Cardinal Spellman High School (Brockton, Massachusetts)

Last updated
Cardinal Spellman High School
CardinalSpellmanBrockton2021.jpg
Cardinal Spellman High School
Address
Cardinal Spellman High School (Brockton, Massachusetts)
738 Court Street

, ,
02302

United States
Coordinates 42°5′35.0″N70°59′35.2″W / 42.093056°N 70.993111°W / 42.093056; -70.993111 Coordinates: 42°5′35.0″N70°59′35.2″W / 42.093056°N 70.993111°W / 42.093056; -70.993111
Information
Type Private, coeducational
MottoSequere Deum
("Follow God")
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established1958
AuthorityIndependent
PresidentDaniel Hodes
ChairpersonKevin Kelley
DirectorMatthew Leppanen
Head of schoolAimee Wetzel, Christine Evans
ChaplainJoe Nickley
Faculty52
Grades 912
Enrollment500 (2021)
CampusSuburban
Campus size42 Acres
Color(s) Cardinal red and goldenrod   
Athletics conference Catholic Central League
SportsFootball, boys'/girls' soccer, boys'/girls' cross country, boys'/girls' golf, girls' volleyball, cheerleading, indoor winter track, boys'/girls' basketball, boys'/girls' swimming, hockey, baseball, softball, spring track, boys'/girls' tennis, lacrosse
MascotThe Cardinal Crazy
Team nameCardinals
RivalArchbishop Williams High School, Abington High School
Accreditation New England Association of Schools and Colleges [1]
PublicationTradition Magazine
NewspaperThe Daily Cardinal
Tuition$15,900 (2021-22 [2] )
Affiliation National Catholic Educational Association
Website www.spellman.com

Cardinal Spellman High School is a private college preparatory high school of Catholic denomination established in 1958 and located in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Like the school's fellow Catholic school and sports rival, Archbishop Williams High School, Spellman separated from the Boston Archdiocese in the wake of the child sex abuse scandal. [3] The school is named after Cardinal Francis Spellman. [4]

Contents

History

Richard Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, officiated at the dedication of Cardinal Spellman High School on October 20, 1958. He blessed its buildings and laid the cornerstone during the ceremony. The school was named in honor of Francis Cardinal Spellman, whose birthplace was in the neighboring town of Whitman, Massachusetts. "Sequere Deum - Follow God" was taken from Francis Cardinal Spellman's coat of arms and used as the school's motto. [5]

In September 1958, 300 students began their school careers as students at Cardinal Spellman with Sister M. Vera, CSJ as the founding Principal and a faculty of ten Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston. Many Sisters worked at Cardinal Spellman over the years. There are no longer any Sisters of Saint Joseph currently working at Spellman. The last one, Sr. Patricia Lynch, left in July 2012.

On December 6, 1963, Cardinal Spellman High School, along with several other secondary schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, was incorporated as a member of the Archdiocesan Central High Schools, Inc. In 1979, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges awarded Cardinal Spellman High School its initial accreditation; in 1989 and again in 1999, the school was re-accredited for successive ten-year periods. Cardinal Spellman High School was elected as a permanent member of the College Board in 1983. The school is also affiliated with the National Catholic Educational Association.

Cardinal Spellman High School was incorporated in January 2004 after the Board of Trustees of the Archdiocesan Central High Schools, Inc., determined that each of its schools would be best served by becoming an independent public juridic institution governed by its own board of trustees. Beginning on September 1, 2004, Spellman's board of trustees took over the responsibility of governing the school.

Sexual abuse incident

In 2016, The Boston Globe reported that, seven years prior, a Spanish teacher began a sexual relationship with his seventeen-year-old female student. At the time, the student's parents found evidence of the teacher's relationship with their daughter, including a hotel receipt and graphic photos. Spellman fired the teacher after administrators saw the photos. The case brought to light controversy over Massachusetts laws governing age of consent and sexual relationships between teachers and students. [6]

Athletics

Peter Ambrose, a longtime football and baseball coach at Cardinal Spellman, won 628 games in 50 years on the diamond before retiring, making him one of four Massachusetts high school baseball coaches to win 600 games. He also captured 12 Catholic Central League championships and one Eastern Mass. [7] Championship. Coaching football, he won 211 games in 41 years, as well as 12 league titles and one Super Bowl appearance. He retired in 2010. [8]

The fall season in 2011 was particularly impressive for Cardinals sports teams. Spellman won five Catholic Central titles and had a combined record of 79-15-1. [8]

In 2019, Spellman installed its first artificial turf field on Potvin Field. [9]

