St. Patrick High School (North Platte, Nebraska)
Encyclopedia
St. Patrick High School is a Roman Catholic high school
in North Platte, Nebraska
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
. St. Patrick High School is part of North Platte Catholic Schools, which also includes McDaid Elementary and Little Leprechaun Pre-School.
In 1916, St. Patrick School was constructed at Fourth and Walnut Streets, at an expense of $52,000. The building was described as the "finest educational structure in the area."
The current St. Patrick High School building was opened in 1955 near E and Silber Streets. The former building continued to serve as the elementary school. In 1967, it was renamed McDaid Elementary, in honor of Father Patrick McDaid, the pastor of the parish from 1910 to 1948.
Increasing enrollment in the late 1950s and 1960s necessitated expansion of the facilities, which took place in 1963 and 1967. During that time, the junior high program was established at the high-school building.
In 1968, Bill McGahan was appointed principal of McDaid Elementary. He became the first lay
school administrator in the Diocese of Grand Island. In 1970, he was named principal of both the elementary and high school. He became superintendent in 1974, and continues in that capacity. He has announced that he will retire in July 2011, and will be succeeded as superintendent by current teacher and coach Kevin Dodson.
All-Star Leo Scherer.
St. Patrick has been a member of the South Platte Valley Association athletic conference since 1969. They have won the following NSAA State Championships :
Athletic facilities for St. Patrick High School include two gymnasiums, a football field, a weight room, and a practice field. Varsity basketball and volleyball hold their practices and games in the McGahan Activities Center, at McDaid Elementary. Wrestling practice is held in the weight room, also at McDaid. Wrestling meets are held in the McGahan Activities Center. The gymnasium at St. Patrick High School was previously the only gym, until McGahan Activities Center was opened in 2000. Currently, the St. Patrick gym is mainly used for Junior High activities. The football team plays all home games at Knights of Columbus Field. Football practices are held at the practice field east of McDaid. St. Patrick does not have an adequate track for track meets. Home track meets are held at North Platte High School. The golf team holds their activities at local golf courses, in North Platte.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte, Nebraska
North Platte is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, Nebraska, United States. It is located in the southwestern part of the state, along Interstate 80, at the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers forming the Platte River...
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Island is a Roman Catholic diocese in Grand Island, Nebraska. It is suffragan to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha. It was founded on April 11, 1917, after a decree from Pius X in 1912 with the first bishop appointed in 1913...
. St. Patrick High School is part of North Platte Catholic Schools, which also includes McDaid Elementary and Little Leprechaun Pre-School.
History
Nativity Convent School (St. Patrick) was established on September 8, 1891. Among the first students was Irma Cody, daughter of William F. Cody. Five young women were the first graduates in 1895.In 1916, St. Patrick School was constructed at Fourth and Walnut Streets, at an expense of $52,000. The building was described as the "finest educational structure in the area."
The current St. Patrick High School building was opened in 1955 near E and Silber Streets. The former building continued to serve as the elementary school. In 1967, it was renamed McDaid Elementary, in honor of Father Patrick McDaid, the pastor of the parish from 1910 to 1948.
Increasing enrollment in the late 1950s and 1960s necessitated expansion of the facilities, which took place in 1963 and 1967. During that time, the junior high program was established at the high-school building.
In 1968, Bill McGahan was appointed principal of McDaid Elementary. He became the first lay
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
school administrator in the Diocese of Grand Island. In 1970, he was named principal of both the elementary and high school. He became superintendent in 1974, and continues in that capacity. He has announced that he will retire in July 2011, and will be succeeded as superintendent by current teacher and coach Kevin Dodson.
St. Patrick's today
The entire North Platte Catholic Schools system (K–12) has an operating budget of around $2 million. Enrollment system is about 420, making up approximately 11% of school-aged children in North Platte. North Platte Catholic Schools has a professional staff of 39 and a service staff of 15. The school has had over 2,200 graduates.Athletics
St. Patrick won its first state championship in 1928 (Boys Basketball). Its first football team was organized in 1939, under former University of NebraskaUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
All-Star Leo Scherer.
St. Patrick has been a member of the South Platte Valley Association athletic conference since 1969. They have won the following NSAA State Championships :
- Boys FootballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
- 1948, 1984, 1985, 2004 (Runner-Up - 1987) - Girls VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
- none (Runner-Up - 1976, 4th Place - 2009) - Girls Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
- none (3rd Place - 2011, 4th Place 2010) - Boys BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
- 1928 (4th Place - 2011) - Boys WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
- 1976, 1981, (Runner-Up - 1988, 3rd Place - 2005) - Boys GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
- 2002, 2010, (Runner-Up - 1999, 3rd Place - 2009)
Athletic facilities for St. Patrick High School include two gymnasiums, a football field, a weight room, and a practice field. Varsity basketball and volleyball hold their practices and games in the McGahan Activities Center, at McDaid Elementary. Wrestling practice is held in the weight room, also at McDaid. Wrestling meets are held in the McGahan Activities Center. The gymnasium at St. Patrick High School was previously the only gym, until McGahan Activities Center was opened in 2000. Currently, the St. Patrick gym is mainly used for Junior High activities. The football team plays all home games at Knights of Columbus Field. Football practices are held at the practice field east of McDaid. St. Patrick does not have an adequate track for track meets. Home track meets are held at North Platte High School. The golf team holds their activities at local golf courses, in North Platte.