Catholic Memorial School

Catholic Memorial School (CM) is an all-boys college preparatory school (grades 7–12) located in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is administered by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

Catholic Memorial School
Address
235 Baker Street West Roxbury , (Suffolk County) , MA 02132 United States
Coordinates	42°16′39″N 71°9′58″W
Information
Type	Private, all-boys
Motto	Vince in Bono Malum (Conquer evil by doing good)
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic, Congregation of Christian Brothers
Established	September 9, 1957
Founder	Br. Joseph G. McKenna, CFC
President	Dr. Peter Folan, PhD
Principal	Andrew O'Brien
Grades	7–12
Enrollment	707[1] (2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio	12:1
Campus size	12 acres (49,000 m^2)
Color(s)	Red & silver
Athletics	MIAA - Division 1
Athletics conference	Catholic Conference - District B
Nickname	CM
Team name	Knights
Rival	Boston College High, Malden Catholic, Xaverian, St. Johns Prep
Accreditation	New England Association of Schools and Colleges[2]
Publication	CM Magazine[3]
Newspaper	Knight Insight
Yearbook	Talisman
Tuition	$22,000 (2018–2019)
Alumni	10,000+
Vice principal for student life	Carl Danso
Admissions director	Daniel Chisholm '03
Athletic director	Craig Najarian
Website	www.catholicmemorial.org

History

Catholic Memorial High School, as it was called at the time, opened its doors on September 9, 1957, with 225 students and five Christian Brothers of Ireland in the former St. Theresa of Avila Parish School building. The building, now known as Donahue Hall, was donated to the Christian Brothers by Monsignor Charles A. Donahue, V.F., LL.D. who was the pastor of St. Theresa's.

The school was named "Catholic Memorial" at the suggestion of Richard Cardinal Cushing, to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Archdiocese of Boston and as a memorial to Catholic donors.

Brother Joseph G. McKenna, C.F.C., was the first headmaster of Catholic Memorial; he opened a new school building which was dedicated by Cardinal Cushing on November 10, 1959. Three years later the classroom wing was opened and the enrollment increased to 1110 students.

In 1971 there were 22 Christian Brothers, but in 2016, only three.

The middle school opened in September 1993 with 185 students in grades 7 and 8.[4]

Academics

The tuition charge for the 2018–2019 school year was US$$22,000. Scholarships are awarded upon admission to students in Catholic Memorial's middle school and high school programs. The admissions committee selects students for scholarship eligibility based upon their past academic performance and the results of the entrance exams. No applications are available for scholarships; instead, every application for admission is reviewed for scholarship potential. Financial aid is available for qualifying families. Over $1 million is given annually in financial aid.

Catholic Memorial offers 31 honors and Advanced Placement courses.

College placement

Catholic Memorial is a college-preparatory institution. Students come from over 90 different towns and communities.[5]

CM students have been accepted at Boston College, Boston University, Babson College, Bowdoin College, Brandeis University, Bryant University, Carnegie Mellon University, The Catholic University of America, College of the Holy Cross, Cornell University, Duke University, Emerson College, Gettysburg College, Harvard University, Iona College, New York University, Providence College, Syracuse University, Wake Forest University, University of Chicago, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois, University of Massachusetts, University of Miami, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, and University of Southern California.

Community service

CM's mission includes the mandate to teach young men to "lead through service".[6] CM students participate in numerous BERSI trips each year. These domestic and international travel experiences, build community among the students and immerse students in service experiences. Trips include the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as Brownsville, Texas, and Wyoming. Additionally, a required 60-hour senior service program begins at the start of each year, with seniors serving at inner-city grammar schools, hospitals, non-profit agencies, clothing distribution centers, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Volunteers from all grades also participate in service experiences. Each year, CM students send large delegations—The Sea of Red—to the Walk for Breast Cancer.

Over ten community service clubs contribute thousands of hours of service each year. One year the combined service of all grades at CM contributed over 10,000 hours of manpower to local communities in and around Boston.

Annual Blessed Edmund Rice Solidarity Initiative (BERSI) school trips are taken to El Salvador, Europe, Peru, Dominican Republic and, most recently South Korea and Canada.[7]

School facts

• 15 varsity sports, 48 athletic teams
• 75 percent faculty with or attaining graduate degrees, four Ph.Ds on staff
• 35 after-school clubs and activities
• Over 90 cities and towns and 20 foreign countries from which students come to study
• $9.0 million in college scholarships and grants offered to 2012 graduating class
• 95 percent of faculty coach or moderate extracurricular activities

Athletics

Catholic Memorial sports teams are known as the Knights. CM is a member of the Catholic Conference, along with the Boston College High School Eagles, the Malden Catholic Lancers, the St. John's Preparatory School Eagles and the Xaverian Brothers High School Hawks. St. John's, Shrewsbury is the sixth team in the conference in some sports.

