Cardinal Dougherty High School

Cardinal Dougherty High School
Crucis In Signo Vinces
Conquer In The Sign Of The Cross
Address
6301 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19120
 United States
Information
Type Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 1956
President Rev. Carl F. Janicki
Principal Thomas F. Rooney, Jr.
Asst. Principal Mary McDonald
Diana Graeber
Faculty 41
Grades 9-12
Enrollment 784 [1]  (2008)
Grade 9 177
Grade 10 206
Grade 11 196
Grade 12 205
Campus Rural/Urban
Color(s) Garnet and Gold         
Mascot The Cardinal(Bird)
Accreditation(s) Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Newspaper 'Prelate'
Yearbook 'Eminence'
Alumni 40,000+
Athletic Director Steve Carr
Website

Cardinal Dougherty High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. At the time of its closing, it was the only Archdiocesan high school to offer Intensive Scheduling, a medical careers health academy curriculum HOSA, and a Catholic school teachers academy program.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced on October 8, 2009 that Cardinal Dougherty would close in June 2010 at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year, along with Northeast Catholic High School.

Contents

Background

Cardinal Dougherty was established in 1956 in the Olney section of Philadelphia. The school is named after Cardinal Dennis Joseph Dougherty, archbishop of the Philadelphia diocese from 1918 to 1951. At one point in the 1960s it was the largest Catholic High School in the world, having over 6000 students enrolled. The class of 1968 had over 1200 graduates. The school has over 40,000 total graduates. Enrollment has shrunk over the years. Tuition was approaching $4000 a year a few years ago. In the 1960s it was $200 or less with half of the tuition being paid by the Parish of the student.[2]

Athletics

The Cardinal Dougherty Football team had not won a game since 2006 until their win against Neumann-Goretti High School 6-0 in Wildwood, NJ in 2009. Basketball: Notable Players, Cuttino "Cat" Mobley, Desean White, Kyle Lowry, Bilal Benn, and Shane Clark. Ranked #2 in nation at one point in 2002-2003 season featuring Lowry and Clark (Villanova Recruits).

Other Notables

Alex Ely, former teacher and soccer coach who played soccer for the USA, is a member of the USA Soccer Hall of fame. He also played with Brazilian football great Pelé, who was named "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee.

Jack St. Clair, a former track and cross country coach, led Cardinal Dougherty to eight Philadelphia Catholic League and City Cross Country Championships. He was a president of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) Track and Field Association, and was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Eddie Polec, a former student, was made famous in 1994 when he was brutally beaten and left to die on the front steps of Saint Cecilia Church. Polec was a grammar school graduate of Saint Cecilia School. In the aftermath of his son's murder, John Polec coped by immersing himself in the issue of 911 reform. The 911 system garnered as much publicity as the murder, since more than 20 calls were made to 911 in the 40 minutes after Eddie was attacked, but no police were dispatched. Rather than sue the city, the Polec family initiated an overhaul of Philadelphia's flawed 911 system. Authors Bryn Freedman and William Knoedelseder wrote a book about Eddie's death and the trials that ensued for his family and the city. In Eddie's Name: One Family's Triumph over Tragedy details the intimate moments surrounding his murder, his community, his school, and his friends and family's literal triumph over tragedy.

Ken V. Krawchuk, Class of 1971, was the Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1998 and 2002.

External links

Philadelphia portal
Pennsylvania portal
Catholicism portal
Schools portal

Notes and references

  1. ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". http://www.css-msa.org/search.php?MODE=VIEW(PA060)&org=CSS. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
  2. ^ CDHS. "School History". Cardinal Dougherty High School website. http://www.cardinaldougherty.org/?pid=219. Retrieved 2007-05-11.