Hudson Catholic High School (Hudson, Massachusetts)

Hudson Catholic High School
Address
198 Main Street
Hudson, (Middlesex County), Massachusetts 01749
United States
Coordinates 42°23′31″N 71°33′48″W / 42.39194°N 71.56333°W / 42.39194; -71.56333Coordinates: 42°23′31″N 71°33′48″W / 42.39194°N 71.56333°W / 42.39194; -71.56333
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Motto Esse Quam Videri
(To be rather than to seem)
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1959
Closed 2009
Principal Caroline Flynn
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 120 (2008-2009)
Color(s) Green and White         
Athletics conference Colonial Athletic
Mascot Green Wave
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges[1]
Admissions Director Kathy Peters
Athletic Director Robert Raymond
Website http://www.hudsoncatholic.net

Hudson Catholic High School was a coeducational Catholic school in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States. It was within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June, after it graduated its fiftieth class. On June 4, 2009, the school officially closed.

Education and sports

In 2002, the principal of Hudson Catholic High School said the small class size of the school drew parents and students. "Every student becomes a person rather than someone lost in the hallways." The school, with 216 students, was planning at the time for a new building.[2]

In 2004, the school had 217 students, 18 teachers, and a full set of 14 varsity sports teams, including a boys' hockey program begun in 2000; that sport had been last played at the school in the mid-1980s. According to the athletic director, the school was losing prospective students to Central Massachusetts athletic power St. John's and nearby public schools such as Hudson and Marlborough because it did not have a hockey team. In 2004, more than 70% of Hudson's students participated in a varsity sport.[3]

In May 2007, the school graduated 38 students. Both the salutatorian and valedictorian of the class planned to go to Boston University on four-year, full-tuition scholarships, having received the Cardinal Humberto Medeiros Scholarship, which that university gives annually to academic achievers from Boston archdiocesan high schools.[4]

In August 2008, the school administration announced that it would no longer compete in football in the Colonial Athletic League. Between 15 and 20 students were playing in football games, compared to between 40 and 75 for opponents; the team won one game and lost nine the previous season. In addition, the school moved to a new division, 3A, in hockey; the school team was 0-18 the prior season, playing as a cooperative team with Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School.[5]

Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year was $7,700.[6]

2009 closing

For the 2008-2009 school year, the school had an enrollment of 120, down from 200 in 2004. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June. The archdiocese plans to move St. Michael's Elementary School to the building and site now used for the high school, starting in Fall 2009.[7]

Archdiocese Associate Superintendent Bill McKersie said the decision was due to decreasing enrollment, with only 15 incoming freshmen for Fall 2009.[7] Citing a projected budget deficit of $375,000 and a declining enrollment, officials told parents and students that it would take $500,000 to keep the school alive in the first year, and that the decision to close the school was final.[8]

Other

  • In 1991, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor A. Paul Cellucci was barred by the Archdiocese of Boston from giving the commencement address at the school, from which Cellucci had graduated in 1966 because of Cellucci's position favoring abortion rights.[9]
  • In 1997, a fund-raising effort took in more than $100,000 to provide an elevator at the school, to make the building handicapped-accessible.[10]
  • The school's motto is Esse Quam Videri, a Latin phrase which translates as To be rather than to seem.

References

  1. ↑ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  2. ↑ Carolyn Kessel (December 15, 2002). "Parochial schools doing fine in spite of scandal". Daily News Transcript. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
  3. ↑ James Whitters (February 15, 2004). "They're big on sports: Small Catholic schools fill a need". Boston Globe.
  4. ↑ Kevin Keenan (May 26, 2007). "Lifetime memories from 720 days". Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA).
  5. ↑ Ken Powers (August 1, 2008). "Local sports roundup; Hudson Catholic faces competition changes in football, hockey". Community Advocate. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011.
  6. ↑ Michael Morton (April 1, 2009). "Other religious schools reach out to Hudson Catholic". Metrowest Daily News staff. Archived from the original on April 3, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Abby Jordan (March 30, 2009). "Hudson Catholic High School to close in June". MetroWest Daily News.
  8. ↑ Paul Crocetti (April 1, 2009). "Archdiocese stands behind Hudson Catholic decision; supporters prepare for fight". MetroWest Daily News.
  9. ↑ "Boston Archdiocese Bars Speech By Catholic Lieutenant Governor". Washington Post. May 12, 1991.
  10. ↑ Marvin Pave (July 11, 2004). "Pinzino building a baseball team". Boston Globe.
  • Hudson Catholic High School website
  • "Help Save Hudson Catholic" (Facebook page)
  • Marvin Pave (November 18, 1990). "Hopkins Cultivates Winners at Hudson Catholic with Fewer Girls at School, Team Still a Contender". Boston Globe.
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