Cathedral High School is a private, college preparatory

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

all-boys school in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

History

Cathedral High School was founded by Archbishop

John Joseph Cantwell John Joseph Cantwell (December 1, 1874 – October 30, 1947) was an Irish-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He led the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from 1917 until his death in 1947, becoming its first archbishop in 1936. Cantwell w ...

as the first Los Angeles Archdiocesan

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

for boys in Fall 1925. The school was built on the site of old Calvary Cemetery, where leading families of Los Angeles were buried until relocated at the turn of the 20th century. It is just northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Cathedral was the first high school for boys established by the Archdiocese. The Christian Brothers have administered the school since its founding and In 1996, a historic agreement was reached with the Archdiocese allowing the school to operate as a private Lasallian institution. Cathedral's location allows for a view of the Los Angeles skyline and the new

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (), informally known as the COLA or the Los Angeles Cathedral (), is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. It opened in 2002 and serves as the mo ...

and adjacent to

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...

Chávez Ravine Chavez Ravine is a shallow canyon in Los Angeles, California. It sits in a large promontory of hills north of downtown Los Angeles, next to Major League Baseball's Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine was named for a 19th-century Los Angeles councilm ...

and

Chinatown, Los Angeles, California Chinatown is a neighborhood in Downtown Los Angeles, California, that became a commercial center for Chinese and other Asian businesses in Central Los Angeles in 1938. The area includes restaurants, shops, and art galleries, but also has a resid ...

.The school was designated

Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments are sites which have been designated by the Los Angeles, California, Cultural Heritage Commission as worthy of preservation based on architectural, historic and cultural criteria. History The Historic-Cul ...

number 281 in 1984. The school athletics teams are nicknamed the Phantoms because of its location on the old cemetery.

Campus renovation

Plans were announced in 2003 for a new building to house classrooms and the gym. The building was funded mainly by donations. Construction began in 2005 with the demolition of the old, sixty-five-year-old gym and was complete in 2007. The new building houses items from the previous building, including the old scoreboard and wood floor. In 2023, their old track and field had been replaced with new grass and rubber ahead of the upcoming 100th year anniversary.

Filming

Cathedral High School has been the film location for a number of films, television shows, and music videos, due to its view of the Los Angeles skyline and character of its architecture, including the films '' City of Angels'' (1998), ''

All You've Got ''All You've Got'' is a 2006 sport/drama film directed by Neema Barnette and starring stars Ciara Harris and Adrienne Bailon. The film debuted on MTV. Synopsis A rivalry between two volleyball teams (the Phantoms and the Madonnas) causes a bi ...

'' (2006), '' Be Somebody'' (2016), North Hollywood (2021) the music video "

I Do!! "I Do!!" is the debut single of American R&B singer Toya, serving as the lead single from her debut album, '' Toya'' (2001). Produced by Antoine "Bam" Macon, "I Do!!" became a hit for Toya, reaching 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 12 ...

" by

Toya Toya may refer to: Places *Tōya, Hokkaidō, a former village in Abuta District, Iburi, Hokkaidō, Japan *Tōyako, Hokkaidō, a town incorporating Tōya, Hokkaidō **Tōya Station (Tōyako), a railway station in Tōyako *Lake Tōya, a volcanic lak ...

, and " Mesmerize" by

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

featuring Ashanti, a 2010 episode of ''

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

'', an episode of the Netflix series Lucifer, episodes of Bel-Air, among others. ''All You've Got'' used Cathedral's colors (purple and white) and name (Phantoms) for a volleyball team featured in the film.

Notable alumni

Kent Carter Kent Carter (born June 14, 1939 in Hanover, New Hampshire) is an American jazz bassist. His father, Alan Carter, founded the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. He is also the grandson of American artist, Rockwell Kent. He worked in Steve Lacy (saxophoni ...

, American football

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Sal Castro Salvador B. Castro (October 25, 1933 – April 15, 2013) was a Mexican-American educator and activist. He was most well known for his role in the 1968 East Los Angeles high school walkouts, a series of protests against unequal conditions in ...

, American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

Eric "Bobo" Correa Eric "Bobo" Correa (born August 27, 1968) is an American percussionist and a member of the hip hop bands Beastie Boys, then Cypress Hill and Ritmo Machine as well as the Industrial metal band Sol Invicto. He performed and recorded with the B ...

, percussionist and a member of the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

* Gary Finneran, American football

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

Darryl Hickman Darryl Gerard Hickman (July 28, 1931 – May 22, 2024) was an American actor, screenwriter, television executive, and acting coach. He started his career as a child actor in the Golden Age of Hollywood and appeared in numerous television seria ...

, American actor *

Dwayne Hickman Dwayne Bernard Hickman (May 18, 1934 – January 9, 2022) was an American actor and television executive, producer and director, who worked as an executive at CBS and had also briefly recorded as a vocalist. Hickman portrayed Chuck MacDonald, B ...

, American actor and director *

Isaiah Jewett Isaiah Champion Jewett (born February 6, 1997) is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He finished second in the event at the NACAC U23 Championships in 2019, and he won a national title at the 2021 NCAA Outd ...

, 2020 Olympian in the 800 meters *

Xolo Maridueña Ramario Xolo Ramirez (born June 9, 2001), known professionally as Xolo Maridueña (), is an American actor. His roles include Victor Graham in the NBC drama '' Parenthood'' (2012–2015), Miguel Diaz in the Netflix action series ''Cobra Kai'' (2 ...

, American actor known for his roles in ''

Cobra Kai ''Cobra Kai'' is an American Martial arts film, martial arts comedy drama television series created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and distributed by Sony Pictures Television. It serves as a sequel to the first three ''The K ...

'' and ''

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the ...

'' *

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor (music), conductor. His Vocal pedagogy, vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in Pitch (music), pitch—fo ...

, American jazz singer and songwriter * Bob McMillen, 1952 Summer Olympic silver medalist in the men's

1500 meters The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilometers ...

* Torry McTyer, American football

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

Ken Rudolph Kenneth Victor Rudolph (born December 29, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. A catcher, he appeared in 328 Major League games played between – for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Baltimore ...

, American baseball

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr. on January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary C ...

, served as 41st Mayor of Los Angeles (expelled in his Junior year) *

Bryce Young Bryce Young (born July 25, 2001) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, Alabama Crims ...

, American football

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, 2021

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

winner, selected as 1st pick in the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

(transferred to Mater Dei in his Sophomore year)

References

External links

* {{authority control Boys' schools in California Educational institutions established in 1925 Lasallian schools in the United States Roman Catholic secondary schools in Los Angeles County, California High schools in Los Angeles Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments Chinatown, Los Angeles Catholic secondary schools in California 1925 establishments in California