Moore Catholic High School
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| Moore Catholic High School |
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| Established | 1962 |
| Type | Private co-educational secondary |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Principal | Douglas McManus |
| Students | 1000 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Staten Island, New York City, New York USA |
| Website | www.moorecatholichs.org |
Moore Catholic High School is a private, religious school on Staten Island, New York. It was founded in September 1962, under the name Countess Moore High School. It was named for a beneficiary to the Archdiocese of New York, and was originally an all-girl school, the only one on Staten Island. It opened up to co-ed admission in September 1969. In October 1978, the name was changed to Moore Catholic High School.
Currently, the school has about 1000 students enrolled. Over 1000 applications are received each year, of which about 300 are accepted. Over half of the students are on sports teams, who compete among other schools in the Archdiocese of New York. The school has a partnership with St. John's University, a local Catholic college. Students from St. John's tutor many of the students at Moore through the Liberty Partnership Program.
The school is also home to an accredited Driver Ed program.
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[edit] Enrollment
The first class contained only 127 girls, but the school now holds over a thousand students. Roughly 60% of the student body is female. The student body is split into regular students and SIP (Scholars Incentive Program) students. SIP students take accelerated and more comprehensive classes, and have to maintain a strict GPA.
In 2005, the school instituted a program called Presentation Honors Academy, which is a specialized class for specially gifted students. The students are taught in a non-traditional setting, and are challenged on an accelerated level. The name Presentation Honors Academy's name has just recently been changed to the Presentation Scholars Academy during the summer of 2006.
[edit] Controversy
In 2004, the school was revealed to have been using a building illegally to hold classes. The building across the street, an old convent, had been mostly vacated for many years and was not used for any other purposes. So the school began holding classes in the building. However, the building was legally classified as a residence, and therefore could not be used for classes. Furthermore, the hallways and stairways were too small for emergency evacuations. However, the administrators of the school were not aware of this. They continued to use the convent for classes for over 20 years, until the FDNY found out and forced them to discontinue use. The building now holds administrative offices and storage. The school has started to use modular classrooms until a permanent replacement can be built.
There was a short time when the school did not have modular classrooms or the convent. During this time, the school had a lot of problems holding classes effectively. They didn't have enough classrooms to hold all the classes. Classes were held in the lobby, lunchroom, courtyard, in a nearby parish church, and even on the lawns.
Some parents have raised an important question - how many students should the school admit? The school has been admitting more and more students each year. Many critics of large admissions claim that the school was not built with the current student body in mind. It was originally built to handle about 500 girls at most, and so its halls and classrooms do not have the capacity they need. Supporters claim that the main school building is legally allowed to hold the amount of students, and that the additional modular classrooms will ease the burden.
These temporary modular classes were only leased for 4 years. In 2007 the school has plans to completely "gut" the convent and build permanent classrooms, complete with sprinklers and fire alarms, exceeding the rules of the NYC Fire and Building codes.
[edit] Performing Arts
In the early 1990's the school had ideas for a program which incorporated acting, dance, singing, music, and production of school plays. In 1997 the Moore Catholic Performing Arts institute was started. The performing arts department was originally led by Maria Militair. Maria brought a "piece of Broadway" as student's called it to the school. In that first year the school's plays went from a high school play to an experience. In 2005 Maria left the school to pursue other interests and Jose Diaz became the head of the department. Mr. Diaz is no stranger to the school as has been the jazz band's conductor, and the director of music at the school for the last 5 years.
Prior to 2005, the 3rd floor of the school's convent was devoted to the performing arts department. The floor consisted of a band room, a dance studio, a prop room, and an equipment storage room. When the convent was closed, the school, realizing the success of the Performing Arts Department, knew they had to do something. The school immediately filed for permits and within a month began to rip down the former library. On the site of the former library the school built a beautiful area named the "new" Performing Arts Institute. This new area consists of a new dance studio, locker rooms, 2 full size classrooms, an office, and several storage closets. The school also leased a modular trailer for the jazz band. All of these areas are fully air conditioned.
In 2006 the jazz bad was honored to play for Cardinal Egan's annual appeal. The school's band also played at the Staten Island Ferry and at the Staten Island Zoo. In 2006, the entire department participated in the musucal "Grease" Everyone hailed the show as a complete success in every detail from the acting and music, straight down to the costumes. Jose Diaz still leads the department as they enter the 2006-2007 school year.
[edit] Clubs, Activities, and Electives
The school has many clubs open to students. As of 2006 the school's clubs include The Megadance Committee, The Language Club, National Honor Society, After School Dance, Chorus, Chamber Ensemble, Step Team, Student Council, The Chess Team, Teaching the Christian Message, The Respect Life Club, Yearbook, Video Yearbook, The Art Club, The Math League, and the School Newspaper.
Senior Electives: Audio and Recording Technologies, C++ computer programming, Web page design, Wars of the 20th century, Sociology, Psychology, AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP English, AP US History, Forensic Science, Anatomy, Astronomy, Several college level math courses, Art, French 4, Spanish 4, and Italian 4.
The school also has several yearly events. In November 2005, the school held a Battle of the Bands contest to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Battle of the Bands was put together by students Siobhan Burns and Colleen Lima who graduated in June 2006. Other members of the Battle of the Bands committee were Andrea Brevetti, Camille Carreon and Dana Santoro, all of whom graduated in June 2006, as well. Due to its success the school said it will become an annual event.
Another annual event at Moore Catholic is Senior Costume Day. Every Halloween (Or the Friday before if the holiday falls on a weekend) the school's senior class gets to wear costumes. Many of the teacher's also get into the spirit of things by wearing costumes themselves. Every September of a new school year, the school holds its Freshman Field Day. The school hires a DJ and several rides for the freshman as well as buying them pizza and soda.
[edit] Sports
The school has received much attention for its sports programs. Its Varsity football program has become very successful since its beginning, winning several championships and awards. Their baseball team has done very well. In 2005, their pitcher Nick Doscher was drafted by the Kansas City Royals. Also in 2005, their star basketball player Kyle McAlarney received a full scholarship to Notre Dame.
In 2005, the Girl's Varsity Soccer team was the Archdiocesan champions, and went on to play in the State championships. It is a member of the CHSAA.
The school has many sports and recreation options open to students. As of 2006 the school has: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Cheerleading, Swimming, Bowling, Golf, Track and Field, and Tennis.
[edit] Faculty
The school originally contained a convent on the grounds. The sisters and nuns who lived there also worked at the school as teachers and administrators. However, over the years, fewer religious personnel were assigned to the school, and the administrators began hiring lay teachers. The school is now led and maintained by the Principal, Mr. Douglas McManus, the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Amelia Panfilo and the Dean, Ms. Dolores McMahon.
