| Cathedral Preparatory School | |
|---|---|
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Developing men of vision in spirit, mind, and body
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| Address | |
| 225 West 9th Street Erie, Pennsylvania, (Erie County), 16501 United States |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private, All-Male |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1921 |
| Founder | Archbishop John Mark Gannon |
| Principal | Rick Fessler |
| Headmaster | Fr. Scott Jabo |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 558 [1] (2010-11) |
| Average class size | 25 |
| Student to teacher ratio | 14:1 |
| Color(s) | Orange and Black |
| Song | "Loyal and True" |
| Team name | Ramblers |
| Accreditation(s) | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[1] |
| Publication | Literulae |
| Newspaper | 'The Rambler' |
| Tuition | $6,995 (2011-2012) |
| Athletic Director | William Flanagan |
| Website | www.cathedral-prep.com |
Cathedral Preparatory School (often referred to simply as Prep) is an all-male college prep school in Erie, Pennsylvania run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie and was established in 1921 by Archbishop John Mark Gannon. The school boasts a 97%-100% college acceptance rate among graduating classes. The graduating class of 2011 was given over $8 million in merit-based scholarships.
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Cathedral Prep was founded in 1921 as an all-boys Catholic high school by Archbishop John Mark Gannon of the Diocese of Erie. Archbishop Gannon’s vision was to provide a college preparatory, Catholic education for young men to strengthen the Catholic faith in Erie, and to act as a conduit for vocations. The school was originally located underneath St. Peter Cathedral in what is presently the Prep cafeteria. In 1953, an Auditorium and a three level classroom addition were 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 growth of the school.
Cathedral Prep is one of the most exclusive prep schools in the state of Pennsylvania. The school has 578 students, with an average college acceptance rate of 98%. The program of study at Prep prepares the student for success in college. A majority of the faculty have advanced degrees in their fields. Students are required to take courses in English, history, mathematics, religion, foreign languages, science and are also required to complete 100 hours of service. Additionally, every student must take the SAT in order to graduate. Some colleges and universities attended by the graduates include Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, Boston College, Wake Forest University, United States Military Academy, Harvard University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Acceptance to the freshman class at Cathedral Prep is based on the results of the mandatory Entrance Exam, elementary school transcripts, elementary school disciplinary record, and recommendations from the elementary school teachers and principal.
Cathedral Prep is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) in PIAA District 10. Prep has the most District Ten football championships, 17, more than any other team in District Ten. The Prep basketball team has won a total of 18 District Ten championships. The mascot of Cathedral Prep is the Rambler. Each year the Prep basketball team hosts the Burger King Classic, which was rated the #1 four-team basketball tournament in the country in 2011.[2] . Prep offers 13 varsity sports as well as many JV and freshman sports. On September 10, 2010 Prep officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center, a new athletic complex for football.
| Sport | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Basketball | 1953, 1954, 1968, 1971, 1980, 1993 |
| Football | 2000 |
| Wrestling | 1964, (7 Individual State Champions) |
| Golf | 1982*, 1985*, 2007*, 2008 |
| Swimming | 1990, 1995*, 2001 |
| Track and Field | 1952, 1953, 2004* |
| Ice Hockey | 1984, 1997 |
| Soccer | 2001 |
| Tennis | 1984 (Doubles) |
| Baseball | None |
- *Individual State Champion
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.
Cathedral Prep is a nationally recognized school in Speech and Debate. The team has a focus on debate. The team has 9 State Championships in Policy Debate. The team is also recognized as a national power. The team has competed in virtually every national tournament, including the National Forensic League Championship (with the team of Jeffrey Abbate and John Bu winning the national title in 1982), the National Catholic Forensic League Grand National Tournament, and the Tournament of Champions having success in each.
Over the last decade, Cathedral Prep has undergone interior renovations to the halls and classrooms of all four floors in its main building. The project, which included the installation of new windows, ceilings, walls, lockers, lighting fixtures, carpeting, and a technology infrastructure has a projected completion cost of three million dollars. Prep has recently completed a $1 million renovation to the science wing and auditorium [3]. On September 10, 2010 Prep officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center, a new athletic complex for football.
Prep has announced plans for a new athletic facility to be built on the former site of the EMI Foundry Building on the southeast corner of 12th & Cherry Streets. With the football field already built, there are still plans to build a gymnasium with seating adequate to house varsity basketball games (1,800 seats, a 400-seat natatorium, a new wrestling room, a weight room. The building of the new facility will be part of a $10–12 million dollar capital campaign to update the science hall and auditorium. [4]
The Prep brotherhood numbers over 13,000. Many alumni give yearly monetary support to the school. Many classrooms in the school are dedicated to those whose donations allowed their renovation, including the newly renovated $1 million auditorium. Prep alumni work in various fields. Prep alumni go on to prestigious jobs, jobs that help serve their local community, their state, and their nation.
This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Ridge | 1963 | Former Governor of Pennsylvania, and First United States Secretary of Homeland Security | [5] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike McCoy | 1966 | Former NFL player | [] |
| Mark Stepnoski | Former NFL player (2-time Super Bowl Champion and 5-time Pro Bowler) | [] | |
| Bob Sanders | 2000 | NFL player (Super Bowl Champion and 2-time Pro Bowler) | [] |
| Ed Hinkel | 2001 | NFL player, Indianapolis Colts | [] |
| Kyle Rogers | 2004 | NHL player, Toronto Maple Leafs | [] |
| Julian Blanks | Professional Basketball Player in Portugal | [] | |
| Nick Palmieri | 2007 | NHL player, New Jersey Devils | [] |
| Joseph Jones | Professional Basketball Player in the Premier Basketball League | [] | |
| Rick Kaczenski | Defensive coordinator at Nebraska University | [] | |
| Andy Lorei | 2007 | Professional American soccer player | [] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Michael Watson | 1925 | Former Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie | [] |
| Justin Fatica | 1997 | Co-Founder of Nationally Acclaimed "Hard As Nails Ministries" | [] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Elliot Cohen | 1973 | Author, has four New York Times Bestsellers | [] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Fabrizio | 1982 | Movie and TV actor | [6] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Markopoulos | 1974 | Bernard Madoff Ponzi Scheme Whistle Blower | [] |
| R. Ted Weschler | 1979 | Investment manager at Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. | [7] |
| John Barber | President and CEO of Barber National Institute | [] |
| Name | Class year | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Clark | 1978 | Lead FBI investigator in the Brian Douglas Wells "Pizza Bomber" case. | [] |