St. Cecilia Catholic School (Houston, Texas)
Encyclopedia
St. Cecilia Catholic School (commonly abbreviated to SCS or SCCS) is a Coeducational Catholic private school
for grades Pre-K
through 8th grade
in Hedwig Village, Texas
, presenting a high level of high school preparatory education. The school has been coeducational and non-profit since its founding and is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
. As of 2011, St. Cecilia School had about 615 students enrolled. The learning establishment celebrated its fiftieth anniversary during the 2008-09 school year.
St. Cecilia was established as a private independent Catholic school by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word society. The school is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department. The school's current pastor is Father John Cahoon. The school and community are very involved in charity work. For example, SCS donated hundreds of Spanish textbooks to kids in Guatemala. The school also donated old sports jerseys to children in Africa in 2010.
, used as a temporary church. To accommodate the large student body in 1962, nine classrooms, a new cafeteria, library
, and storage facilities were added to the school. Later in 1995, an addition and remodeling project included the removal of seven temporary metal classroom buildings and the construction of a west wing, with a science lab, computer lab
, an expanded library, and five more classrooms. A new gym, locker rooms, and a motor room
were also added. Today the middle school students use a new two-story wing located on the north side of the campus including 14 new classrooms and 2 science labs. A music room for all students is also located in that building. Existing classrooms were completely renovated, remodeled, and equipped with Smart Boards.
. It has a mission for the ongoing Christian formation of the children by developing the greatest potential of each individual spiritually, morally, intellectually, socially, culturally, and physically. The program was founded based on the teachings of Roman Catholicism with the intention to prepare students for adult life.
rate for each student at SCS in set at $8,135 for the 2011-12 school year. A separate rate is set for parishioners, whom already pledge money to the church. Payment options for the school include paying all at once, monthly, or per each semester. An approximate $4,000 extra is paid for every other child going to the school. A one time $150 application fee is required, along with a testing and faculty fee
totaling $300. An after school program known as "Bridges" is offered that also has an optional monthly payment plan.
in the fall. The boys and girls basketball
tryouts and season are held in the spring season; baseball
and softball
are also offered during spring.
Middle school athletics are part of the Blue South and Southwest conferences in the Greater Houston Catholic Athletic Association. Through tryouts, students may be selected to junior varsity and varsity teams.
The Indians are very successful in sports, nearly always making the playoffs in their area of sports. Meanwhile, the school cheerleading
squad has also won competitions. The Indians play their home games at Bierne Field, also known as "The House", which is located on the west part of the campus. The venue can be accommodated to hold a capacity of about 1,500 people.
Additional fees and payment for the league are required for each team a student joins. Sports eligibility
is given to participants at the middle of the season. A student must have an overall C average with no more than two Ds. Also, if a student has low behavioral conduct averages, they will be taken off their team. St. Cecilia's school rival is the John Paul II Saints
A huge variety of after school and during-school clubs and activities are included as an option within the tuition paid. The school offers a Math Club to all middle school students known as Math Olympiad. It also offers an Art Club and a Writers Club to elementary schoolers.
The Speech Club is also optional to all middle schoolers that competes in the St. Thomas High School Speech Tournament. The school also competes academically in the St. Pius Academic Rally held in the third quarter of the school year. Academic tournaments within the school include the National Geographic Bee
and Scripps National Spelling Bee
.
A Yearbook Club also meets takes place within the school's new computer lab. An after school Band Program has the option for the elemantary school students to participate in also.
, McGraw Hill, Houghton Mifflin
, and McDougal Littell. Academic achievement by children is recognized quarterly by the Principal and Teacher's Honor's Roll.
Roll- Principal's Honor Roll for all A's and Teacher's Honor Roll for those with no more than two B's.
.
Mandatory dress uniforms are required to be worn on certain occasions. These include school assemblies and mass days. Blue-striped shirts for middle schoolers and white dress shirts for the elementary wing. Ties are required for all boys on these occasions. Plaid jumpers are for the elementary girls on these dress uniform days. The upper school girls wear plaid skirts and white shirts. Uniform reward days are awarded to those who contemplate with this dress code, found in the handbook. Athletic or tennis shoes, along with ankle socks, can be worn when a student earns this reward.
are selected by the student body for the postions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, nearing the end of the school year for the next term. The candidates are given about two weeks for campaigning. They then present a speech at a middle school assembly. Representatives from each homeroom are also voted for, starting from the fourth grade. The Student Council meets every month to debate problems, organize events, and suggest ideas.
, done on one of the first days of the month. An eighth grade homecoming game is also celebrated against a conference rival. The most important fundraiser comes later, being the themed auction in late October. The auction greatly influences this month, with the school selling auctions t-shirts and theme-influenced pep rallies. A widely-known craft show is held in November for all community vendors to sell during a week. All grades collect canned food items for a church-held food gathering. The eighth grade also performs in a play shown to the whole school in the auditorium. In spring the St. Pius Academic Rally y and St. Thomas Speech Tournament are held. A school Sports Day
is celebrated in late April, with many activities being played on Beirne Field. Many other academic competitions are taken place, and the school year ends with finals testing in middle school. A largely publicized softball charity game is held every year. The event even gained recognition from the from many news websites in 2010.
