Cretin-Derham Hall High School

Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Location
550 South Albert Street Saint Paul, Minnesota United States
Coordinates	44°55′30″N93°09′29″W / 44.925°N 93.158°W / 44.925; -93.158
Information
Type	Private co-ed Catholic high school
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic
Established	1871 – Cretin High School 1905 – Derham Hall 1987 – Cretin-Derham Hall
Founder	Christian Brothers Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Oversight	Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
President	Jeb Myers [1]
Principal	Mona Passman [1]
Grades	9 – 12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	approx. 920 [2]  (2024)
Average class size	19 [2]
Student to teacher ratio	11:1 [2]
Campus type	Residential Urban
Colors	Purple   Gold   White
Song	C-DH Alma Mater
Athletics conference	Suburban East
Team name	Raiders
Rival	Saint Thomas Academy Cadets
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools [3]
Newspaper	The Chronicle
Yearbook	Gemini
Feeder schools	Nativity of Our Lord, Holy Spirit, Highland Catholic, St. Joseph's of West St. Paul
Website	cretin-derhamhall.org

Cretin-Derham Hall High School (CDH) is a private, co-educational Catholic high school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Operated by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

Cretin High School was named for Joseph Crétin, the first Catholic bishop of Saint Paul, while Derham Hall High School was named for Hugh Derham, a Minnesota farmer who donated money to start an all-female Catholic boarding school.

History

The original Derham Hall on the campus of St. Catherine University

The present-day Cretin-Derham Hall is the result of a merger between Cretin High School and Derham Hall in 1987. The origins of Cretin High School begin at the second cathedral of the diocese, where the Cathedral School operated out of the basement of the three-floor building. ^{[4] : 357} Bishop John Ireland had long been asking for the Christian Brothers to come operate the Cathedral School. In 1871, after the Great Chicago Fire destroyed two Christian Brothers schools, two brothers moved to Minnesota and took charge of the Cathedral School. ^{[4] : 358} When the second cathedral was badly damaged and demolished after a fire in 1886, a new building in downtown Saint Paul was constructed. Around this time, while still formally called Cathedral School, it began to be informally called Cretin High School or Cretin Hall after the auditorium in the new building. ^{[4] : 359} This building, however, soon began to not meet the needs of the institution and in 1926 Cretin High School moved to a site on Laurel and Mackubin Streets in St. Paul. The current building at Hamline and Randolph opened in 1928, built with a gift from the widow of James J. Hill. ^[5]

In the late 1800s, the school incorporated a mandatory program of instruction grounded in the tradition of a military institute, which makes it one of the oldest such programs in the United States. Instruction included lessons in leadership, close-order drill and ceremonies, and numerous other strictly non-combat-related instruction designed to instill a sense of discipline and order in all aspects of student life. The National Defense Act of 1916 created the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), a more formalized program of instruction with national oversight for training standards and a provision for active duty and retired soldiers and officers as instructors. Cretin's "military program" became one of the first Junior ROTC (JROTC) programs in the country, and participation remained mandatory for all students until the early 1980s, when it became voluntary. ^{[6] [7]}

Derham Hall was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905 as a college preparatory school for girls and was originally located on the campus of St. Catherine University (then the College of St. Catherine) in the original building, Derham Hall. ^[8] In 1987, the two merged to become Cretin-Derham Hall, a co-educational institution. The original building on the St. Catherine campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[9]

Athletics

Cretin-Derham Hall is part of the Suburban East Conference ^[10] in the Minnesota State High School League. Prior to joining the Suburban East Conference, Cretin-Derham Hall played in the Saint Paul City Conference for twenty six years. The Raiders won their tenth state championship in football in 2009 with a 16–5 win over Eden Prairie in the title game. The Raiders most recently captured its third state championship in 2018 with 79–78 win over Apple Valley when Daniel Oturu scored the game-winner on an alley-oop dunk with .5 seconds remaining that was nationally recognized on ESPN.

State championships

List of Cretin-Derham Hall athletics state championships won

Season	Sport	Number	Years	Ref.
Fall	Cross country, Boys	1	1975	[11]
	Football	2	1999, 2009	[12]
Winter	Hockey, Boys	1	2006	[13]
	Basketball, Girls	1	1999	[14]
	Basketball, Boys	3	1991, 1993, 2018	[15]
Spring	Baseball	12	1981, 1982, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2007, 2025	[16]
Total		20

Theater

Cretin-Derham Hall additionally has a theater program both in terms of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities. The Cretin-Derham Hall theater department has achieved first place in the Minnesota State High School League One Act Competition although the school no longer participates. ^[17]

In the summer of 2005 the theater department was one of about 20 schools invited to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland. This invitation was "based on their most recent bodies of work, awards, community involvement, philosophies, and recommendations." ^[18]

The spring musical of 2009, Crazy for You, won an Outstanding awards for Overall Production of a Musical, Performance by a Chorus Ensemble, Performance by a Dance Ensemble, and two for Performances in a Leading Role from Spotlight Musical Theatre Awards. In addition, three Honorable Mentions were given to Performance in a Lead Role, Performance in a Supporting Role, and Performance in a Featured Role. ^[19]

Notable alumni

Cretin High School, Derham Hall, and Cretin-Derham Hall High School have been attended by several persons of note in its history, including:

