Coyle and Cassidy High School
Encyclopedia
"Coyle-Cassidy High School" redirects here
Coyle and Cassidy High School, often referred to as simply Coyle, is a private
, Catholic Diocesan high school
located in Taunton
, Massachusetts
, USA
. The school bases its teachings in which the Christian philosophy of life is modeled. Coyle serves students living within and beyond the Greater Taunton Area
and, through an emphasis on spirituality, provides its students with the skills needed to make decisions later, and to live a successful and spiritually healthy life.
. In 1963, a new high school for girls was opened on the corner of Hamilton Street and Adams Street, named for Bishop James Edwin Cassidy
. However, given the economics of the time, the aging of the old Coyle High School building, as well as a lack of ordained staff for each school, it was decided in 1971 that the two schools would merge into Coyle-Cassidy High School in the Bishop Cassidy site. (The former Monsignor Coyle High School building is now known as the Taunton Catholic Middle School, and still serves the diocese to this day.)
The school places a heavy emphasis on technology, with much of the schoolwork being done digitally. The school maintains two computer technology centers, under the watch of Ms. Meredith Macomber. Coyle-Cassidy also maintains three science labs: a physics lab run by Mr. Boris Blitsheyn, a chemistry lab run by Ms. Charrel Liberatore, and a biology lab run by Mr. David Schoorens.
The school also has in its possesion, three portable laptop
carts, enabling entire classes to be connected wirelessly. In addition, students are allowed and encouraged to use their own laptops, iPads
, or other tablets
for this purpose.
Incoming freshman take a DFREC placement test. This, along with reccomendations from middle school teachers determine grade 9 class placement.
English I Basic - An introductory english course at a slower, more focused pace.
English I CP - This is a standard introductory english class, with a focus on poetic writing and basic grammar
English I Advanced - A more accelerated version of college prep english, with a partial honors credit.
English I Honors - A rigorous, honors level version of the freshman english course.
SOPHOMORES
Sophomores study American Literature, again with CP Basic, College Prep, Advanced, and Honors sections.
JUNIORS
Juniors study British Literature, again with CP Basic, College Prep, Advanced, and Honors sections.
SENIORS
Seniors can take the standard English IV CP or English I Honors classes, or take an english elective, such as Literature in Cinema Honors.
A majority of freshmen take an Algebra I class, either a Basic, CP, or Advanced section. For those freshmen who completed Algebra I in 8th grade and fare well on the placement test, an Algebra II Honors class is offered.
SOPHOMORES
All sophomores take Geometry. The sections include College Prep, Advanced, and Honors. CP and Advanced offer a more basic and arithmetical approach to Geometry, while the Honors class focuses more on critical thinking and proofwriting and moves at a much faster pace.
JUNIORS
The majority of juniors take Algebra II CP, while the advanced class takes Trigenometry. The Honors section takes Analysis, a course dealing with trigonometry and the math behind physics, usually taken concurrently with an Applied Physics course.
SENIORS
Seniors take a wide variety of elected courses, from AP Calculus to Analysis CP to Accounting.
All freshmen take World History CP. The class studies ancient and early modern history from 450 BC and the Greeks up to AD 1600 and the Renaissance. Those looking for an Honors credit may partake in a year-long, all computerized project about a current event determined by the school.
SOPHOMORES
Sophomores take US History I. The CP section is a basic overview of American history from pre-European times to about 1900. The Advanced and Honors sections are a rigorous examination of the same time period, looking much more in-depth yay the events, people, and places that shaped early American History.
JUNIORS
Juniors take US History II. The CP section is a basic overview of American history from around 1900 to present day times. Once again, Advanced and Honors students delve deeper into the events of the time period.
SENIORS
A social studies course is not mandatory for seniors, but many electives are offered to them, including Phsycology and Street Law courses worth a full credit.
Biology I CP - A basic study of human biology
, including major body systems, structures, and functions.
Biology Honors - A mixed study of both human biology and organic biology. The course condenses the year-long freshman and sophomore Biology classes into about half of a year each, providing for a more advanced pace.
SOPHOMORES
Biology CP - A basic study of organic Biology and basic Chemistry including study the cell and Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Chemistry Honors - An opportunity for Honors Sophomores to take an Honors level Chemistry course in their second year, Chemistry Honors is an in depth look at the major themes of Chemistry.
