Holy Name Central Catholic High School
Encyclopedia
Holy Name Central Catholic Junior Senior High School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in Worcester, Massachusetts
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
. The mission of Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, as a part of the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, is to inspire students to study and apply Gospel values and the moral principles of Jesus Christ to all academic, artistic, social and athletic programs. Students are provided a stimulating learning environment to encourage them to become lifelong learners. Each student is empowered to master the high academic and ethical standards necessary to achieve success and to be a Catholic Christian witness in the world.
In September 2011, Susan Hughes, previously known as the librarian and media specialist for over a decade at the school became the first ever "Holy Name Personality", where she talks to students about the outside world. She also invented the successful "Holy Name Cafe", where seniors of the school can drink punch and go on Facebook. It has been said that other schools around the city have used her idea as well.
, Literature
, Natural Sciences, Mathematics
, Foreign Languages, Technology
, Theology
, Art
, Music
, and Physical Education
. As a Catholic school, Holy Name promotes the principles of Jesus Christ in the students' personal and social life. The school has a full advanced placement program and a challenging academic level system. Students may also supplement their learning with online courses through Virtual High School.
The Holy Name Music Program offers a chorus, band, and jazz band at varying levels of difficulty. Every student who participates in the music program has the opportunity to perform at the Christmas and Spring concerts. In addition to these concerts, the music department attends the Great East Festival where Holy Name competes against area music programs.
Students interested in theatre, whether via acting, set design, or production have the opportunity to explore this area through Holy Name's Theatre Department. All students are invited to participate in the annual musical along with numerous other productions throughout the year. In March 2010, Holy Name performed The Fiddler on the Roof. Performances are open to the public for a nominal fee.
Those who wish to work with artistic medium are encouraged to participate in the art classes offered by the school as part of the curriculum. Art is open to students from junior high until senior year of high school.
, and the second to be powered by a wind turbine, after the 1984 installation of a 40 kilowatt turbine beside Hull
High School, which was upgraded to 660 kilowatts in 2001. The 242-foot Holy Name turbine generates enough electricity for the entire school.
The project, four years in the making, began when school president Mary Riordan, facing steep energy bills at the school, asked Worcester Polytechnic Institute
students to study whether they could take advantage of the school's windy campus.
Later, the Sisters of St. Anne, who founded the school, gave the school $50,000 to pay a consultant to research the details. That was the first funding for a project that will cost between $1.5 million and $2 million total. The price includes that first $500,000,000 $750,000,000? for the building permit and the cost of burying power lines that serve the school and run near the turbine site.
The project was completed in mid-September 2008. It now powers the school, and is visible from Route 20
, Route 146 and I-290
southbound. While not the biggest turbine in the country, many in the greater Worcester area have been thankful for it, as it has become a staple in the city, standing tall all day long. Another plus in having the turbine close to the major highways is that those who are lost can look to the turbine and realize that they aren't far away from ending their journey through the wonderful and beautiful Central Massachusetts.
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 Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. The geographic boundaries of the diocese are the same as those of Worcester County, Massachusetts, the geographically largest county of the...
. The mission of Holy Name Central Catholic Junior/Senior High School, as a part of the Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, is to inspire students to study and apply Gospel values and the moral principles of Jesus Christ to all academic, artistic, social and athletic programs. Students are provided a stimulating learning environment to encourage them to become lifelong learners. Each student is empowered to master the high academic and ethical standards necessary to achieve success and to be a Catholic Christian witness in the world.
History
Holy Name High School opened on September 14, 1942. The new high school offered a bilingual program in French and English. By 1946, the student enrollment had grown to 122 students, and in 1957, Holy Name’s status was changed to a Central Catholic High School. On September 24, 1967, the old high school moved from Illinois Street to the present site on Granite Street when Bishop Bernard Flanagan dedicated the new building. In September 1997, Holy Name Central Catholic High School added Grades 7 and 8.In September 2011, Susan Hughes, previously known as the librarian and media specialist for over a decade at the school became the first ever "Holy Name Personality", where she talks to students about the outside world. She also invented the successful "Holy Name Cafe", where seniors of the school can drink punch and go on Facebook. It has been said that other schools around the city have used her idea as well.
