Madonna High School (Weirton, West Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Weirton Madonna High School is a private
, Roman Catholic high school
in Weirton, West Virginia
. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
.
Weirton Madonna is home to the Blue Dons with 11 varsity sports teams, including football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, track, and cheerleading.
As the dream was about to become a reality, Msgr. Daniel Patrick Murphy met a sister from the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace while on a trip to Ireland. Sister Pauline brought interest in this new school to her superiors in Newark, New Jersey. They accepted the offer to staff a Catholic school in West Virginia.
Msgr. Thomas McDonnell, co-adjuster of the Wheeling Diocese, dedicated Madonna High School on August 15, 1955. Msgr. Murphy, who was suffering from terminal cancer, was flown to the ceremonies from New York. He died on September 19, 1955, after his educational dream had come true.
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 Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton, West Virginia
Weirton is a city located in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, United States. Most of the city is in Hancock County, with the remainder in Brooke County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 20,411...
. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising the state of West Virginia. It is a conjoined diocese with two centers of worship, one day expected to be split into two separate...
.
Weirton Madonna is home to the Blue Dons with 11 varsity sports teams, including football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, track, and cheerleading.
Mission statement
Our Catholic community seeks to pass on its heritage of faith to our children. Weirton Madonna High School exists to serve this mission. It is the responsibility of the faculty and staff to emulate this ideal and ensure that the Catholic faith pervades the entire structure of school life. We seek to promote spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social growth in the environment of a caring community in service to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our Christian ministry. Weirton Madonna High School strives to be a resource and guide for this lifelong task through a program of religious knowledge and creative education.Background
Realizing a need for Catholic secondary education in Weirton, Monsignor Daniel Patrick Murphy began formulating plans early in the 1950s for the building of a high school. After receiving the approval of Archbishop Swint of the Wheeling diocese, Msgr. Murphy and a group of interested parishioners began a fund raising campaign of one million dollars. Weirton Steel Company and many generous individuals made large contributions. Catholic employees pledged three percent of their wages for three years. Mr. and Mrs. Starvaggi donated 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of land for the school plan.As the dream was about to become a reality, Msgr. Daniel Patrick Murphy met a sister from the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace while on a trip to Ireland. Sister Pauline brought interest in this new school to her superiors in Newark, New Jersey. They accepted the offer to staff a Catholic school in West Virginia.
Msgr. Thomas McDonnell, co-adjuster of the Wheeling Diocese, dedicated Madonna High School on August 15, 1955. Msgr. Murphy, who was suffering from terminal cancer, was flown to the ceremonies from New York. He died on September 19, 1955, after his educational dream had come true.
Principals
- Sr. Marian James, CSJ, 1955-1957
- Sr. Rose Winefride, 1957-58
- Sr. Mary Louise, 1958-1960
- Srs. Mary Ligouri, Adelaide William, and Mary Joan, 1960-1966
- Fr. Edward Bell, 1966-1971
- Mr. John York, 1971-1978
- Mr. James Chetock, 1978-1979
- Mr. Richard Evans, 1979-1983
- Mr. Peter Basil, 1983-1987
- Mrs. Theresa DeCaria, 1987-1990
- Mr. Robert Gill, 1990-1997
- Mr. Al Boniti, 1998
- Dr. Cathy Sistilli, 1998-2008
- Mr. John Mihalyo, 2008-present
Notable faculty
- Walter Wieloh, was a teacher who taught from the school's opening in 1955 until his death. He taught senior English courses and served as an adviser to the school's award winning Literary Magazine, "The Little Magazine". He died in 2009.