JUNIORS
Chemistry CP - A college prep chemistry class examining the major themes of Chemistry at a standard pace.
Chemistry Honors - An in-depth look at the major themes of chemistry.
Applied Physics Honors - A physics course integrated with Analysis Honors providing a solid foundation in the subject of physics.
SENIORS
Most seniors either take Physics CP or Physics Honors, but for those students who have completed physics as a junior or those not wishing to take physics, a number of electives are offered including three AP classes and Forensic Science.
(MIAA) and all of the school's teams compete in the Eastern Athletic Conference
(EAC). Coyle's athletic teams play under the nickname "Warrior
s", and the mascot is similar to the Vandals
mascot of the University of Idaho
. (Prior to the late 1990s, the mascot was a Wampanoag chief in full headress.) The school has a long, cross-city rivalry
with the Taunton High School
"Tigers". Depending on the sport, the school is in many different divisions. For example, Coyle is Division II in softball, but Division IV in track and field. This has nothing to do with the school's talent pool, but rather sport-specific rules assigned by the MIAA.
Currently, the school supports varsity
teams in 16 different sports: baseball
, basketball
, cheerleading
, cross country
, American football
, golf
, ice hockey
, indoor track, soccer, softball
, swimming
, tennis
, track and field
, volleyball
, lacrosse
and weightlifting
. Most sports also consist of freshman
and junior varsity
teams. There have been recent attempts to add field hockey
,and wrestling
, to the athletic mix, but those have not yet been successful.
Despite its status as a fairly small school, Coyle has a rich athletic history that is often bolstered by its ability to admit students outside of the city of Taunton. Recently (within the last ten years), Coyle has particularly dominated Taunton High in the sports of golf, ice hockey, men's soccer, and tennis, winning several coveted city championships. Competing in the talent-laden conference EAC has historically been a problem for certain sports (soccer, tennis, and track specifically), but the school occasionally manages to bring home conference championships. Among all others, the softball and ice hockey teams have undoubetedly been the most successful teams in recent history at the school, both of which are occasionally ranked among the best in the country. In 2003, Taunton was treated to a rare athletic treat when both Coyle and Taunton High won Massachusetts
state championship
s in softball, albeit in different divisions.
Coyle also has an athletic Hall of Fame
. An alumnus must be nominated by a member of the Coyle community, and have graduated at least five years prior to the nomination, in order to be elected to the distinguished group. A list of enductees is available online.
Coyle and Cassidy High School, often referred to as simply Coyle, is a private
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...
, Catholic Diocesan high school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
located in Taunton
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The school bases its teachings in which the Christian philosophy of life is modeled. Coyle serves students living within and beyond the Greater Taunton Area
Greater Taunton Area
right|thumb|200px|A map of the Greater Taunton AreaThe Greater Taunton Area is the suburban area surrounding the city of Taunton, in northeastern Bristol County, Massachusetts. It comprises various present-day municipalities that were once under the jurisdiction of Taunton in Colonial America...
and, through an emphasis on spirituality, provides its students with the skills needed to make decisions later, and to live a successful and spiritually healthy life.
History
The school's history dates back to 1911, when Monsignor James Coyle, pastor of Saint Mary's Church, established Saint Mary's High School. The high school grew, and by the early 1930s the need for a larger school was apparent. In 1933, shortly after Monsignor Coyle's death, Monsignor Coyle High School opened on Summer Street, staffed by the Brothers of the Holy Cross. The boys' population transferred to Coyle, and the girls' population stayed at Saint Mary's under the guidance of the Holy Union SistersHoly Union Sisters
The Sisters of the Holy Union of the Sacred Hearts are a congregation of the Roman-Catholic church founded at Douai, France, in 1828, by father John Baptist Debrabant.The congregation was approved by the Holy See in 1877....
. In 1963, a new high school for girls was opened on the corner of Hamilton Street and Adams Street, named for Bishop James Edwin Cassidy
James Edwin Cassidy
James Edwin Cassidy was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Fall River from 1934 until his death in 1951.-Biography:...
. However, given the economics of the time, the aging of the old Coyle High School building, as well as a lack of ordained staff for each school, it was decided in 1971 that the two schools would merge into Coyle-Cassidy High School in the Bishop Cassidy site. (The former Monsignor Coyle High School building is now known as the Taunton Catholic Middle School, and still serves the diocese to this day.)
