Rise and Fall
The present site of St. Bernard in Uncasville thrived from the early 1970s through the 1980s. Peak enrollment was about 1300 students, and its athletic and academic programs soared. However, as the region's economy changed in the 1990s, the school's population declined. Athletics have since not been as strong, but some teams are still known to hold their own against larger schools.
In an effort to reverse the enrollment trend, the Diocese of Norwich established St. Bernard Academy in 1997 as the diocese's only middle school, on the SBHS campus. This program grew quickly over the next few years, eventually adding a sixth grade class. Despite this, the high school's enrollment dropped to an all-time low of 330 for the 2000-2001 school year.
In the fall of 1998, the St. Bernard High School Marching Band returned to the field after a nearly twenty-year hiatus. In the fall of 1999, St. Bernard High School reclaimed its status as the only Catholic high school in the state of Connecticut with a competitive marching band. During the 1999 season, St. Bernard hosted the inaugural Big Dog Fall Preview, a USSBA sanctioned competition, named in honor of the school's mascot, Butler the Saint Bernard. Butler served in that role for seven years until his retirement in the summer of 2005.
St. Bernard today
St. Bernard established a relationship with the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools in 2006. Under this new model, St. Bernard High School and St. Bernard Academy have merged into one school, under the new name of St. Bernard School. The high school and middle school programs remain separate, with their own principals who report to a headmaster, a new position for the school. The first headmaster of St. Bernard School was William McKenna.
In late July 2007, the Diocese of Norwich announced that Brother Robert Daszkiewicz, principal for the previous two years, had resigned. At that point, Science teacher and wrestling coach Tony Baginski was named the new principal. [3] In July 2009, it was announced that Baginski was leaving St. Bernard to pursue life as a religious brother, and History teacher Deborah Fitzgerald was named principal.
In September 2010, St. Bernard became a part of the Xaverian Brother School Community. At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, it was announced that Headmaster William McKenna was stepping down. He was then replaced by Thomas J. Doherty III, the former Dean of Mission and Advancement at Lowell Catholic High School in Massachusetts. Subsequently, in 2014, Thomas J. Doherty III also resigned as Headmaster and was later replaced by Donald Macrino.
St. Bernard's athletic programs have become increasingly successful, with several trips to state championships, as well as numerous ECC victories.
In 2015, the Saint Bernard Mock Trial Team were Regional champions and advanced to second round of Civics First CT semi-finals before being eliminated. This is the farthest the team has ever advanced, since its creation at the school in 2001.
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a Roman Catholic religious institute founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium, in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier. The institute is dedicated to education.
Xavier High School is an all-boys college preparatory Catholic high school in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It is run by the Xaverian Brothers. Teenage boys from over 65 towns surrounding and including Middletown attend Xavier; despite the fact that students commute from a very broad area all students, their parents, faculty, and staff, regardless of how far away they live from the school, are referred to by Xavier officials as "The Xavier Community".
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.
Notre Dame High School (NDWH) is a private, Roman Catholic, all-male college preparatory school located in West Haven, Connecticut, a coastal suburb of New Haven, Connecticut.
The Diocese of Norwich is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Connecticut and a small part of New York. It was created on August 6, 1953 by Pope Pius XII.
Lowell Catholic is a private, not-for-profit, college preparatory school in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and is a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School.
Saint John's High School is a private Catholic boys' high school located in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. The school was founded and is currently sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers.
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.
Clapham College was a Roman Catholic secondary school for boys in South London.
Holy Cross High School is a Catholic secondary school founded in Waterbury, Connecticut in 1968 by the Congregation of Holy Cross. It is the largest Catholic secondary school in Connecticut, situated on thirty-seven acres in the West End of Waterbury, Connecticut, accessible via Route 8 and I-84. It is not part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford.
Saint Raphael Academy is a Roman Catholic, coeducational, college preparatory school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA. It was founded in the tradition of Saint John Baptist de Lasalle and rooted in the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
St. Bernard High School is a four-year coeducational Catholic high school located in Playa Del Rey, California, which is in the West Los Angeles area. The school is located next to the Los Angeles International Airport, across from Westchester High School.
Trinity Catholic Academy is a private Roman Catholic school located on the grounds of St. Mary's Church in Southbridge, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester.The school has an approximate enrollment of 250 students and classes range from Pre-K to the 8th grade. The student body is predominantly Catholic, but the Academy does accept students of all faiths.
Notre Dame Regional High School teaches grades 9 through 12. The school belongs to the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese and are served by Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn. Notre Dame Regional High School was founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The school was served by the School Sisters of Notre Dame until July 1, 1999 when Brother David Migliorino became Principal.
Notre Dame Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport.
St. Petersburg Catholic High School is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic high school in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg. The campus was originally opened in February 1957 as Bishop Barry High School for boys. In 1973, Bishop Barry High School and the nearby Notre Dame Academy for girls merged to become St. Petersburg Catholic High School.
Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School was a private, Roman Catholic high school in the Buena Vista neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. It was located in and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami.
Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School is a private, Roman Catholic middle and high school in Schenectady, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. Enrollment for the 2021–2022 school year is 201 students. The 2021-2022 tuition is $7,583, $8,058 (7-8), and $8,658 (9-12).
The Basilica of St. Joseph is a Roman Catholic church located in Alameda, California at 1109 Chestnut Street. Its history dates back to early settlement of the City of Alameda, California. A former mission church of St. Anthony's in Oakland, the parish of St. Joseph's was established in 1885. It is part of the Diocese of Oakland. The Basilica was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1978.