Titles

Football [10]
YearTitle
1961Catholic Central League Champions
1964Catholic Central League Champions
1968Catholic Central League Champions
1970Catholic Central League Champions
1971Catholic Central League Champions
1974Catholic Central League Champions
1978Catholic Central League Champions
1984Catholic Central League Champions (Super Bowl Finalist)
1992Division 4 Super Bowl Champions
2000Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2010Catholic Central League Champions (Super Bowl Finalist)
2011Catholic Central League Champions (Super Bowl Finalist)
Boys Basketball [10]
YearTitle
1962Catholic Central League Champions
1973Catholic Central League Champions
1984Massachusetts State Champions
1995Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2000Massachusetts South Sectional Champions
2010Catholic Central League Champions
2011Eastern Massachusetts Finalists
2012Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2013Catholic Central League Champions
2014Massachusetts State Champions
Girls Basketball [10]
YearTitle
1979Catholic Central League Champions
1983Catholic Central League Champions
1996Catholic Central League Champions
1998Catholic Central League Champions
1999Catholic Central League Champions
2006Eastern Massachusetts Champions
2007Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2008Catholic Central League Co-Champions
Baseball [10]
YearTitle
1965Catholic Central League Champions
1975Eastern Massachusetts Champions
1976Catholic Central League Champions
1977Catholic Central League Champions
1978Catholic Central League Champions
1988Catholic Central League Champions
1992Catholic Central League Champions
1993Catholic Central League Champions
2006Catholic Central League Champions
2007Catholic Central League Champions
2008Catholic Central League Champions
Softball [10]
YearTitle
1997Massachusetts Division 3 South Sectional Champions
1999Massachusetts Division 3 South Sectional Champions
2000Catholic Central League Champions
2001Massachusetts Division 3 State Champions
2002Catholic Central League Champions
2003Massachusetts Division 2 State Champions
2004Eastern Massachusetts Division 2 Champions
2005Massachusetts Division 2 South Sectional Champions
2007Catholic Central League Champions
2008Catholic Central League Champions
2009Catholic Central League Champions
2010Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2012Catholic Central League Champions
2014Catholic Central League Champions
Girls Soccer [10]
YearTitle
1987Catholic Central League Champions
1988Catholic Central League Champions
1989Catholic Central League Champions
1990Catholic Central League Champions
1993Catholic Central League Champions
2003Catholic Central League Champions
2006Eastern Massachusetts Division 2 Champions
2008Catholic Central League Champions
2009Massachusetts State Champions
2011Catholic Central League Champions
2013Massachusetts Division 3 South Sectional Champions
Boys Soccer [10]
YearTitle
1990Catholic Central League Champions
2004Catholic Central League Champions
2006Catholic Central League Co-Champions
2007Catholic Central League Champions
2008Catholic Central League Champions
2009Massachusetts Division 3 South Champions
2010Catholic Central League Champions
2011Massachusetts Division 3 South Champions
2013Catholic Central League Champions
Volleyball [10]
YearTitle
2008Catholic Central League Champions
2009Catholic Central League Champions
2011Catholic Central League Champions
2017Catholic Central League Champions
2019Catholic Central League Champions
Boys Lacrosse [10]
YearTitle
2016Catholic Central League Champions

Drama

Cardinal Spellman's spring musical production Cardinal Spellman Musical Production.jpg
Cardinal Spellman's spring musical production

Spellman is recognized locally for its outstanding drama program. Robert J. McEwan, a longtime teacher at Spellman and chair of the English department for 47 years, established the school's first drama department in 1965, opening the school's first production of The King and I to a full house. McEwan went on to direct 47 musicals and 35 "Spring Shows," annual productions that frequently featured alumni, parents, and teachers as well as students. [11]

Spellman established the Robert J. McEwan Drama Hall of Fame in 1996. Since its inception, it has inducted over 100 alumni, teachers, staff members, parents, and other friends of Spellman, honoring their contributions to the drama program both on and off the stage. [11] Though McEwan died in 2013, his legacy continues through the flourishing drama program that he created. In 2015, the school honored McEwan by dedicating the newly renovated auditorium foyer in his name. [12]

Past Musical Productions
YearMusical
1963 The Student Prince
1964 Blossom Time
1965 The King and I
1966 The Sound of Music
1967 My Fair Lady
1968 The Boyfriend
1969 Oklahoma!
1970 Carousel
1971 Camelot
1972 Brigadoon
1973 Fiddler on the Roof
1974 No, No, Nanette
1975My Fair Lady
1976 The Music Man
1977The Sound of Music
1978Carousel
1979 Oliver!
1980Camelot
1981My Fair Lady
1982 Hello, Dolly!
1983Fiddler on the Roof
1984The Music Man
1985The Sound of Music
1986Oliver!
1987Carousel
1988The King and I
1989Camelot
1990Fiddler on the Roof
1991My Fair Lady
1992The Music Man
1993Brigadoon
1994Fiddler on the Roof
1995Carousel (cancelled)
1996Oliver!
1997Hello, Dolly!
1998The King and I
1999The Boyfriend
2000Carousel
2001My Fair Lady
2002The Sound of Music
2003Fiddler on the Roof
2004Hello, Dolly!
2005Camelot
2006 Les Misérables
2007 Godspell
2008 Beauty and the Beast
2009 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2010Les Misérables
2011Fiddler on the Roof
2012Godspell
2013 Seussical
2014 Thoroughly Modern Millie
2015 Mary Poppins
2016 Bye Bye Birdie
2017 Anything Goes
2018Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2019Seussical
2020 Grease (Postponed Until 2021)
2021Godspell
2022 Annie
2023TBA

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockton, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the "City of Champions", due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two villages within it are Montello and Campello, both of which have MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox. It is the second-windiest city in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3 mph (23.0 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Spellman</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (1889–1967)

Francis Joseph Spellman was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston from 1932 through 1939. He was created a cardinal in 1946.