• Mark Alt - former hockey defenseman for several NHL teams
• Brandon Archer - former NFL linebacker, played at Kansas State University ^[20]
• Matt Birk - former center, Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens, ^[21] 2012 Super Bowl Champion
• Tommy Brennan - comedian and current Saturday Night Live cast member
• James Byrne - Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul (1947–1956), Bishop of Boise (1956–1962), Archbishop of Dubuque (1962–1983) ^{[22] [23]}
• Thomas R. Byrne - mayor of Saint Paul (1966–1970) ^[24]
• Chris Coleman - mayor of Saint Paul (2006–2018) ^[25]
• Jashon Cornell - Defensive End for the Detroit Lions, played at Ohio State University. ^[26]
• Ian Anthony Dale - actor ^{[27] [28]}
• John Michael Drexler - businessman and Minnesota state legislator ^[29]
• Jake Esch - baseball player ^[30]
• Joe Mauer - former first baseman and catcher, Minnesota Twins, 2009 American League MVP, and Baseball Hall of Famer. ^[31]
• Paul Moga - Major General in the United States Air Force, Commandant of Cadets of the United States Air Force Academy from 2021 to 2023, former F-22A Raptor demonstration pilot, and former television show host. ^[32]
• Paul Molitor - former player for Milwaukee Brewers, former manager of Minnesota Twins and Baseball Hall of Famer ^[33]
• Daniel Oturu - NBA player -Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls ^[34]
• Robert W. Reif - Minnesota state legislator and physician ^[35]
• Fr. John A. Ryan (1887) - economist, theologian, and theorist of early 20th Century ^[36]
• Heidemarie Martha Stefanyshyn-Piper - astronaut, assisted in initial reassembly of International Space station with NASA ^[37]
• Steve Walsh - former NFL quarterback, led Miami Hurricanes to NCAA national championship and uncle to another Cretin-Derham Hall High School alumni Ryan McDonagh ^[33]
• Chris Weinke - quarterback, 2000 Heisman Trophy winner, former National Football League quarterback ^[33]

References

1. "Letter from the Principal - June 2024". Cretin-Derham Hall. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
2. "Cretin-Derham Hall—At-A-Glance" . Retrieved August 8, 2024.
3. NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
4. O'Connell, Marvin Richard (2009). Pilgrims to the Northland: the Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1840-1962. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN   9780268037291.
5. "Cretin-Derham Hall :: History & Traditions". Cretin-Derham Hall. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
6. Cretin High School Year Books. Cretin-Derham Hall School Grounds.
7. "United States Army Junior ROTC". Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
8. Derham Hall Archived June 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , St. Catherine University Library, Accessed August 9, 2009.
9. Nord, Mary Ann (2003). The National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota . Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN   0-87351-448-3.
10. "Suburban East Conference". www.suburbaneast.org. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
11. "Boys Cross Country State Meet Team and Individual Champions" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
12. "State Football Playoff Championship Games – 1972-2021" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
13. "State Hockey Tournament Place Winners - 1945-2022" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
14. "State Girls Basketball Championship Games 1974-2022" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
15. "State Boys' Basketball Tournament Championship Games – 1913-2022" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
16. "State Baseball Tournament Winners – 1947-2022" (PDF). Minnesota State High School League . Retrieved March 3, 2023.
17. "Welcome to the Minnesota State High School League". mshsl.org.
18. "American High School Theatre Festival". Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2006.
19. "Welcome to Cretin-Derham Hall". cretin-derhamhall.org.
20. "Brandon Archer". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
21. NFL Players,Matt Birk Bio
22. "Iowa Archbishop Retires". The New York Times. September 1, 1983. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
23. "Archdiocese of Dubuque: History". www.dbqarch.org. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
24. Rathbun, Andy (April 5, 2009). "Obituary / Thomas Byrne, 85, a former mayor of St. Paul, worked for a human rights ordinance, the return of St. Pat's parade". Pioneer Press. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
25. Callaghan, Peter. "Coleman won't seek 4th term as mayor in 2017; what he'll do in '18, he's not ready to say". MinnPost. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
26. "Ohio State Gets Commitments For Justin Hilliard And Jashon Cornell". eScoutRoom.
27. "Ian Anthony Dale '96". cretin-derhamhall.org.
28. "St. Paul native Ian Anthony Dale gets advice from cop brother for TNT show". St. Paul Pioneer Press . July 5, 2014.
29. Minnesota Legislators: Past & Present-John Michael Drexler
30. "Bob Sansevere on and on with Jake Esch". TwinCities.com. June 8, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
31. Minnesota Public Radio, Joe Mauer Bio
32. "Lt. Col. Paul "Max" Moga : Military Channel : Discovery Press Web".
33. USA Today, Sports Players from Cretin-Derham Hall, June 28, 2001
34. Greder, Andy (February 4, 2019). "Gophers: Before basketball in Woodbury, Oturus were playing ping pong in Nigeria". St. Paul Pioneer Press . Retrieved January 7, 2020.
35. Minnesota legislators: Past & Present-Robert W. "Bob" Reif
36. American Catholic History Research Center Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
37. "Astronaut Bio: H. Stefanyshyn-Piper (2/2009)". nasa.gov. February 11, 2015.

External links

• Official website