Cathedral Preparatory School
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Cathedral Preparatory School, is a male-only Roman Catholic high school in Erie, Pennsylvania. "Prep", as many call it, was established in 1921 by then Erie Catholic Bishop John Mark Gannon. Bishop Gannon intended for Prep to be an all-male Catholic high school which focused on spiritual, intellectual, and physical development which is echoed in the school's motto: "Developing men of vision in spirit, mind, and body."
The school started in humble beginnings underneath St. Peter’s Cathedral in what is presently the Prep cafeteria. The original school building was built as an addition to the Cathedral in the early 1940’s…the ties to church and school would forever be indelible. In 1953, an Auditorium and a three level classroom addition was constructed as enrollment grew. The last major addition to the school was the 1964 science wing addition at the corner of 10th & Myrtle in order to accommodate the explosive growth of the school. Cathedral Prep’s first graduating class of 1925 consisted of just 44 young men…most notably Alfred Watson, who later went on to become Bishop of the Erie Diocese. Since that time, a countless number of Prep graduates have made their mark on our community, our region and our country.
In the past eighty years, hundreds of all-boys Catholic high schools have either closed their doors or chose to go co-ed, but the tradition at Prep continues today, as strong as ever, in the spirit and vision of John Mark Gannon.
Cathedral Prep's current headmaster is Fr. Scott Jabo and current principal is Sr. Claudia Dombrowski.
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[edit] Academics
Cathedral Prep, throughout the years, has been regionally and nationally renowned for its rigorous academic programs. In the last 20 years, 90%-98% of Prep graduates selected higher education as their post high school goals. Each graduating class, over the last few decades, has accumulated accepted scholarships from colleges in quantities of millions of dollars. [1]
[edit] Alumni
Famous alumni of Cathedral Prep include former Pennsylvania Governor and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge,the quintessential man Nick Quint, football players Mike McCoy, Mark Stepnoski, Bob Sanders, and artist Jim Sabol who now teaches there. Basketball player Jeff Daisley who plays for the Buffalo Silverbacks in the ABA. In addition to the aforementioned graduates, many Cathedral Prep alumni are successful and influential figures in both the city of Erie and throughout the country. It is traditionally observed that Cathedral Prep graduates retain close ties with their alma mater and are frequent contributors to the school's many renovation projects
[edit] Athletics
Cathedral Prep is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association in District 10, Region 6.
The mascot of Cathedral Prep is the Rambler. Originally named for the "rambling" roses found outside of St. Peter's Cathedral (Prep's namesake) and the favorite flower of founder Bishop John Mark Gannon, the image has changed over time to be portrayed as an anthropomorphic sheep (having the head of a ram and body of a person). The current Prep football logo bears a resemblance to the one used for Dodge vehicles.
Cathedral Prep is famous (or infamous, depending on perspective) for the enthusiasm of its fans during athletic competition. During many of these, fans will gather into a large cheering section and deliver standing cheers for the Ramblers and jeers against the opposing team.
Headmaster Father Scott Jabo and Principal Sister Claudia Dombrowski, along with many of the other faculty and staff attend the games.
[edit] Football
Football is considered by many to be the school's primary sport. The team's current coach is United States Naval Academy alumnus Don Holl, who is in his second year coaching for the Ramblers after a respectable finish in the Pennsylvania state quarterfinals. In 2000, the Cathedral Prep football team led by future college stars Ed Hinkel of Iowa and Charles Rush of Penn State won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association class "AAAA" football title. The team ended Pennsylvania football power Central Bucks West's 59 game winning streak. They finished with a 14-0 record and a #4 national ranking by USA Today.[2] The fans at the football games are very enthusiastic, even more so when Prep is facing one of its big rivals, McDowell or General McLane. After a touchdown is scored, a "mosh pit" usually occurs. That is, every one pushes each other to the ground, and then jumps on top of the pile they have just made. This dangerous practice has resulted in a surprisingly small number of injuries, and is a favorite of many students at the games. Other happenings in the cheering section include, among others, seats breaking from fans wildly jumping on them.
[edit] Pep Rallies
Pep rallies (or "Prep Rallies") at Prep usually are very crazy and chaotic, and pump up students for major athletic events. At a pep rally preceding a football game against cross-town rivals, the McDowell Trojans in the 2005 season, Headmaster Jabo pretended to call off the pep rally because some students allegedly damaged Mcdowell's school property. Many teachers were also caught off guard, as the plan was deftly executed, and highly secret. The students were called to go into the auditorium, where they were to be lectured by police officers about how serious the damage was and the consequences of their actions. As the police were speaking, they tore off their uniform shirts, which revealed the letters PREP written on their chests. The student body proceeded to let loose, as the rally officially got under way. All rallies tend to include one or more student-created videos, which are often humorous and tend to degrade the opponent.
[edit] Varsity Sports
This a list of the 12 varsity sports played and their current accomplishments:
Baseball: Established themselves as one of the top four teames in Pennsylvania; advanced to the Western Finals; defeated archrival McDowell in the District 10 Championship
Basketball: Defeated then-defending champion Chester in the 2006 McDonald's Classic; beat McDowell in the District 10 Championship game; advanced to the second round of the PIAA playoffs against McKeesport; finished with a 22-6 record
Cross Country: Won first District 10 title in 17 years with six of the first eleven finishers crossing th finish line; Finished with a 6-1 regular season record; finished 21st in the state team championships
Football:
Golf: Represented by 2 seniors, 1 sophomore, and 1 freshman, the Ramblers place second in the state of Pennsylvania as a team; finished regular season with a 8-1 record; won all four region supermatches; won Region 6, District 10, and Western Regional championships
Hockey:
Soccer:
Swimming:
Tennis:
Track and Field:
Water Polo: Prep won the District 10 title this year, along with many other tournament wins. Prep finished 5th in the state at 24-9 and finished "Best in the West"
Wrestling:
[edit] Technology
Cathedral Prep is one of the few high schools in the nation to have a tablet PC program for all students accepted into the school. All incoming freshmen are leased a Tablet PC which they will use over the four years at the school and then own upon graduation. The computers are connected to the internet via a school-wide WiFi connection. Currently, the project is three-fourths implemented, leaving only the current seniors (Class of 2007) without the devices. The Class of 2008 uses Acer TravelMate (model T110TCI) Tablet PCs and the Classes of 2009 and 2010 use Fujitsu LifeBook Tablet PCs. The units come with full warranties and are either serviced by the manufacturer or the school's in-house repair center.
Cathedral Prep also had an innovative daily video announcement program called "Prep News" which features the important information for the day as well as various other special programming.
[edit] Renovations
[edit] Current
In addition to the establishment of the school's technology program, Cathedral Prep has also undergone interior renovations to the halls and classrooms of all four floors in its main building, with the halls and rooms of the auditorium and science wing to follow. The project, which encompasses new windows, ceilings, walls, lockers, lighting fixtures, carpeting in some areas, the technology infrastructure, and a scholarship fund, has a projected completion cost of three million dollars. Money has been accumulated through grants and alumni contributions.
[edit] Future
Cathedral Prep's headmaster recently detailed plans of a new athletic complex on the current site of the faculty parking lot to replace Prep's aging gymnasium and swimming pool. However, a small parcel of unused land surrounded by the lot is owned by a third party. Negotiations for the sale of this land have been so far unsuccessful for the school.
[edit] Mate
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