Holy Ghost Preparatory School

Holy Spirit Preparatory School (often shortened to Holy Ghost Prep, Ghost, or HGP) is a Catholic college-preparatory high school for young men in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, United States. Congregation of the Holy Spirit missionaries founded the school in 1897.

Not to be confused with Holy Spirit Preparatory School.
Holy Spirit Preparatory School
Address
2429 Bristol Pike

Bensalem
,
Bucks County
,
Pennsylvania
19020-5298

United States
Coordinates40°4′46″N 74°56′45″W
Information
Former nameHoly Ghost Apostolic College
TypeCatholic college-preparatory high school
MottoLatin: Cor unum et anima una
(One heart and one mind)
Religious affiliation(s)Catholic Church
DenominationCongregation of the Holy Spirit
Established1897 (1897)
FounderJohn Tuohill Murphy
StatusCurrently operational[1]
CEEB code390870
NCES School ID01184776[1]
PresidentGregory J. Geruson
PrincipalKevin Burke
ChaplainDaniel Sormani
Staff35.6 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
GenderAll-male[1]
Enrollment444[1] (2019–2020)
 • Grade 9106[1]
 • Grade 10103[1]
 • Grade 11125[1]
 • Grade 12110[1]
Average class size18
Student to teacher ratio12.5:1[1]
Hours in school day6.5[1]
Campus size50 acres (20 ha)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Red, Royal Blue, & White      
NicknameFirebirds
AccreditationMSA[2]
SAT average1280
PublicationEmbers
NewspaperThe Flame
Annual tuition$24,100
Websitewww.holyghostprep.org

History

Father John Tuohill Murphy founded Holy Ghost Prep in 1897 as Holy Ghost Apostolic College, a preparatory school and junior-college seminary for young men studying to become Congregation of the Holy Spirit members. In the 1950s, the school started to move its college-level program to Duquesne University. It opened its doors to non-seminarians in 1959 for the first time. In 1967, the school discontinued the seminary program. Holy Ghost Preparatory School was formed as a non-profit institution a year later. In the 1990s, the school began a long-range planning process, which resulted in significant structural enhancements to the campus. Today, its enrollment consists entirely of non-resident, college-bound students.

In 2015, Gregory J. Geruson became the school's first lay president. The school's "Vision 2020" Strategic Plan has resulted in the building a new STEM Tower. Step One of the STEM Tower, the Brennan Innovation Center, opened in August 2017. The rest of the STEM Tower was completed in time for the 2018–19 school year. In early 2018, the school also opened the Holt Center, including a performing arts center, a multi-purpose gymnasium, music instruction rooms, and training areas for baseball, track and field, golf, lacrosse, and rowing. The Holt Center serves Holy Ghost students and will be available to community groups.

Admissions

Holy Ghost Prep consists of 444 students. Located near the I-95 corridor in metropolitan Philadelphia, the school attracts students from more than 100 feeder schools from Bucks County, other metropolitan Philadelphia counties, and New Jersey.

Demographics
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity 2019–2020[1]
WhiteHispanicAsianTwo or More RacesBlack
3802121148

Curriculum

Graduation requires coursework in English, mathematics, social studies, science, foreign language, fine arts, and theology with many electives, including computer science, cinematography, and portfolio art. As a school for the college-bound, HGP offers an extensive honors and Advanced Placement program, preparing students to take AP tests for college credit in 23 areas of study prescribed by the College Board. AP Calculus AB teacher Jerry Colapinto was awarded the 2007 Siemens AP Teacher of the Year award for Pennsylvania.[3]

Holy Ghost Prep has been recognized by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program.

Extracurricular activities

Athletics

Holy Ghost Prep has many interscholastic and intramural sports teams. Major sports include basketball, baseball, ultimate Frisbee, bowling, soccer, swimming, lacrosse, ice hockey, tennis, cross country,[4] rowing golf, and track and field. Athletic facilities on campus include seven fields for various sports, a fieldhouse holding an auditorium and gymnasium, an all-weather track, as well as a new facility, the Holt Center, containing a performing arts theater, music studios, gym, batting cages, as well as a room for the rowing team. Holy Ghost Prep is a member of the Bicentennial Athletic League.[5] The Firebirds have a tradition of excellence in all sports. There have been seven Pennsylvania state champions in school history: the 1972 and 1974 basketball teams,[6] the 1992 soccer team,[7] and, most recently, the 2011 tennis team. In 2013 and 2014, the soccer team won the PIAA state championship. In 2015, the hockey team won its first state championship. Harold “Jr.” McIlwain ('93) won the 400m in 1992 PIAA state track championships and followed that with the 800m title in 1993. Holy Ghost Preparatory School also added a rowing team in fall 2015.

In the fall of 2020, Holy Ghost Prep left the Bicentennial Athletic League. It began to compete as an independent program while maintaining its membership with the PIAA and District One.

Notable alumni

See also

Notes and references
  1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Holy Ghost Prep". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  2. "Holy Ghost Preparatory School". School Profile. Middle States Association. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. "2007 Siemens Awards for AP Winners" Archived 2010-06-28 at the Wayback Machine,"Siemens Foundation", accessed 6 November 2010.
  4. "CROSS COUNTRY: Holy Smokes – Holy Ghost takes 15th straight Bicentennial Athletic League title", Bucks Local News, accessed 6 November 2010.
  5. "League Athletics", "League Athletics", accessed 6 November 2010.
  6. "PIAA High School Basketball Championship Teams", accessed 6 November 2010.
  7. "P.I.A.A. Boys State Championships", Pennsylvania State Soccer Coaches Association, accessed 6 November 2010.
  8. "A Holy Ghost Prep grad is a producer on the spooky Netflix hit 'Stranger Things'" Philadelphia Inquirer
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