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...
for grades Pre-K
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
through 8th grade
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
in Hedwig Village, Texas
Hedwig Village, Texas
Hedwig Village is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census.The United States Postal Service uses "Houston" for all Hedwig Village addresses; "Hedwig Village" is not an acceptable city designation for mail addressed to places in Hedwig...
, presenting a high level of high school preparatory education. The school has been coeducational and non-profit since its founding and is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston encompasses of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston; Harris; Austin; Brazoria; Fort Bend; Grimes; Montgomery; San Jacinto; Walker; and Waller.The chancery of the diocese is located in Downtown Houston. The Archdiocese's...
. As of 2011, St. Cecilia School had about 615 students enrolled. The learning establishment celebrated its fiftieth anniversary during the 2008-09 school year.
About
In 1958, St. Cecilia Catholic School opened with a school board under the leadership of Pastor William J. Kennelly and Principal George Anne Matranga.St. Cecilia was established as a private independent Catholic school by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word society. The school is accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference Education Department. The school's current pastor is Father John Cahoon. The school and community are very involved in charity work. For example, SCS donated hundreds of Spanish textbooks to kids in Guatemala. The school also donated old sports jerseys to children in Africa in 2010.
Expansion
The original school building had classrooms for grades one through eight, school offices, a cafeteria, and a gymnasiumGym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
, used as a temporary church. To accommodate the large student body in 1962, nine classrooms, a new cafeteria, library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, and storage facilities were added to the school. Later in 1995, an addition and remodeling project included the removal of seven temporary metal classroom buildings and the construction of a west wing, with a science lab, computer lab
Computer lab
A computer lab, also known as a computer suite or computer cluster is typically a room which contains many networked computers for public use...
, an expanded library, and five more classrooms. A new gym, locker rooms, and a motor room
Motor skill
A motor skill is a learned sequence of movements that combine to produce a smooth, efficient action in order to master a particular task. The development of motor skill occurs in the motor cortex, the region of the cerebral cortex that controls voluntary muscle groups.- Development of motor skills...
were also added. Today the middle school students use a new two-story wing located on the north side of the campus including 14 new classrooms and 2 science labs. A music room for all students is also located in that building. Existing classrooms were completely renovated, remodeled, and equipped with Smart Boards.
Mission Statement
The school's goal is to prepare all students spiritually and academically to succeed in life. SCS follows the educational ministry of the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. It has a mission for the ongoing Christian formation of the children by developing the greatest potential of each individual spiritually, morally, intellectually, socially, culturally, and physically. The program was founded based on the teachings of Roman Catholicism with the intention to prepare students for adult life.
Payment
The yearly tuitionTuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...
rate for each student at SCS in set at $8,135 for the 2011-12 school year. A separate rate is set for parishioners, whom already pledge money to the church. Payment options for the school include paying all at once, monthly, or per each semester. An approximate $4,000 extra is paid for every other child going to the school. A one time $150 application fee is required, along with a testing and faculty fee
Fee
A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup.Traditionally, professionals in Great Britain received a fee in contradistinction to a payment, salary, or wage, and would often use guineas rather than pounds as units of account...
totaling $300. An after school program known as "Bridges" is offered that also has an optional monthly payment plan.
Athletics
Lower school athletic activities are organized and coached by parent volunteers through a church league. This offers the elementary students to play some sports. The middle school plays varsity soccer and footballAmerican 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...
in the fall. The boys and girls 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...
tryouts and season are held in the spring season; 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...
and 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...
are also offered during spring.
Middle school athletics are part of the Blue South and Southwest conferences in the Greater Houston Catholic Athletic Association. Through tryouts, students may be selected to junior varsity and varsity teams.
The Indians are very successful in sports, nearly always making the playoffs in their area of sports. Meanwhile, the school 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...
squad has also won competitions. The Indians play their home games at Bierne Field, also known as "The House", which is located on the west part of the campus. The venue can be accommodated to hold a capacity of about 1,500 people.
Additional fees and payment for the league are required for each team a student joins. Sports eligibility
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
is given to participants at the middle of the season. A student must have an overall C average with no more than two Ds. Also, if a student has low behavioral conduct averages, they will be taken off their team. St. Cecilia's school rival is the John Paul II Saints
John Paul II Catholic School (Houston, Texas)
John Paul II Catholic School is a Catholic private school for grades Pre-K through 8th grade in western Houston, Texas. The school is within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston...
Clubs and activities
The Speech Club is also optional to all middle schoolers that competes in the St. Thomas High School Speech Tournament. The school also competes academically in the St. Pius Academic Rally held in the third quarter of the school year. Academic tournaments within the school include the National Geographic Bee
National Geographic Bee
The National Geographic Bee is an annual geography contest sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The bee, held every year since 1989, is open to students in the fourth through eighth grade in participating American schools.The entities represented at the national level are all fifty U.S....
and Scripps National Spelling Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...