Between 2005 and 2012, Catholic Memorial students' athletic accomplishments include:

• Boys' hockey National Champions - 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2007–08[8][9]
• Boys' hockey Super Eight Champions - 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09
• Boys' hockey State Champions - 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90
• 2007 All-New England Champion in wrestling - Craig Carpenter
• 2007 All-American and All-State Champion in track - Matthew Dewey
• 2008 State champions in basketball
• 2008 New England rugby football union champions
• 2008 State champion in wrestling - Richard Wingert
• 2009 State champions in ice hockey
• 2009 All-American in American football - Brennan Williams
• 2009 State champions in soccer
• 2010 Massachusetts record longest field goal (62 yards) - Dan Holmes
• 2010 State champion in track - Donovan Henry (300m)
• 2010 State champion in golf - Joe Harney
• 2011 Massachusetts Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year - John Gorman (50th round MLB draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2011)
• 2012 All-American in football - Camren Williams, Armani Reeves (both committed to Ohio State)
• 2012 All-American in boys' lacrosse - Thomas Stanton
• 2012 All-State champions: 4x100 meter relay team of Donovan Henry, Hanif Conrad, David Berment, Curtis West.
• 2012 Track & field, Donovan Henry - 200m state champion
• 2012 Catholic Conference champions in Lacrosse
• 2015 State Champions in Basketball
• 2016 Wrestling State Champion and Sophomore Nationals All-American, 3rd Place, Joshua Bechen
• 2016 Catholic Conference Champions in lacrosse
• 2017 Wrestling State Champion Joshua Bechen
• 2018 Wrestling State Champion Joshua Bechen
• 2018 Division 1 South Sectional Champions Football

Ice hockey

Catholic Memorial's boys' ice hockey team is regarded as one of the premier high school ice hockey programs in the country. They compete in the MIAA as a part of the Catholic Conference, one of the premier high school ice hockey conferences in the United States. Catholic Memorial retains a bitter rivalry with nearby Boston College High School, another national power. They are one of only three teams to have won the Massachusetts Super Eight Tournament on multiple occasions (CM has won 17, while BC High and Malden Catholic have won 4).

Catholic Memorial has won 13 Super Eight tournaments, which pits the best eight Division 1 teams in the state against each other in a round-robin tournament to determine the Division 1A Massachusetts state champion. Catholic Memorial has consistently been ranked #1 in Massachusetts boys' ice hockey by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and United States High School Hockey Online (USHSHO) polls. Catholic Memorial has also been nationally ranked as the #1 team in the United States a number of times, most recently in 2008. CM was declared the high school hockey National Champions during the 2005–2006 season by the USHSHO.[8]

Extracurriculars

Journalism

Catholic Memorial students produce a number of publications each year. Errant is CM's literary magazine, publishing original poems, stories, and artwork by students.[10] Knight Insight is published by the in-school Journalism class, and includes school news and updates as well as submissions from students.[10] The CM Latin Club publishes Equites, a seasonal newspaper.[11] Yearbook Club meets year-round starting in September and produces the school's annual yearbook, moderated by Craig Spaner.

CMTV

Catholic Memorial Television is Catholic Memorial's broadcast journalist program. Using an online live-streaming program, CMTV broadcasts a short program every morning to each homeroom, reporting news, notices, and upcoming events and sports games.[10] In addition to broadcasting the pledge of allegiance and morning prayer, CMTV also arranges humorous skits and facilitates special announcements from school leadership.[10]

Latin Club

Catholic Memorial's Junior Classical League, or Latin Club, is always represented at the Massachusetts State Convention, where many CM students win prizes.[10] It publishes Equites, a seasonal newspaper detailing the club's events and achievements.[10][11]

Drama

The Catholic Memorial Drama Club, known in the 1960s as the Genesians and later as the Catholic Memorial Players, puts on two shows a year. In the past, one play in autumn was performed annually, but later, the Drama Club added a spring musical. The following is a list of some past performances:

Year	Fall play	Year	Spring musical
1960	Arsenic and Old Lace
1964	You Can't Take It with You
1965	When Men Reduce as Women Do
1966	Julius Caesar
1968	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
1970	The Mouse That Roared
		1984	Grease
1993	Inherit the Wind	1993	Count Dracula
		1999	Peter Pan
		2006	Chess
2006	On Borrowed Time	2007	Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2007	Twelve Angry Men[12]	2008	Guys and Dolls[12]
2008	A Man for All Seasons[13]	2009	How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying[12]
2009		2010	Les Misérables[14]
2010	The Guys[15]	2011	Grease[16]
2011		2012	Damn Yankees[17]
2012		2013	Me and My Girl[18]
2013	It's a Wonderful Life[18]	2014	Shrek The Musical[18]
2014	Sherlock Holmes[18]	2015	Catch Me If You Can[19]
2015	Twentieth Century[20]	2016	Bye Bye Birdie[21]
2016	Hamlet	2017	The Addams Family
2017	Cyrano de Bergerac	2018	The Phantom
2018	You Can't Take It with You	2019

