Holyoke Catholic High School was 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 lette ...
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
Holyoke
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...
,
, United States. It was located in the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts
The Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts ( la, Diœcesis Campifontis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Ha ...
.
In 2015, Holyoke Catholic High School merged with
Cathedral High School to form a new regional Catholic school that was completed in 2016 as
Pope Francis High School.
Background
In the early part of the 20th century many Roman Catholic churches started schools to educate children of their parish. Though the schools were relatively successful, they were small and it was difficult for small parish high schools to offer competitive athletic programs.
Monsignor Timothy J. Leary, headmaster and athletic director at St. Jerome High School in Holyoke, had the idea to bring parish teams together to play as one so they could compete against larger high schools. In the fall of 1947, the parish high schools of Holy Rosary, Sacred Heart, and St. Jerome played sports for the first time under the banner of Holyoke Catholic. “So that all may be one” was the motto for Holyoke Catholic.
The athletic partnership proved successful and in 1963 the Diocese of Springfield would officially merge the three parish high schools to form one school, Holyoke Catholic High School. Later, the high school Precious Blood Parish would also join Holyoke Catholic.
Holyoke Catholic High School, although composed of students from the four founding schools, began to serve an increasing number of students from throughout western Massachusetts. Neighboring cities and towns saw Holyoke Catholic as an option in education, and the school grew into a larger regional high school.
At first the school was located in the building at St. Jerome Parish in Holyoke. Soon, however, the school found the need to use other buildings in the neighboring area. Temporary trailers were also brought in to accommodate a student population from throughout western Massachusetts. After several decades of use, the buildings' condition had deteriorated, and the school was slated to be closed. However, a grassroots campaign to save the school was started and led by four alumni (Jeffrey Trask, Michael Beauchemin, Jay Green, and Jay Eventually, a temporary location was found. During the summer of 2002, the school moved to the site of the former St. Hyacinth Seminary in
Granby, Massachusetts
Granby is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,110 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Granby corresponds to th ...
. Holyoke Catholic stayed in Granby for six years. The campus, though large, was isolated, and the search for a more suitable permanent home continued.
In 2008, the Assumption Parish School property near
Elms College
The College of Our Lady of the Elms, often called Elms College, is a Private college, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
History
The Sisters of St. Joseph and the Diocese of Springfield co-founded Elms as a g ...
on Springfield Street in
Chicopee was selected and in this location a new school was constructed. As a part of the move, a partnership with Elms College involving the use of some Elms facilities and the opportunity for Holyoke Catholic upperclassmen to take courses at Elms.
Despite the moves to Granby and Chicopee, the school still used St. Jerome Parish in Holyoke for its commencement ceremonies.
Board of trustees
Mr. David J. O'Connor, Chair - Mr. Jeffrey A. Trask, Vice Chair - Mrs. Theresa Kitchell, Principal - Sr. M. Andrea Ciszewski, FSSJ, Superintendent - Mrs. Christine Duval - Mr. Skal Guidi - Sr. Carol Hebert, SSJ - Mr. Kevin Kervick - Mr. Gerald Korona - Mr. George Moreau - Mrs. Janice Peters - Sr. Mary Reap, IHM, Ph.D. - Sr. Mary Shea, SSJ - Mrs. Lisa C. Siddall, Esq. - Mr. Michael Sobon - Mr. Charles Swider - Ms. Karen Turcotte - Mr. Michael Williams
Athletics
Holyoke Catholic High School was part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, an organization of 368 high schools which sponsor athletic activities in 33 sports.
The school's athletic mascot was a
gael
The Gaels ( ; ga, Na Gaeil ; gd, Na Gàidheil ; gv, Ny Gaeil ) are an ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languag ...
, a reflection on the school's Irish background. The school's colors were green and gold.
References
External links
*
Alumni Website
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Catholic secondary schools in Massachusetts
Schools in Chicopee, Massachusetts
Schools in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Educational institutions established in 1963
1963 establishments in Massachusetts
Educational institutions disestablished in 2016
2016 disestablishments in Massachusetts