Boston College High School is an all-male, Jesuit, Catholic college preparatory high school for grades 7–12 in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located on Columbia Point in Dorchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seán Patrick O'Malley</span> Roman Catholic Archbishop of Boston

Seán Patrick O'Malley is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Boston since 2003. He is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and was elevated by the Vatican to the rank of cardinal in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in the U.S.

The Archdiocese of Boston is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of Essex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, and Suffolk County, and also all of Plymouth County except the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Wareham in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is led by a prelate archbishop who serves as pastor of the mother church, Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End of Boston. The Archdiocese of Boston is a metropolitan see with six suffragan dioceses: the Dioceses of Burlington, Fall River, Manchester, Portland in Maine, Springfield in Massachusetts, and Worcester.

Archbishop Williams High School is a co-educational Catholic school in Braintree, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1949 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xaverian Brothers High School</span> Private, day, college-prep school in Westwood, , Massachusetts, United States

Xaverian Brothers High School (XBHS) was founded in 1963 by the Xaverian Brothers. It is a private, Catholic secondary school for boys at grades 7 to 12. Located within a 36-acre (150,000 m2) campus in Westwood, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Xaverian is sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers religious order and offers a college preparatory program. The school attracts students from more than 60 communities in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Malden Catholic High School is a private, Catholic secondary school located in Malden, Massachusetts. The school was founded by the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier, an international congregation of religious brothers. It is a member of the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools and the National Catholic Educational Association.

Fontbonne Academy is a private Roman Catholic college preparatory high school for girls, located in Milton, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. It was started in 1954 by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The school was fully accredited in 1959 by the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Accreditation has been consistently renewed for ten-year periods. In January 2019, Fontbonne Academy changed its name to Fontbonne Early College of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Memorial School</span> Private, all-boys school in West Roxbury, , MA, United States

Catholic Memorial (CM) is an all-boys college preparatory school located in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is administered by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

Hudson Catholic High School (HCHS) was a coeducational Catholic high school in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States. It was within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The school was founded in 1959. On March 29, 2009, parents and students were told that the high school would close in June, after graduating its fiftieth class. On June 4, 2009, the school officially closed. The former Hudson Catholic High School building was demolished in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Catholic High School (Massachusetts)</span> Private, coeducational school in Lawrence, , Massachusetts, United States

Central Catholic High School is a college preparatory school with an academic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts and an athletic campus in Lawrence, Massachusetts associated with the Marist Brothers of the Schools and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and founded in 1935 by Brother Florentius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Thomas Aquinas High School (New Hampshire)</span> Private, coeducational school in Dover, New Hampshire, United States

St. Thomas Aquinas High School is a coeducational Catholic high school in Dover, New Hampshire, United States, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester. It has a student population of approximately 455 and a faculty of 55.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral High School (Boston)</span> Private school in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Cathedral High School is a private co-educational, college preparatory Catholic junior high and high school in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is located in the historic South End neighborhood, adjacent to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy A. McDonnell</span>

Timothy Anthony McDonnell is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. McDonnell served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts from 2004 to 2014 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 2001 to 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Alvernia High School</span> Private, all-girls school in Newton, , Massachusetts, United States

Mount Alvernia High School is a private all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Newton, Massachusetts. The school is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Fenwick High School (Peabody, Massachusetts)</span> Private, coeducational school in Peabody, , Massachusetts, United States

Bishop Fenwick High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Peabody, Massachusetts. While located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the school is operated independently and with the blessing of the Archdiocese. Students who attend Bishop Fenwick come from over 40 towns and communities in New England, primarily those closest to the campus such as Saugus, Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Marblehead, and Danvers, Massachusetts. The school also has a small number of international students, having welcomed its first international students in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Mary's High School (Lynn, Massachusetts)</span> School in Lynn, , Massachusetts, United States

St. Mary's High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Lynn, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Notre Dame Academy is a private, all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Hingham, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Bishop Stang High School is a private Catholic high school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in the New England region of the United States. It was the first diocesan secondary school in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River, which includes the Southcoast Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The school is named after William Stang, the first bishop of the Diocese of Fall River, and has been coeducational since its founding.

References

  1. NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  2. "Home - Cardinal Spellman High School".
  3. "Boston Globe / Spotlight / Abuse in the Catholic Church / The financial cost".
  4. "Explore Cardinal Spellman High School". Niche. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  5. "Explore Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton, MA". GreatSchools.org. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  6. "Across region, outdated sex abuse laws have loopholes - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe .
  7. "Cardinal Spellman (Brockton, MA) High School Sports - Football, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Volleyball, and more | MaxPreps". www.maxpreps.com. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  8. 1 2 "Cardinal Spellman receives Globe's Nason award - Schools - Boston.com". Archived from the original on 2012-12-31.
  9. "Spellman breaks ground on new turf field! | post".
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Title & Championship History". spellman.com. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  11. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-03-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-03-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)