Cardinal Hayes High School
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Cardinal Hayes Memorial High School for Boys is a Catholic high school in the Bronx, New York City. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion. The school serves the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. It is a member of the CHSAA.
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[edit] History
The history of Cardinal Hayes High School might be said to begin on May 23, 1939, for on that day Pope Pius XII appointed Bishop Francis Spellman of Boston to be the sixth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York. It has been reported that from the very moment of his appointment, Cardinal Spellman intended to build a suitable and lasting memorial to his very popular predecessor, Patrick Cardinal Hayes. That memorial was to be Cardinal Hayes High School.
Cardinal Spellman's dream was that a fine, well-equipped, religiously sound school could be built in a brief time to educate the young men of the Bronx and Manhattan and other nearby areas. That dream would come true in less than two years. He also had a vision that this school would provide a Catholic formation and an academic standard unmatched by any other school in the Archdiocese.
The dream and the vision of Cardinal Spellman took form early in 1940. With war clouds on the horizon, some people questioned the building of a high school in these times. With optimism based on faith and with confidence in the generosity of the people of New York, Spellman gave the order to build.
Before the building operations started, the site was occupied on the Grand Concourse front by a filling station and along the lower rear by a row of squatters' cabins. Traces of these cabins can still be seen as they are used by some of the local residents to grow vegetables in small plots of earth against the lower walls. It is also a local tradition that the site of Hayes was used as a convenient disposal area for the earth removal in the building of the East Side subway system. That theory is substantiated by the difficulties encountered in establishing the foundations by the school builders.
The first principal, Bishop Philip Furlong, was sent by Cardinal Spellman to survey the newly purchased property. The Bishop wondered how anything could be built on such an oddly-sized piece of property - property that curved off the Grand Concourse and then dropped 5 stories to the railroad yards below.
The cornerstone was laid on November 20, 1940, the birthday of Cardinal Hayes. Almost magically, all the materials were assembled and even half the cost of the school (3 million dollars) was subscribed before a stone was placed. Cardinal Hayes was dedicated on Monday, September 8, 1941, That day coincided with the 49th anniversary of Cardinal Hayes' ordination and the 9th anniversary of Cardinal Spellman's consecration as bishop. In attendance were four bishops, several monsignori and a number of priests, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and Knights of Columbus. Cardinal Spellman first blessed the Chapel of Cardinal Hayes High School and then hung an ivory crucifix over the entrance to the Brady auditorium. The ceremonies were then followed by SCHOLA BREVIS for the several hundred original students of Cardinal Hayes High School.
[edit] Facts
- At $5,100 (as of 2007) Cardinal Hayes has the lowest Catholic High School annual tuition in the city of New York, yet the actual cost to educate a student is $7,330 based on an enrollment of 1,000 students.
- 99% of students graduate with their high school diploma.
- 98% of students go on to a college or university.
- 1/3rd of students are on partial scholarships or receive financial aid.
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Jamal Mashburn 1990, NBA player
- Regis Philbin 1949, television personality
- Martin Scorsese 1960, film director
- Will Colon 2001, National Football League (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Cardinal Hayes High School is equipped with a weather station providing hourly meteorological data from the roof of the building. [1]
