and outdoor track. Girls' teams winning state championships have included softball (1990, 1991,1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997), field hockey, cross-country track (1980), basketball (2016), and indoor and outdoor track (2015).

Drama Club

The Bishop Fenwick Drama Club has been a well-respected and vital part of the school's artistic landscape. Each year, the Club presents both a fall play as well as a musical in the spring.

Notable alumni

Frederick Berry Frederick E. Berry (December 20, 1949 – November 13, 2018) was a disability rights advocate and Democratic politician from Massachusetts, who served as a member of the Massachusetts Senate from 1983 to 2013. He served as majority leader of th ...

, disability rights advocate and member of Massachusetts senate * Pat Downey, football player * Matt Farley, musician and film-maker * Alex Newell, actor and singer * Ashley Phillips, soccer player * Sonja Santelises, school district administrator

Notes and references

External links

School Website
{{authority control Schools in Essex County, Massachusetts Educational institutions established in 1959 Catholic secondary schools in Massachusetts 1959 establishments in Massachusetts Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur schools