| Mount Carmel High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Houston, Texas | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, Coeducational |
| Motto | zelo zelatvs sm pro domino deo exercitvvm (With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord, God of Hosts) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1956 |
| Founder | Carmelites |
| Closed | 2008 |
| Grades | 9-12 |
Mount Carmel High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in Houston, Texas, United States. It was administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
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Mount Carmel was established in 1956 by priests of the Order of the Carmelites.[1] The then-Diocese of Galveston-Houston took over administration of the school in 1986 when the Carmelite order that founded the school relinquished ownership. It was the only diocesan operated high school in Houston until its closing.[2]
The School's motto's was "zelo zelatvs sm pro domino deo exercitvvm," which is Latin for "With zeal I have been zealous for the Lord, God of Hosts" and could be seen on the hollow, Camelite, and original school shield, which was laid in the floor in the entrance of the building. The second school motto translated into "It is not permitted for us to be mediocre" and was included on the back side of shield.[3]
Mount Carmel was in the process of making renovations to its facility and had spent a large quantity of money reparing the air conditioning and plumbing systems in the fall semester of 2007. On April 25 2008, about a month before the end of the school year, the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston announced that the school would be closed at the end of the semester, saying it was too costly to renovate and maintain the school. At several meetings with the students, parents, faculty and board members on April 25, 2008 and several days after, the archdiocese stated that it would take measures to help relocate the students to other Catholic high schools. The diocese stated it would make up the difference in tuition between Mount Carmel and any other Catholic school to which the students were accepted for one year. After the first year, parents would be responsible for paying the entire tuition at their respective schools. Mount Carmel High School closed on May 28, 2008.[4][5][6][7]
During the same year, months after Mt. Carmel High School's closing, Houston Independent School District trustees voted to create Mount Carmel Academy, a public school that was originally intended to serve the displaced students who formerly attended Mt. Carmel.[8] Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory of Houston began operations in the former Mount Carmel facility in fall 2009.[9][10]