.
A Yearbook Club also meets takes place within the school's new computer lab. An after school Band Program has the option for the elemantary school students to participate in also.
Curriculum and grading
The St. Cecilia School education is focused on six core subjects (Mathematics, Science, Theology, Social Sciences, Literature, and English) for the longterm development of important topics. These subjects are contemplated along with Physical Education, Foreign Language, and Technology. The subjects are for all grades, first and so on. These grade levels with core subjects also follow the same grading system. A's are given to those with 94+ averages, B's to students with 87s, C's to those with 79+ averages, and D's for a grade of 72 or more. SCS uses textbooks from many high-level education. Pograms and textbook examples for some grades include Harcourt, Glencoe, Everyday MathematicsEveryday Mathematics
Everyday Mathematics is a pre-K and elementary school mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project....
, McGraw Hill, Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is an educational and trade publisher in the United States. Headquartered in Boston's Back Bay, it publishes textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults.-History:The company was...
, and McDougal Littell. Academic achievement by children is recognized quarterly by the Principal and Teacher's Honor's Roll.
Roll- Principal's Honor Roll for all A's and Teacher's Honor Roll for those with no more than two B's.
Standardized Testing
The school uses the ITBS standardized testing program, otherwise known as the Iowa Test. The student's focusing on core subjects helps them prepare for this. Following the Archdiocese of Houston-Galveston's orders, the establishment began giving this test in the 2009-10 school year. This proceeded the Stanford Achievement Test, which the school had been taking since 2003. In the last year of taking the SAT 10s (2009), some middle school students had a large overall, scoring about 510 in Math and Reading, earning state recognition. The testing takes up to a week to complete, finishing the complete battery in mid-March. The many students who do well on this in intermediate and middle school are selected to participate in the annual Duke Talent Search. The overall school test scores are recognized as some of the best in the Houston area by the Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
.
School uniforms
Daily school uniforms for the boys are made up of a dark red polo t-shirt and navy blue slacks provided by Parker School Uniforms. Belts are also mandatory. Plaid red skorts and white polo shirts are given to the elementary girls. The middle school girls wear blue shirts. Students are required to wear non-athletic shoes (mainly Sperry Top-Siders) and regular-sized socks as part of their regular uniform beginning from the third grade. School sweatshirts can also be worn as part of regular uniform.Mandatory dress uniforms are required to be worn on certain occasions. These include school assemblies and mass days. Blue-striped shirts for middle schoolers and white dress shirts for the elementary wing. Ties are required for all boys on these occasions. Plaid jumpers are for the elementary girls on these dress uniform days. The upper school girls wear plaid skirts and white shirts. Uniform reward days are awarded to those who contemplate with this dress code, found in the handbook. Athletic or tennis shoes, along with ankle socks, can be worn when a student earns this reward.
Student Council
Students from the Seventh GradeSeventh grade
Seventh grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The seventh grade is the seventh school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 12–13 years old. Traditionally, seventh grade was the next-to-last year of elementary school...
are selected by the student body for the postions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary, nearing the end of the school year for the next term. The candidates are given about two weeks for campaigning. They then present a speech at a middle school assembly. Representatives from each homeroom are also voted for, starting from the fourth grade. The Student Council meets every month to debate problems, organize events, and suggest ideas.
National Junior Honor Society
The nationwide known National Junior Honor Society, known also as NJHS, is offered to students with over-achieving academical performance. This program offers meetings for those students beginning from the sixth grade, where they are inducted in a school assembly at the autitorium. The students are required to the service work to contemplate with their high-academic level and challenges them in their leadership skills. Students with average grades 90 or higher qualify for NJHS.Yearly events
St. Cecilia has many annual festivities and fundraisers. After ambassador families are assigned to new students, they join the family at a welcoming breakfast event. One of the first major festivities to be held is the community OktoberfestOktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
, done on one of the first days of the month. An eighth grade homecoming game is also celebrated against a conference rival. The most important fundraiser comes later, being the themed auction in late October. The auction greatly influences this month, with the school selling auctions t-shirts and theme-influenced pep rallies. A widely-known craft show is held in November for all community vendors to sell during a week. All grades collect canned food items for a church-held food gathering. The eighth grade also performs in a play shown to the whole school in the auditorium. In spring the St. Pius Academic Rally y and St. Thomas Speech Tournament are held. A school Sports Day
Sports day
Sports days, sometimes referred to as Field Day, are events staged by many schools and offices in which people take part in competitive sporting activities, often with the aim of winning trophies or prizes...
is celebrated in late April, with many activities being played on Beirne Field. Many other academic competitions are taken place, and the school year ends with finals testing in middle school. A largely publicized softball charity game is held every year. The event even gained recognition from the from many news websites in 2010.