Connolly began operations as an all-boys Catholic high school in September 1966, operating from a different building, before moving into its Elsbree Street facility the next year; Connolly would stay there for the rest of the school's existence. The school would later become co-ed starting in the 1980-81 school year.
Citing a decline in enrollment and financial strain due to the pandemic, the school closed following the end of the 2022-23 school year.[5] The last day of class was on June 9, 2023; Connolly officially closed on June 30.
Campus and building
Connolly's campus was approximately 60 acres (240,000m2). The campus was adjacent to Bristol Community College and B.M.C Durfee High School; Fall River's public high school is located directly across Elsbree Street. The campus contained a football field with bleachers and a concession stand, a soccer field, an outdoor non-rubber track, six tennis courts, a baseball field, a softball field and several practice fields.
The main school building was composed of three sections. The activities section contained a 1000-seat gymnasium, an 800-seat auditorium, and 200 seat cafeteria at the far west end. The middle academic wing contained the classrooms and most offices. At the far east end is the former faculty house, which became the Cardinal Medeiros residence, a retirement home for diocesan priests. The library was located in a circular building in back of the main building and was renamed the "Academic Achievement Center" in 2012.
Academics
From the 2013–2014 school year up until its closing in 2023, Bishop Connolly divided its curriculum into three departments: Humanities (English, History, Foreign Language, Religion), Math & Science, and Fine Arts/Athletics, each headed by one of three academic deans. Aside from college preparatory classes, Connolly also had extensive honors and advanced placement offerings, including Calculus AB/BC, Biology, Chemistry, English Literature, and US History. The average class size is 22–25 students. Honors sections averages 15–18 students, while AP courses tended to number 8–11 students or fewer.
Bishop Connolly High School was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Connolly offered 23 different interscholastic sports for boys and girls and 38 separate teams throughout the year. Connolly was a member of The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Associations's Mayflower League. The athletic squads were called the Cougars.
During the 1990s, Bishop Connolly's athletic squads routinely qualified for state tournament play. In 1993, the hockey program became the first Southeastern Massachusetts school to win a state championship. The Cougars have also won state championships in baseball (1990) and boys' tennis (1992); as well as south sectional titles in basketball, hockey, baseball, cross country, and tennis.
In 2003 Connolly fielded its first football team in school history.
In its first season in the Mayflower Athletic Conference, the Cougar lacrosse team won the league championship with a league record of 13-1 and an overall record of 14-4 which included a 1-1 record in the MIAA Division 3 tournament. The team was led by 4th year head coach, Justin Shay.
In the 2009-2010 academic year, the boys' basketball and lacrosse teams were Mayflower League Champions.
In the 2010-2011 academic year, a banner was raised in every single season. In the fall, the boys' soccer team had a 12-3-3 record on their road to their Mayflower League Championship, which was the first boys' soccer title since 1993. The girls' basketball team won the Mayflower League title in the winter and the softball team also won a title in the spring. In the winter of 2011, the boys' basketball team won the Mayflower League Championship under new first year head coach Matt Coute, who is the all-time leading scorer at Bishop Connolly and was the replacement of the longtime coaching legend Billy Shea. In the spring of 2012, the Bishop Connolly baseball team won the Mayflower League Championship and made an unforgettable run to the Division 4 South Sectional Finals after defeating Cape Cod Tech, Pope John Paul II, and West Bridgewater.
On March 13, 2013, the boys' varsity basketball team won the Division IV State Championship at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Bishop Connolly was recognized by Fall River Mayor William Flanagan and numerous state representatives.
In 2015, the Cougars football team completed an undefeated regular season and won the Mayflower League championship. They qualified for the MIAA Division 6 playoffs, and drew the #3 seed in the tournament. The Cougars face off against small school powerhouse, and eventual state champions, Mashpee in the first round. The Cougars took a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Falcons scored two fourth quarter touchdowns and upset the previously undefeated Cougars, 20-7. The Cougars were placed into the consolation bracket after being eliminated from the state playoffs, and they continued to dominate opponents. The Cougars football team finished the 2015 season with a 10-1 record, the best record in school history to date.
