Cardinal O'Hara High School (Tonawanda, New York)
Encyclopedia
Cardinal O'Hara High School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in Tonawanda, New York
.
“This day, after more than two months of daily commuting to Cardinal O’Hara High School in order to attend to endless details of preparing for school opening in September, Fr. Henry, Guardian, and Fr. Martin, Vicar, left (the) Notre Dame Friary at Baker-Victory High School in Lackawanna, to occupy (the) St. Lawrence Friary at Cardinal O’Hara High School, (in the) Town of Tonawanda. While little else was ready, sufficient furniture was available for lodging.”
So begins the “Chronica,” a daily account of life at Cardinal O’Hara kept by the Franciscan Friars for the first five years of the school’s existence. No one is certain who kept the well-documented book, but the entries give insight into the thoughts, feelings, and events of those early formative years at COHS.
The early days of COHS saw a great deal of growth, both in the building itself and among the student population. Three hundred twenty freshmen gathered in the cafeteria the very first day of school in 1961. In 1963, 358 eighth grade students completed the entrance exam, with 320 selected. A year later, 474 sought admission, with 320 admitted. In September 1964, the school was at full capacity with nearly 1,200 students, 12 Franciscan Friars, nine Sisters of St. Mary, and 30 teachers.
By the 1970s, Cardinal O’Hara had solidified its role in the community. Until 1971, COHS was co-institutional, with separate wings for “girls” and “boys.” When Bishop Gibbons High School closed in 1971, the Felician Sisters took over from the St. Mary of Namur Sisters and COHS became co-educational. Scholastically and socially, there were a great variety of clubs and organizations for students to engage in. The tradition of student involvement continues, as more than 90 percent of our current student population participates in extra-curricular activities.
In the mid- to late-1980s, the school took on a new life with Middle States Accreditation, an upswing in enrollment and the formation of an advisory board. The 25th anniversary year was marked with a number of events, which focused community attention on COHS. Student enrollment increased within a 20-mile radius. Students no longer wore uniforms, but adhered to a dress code. In 1987, the first two children of alumni graduated, and in 1988, Fr. Gregory (’69) became the first graduate to return as principal. Since then, COHS has had many alumni return to the school to serve as staff and faculty.
At the completion of the 1989 academic year, the Franciscan Friars departed COHS due to a shortage of priests in the area. Due to the strong foundation laid by the friars, and the continued support of the Felician Sisters, the school forged ahead into a new era.
The 1990s saw more expansion into the community for Cardinal O’Hara High School. Our first annual community fundraising event, Hawktion, was held in 1994, and recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. The event has become a staple among community events, and is the largest fundraising source for the school. Traditional events are scattered throughout each year, including the senior prom, junior ring ceremony, the spring musical, Hawk Walk, and sprit week…creating unique memories for students and staff of their days at Cardinal O’Hara.
Cardinal O’Hara High School, situated in a neighborhood setting, provides a campus environment on 17 acres offering a comprehensive college preparatory education in the Franciscan tradition.
degrees, is the dividing line between the Province of Pennsylvania
and the Province of New York
.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, Roman Catholic high school
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 Tonawanda, New York
Tonawanda (town), New York
Tonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 78,155. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern suburb of Buffalo...
.
“This day, after more than two months of daily commuting to Cardinal O’Hara High School in order to attend to endless details of preparing for school opening in September, Fr. Henry, Guardian, and Fr. Martin, Vicar, left (the) Notre Dame Friary at Baker-Victory High School in Lackawanna, to occupy (the) St. Lawrence Friary at Cardinal O’Hara High School, (in the) Town of Tonawanda. While little else was ready, sufficient furniture was available for lodging.”
So begins the “Chronica,” a daily account of life at Cardinal O’Hara kept by the Franciscan Friars for the first five years of the school’s existence. No one is certain who kept the well-documented book, but the entries give insight into the thoughts, feelings, and events of those early formative years at COHS.
The early days of COHS saw a great deal of growth, both in the building itself and among the student population. Three hundred twenty freshmen gathered in the cafeteria the very first day of school in 1961. In 1963, 358 eighth grade students completed the entrance exam, with 320 selected. A year later, 474 sought admission, with 320 admitted. In September 1964, the school was at full capacity with nearly 1,200 students, 12 Franciscan Friars, nine Sisters of St. Mary, and 30 teachers.
By the 1970s, Cardinal O’Hara had solidified its role in the community. Until 1971, COHS was co-institutional, with separate wings for “girls” and “boys.” When Bishop Gibbons High School closed in 1971, the Felician Sisters took over from the St. Mary of Namur Sisters and COHS became co-educational. Scholastically and socially, there were a great variety of clubs and organizations for students to engage in. The tradition of student involvement continues, as more than 90 percent of our current student population participates in extra-curricular activities.
In the mid- to late-1980s, the school took on a new life with Middle States Accreditation, an upswing in enrollment and the formation of an advisory board. The 25th anniversary year was marked with a number of events, which focused community attention on COHS. Student enrollment increased within a 20-mile radius. Students no longer wore uniforms, but adhered to a dress code. In 1987, the first two children of alumni graduated, and in 1988, Fr. Gregory (’69) became the first graduate to return as principal. Since then, COHS has had many alumni return to the school to serve as staff and faculty.
At the completion of the 1989 academic year, the Franciscan Friars departed COHS due to a shortage of priests in the area. Due to the strong foundation laid by the friars, and the continued support of the Felician Sisters, the school forged ahead into a new era.
The 1990s saw more expansion into the community for Cardinal O’Hara High School. Our first annual community fundraising event, Hawktion, was held in 1994, and recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. The event has become a staple among community events, and is the largest fundraising source for the school. Traditional events are scattered throughout each year, including the senior prom, junior ring ceremony, the spring musical, Hawk Walk, and sprit week…creating unique memories for students and staff of their days at Cardinal O’Hara.
Cardinal O’Hara High School, situated in a neighborhood setting, provides a campus environment on 17 acres offering a comprehensive college preparatory education in the Franciscan tradition.
Location
Cardinal O’Hara High School's campus is on a very interesting geographical location, with the 43.00000 degrees North latitude line splitting the two classroom wings. This line, 43 cardinalCardinal number
In mathematics, cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are a generalization of the natural numbers used to measure the cardinality of sets. The cardinality of a finite set is a natural number – the number of elements in the set. The transfinite cardinal numbers describe the sizes of infinite...
degrees, is the dividing line between the Province of Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
and the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
.
Notable alumni
- Ronald Keels, CFLCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
player for the Calgary StampedersCalgary StampedersThe Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium... - Robin SchimmingerRobin SchimmingerRobin Schimminger represents District 140 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises all of the Town of Tonawanda , the City of Tonawanda in Erie County, and most of the City of North Tonawanda in Niagara County.Elected in 1976, Schimminger had previously served as a member of the Erie County...
, New York State Assembly, 140th District