Academics
Offering a college preparatory curriculum, Holy Name emphasizes a comprehensive approach to education which includes academics, arts, and athletics. The curriculum includes, Social StudiesSocial studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, Natural Sciences, Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Foreign Languages, Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
. As a Catholic school, Holy Name promotes the principles of Jesus Christ in the students' personal and social life. The school has a full advanced placement program and a challenging academic level system. Students may also supplement their learning with online courses through Virtual High School.
Arts
Holy Name offers a wide variety of artistic opportunities for students to pursue throughout their high school careers. These programs encourage creativity and dedication, while inspiring a lifelong interest in the arts.The Holy Name Music Program offers a chorus, band, and jazz band at varying levels of difficulty. Every student who participates in the music program has the opportunity to perform at the Christmas and Spring concerts. In addition to these concerts, the music department attends the Great East Festival where Holy Name competes against area music programs.
Students interested in theatre, whether via acting, set design, or production have the opportunity to explore this area through Holy Name's Theatre Department. All students are invited to participate in the annual musical along with numerous other productions throughout the year. In March 2010, Holy Name performed The Fiddler on the Roof. Performances are open to the public for a nominal fee.
Those who wish to work with artistic medium are encouraged to participate in the art classes offered by the school as part of the curriculum. Art is open to students from junior high until senior year of high school.
Extra Curricular Activities
In addition to the academic life at Holy Name High School, students are strongly encouraged to participate in the wide variety of extra curricular activities offered. All the activities uphold Catholic and moral principles while fostering a conducive environment for both learning and socializing. The clubs and organizations offered include but are not limited to:- National Honor SocietyNational Honor SocietyThe National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
: In order to be accepted into Holy Name's chapter of the National Honor Society, students must maintain a high academic GPA along with several teacher recommendations. Membership in National Honor Society requires that students act as tutors to younger students and participate in community service throughout Worcester County.
- Mock Trial: Mock trial is an organization dedicated to teaching students about legal advocacy and public speaking. Every year, the school participates in a tournament against schools across the state sponsored by the Massachusetts' Bar Association. Members are educated about legal procedure and court room demeanor throughout the season by writing their own legal arguments and acting as both attorneys and witnesses. Directed by Mr. Meagher, the mock trial team has seen enormous success, earning district championships 8 out of the last 10 years and going as far as the state championship round.
- Christian Leadership: Drawing on its Catholic background, Holy Name's Christian Leadership organization is open to all students regardless of religious affiliation. Selection is based on prior community service and teacher recommendation. Members lead retreats, organize and present workshops that teach Christian values, and coordinate community service projects.
Green Initiative
Holy Name is the first high school in the state of Massachusetts to be powered by a 600 kilowatt wind turbineWind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
, and the second to be powered by a wind turbine, after the 1984 installation of a 40 kilowatt turbine beside Hull
Hull, Massachusetts
Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...
High School, which was upgraded to 660 kilowatts in 2001. The 242-foot Holy Name turbine generates enough electricity for the entire school.
The project, four years in the making, began when school president Mary Riordan, facing steep energy bills at the school, asked Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
students to study whether they could take advantage of the school's windy campus.
Later, the Sisters of St. Anne, who founded the school, gave the school $50,000 to pay a consultant to research the details. That was the first funding for a project that will cost between $1.5 million and $2 million total. The price includes that first $500,000,000 $750,000,000? for the building permit and the cost of burying power lines that serve the school and run near the turbine site.
The project was completed in mid-September 2008. It now powers the school, and is visible from Route 20
U.S. Route 20
U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...
, Route 146 and I-290
Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 290 runs for from Auburn, Massachusetts to Marlborough, Massachusetts. It is a continuation of I-395 north of I-90 and runs through downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, I-190 splits off, and I-290 runs across Lake Quinsigamond and east to I-495 in Marlborough...
southbound. While not the biggest turbine in the country, many in the greater Worcester area have been thankful for it, as it has become a staple in the city, standing tall all day long. Another plus in having the turbine close to the major highways is that those who are lost can look to the turbine and realize that they aren't far away from ending their journey through the wonderful and beautiful Central Massachusetts.
External links
- Holy Name Central Catholic Jr. Sr. High School official site - video describing the wind turbine at Holy Name