Hudson Catholic High School (Hudson, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
Hudson Catholic High School was a coeducation
al Catholic
school in Hudson, Massachusetts
, USA. It is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June, after it graduated its 50th class. On June 4, 2009 the school officially closed.
In 2004, the school had 217 students, 18 teachers, and a full set of 14 varsity sports teams, including a boys' hockey program begun in 2000; that sport had been last played at the school in the mid-1980s. According to the athletic director, the school was losing prospective students to Central Massachusetts athletic power St. John's
and nearby public schools such as Hudson
and Marlborough because it did not have a hockey team. In 2004, more than 70% of Hudson's students participated in a varsity sport.
In May 2007, the school graduated 38 students. Both the salutatorian
and valedictorian
of the class planned to go to Boston University
on four-year, full-tuition scholarships, having received the Cardinal Humberto Medeiros Scholarship, which that university gives annually to academic achievers from Boston archdiocesan high schools.
In August 2008, the school administration announced that it would no longer compete in football in the Colonial Athletic League. Between 15 and 20 students were playing in football games, compared to between 40 and 75 for opponents; the team won one game and lost nine the previous season. In addition, the school moved to a new division, 3A, in hockey; the school team was 0-18 the prior season, playing as a cooperative team with Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School.
Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year was $7,700.
Archdiocese Associate Superintendent Bill McKersie said the decision was due to decreasing enrollment, with only 15 incoming freshmen for Fall 2009. Citing a projected budget deficit of $375,000 and a declining enrollment, officials told parents and students that it would take $500,000 to keep the school alive in the first year, and that the decision to close the school was final.
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
school in Hudson, Massachusetts
Hudson, Massachusetts
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2010 census. The town is located in central Massachusetts, about a 40-minute drive, or about , west of Boston, and about a 20-minute drive, or about , northeast of Worcester.Before its...
, USA. It is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June, after it graduated its 50th class. On June 4, 2009 the school officially closed.
Education and sports
In 2002, the principal of Hudson Catholic High School said the small class size of the school drew parents and students. "Every student becomes a person rather than someone lost in the hallways." The school, with 216 students, was planning at the time for a new building.In 2004, the school had 217 students, 18 teachers, and a full set of 14 varsity sports teams, including a boys' hockey program begun in 2000; that sport had been last played at the school in the mid-1980s. According to the athletic director, the school was losing prospective students to Central Massachusetts athletic power St. John's
St. John's High School (Massachusetts)
Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester...
and nearby public schools such as Hudson
Hudson High School (Massachusetts)
Hudson High School is a public high school located in Hudson, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is administered by the Hudson Public Schools system, and serves grades 8 through 12 . The current principal is John H...
and Marlborough because it did not have a hockey team. In 2004, more than 70% of Hudson's students participated in a varsity sport.
In May 2007, the school graduated 38 students. Both the salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
and valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of the class planned to go to Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
on four-year, full-tuition scholarships, having received the Cardinal Humberto Medeiros Scholarship, which that university gives annually to academic achievers from Boston archdiocesan high schools.
In August 2008, the school administration announced that it would no longer compete in football in the Colonial Athletic League. Between 15 and 20 students were playing in football games, compared to between 40 and 75 for opponents; the team won one game and lost nine the previous season. In addition, the school moved to a new division, 3A, in hockey; the school team was 0-18 the prior season, playing as a cooperative team with Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School.
Tuition for the 2008-2009 school year was $7,700.
2009 closing
For the 2008-2009 school year, the school had an enrollment of 120, down from 200 in 2004. On March 29, 2009, the parents and students were told that the high school would close in June. The archdiocese plans to move St. Michael's Elementary School to the building and site now used for the high school, starting in Fall 2009.Archdiocese Associate Superintendent Bill McKersie said the decision was due to decreasing enrollment, with only 15 incoming freshmen for Fall 2009. Citing a projected budget deficit of $375,000 and a declining enrollment, officials told parents and students that it would take $500,000 to keep the school alive in the first year, and that the decision to close the school was final.
Other
- In 1991, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor A. Paul Cellucci was barred by the Archdiocese of Boston from giving the commencement address at the school, from which Cellucci had graduated in 1966, because of Cellucci's position favoring abortion rights.
- In 1997, a fund-raising effort took in more than $100,000 to provide an elevator at the school, to make the building handicapped-accessible.
- The school's motto is Esse Quam Videri, a LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase which translates as To be rather than to seem.
External links
- Hudson Catholic High School website
- "Help Save Hudson Catholic" (Facebook page)