Cathedral Preparatory School

Cathedral Preparatory School (often referred to simply as Prep) is a private, Roman Catholic, college-preparatory high school for girls and boys in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1921 by Archbishop John Mark Gannon and is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie.

Cathedral Preparatory School
Address
225 West 9th Street

,
16501

United States
Coordinates42°7′27″N 80°5′17″W
Information
School typeIndependent college-preparatory high school
Motto"Developing men and women of vision in spirit, mind, and body"
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
DenominationRoman Catholic[1]
Established1921 (1921)
FounderJohn Mark Gannon
Sister schoolVilla Maria Academy
OversightRoman Catholic Diocese of Erie
CEEB code391275
NCES School ID01190189[1]
PresidentKevin Smith
Faculty35.4 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades912
GenderCo-ed education[1]
Enrollment469[1] (2019-2020)
  Grade 9116[1]
  Grade 10108[1]
  Grade 11120[1]
  Grade 12125[1]
Student to teacher ratio1:13.2
Hours in school day7.1
Campus typeSmall city
Color(s)Orange and Black   
SongLoyal and True
Athletics conferencePIAA
MascotRambler
NicknameRamblers
AccreditationMSA[2]
PublicationLiterulae
NewspaperThe Rambler
Websiteprep-villa.com

History

Classes were originally located under St. Peter's Cathedral. The school is now located behind the cathedral.

On Friday, August 12, 1921, Bishop John Mark Gannon summoned the pastors of Erie's twelve parishes to meet to discuss the "lack of Catholic education for high school boys in the city." "Many Catholics," he claimed, "although highly intelligent and deserving, were denied the chance to receive a preparatory education because they were poor." His goal was to establish a school that "provided the moral, intellectual, social, and physical training designed to prepare (men) to live in our democratic society..." thus, the Cathedral Preparatory School for Boys was established in the fall of 1921. The new school's location was in the hastily remodeled basement of St. Peter's Cathedral. The faculty consisted of four priests and one layperson. Tuition was $50 and paid for by the students' parishes. In 1925, the first graduating class of 43 men became alums. In 1929, Bill Ring of the Erie Dispatch-Herald began referring to the Cathedral team as the "Ramblers." Mr. Ring's inspiration was the University of Notre Dame's 1920's nickname.[3]

The school renovated 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 technology infrastructure, has a projected completion cost of three million dollars. It recently completed a $1 million renovation to the science wing and auditorium.[4] On September 10, 2010, it officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center (now known as the Hagerty Family Events Center [5]), a new athletic complex for football, basketball, swimming, water polo, soccer, lacrosse, and track and field. A 1,800 seat gymnasium and a 400-seat natatorium complete with an Olympic-sized pool, a new wrestling room, and a weight room were recently completed on the corner of 12th and Cherry Streets for a cost of over $10 million.[6]

Admissions

Demographics

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity 2019–2020[1]
WhiteBlackAsianTwo or More Races
42928102


Curriculum

Students must take courses in English, history, mathematics, religion, foreign languages, and science and are also required to complete 100 hours of community service. Additionally, every student must take the SAT to graduate. Cathedral Prep bases acceptance to the first-year class on the results of the mandatory entrance exam, elementary school transcripts, school disciplinary records, and recommendations from the elementary school teachers and principal. In 2019, 127 students graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School, and 100% of the graduating class was accepted into a four-year college.[7]

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

The school is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) in PIAA District 10. Prep offers 13 varsity sports as well as many JV and freshman sports. On September 10, 2010, it officially opened the Cathedral Prep Events Center, a new athletic complex for football. Each year its basketball team hosts the Burger King Classic.

Student section

The school's student cheering section, particularly at football and basketball games, is widely known.[8][9]

Notable alumni

References

  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Cathedral Preparatory School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  2. MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
  3. Brabender Jr., Daniel J. (2000). RAMBLERS, The History of Cathedral Prep Football, 1924-1999. Meridian Creative Group. p49
  4. "Article - Cathedral Preparatory School". 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.
  5. "Prep-Villa facility renamed Hagerty Family Events Center".
  6. http://erieathome.com/dct/62/id/405158/mid/148/New-Cathedral-Prep-Athletic-Complex-Starting-to-Take-Shape.aspx]
  7. "Fast Facts about Prep & Villa - Cathedral Preparatory School and Villa Maria Academy".
  8. White, Mike. "Washington gets free-throw switch". Post-Gazette Blogs. Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
  9. "SSS: Student section spotlight". archive.is. 16 September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013.
  10. "Erie v. Pap's A. M., 529 U.S. 277 (2000)".
  11. "RIDGE, Thomas Joseph - Biographical Information". Bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2019-04-05.
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