History
Around the start of the 20th century, Ursuline High School began service to the ministry of Catholic Education as a simple day school for girls on West Rayen Avenue. With an initial enrollment of 25 girls, the Ursuline Academy of the Holy Name of Jesus was founded, the predecessor of today's Ursuline High School. The original curriculum stressed classical studies, language skills, doctrinal religion and strict discipline.
In the years following World War I, Youngstown, Ohio witnessed an unmatched period of growth and prosperity. Likewise, the academy flourished and outgrew its Rayen Avenue convent building. The Chauncey Andrews Estate was purchased in February 1919, thus beginning the “Wick Avenue Era,” reflective of Ursuline's current home on Wick Avenue on the north side of Youngstown. The Ursulines began a fundraising drive almost immediately upon moving into the Andrews Estate to build a new school that could accommodate 400 students. Groundbreaking was held in 1924, and in April 1925 the student body moved into a three-story brick building on Bryson Street.
The school became coeducational, admitting male students as the school's population increased.
Background
In June 2025, the Ursuline football team of 41 players took a nine-day trip across 11 states. During the trip, two players allegedly assaulted another student as part of a hazing ritual. [6] According to a later federal lawsuit, the student was forcibly restrained, stripped of his clothing, and sexually assaulted, with parts of the incident recorded and first circulated on the social media app Snapchat. According to the lawsuit, prior to the incident, some students spoke openly about the planned hazing in front of coaches; however, they allegedly dismissed these discussions as "boys just being boys". [7]
In September 2025, the victim's parents filed a federal civil rights lawsuit for the hazing incident. [8] The complaint named multiple administrators, football players, their families, and coaches as defendants.
School response
In July 2025, Principal Matthew Sammartino released a statement to parents regarding the situation, reassuring them that both the school and the Diocese of Youngstown were actively cooperating with law enforcement. [9] On August 22, 2025, another statement was released, describing the event as isolated and stating that faculty would receive additional training. [10]
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