Academics and School Campus
Coyle-Cassidy has been located at 2 Hamilton Street since 1971. In 1989, an athletic wing was added onto the existing academic wing. In 2001, a theater, tech center, new library, and two classroms were added on to the academic wing. In 2006, the third floor of the building was remodeled into a state-of-the-art music and fine arts center.The school places a heavy emphasis on technology, with much of the schoolwork being done digitally. The school maintains two computer technology centers, under the watch of Ms. Meredith Macomber. Coyle-Cassidy also maintains three science labs: a physics lab run by Mr. Boris Blitsheyn, a chemistry lab run by Ms. Charrel Liberatore, and a biology lab run by Mr. David Schoorens.
The school also has in its possesion, three portable laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
carts, enabling entire classes to be connected wirelessly. In addition, students are allowed and encouraged to use their own laptops, iPads
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, or other tablets
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
for this purpose.
Incoming freshman take a DFREC placement test. This, along with reccomendations from middle school teachers determine grade 9 class placement.
English
FRESHMENEnglish I Basic - An introductory english course at a slower, more focused pace.
English I CP - This is a standard introductory english class, with a focus on poetic writing and basic grammar
English I Advanced - A more accelerated version of college prep english, with a partial honors credit.
English I Honors - A rigorous, honors level version of the freshman english course.
SOPHOMORES
Sophomores study American Literature, again with CP Basic, College Prep, Advanced, and Honors sections.
JUNIORS
Juniors study British Literature, again with CP Basic, College Prep, Advanced, and Honors sections.
SENIORS
Seniors can take the standard English IV CP or English I Honors classes, or take an english elective, such as Literature in Cinema Honors.
Mathematics
FRESHMENA majority of freshmen take an Algebra I class, either a Basic, CP, or Advanced section. For those freshmen who completed Algebra I in 8th grade and fare well on the placement test, an Algebra II Honors class is offered.
SOPHOMORES
All sophomores take Geometry. The sections include College Prep, Advanced, and Honors. CP and Advanced offer a more basic and arithmetical approach to Geometry, while the Honors class focuses more on critical thinking and proofwriting and moves at a much faster pace.
JUNIORS
The majority of juniors take Algebra II CP, while the advanced class takes Trigenometry. The Honors section takes Analysis, a course dealing with trigonometry and the math behind physics, usually taken concurrently with an Applied Physics course.
SENIORS
Seniors take a wide variety of elected courses, from AP Calculus to Analysis CP to Accounting.
Religion
All students must take four years of religion, including a community service course in Grade 11 or 12.Social Studies
FRESHMENAll freshmen take World History CP. The class studies ancient and early modern history from 450 BC and the Greeks up to AD 1600 and the Renaissance. Those looking for an Honors credit may partake in a year-long, all computerized project about a current event determined by the school.
SOPHOMORES
Sophomores take US History I. The CP section is a basic overview of American history from pre-European times to about 1900. The Advanced and Honors sections are a rigorous examination of the same time period, looking much more in-depth yay the events, people, and places that shaped early American History.
JUNIORS
Juniors take US History II. The CP section is a basic overview of American history from around 1900 to present day times. Once again, Advanced and Honors students delve deeper into the events of the time period.
SENIORS
A social studies course is not mandatory for seniors, but many electives are offered to them, including Phsycology and Street Law courses worth a full credit.
SCIENCE
FRESHMENBiology I CP - A basic study of human biology
Human biology
Human Biology is an interdisciplinary area of study that examines humans through the influences and interplay of many diverse fields such as genetics, evolution, physiology, epidemiology, ecology, nutrition, population genetics and sociocultural influences. It is closely related to...
, including major body systems, structures, and functions.
Biology Honors - A mixed study of both human biology and organic biology. The course condenses the year-long freshman and sophomore Biology classes into about half of a year each, providing for a more advanced pace.
SOPHOMORES
Biology CP - A basic study of organic Biology and basic Chemistry including study the cell and Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Chemistry Honors - An opportunity for Honors Sophomores to take an Honors level Chemistry course in their second year, Chemistry Honors is an in depth look at the major themes of Chemistry.
JUNIORS
Chemistry CP - A college prep chemistry class examining the major themes of Chemistry at a standard pace.
Chemistry Honors - An in-depth look at the major themes of chemistry.
