Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 East Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and its sports teams participated in the Philadelphia Catholic League.
Northeast Catholic followed the Salesian tradition, which means that "North's" priests followed in the footsteps of Saint Francis de Sales in their day-to-day actions and mission statement. The school closed permanently in June 2010.
History Northeast Catholic High School for Boys opened on September 8, 1926, as the fourth Diocesan High School in Philadelphia. The site for the school was purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad for $150,000. The new students were welcomed at the first assembly, held in the gym, by the Rev. Joseph Butler, OSFS, the Principal and Superior.
The school chose the Falcon as a symbol of the school for three reasons: It is "a bird of prey that never lets go of what it has captured; it is completely faithful to its trainer; and it is the fastest of God's creatures". The students also chose Cardinal Red and White as the school colors: Cardinal Red in appreciation of Dennis Cardinal Dougherty's sponsorship of the school and White for purity and fidelity. In 1928, the school newspaper, The Good News, was founded, followed by The Falcon, the North Catholic Yearbook in 1929.
June 12, 1929, marked the school's first commencement ceremony. Auxiliary Bishop Gerald O'Hara presented the diplomas to the 98 "Class of 1929" graduates. By the fall of 1935, North's enrollment had climbed to 2,300 students. The school was initially built to accommodate 1,500. The school opened a freshman annex at the Visitation Parish School in Kensington.
World War II Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Government sought men with engineering and technical skills for the armed forces. A night school was established at North, and instructors from nearby colleges and universities conducted the classes. These courses continued until the end of World War Two.
The school year of 1942 opened with an enrollment of 3,159 students. On November 23, 1942, an Open House attracted over 5,000 people to visit the displays marking the achievements of North Catholic. By this time, over 1,200 alumni were serving in the armed forces. Among the graduates of 1942 who served in World War II was Joseph Francis Kuhn who would return to Philadelphia and launch a successful music composing career.
While many high schools canceled their Spring Sports programs due to the many students working part-time in the War industries, North fielded championship teams in baseball, track, and crew.
On September 4, 1945, 1,186 freshmen reported to North, and the total enrollment was 3,503. Since North was the only Catholic High School in the entire Northeast and suburbs, students traveled from neighborhoods like North Philadelphia, Germantown, Mount Airy, Logan, Olney, & Wayne Junction, Mayfair Tacony, and the entire Far Northeast. This was due to the school's access to Frankford Station, including trolleys, buses, and the "El" to many parts of town and beyond. Some students even took the rail lines and buses and came to North from suburban areas such as Bristol, Jenkintown, Willow Grove, Glenside, and Bensalem, Pennsylvania. After the 1950s and the building of several new Catholic High Schools, the traditional nearby Parishes in Neighborhoods such as Frankford, Fishtown, Port Richmond, Bridesburg, Wissinoming & Kensington remained the core of N.C. students.
Post World War II 1946 found North filled beyond capacity. Enrollment was 4,050, and additional freshman annexes were opened at St Anne, St Bartholomew, St Adalbert, St Helena, and other grade schools.
The Alumni Association designed and constructed a shrine to honor those alumni who gave their lives in World War II. On June 5, 1949, the school dedicated the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima to the 183 North Catholic alumni who paid the supreme sacrifice. Since 1949 that total has risen to 265 Alumni who have died for their country.
By 1948, the student population had grown to over 4,300 students. Due to the overcrowding at North, the Archdiocese took some students from traditional feeder parishes like Visitation BVM in Kensington and sent them across town on the "El" to attend West Catholic during the early 1950s. These students sometimes referred to themselves as "The lost boys of North" since their male family members before and after them usually attended North. This was ended once Father Judge and Cardinal Dougherty were built in the mid-1950s.
September 1953 saw Northeast Catholic recognized as the world's largest Catholic high school for boys. Enrollment peaked at 4,726 students from 98 parishes was served by 109 Oblates, 9 nuns, and 14 laypeople. The school year beginning September 1954 marked the first decrease in enrollment in a decade because of the newly opened Father Judge High School,Baldwin, Lou. "Long closed, North Catholic H.S. still gives $500K a year in aid", Catholic Philly, December 6, 2018 which was founded in 1954 to relieve overcrowding at Northeast Catholic.
September 1955 was remarkable in that, for the first time in 16 years, first-year students attended classes in the Main Building. On June 8, 1956, 1,103 seniors graduated-the largest class ever. In the 1950s, three graduates, Frank Fendler '52, Tom Keifer '53, and Jack Meehan '53, were appointed to and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy.