Honor societies

Catholic Memorial offers multiple honor societies, ranging from individual subjects to the National Honor Society.[10] The following is a list of active honor societies:

Honor society	Requirements
Latin Honor Society	Studied Latin for two years High GPA in a language class
National Honor Society
Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society	High GPA in history class
World Language Honor Society	High GPA in Latin class

Speech and debate

At Catholic Memorial, nearly every student participates in "forensics", or speech and debate, at one point in his academic career.[22] CM faculty teach students public speaking skills through various classroom activities. In the Speech and Debate club students perform and compete inter-scholastically as they recite speeches, dramatic acts and original oratory. Since 1961 the school's Speech and Debate program have produced over 25 state and three national champions. The 2010 team won the "Founder's Award" at Nationals. The team joined the NSDA 100 Club in October, 2018 in recognition for accumulating over 100 degrees over the course of the 2017–2018 school year. The Forensics program has won two straight Massachusetts Speech and Debate league championships in 2017 and 2018.

Heads of school

1. Br. Joseph G. McKenna, CFC (1957–1963)
2. Br. Daniel B. McIllmurray, CFC (1963–1968)
3. Br. Arthur E. Newman, CFC (1968–1969)
4. Br. William V. Dennehy, CFC (1969–1971)
5. Br. William S. Henry, CFC (1971–1975)
6. Br. William B. Dobbins, CFC (1975–1981)
7. Br. James C. Timoney, CFC (1981–1987)
8. Br. E. John Sheehan, CFC (1987–1993)
9. Br. John B. Flaherty, CFC '64 (1993–1999)
10. Br. James J. MacDonald, CFC '75 (1999–2008)
11. Paul E. Sheff '62, (2008–2014)
12. Peter F. Folan, Ed.D. (2014– )

Notable alumni

• Jim Carey – professional ice hockey player
• Daniel F. Conley – Suffolk County District Attorney
• Robert Consalvo – Boston City Councilor
• Ted Donato – professional ice hockey player and coach
• Brian J. Donnelly – former U.S. Congressman and Ambassador
• Allen Doyle – professional golfer
• Jim Fahey – professional ice hockey player
• Skip Lockwood – professional baseball player
• John Marino - professional hockey player
• William Martin – author
• Mike McColgan – singer, Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs
• Joey McIntyre – singer, New Kids on the Block
• Chris Nilan – professional ice hockey player
• Chris O'Sullivan – professional ice hockey player
• Jack Parker – college ice hockey coach
• John H. Rogers – Massachusetts State Representative, Majority Leader
• Michael F. Rush – Massachusetts State Senator
• Paul Stanton – professional ice hockey player and coach
• John Tobin – former Boston City Councilor, Vice President at Northeastern University, and owner of John Tobin Presents comedy production
• Brennan Williams – professional wrestler and former professional football player

Notable faculty

• Ian Moran[23]

References

1. http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/profiles/student.aspx?orgcode=00350718&orgtypecode=11&
2. NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
3. CM Magazine
4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2015-10-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. "Catholic Memorial School guidance fact sheet" (PDF).
6. "Catholic Memorial students perform week of service in Bosnia". Archived from the original on 2013-01-31.
7. "Catholic Memorial School website". Archived from the original on 2012-11-29.
8. http://www.ushsho.com/ushsrank06.htm
9. https://www.si.com/vault/1995/02/06/133237/hockey-high-against-bostons-catholic-memorial-the-other-team-rarely-has-a-prayer
10. "Clubs & Activities". www.catholicmemorial.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
11. "Newspaper". Latin club. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
12. McGonegal, Joe. "How to succeed in drama at Catholic Memorial — really try". Wicked Local. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
13. "Catholic Memorial School Blog: CM Drama brings "A Man for All Seasons" to the stage November 21". catholicmemorial.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
14. Catholic Memorial (2010-04-01), Behind the Scenes with Les Miserables, retrieved 2016-04-17
15. McGonegal, Joe. "For Catholic Memorial director, 'The Guys' takes on added meaning". Wicked Local Roslindale. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
16. "Catholic Memorial on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
17. "Students perform 'Damn Yankees' at Catholic Memorial School". Boston.com. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
18. "Arts - Mount Alvernia High School". Mount Alvernia High School. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
19. "Catholic Memorial on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
20. "Twentieth Century: Where oversized personalities are welcomed". Catholic Memorial School. 2015-12-04. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
21. "Spring Musical 2016". www.catholicmemorial.org. Archived from the original on 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
22. "Meet CM students". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22.
23. "Dismissed from CM, Bill Hanson still has his supporters - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.

External links

• School website