Applied Physics Honors - A physics course integrated with Analysis Honors providing a solid foundation in the subject of physics.
SENIORS
Most seniors either take Physics CP or Physics Honors, but for those students who have completed physics as a junior or those not wishing to take physics, a number of electives are offered including three AP classes and Forensic Science.
World Language
All students are required to take a language for three years. Choices are Spanishw, French, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese. College Prep and Honors sections are offered in all languages, and a fourth year is also offered to honors students.Fine Arts and Technology
Several Study Hall Alternatives are offered including Studio Art, Choir, three different Select Choruses, 3D Modeling, CAD, and other technology and fine arts electives. In addition, all freshmen are required to take a half-year, introductory art course.Athletics
Coyle's athletic program is sanctioned by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic AssociationMassachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association , comprising 365 high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, is an organization that sponsors activities in more than thirty sports. The MIAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations , which writes the rules...
(MIAA) and all of the school's teams compete in the Eastern Athletic Conference
Eastern Athletic Conference
The Eastern Athletic Conference, or EAC, is a high school sports conference consisting of teams in southeastern Massachusetts. The league is a subset of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. It is noted for having both a competitive conference, as well as one with an eclectic...
(EAC). Coyle's athletic teams play under the nickname "Warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s", and the mascot is similar to the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
mascot of the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
. (Prior to the late 1990s, the mascot was a Wampanoag chief in full headress.) The school has a long, cross-city rivalry
Sports rivalry
A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes. This pressure of competition is felt by players, coaches, and management, but is perhaps felt strongest by the fans. The intensity of the rivalry varies from a friendly competition on one end to serious violence on the...
with the Taunton High School
Taunton High School
Taunton High School located within a large, three-floor, interconnected, multi-block complex in the eastern section of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. It is a five-year urban public high school with an estimated average student enrollment of 3,000...
"Tigers". Depending on the sport, the school is in many different divisions. For example, Coyle is Division II in softball, but Division IV in track and field. This has nothing to do with the school's talent pool, but rather sport-specific rules assigned by the MIAA.
Currently, the school supports varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
teams in 16 different sports: baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, indoor track, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
and weightlifting
Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
. Most sports also consist of freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
and junior varsity
Junior varsity
Primarily in North America, junior varsity or JV players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition , usually at the high school and college levels in the United States and Canada. The main players comprise the varsity team...
teams. There have been recent attempts to add field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
,and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
, to the athletic mix, but those have not yet been successful.
Despite its status as a fairly small school, Coyle has a rich athletic history that is often bolstered by its ability to admit students outside of the city of Taunton. Recently (within the last ten years), Coyle has particularly dominated Taunton High in the sports of golf, ice hockey, men's soccer, and tennis, winning several coveted city championships. Competing in the talent-laden conference EAC has historically been a problem for certain sports (soccer, tennis, and track specifically), but the school occasionally manages to bring home conference championships. Among all others, the softball and ice hockey teams have undoubetedly been the most successful teams in recent history at the school, both of which are occasionally ranked among the best in the country. In 2003, Taunton was treated to a rare athletic treat when both Coyle and Taunton High won Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state championship
State Championship
New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. It is currently known as the Plunket Shield, reintroducing the name used in the early stages for the 2009–10 season.-Plunket Shield:...
s in softball, albeit in different divisions.
Coyle also has an athletic Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
. An alumnus must be nominated by a member of the Coyle community, and have graduated at least five years prior to the nomination, in order to be elected to the distinguished group. A list of enductees is available online.
See also
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall RiverRoman Catholic Diocese of Fall RiverThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It is led by the prelature of a bishop administering the diocese from the mother church St...
- Bristol County, MassachusettsBristol County, Massachusetts-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
- Greater Taunton AreaGreater Taunton Arearight|thumb|200px|A map of the Greater Taunton AreaThe Greater Taunton Area is the suburban area surrounding the city of Taunton, in northeastern Bristol County, Massachusetts. It comprises various present-day municipalities that were once under the jurisdiction of Taunton in Colonial America...
- Taunton High SchoolTaunton High SchoolTaunton High School located within a large, three-floor, interconnected, multi-block complex in the eastern section of the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. It is a five-year urban public high school with an estimated average student enrollment of 3,000...
External links
- Coyle and Cassidy High School's Official Home Page
- TauntonPublic Schools' Home Page]