Bishop England High School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bishop England High School |
|
| Established | 1915 |
| Type | Private high school |
| Affiliation | Catholic |
| Students | 890 |
| Location | Charleston, South Carolina, United States |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Mascot | Battling Bishop |
| Rival Schools | Porter-Gaud School Hanahan High School |
| Website | behs.com |
Bishop England High School is the largest private Catholic four-year high school in South Carolina. It is located on Daniel Island in the city of Charleston. The parochial school was founded in 1915 and was named for the Diocese of Charleston's first bishop, John England. Until 1998, the school was located on Calhoun Street in downtown Charleston.
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[edit] History
On September 22, 1915, Catholic High School opened its doors as a department of the Cathedral School on Queen Street. The Reverend Joseph L. O'Brien organized the new school with the cooperation of the Reverend James J. May. At that time there were 67 students enrolled in four grade levels: seventh, ninth, tenth, and eleventh. That first faculty consisted of three diocesan priests and three Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Mercy (O.L.M.).
By the spring of 1916, a growing student enrollment made larger quarters imperative. Mrs. Ryan of New York donated the building, once used as a convent, at 203 Calhoun Street to the Diocese for this purpose. The school moved to this location and was officially named Bishop England High School in honor of the first Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, Bishop John England. The main building housed the senior high school while an annex was converted into a biology lab and a seventh grade classroom. The school offered two courses of study: college preparatory and business.
With the Catholic community of Charleston increasing, a drive was initiated to raise $50,000.00 for a new school building to replace the one being used. The drive was a huge success, and ground was broken on July 5, 1921. The school was opened on February 18, 1922. During construction the high school operated in a former Catholic school for boys, the Central School on George Street. By 1940, 25 years after its inception, the school's enrollment had reached 318 students, and the faculty had nearly doubled.
In 1947, the school's first Rector, Monsignor O'Brien, retired after having served 32 years, and he was followed by former Bishop England student, Rev. Msgr. John L. Manning.
The Catholic community of Charleston sponsored two expansion drives for the high school in the late 1940s: two new buildings were added to the campus. In 1947 the west wing (which housed an auditorium, science laboratory, and offices) was built; and in 1948 the east wing, which was the Father O'Brien gymnasium, was built. Additional land was acquired in 1957, and a two-story annex was constructed, providing eight new classrooms and additional office space.
In June 1959, the Rev. William J. Croghan, B.E. class of 1940, was appointed as the third Rector of Bishop England. By 1960 the faculty had grown to 31 members, and 740 students were enrolled. Additional property was purchased in 1963 and in 1964 on Coming Street, Calhoun Street, and Pitt Street; this property would provide classrooms, living quarters for teachers, a maintenance shop, facilities for the school nurse, and a schoolyard. The 1964 school year began with a new Rector, the Rev. Robert J. Kelly, and enrollment grew to nearly 800 students. Because of overcrowding, between 1966 and 1968, freshman classes were conducted in the old St. Patrick's School on St. Phillip Street.
Bishop England integrated in 1964; in 1968, it merged with Immaculate Conception High School. The student body numbered 850 students with 250 freshmen. The former Immaculate Conception School building on Coming Street became the Bishop England Freshman Building.
Nicholas J. Theos became principal in 1973. He established the BEHS endowment fund in 1985, which quickly grew to one million dollars. In 1990, Rev. Msgr. Lawrence B. McInerny became the third B.E. graduate named as Rector of the school.
In 1976, a former church building at 172 Calhoun Street was purchased from the College of Charleston. Occupancy took place in 1977 and housed the freshmen.
In 1993, four modular units (eight rooms) were added to accommodate increasing enrollment, providing four classrooms, a conference room, and a chapel where Mass was celebrated. Enrollment in 1995 was 805, the largest of any private high school in the state. In September 1995, Bishop Thompson officially announced that the school was moving to Daniel Island and its current property would be sold to the College of Charleston. The Daniel Island Development Company, which was partially owned by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, donated 40 acres of land for the new school. To help offset the cost of the new school, a campus campaign was kicked off in January 1997 with a goal of $2.5 million. Construction began in 1996, and Bishop Thompson blessed the ground at the site of the new Bishop England High School in June 1997. In 1998 Mr. Theos retired after 25 years of service to Bishop England. Mr. David Held who was serving as associate principal since 1997 then became the new principal. With the help of students, faculty, and volunteers, the school was moved to the new campus on Daniel Island in the summer of 1998.
[edit] Academics
Bishop England offers three levels of courses, including Honors level courses for most subjects. Students are required to take four years of Theology, Mathematics, and English. Bishop England also offers ten AP (Advanced Placement) courses:
- AP English 3
- AP English 4
- AP Calculus (AB and BC)
- AP Spanish
- AP Biology 2
- AP Physics 2 (Course will no longer be offered starting 2008).
- AP U.S. History
- AP American Government
- AP Studio Art
[edit] Clubs and Activities
Bishop England offers a variety of clubs and activities throughout the year. They include:
- Student Government
- Class Board
- Senior
- Junior
- Sophomore
- Freshman
- BEHS Ambassadors
- B-Hive Newspaper
- Campus Ministry/Retreat Team
- Music Ministry
- CSMC
- Dance Team
- Drama Club
- French Club
- Habitat for Humanity
- Intramurals
- Key Club
- Library Council
- Literary Magazine
- Model UN
- Mu Alpha Theta
- National Honor Society
- Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica (National Spanish Honor Society)
- Spanish Club
- Speech and Debate
- Ultimate Frisbee
[edit] Athletics
The athletic program at Bishop England is one of the top in the country. In 2005 the Bishop
England sports program was named number one in the state by Sports Illustrated Magazine, regardless of size. Many teams including volleyball, soccer, golf and girl's track have won several state championships in a row.
Bishop England's biggest rivals in basketball and football are the Porter-Gaud Cyclones and the Hanahan High School Hawks.
Fall Sports: Volleyball, Football, Girls' Tennis, Swimming, Cross Country, Sailing
Winter Sports: Wrestling, Basketball, Ice Hockey
Spring Sports: Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Track, Boys' Tennis, Golf