Athletic Accomplishments
Football - League Champions (2015)
Football - Playoff Qualifier (2014, 2015)
Boys' Soccer - League Champions (1993, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017)
Cross Country - South Sectional Champions (1997)
Boys' Basketball - State Champions (2013)
Boys' Basketball - League Champions (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016)
Girls' Basketball - League Champions (2011)
Boys' Hockey - State Champions (1993)
Boys' Hockey - South Sectional Champions (1992, 1995)
Boys' Lacrosse - League Champions (2005, 2010)
Baseball - State Champions (1990)
Baseball - South Sectional Finalists (2012)
Baseball - League Champions (1990, 2012)
Softball - League Champions (2011)
Boys' Tennis - State Champions (1992)
Boys' Tennis - League Champions (2016, 2017)
Clubs and activities
Students at Bishop Connolly had the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including:
Student Government
Student Ambassadors
Theatre Company
Chorus
Cheerleading
National Honor Society
Debate Team
Math Team
Mock Trial
French Honor Society
Spanish Honor Society
Portuguese Honor Society
Lacrosse
Soccer
Basketball
Tennis
Football
Golf
Track and Cross Country
Unified Track
Softball, Baseball
Volleyball
Notable alumni
David Gauvin (1964- ), former Welterweight boxer
A. R. ("Bob") Tavares, (1964- ), former Rhode Island resident, current ASCAP songwriter.
Daniel Boudria, full time teacher at the school [6]
Jasiel Correira (1991- ), former mayor of Fall River [7]
Ramapo High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the New York City suburb of Franklin Lakes, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is a part of the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff (FLOW). The other high school in the district is Indian Hills High School, located in Oakland. Students in eighth grade in the three sending districts have the opportunity to choose between Ramapo and Indian Hills by February in their graduating year.
Sparta High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Sparta, in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Sparta Township Public School District.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is an association of hundreds of New Jersey high schools that regulates high school athletics and holds tournaments and crowns champions in high school sports.
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School or MVRHS is a high school in Oak Bluffs on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, United States.
Bishop Eustace Preparatory School is a Catholic coeducational, private high school in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey. Founded in 1954 by the priests and brothers of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, the school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden, was named after Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace, first bishop of the diocese. The school is a coeducational institution serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1977 and is accredited through July 2023.
Alan C. Pope High School is a public high school located north of Atlanta in Marietta, Georgia, within unincorporated Cobb County. The school was founded in 1987 and serves approximately 1,888 students in grades 9–12. The school mascot is the greyhound, and the school colors are Carolina blue, navy blue, and gray.
Haddon Township High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in Haddon Township, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Haddon Township School District. The school offers courses in math, science, languages, humanities and various vocational skills. It also offers athletics and after-school clubs and organizations. The school follows a quarter-semester system, uses a 5-point GPA scale, and offers Advanced Placement and honors-level courses, both of which use a weighted average grading system.
Montgomery High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades as the lone secondary school of the Montgomery Township School District.
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, formerly known as Bishop George Ahr High School, is a private four-year college preparatory and coeducational Roman Catholic high school for students from ninth through twelfth grades. It is located on a campus covering 34 acres (14 ha) in the northern section of Edison, in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Metuchen.
Montclair Kimberley Academy (MKA) is a co-educational private school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade located in Montclair in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. One of New Jersey's largest independent day schools, Montclair Kimberley Academy celebrated the 125th anniversary of the establishment of its earliest component school in 2012. The current school, established in 1974, is the result of the merger of three separate schools: Montclair Academy, a boys' school founded in 1887; The Kimberley School, a girls' school founded in 1906; and Brookside, a coed school founded in 1925.
Franklin High School is a public high school located in Franklin, Massachusetts, United States.
Barron G. Collier High School is a four-year public high school located in North Naples, Collier County, Florida, United States, near Pine Ridge and about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the city of Naples.
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.
Waldwick High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Waldwick, in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as part of the Waldwick Public School District. The school had been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools from 1969 until 2011, when the school's accreditation status was removed.
Cape Cod Regional Technical High School, also known as Cape Tech, Cape Cod Tech, Lower Cape Tech, and sometimes abbreviated as CCT, is a public vocational and technical high school located in Harwich, Massachusetts, United States.
Arthur P. Schalick High School is a comprehensive community four-year public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Pittsgrove Township, in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as the lone secondary school of the Pittsgrove Township School District.
Wesleyan School is a private college-preparatory nondenominational Christian school located 20 miles north of Atlanta in the suburban city of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1963 and has existed on its current grounds since 1996. The school includes grades K–12 with a student body of 1179 for the 2019–2020 school year. The high school comprises 496 students, is a member of the Georgia High School Association, and competes in the AAA classification in Region 7. The school is named after John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and all faculty are professed Christians from varying denominations. Students come from a variety of faith backgrounds.
Gloucester Catholic High School is a co-educational six-year Roman Catholic high school located in Gloucester City, in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The school is managed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden. The school serves students in seventh through twelfth grades. Gloucester Catholic High School has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1991.
Mountain Ridge High School is a public high school in Glendale, Arizona, United States, a suburb of Phoenix. The school opened in fall 1995. The school had a 95% graduation rate in 2015. Mountain Ridge is part of the Deer Valley Unified School District.
The Catholic Central League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference in district H of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. Most league members are schools with Catholic affiliations. The league is based mostly in the eastern part of Massachusetts.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