The 60s forward The 1958 academic year showed an enrollment below 3000 for the first time in 20 years. In September 1960, Rev. Edward Conlin replaced Fr. Tocik as Rector of Northeast Catholic. In September 1962, Rev. Edward Corcoran, Class of 1932, replaced Fr. Conlin as Rector—the first time an alumnus headed the school.
The fall of 1963 marked the seventh consecutive Catholic League title for the soccer team, and they repeated in 1964. They also won City Titles in 1959 & 1962.
North Catholic's Drama Department became well known in the city for producing top-notch shows. The department's "golden years" between 1967 and 1973 had some of the best shows in the school's history. For many of those years, the school did a comedy in the fall, a drama in the winter, and a musical in the spring. The school's impressive band, featured in its concerts, was among the highlights of the spring musical.
The 1967 Basketball team led by Hank Siemiontkowski took the PCL and City Championships. But it was the 1968 basketball season that brought national recognition to Northeast Catholic. On the day of the 1st round of the Catholic League playoffs, Jack Friel, Hon. 1970, the Head coach and school disciplinarian chose to suspend the entire varsity team due to a violation of team rules. Instead, the junior varsity team took the floor at the Palestra and defeated Bishop McDevitt High. The incredible story made national news.
The 1971 school year was marked by the Model U.N. Debating team, coached by Rev. John J.Hurley, OSFS, winning a first-place award at the Harvard University Model U.N. with an all junior lineup. In 1973, North captured first-place awards at the Harvard Model U.N. Championship for the third consecutive year. In 1974, the Model U.N. Debating team, under the coaching of Rev. John J.Hurley, OSFS, won the first national championship in the school's history. President Richard M. Nixon invited the team to the White House Rose Garden for a recognition ceremony. Nixon's resignation in August 1974 derailed the ceremony, and it was never held. The Debate team continued its streak by taking the National Championships in Washington, DC, in 1975 and the bicentennial year, 1976.
In the fall of 1977, the school year opened with 2,384 students. North Catholic Baseball won the PCL & City Titles in the Spring of 1977. 1978 marked the 50th Anniversary of the North-Frankford football rivalry. A large crowd of over 20,000 was present at Vet Stadium to see North win 21-14.
The Soccer team won the PCL title in 1974 and the Catholic League & City Titles in 1970, 1975, 1977, 1978 & 1979. The City Title was discontinued in 1980. When it was reinstated by PIAA in 2008, North again took the PCL & City titles. The 1981 & 1986 Falcons won two more PCL Baseball crowns.
In the winter of 1989, there were 1,172 students, including 11 black persons. Around that time, there were two fights between black and white students. By December 26, every black student in the 12th grade (senior class) had left the school: one student who had involvement in two fights was expelled, and four others voluntarily changed schools. One white student was expelled, and that student and two others received criminal charges for ethnic intimidation, conspiracy, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person.Dubin, Murray. "Black Students' Exodus Troubles Catholic High School." Philadelphia Inquirer. December 26, 1989. Retrieved on December 1, 2015.
2001–present In 1989, under the guidance of Rev. John Hurley OSFS, the Model U.N. Debating team began another rise towards national recognition, taking second place in the North American Invitational Model U.N. (NAIMUN), then the largest Model U.N. event in the world. This was followed by first-place wins at NAIMUM in 1990 and 1991. In May 2006, 2007, and 2008, Northeast Catholic High School, in cooperation with Father Judge High School and Salesianum School, won the UNA-USA World Championships held in the United Nations in New York City.
In 2007, North Catholic added a brand new computer lab and Information Technology Academy. Students achieved certification in various Microsoft applications. In addition to computer courses, there was a computer workshop where students learned how to repair computers and see the inner workings of the hard drive and monitor. North had a three to one student to computer ratio, which was the highest in the city. I.T. certification and computer literacy courses were included in the students' tuition at no extra cost. Adults could also take computer courses in the evening toward certification. It had been hoped that the fees from the adult education component would help fund the school, but that portion of the program did not develop.
N.C. also developed a cartoonist society and journalism course to help prepare students for various careers. North's 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio was also the best in the Archdiocese. Entering the 2000s, North Catholic teachers were among the longest-tenured in the Archdiocese.
Before closing, the Language Department offered Latin, Spanish, German, and French. In 2009, the school also provided Chinese and Italian. The Language Department also offered a Greek language course for students who excel in Latin and other languages in the summer. In June 2008, eight students traveled to the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico with the Spanish Club.
North Catholic had several graduates accepted into the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School for Business. N.C. also sent many graduates to the Pennsylvania State University, the Philadelphia Big 5, and Drexel University. North had a strong connection with Saint Joseph's University, La Salle University, and Temple University.
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