Immaculate Conception Cathedral School (Memphis, Tennessee)
Immaculate Conception Cathedral School is a private, Roman Catholic school in the heart of the historic Central Gardens neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. ICCS serves students of all faiths in its Pre-K3 through 8th grade coed.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral School | |
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Address | |
1695 Central Avenue , , 38104 United States | |
Coordinates | 35°7′33″N 90°0′19″W |
Information | |
Type | Private, |
Mottoes | "Serving, Educating, Uniting" |
Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
Established | 1921 |
Oversight | Diocese of Memphis |
Superintendent | Janet Donato |
Administrator | Rev. Robert Szczechura |
Rector | Rev. Robert Szczechura |
Grades | Pre-K - 8th grade (coed), |
Color(s) | Blue and White |
Slogan | Serving, Educating, Uniting |
Nickname | "IC" |
Team name | Wildcats |
Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
Publication | Steps |
Newspaper | Immaculata |
Yearbook | The Marian |
Director of Advancement & Communications | June LaPorta |
Website | http://www.myiccs.org |
Background
Founded in 1921 by the Sisters of Mercy, ICCS shares the campus of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a unit school. Grades Pre-K through 8th are co-ed.
In August 2016, the school opened a new early childhood center that connects to the existing lower school building. The building also includes a library/media center and art room for all grades.
ICCS is only one of two schools in the Memphis area that incorporates "Mindfulness" into the Pre-K through high school curriculum. Intensive Spanish language instruction begins in Pre-K and continues through high school. Students can also choose French foreign language instruction in middle and high school. Other programs include STEM underwater and land-roving robotics teams, Orff music instruction, daily foreign language courses in all grades, and Accelerated Reader. High school students have the opportunity to earn college credit through Christian Brothers University. For some science honors courses, high school students attend classes alongside college students at Christian Brothers University in the new Cooper-Wilson Center for Life Sciences.
Closure of High School
On May 26, 2020, Immaculate Conception Cathedral School issued a news release to ABC Local 24 on its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This statement was made by the Very Reverend Robert W. Marshall Jr.[1]
In the news release, a message to the Cathedral parishioners described how the school would not reopen for the fall semester. However, the pre-K through 8th grade elementary and middle school would remain open for the 2020-2021 school year. [1]
The statement described how the global pandemic caused financial difficulties that made it 'impossible for the parish of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception to continue to operate the high school portion' of the school.[1]
Students have the opportunity to study at Saint Benedict at Auburndale, the diocesan high school. The school's administrative staff is ready to welcome the IC family into their own community. [1]
Notable alumni
- Priscilla Presley[2]
- Margaret Scobey, ICCS Class of 1967, Former United States Ambassador to Egypt and Syria.[3]
- Diane Smith, wife of FedEx founder and chairperson Fred Smith
- Tina Santi Flaherty, well-known author and first female vice-president of Colgate-Palmolive, GTE, and Grey Advertising[4]
References
- "Immaculate Conception Cathedral announces closure of high school". localmemphis.com. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- "Girlfriend's Role Beats Wife's: Priscilla Presley". St. Petersburg Times. United Press International. 14 February 1978. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
When Presley was discharged from the Army he invited Priscilla to Memphis for Christmas - and beyond. Her parents' fears were calmed when Presley promised to send Priscilla, a high school senior, to Immaculate Conception High School.
- Sullivan, Bartholomew (January 31, 2011). "Ambassador, a former Memphian, describes events in Egypt as 'pretty unpredictable'". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
- http://tinaflaherty.com/about.htm
External links
- School Website
- Immaculate Conception Middle and High School at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
- IC In the News