Holy Cross Preparatory Academy
| Holy Cross High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Type | Catholic |
| Established | 1957[1] |
| Principal | Mr. Dennis Guida |
| Faculty | 50 |
| Enrollment | 800 |
| Color(s) | Maroon and Silver |
| Mascot | The Lancer |
| Newspaper | Crossroads |
| Yearbook | The Lance |
| Tuition | $8,200 |
| Information | 856-461-5400 |
| Website | School website |
Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, New Jersey is the only Roman Catholic high school in Burlington County. Holy Cross is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is run under the supervision of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton.
Occupying a 100-acre campus, it has a wide variety of co-curricular activities, including 40 sports teams and over 50 clubs, for students to participate in. Tuition for the 2007-2008 school year is $7,900.
The student population is from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. 92% of the school's graduates go onto four-year colleges and universities, with another 13% continuing their education at junior colleges or trade schools. The school had seen a decline in students in recent years, and the school came close to closing following the 2003-2004 school year. However the school has rebounded in the past three years and freshman enrollment has increased over this time.
The school has also undergone a $25 Million renovation, including a new roof in 2005 to replace the old one which had been in place since the school opened in 1956.[1] A renovated Gerald Finsen Media Center was built during the 2005-2006 school year.
Mission Statement
Empowered by the Gospel message of Jesus, Holy Cross, a Catholic high school, develops young men and women to become life-long learners and well-informed citizens through dynamic spiritual, academic, co-curricular, and community activities. The mission statement is recited every day to the students in the morning announcements.
Cross C-A-R-E-S
Cross's motto is that Cross CARES; CARES is an acronym for Community-Academics-Responsibility-Extracurricular-Spiritual.
Changes for the 2007-2008 School Year
In the new school year, Holy Cross hired two vice-principals, and a Director of Finance. Four teachers have joined the staff as well as two new administrative assistants. This year, Holy Cross is re-instituting the music program. At this time, they are updating the instruments and creating a music class. By the 2008-2009 year, there is high hopes that there will be a marching band again. The biggest change in the institution of block-scheduling. Rather than have seven classes and lunch to take, students now only take four each semester with 73-minute long periods, with the aim of allowing students to focus on fewer subjects at a time. With block-scheduling, there is now a "flex period, half of which is intended for lunch and half for a range of activities and meetings. The freshmen Class of 2011 have also been given Tablet PC laptops which they will use in their classes instead of textbooks. The can take notes and sent their teachers their homework from the laptops. It is the hope that after the Class of 2010 graduates, all Holy Cross students will use laptops instead of books.
Extracurricular activities
About 96% of the student body is involved in some type of extracurricular activity. A full-time trainer and new weight lifting facility has helped the Holy Cross Lancers to excel on the field, court, pole vault runway, and even the bowling alley.
In 2006, Holy Cross created a new, redesigned Dance Team program with a custom dance studio that was completed that summer. Holy Cross features three annual drama events: a fall play, an annual rendition of A Christmas Carol, and a spring musical. The 2007-2008 lineup includes 50th Anniversary Concert: a Student Showcase on October 20, 2007, A Christmas Story, a stage production of the comedy film that runs 24 hours a day on Christmas day, which will run December 14-15, 2007 and Godspell which will run in April.
November 2006 also marked the first Holy Cross Math Bowl. Backed by Mr. Frank Sgroi, it was run solely by Holy Cross students; everything from judging to making the questions was student-based. Junior high and middle school students from around the area came to compete.
An entire week of games and activities lead up to the big game and the homecoming dance. "Spirit Week" draws alumni, friends, family, and the curious in general.
Holy Cross' student government format is a student-run Activities Board that is open to anyone in the student body who wishes to be involved. While the board has a president and other positions, it takes ideas and opinions from anyone regardless of rank. The board is responsible for many of the year's events, including formal dances, homecoming activities, etc.
In October 2007, The Drama Club performed a 50th Anniversary Concert, featuring songs from past musicals. The Production Team is currently contacting alumni to see if they will return to the stage and sing with the cast. In late September, legal issues arose with renting music from shows. There were also problems having alumni to return. On September 26, 2007, the 50th Concert became the Student Showcase.
Athletics
In 2007, the field hockey team won the Central Jersey, Group I state sectional championship with a 2-1 win over Haddonfield Memorial High School in the tournament final.[2]
The 2007 boys soccer team won the South B state sectional championship with a 1-0 win over Bishop Eustace High School in the tournament final.[3]
In 2007 the Holy Cross Football team, won the Non-Public Group II State Championship with a 17-0 win over Gloucester Catholic High School in the tournament final.[4]
A team representing Holy Cross High School competes in the South Jersey High School Ice Hockey League. In 2007 the Lancers Ice Hockey team won the S.J.H.S.H.L. Championship defeating Cherry Hill West. This was the school's first Ice Hockey championship since 1993
The 50th Anniversary
On November 17, 2007, Holy Cross High School officially celebrated its 50th anniversary since its opening in 1957. The 50th graduating class is the current sophomores, who will graduate in 2010. On October 20, 2007 The Drama Club performed the 50th Anniversary Concert. The cast may reprise their roles during the anniversary weekend again.
Faculty
Holy Cross Principal, Dennis Guida, is currently backed by three Vice Principals, Michael Fynan, who handles finances, Stephen Bleistine, who handles student services, and Marie Reen, who has taken over Principal Guida's role of Vice-Principal for Curriculum and Instructional Development. Marietta Agocs serves as Dean of Students.
Notable alumni
- Mark Adamo (1962-), composer and librettist currently with New York City Opera.[citation needed]
- Anthony Giacchino (1970-), filmmaker, producer and composer. Composed the original music for Speed Racer, the motion picture.[5]
- Michael Giacchino (1967-), Emmy Award Winner, Nominated for multiple Grammy's and an Academy Award for Ratatouille.[6][7]
- Michelle Kosinski (1974-), NBC News National Correspondent.Cite error: A
<ref>tag is missing the closing</ref>(see the help page). - Gregg Murphy host of Out of Bounds on CN8[8]
- Jerry Penacoli (1956-), correspondent on Extra.[9]
- Gervase Peterson (1969-) contestant on Survivor: Borneo.[10]
- John "JR" Rickert (1970-) NFL Agent who has negotiated over $ 100 Million in professional sports contracts; represents Correll Buckhalter and Jamaal Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles, Greg Camarillo of the Miami Dolphins and Joshua Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns among others.
Controversy
On November 22, 2006, Holy Cross Principal Joseph Lemme was placed on indefinite administrative leave, without pay, by the Diocese of Trenton, after a preliminary audit found "numerous financial irregularities" in certain accounts that were his responsibility.[11] It was reported in the Burlington County Times that the school filed a lawsuit on November 30, 2006 seeking to recover $200,000 lost under Lemme's leadership. According to the suit, the school was missing about $35,000 collected for student trips to New York City, Disney World and other places; $21,000 collected for last year's summer school program and $171,000 from book sales in 2005 and 2006. The lawsuit does not say whether Lemme spent any of the missing money. Court filings did say he deposited $233,000 into a bank account since 2003. After school leaders suspended him, he tried to withdraw some of the funds, but by then the accounts had been frozen.[12] Lemme was dismissed as principal shortly afterwards.
On June 4, 2007 a Grand Jury indicted Lemme on charges of stealing $415,848 from the school.[13] He has been charged in nearby Monmouth County (where Lemme resides) with second-degree theft by deception, second-degree misuse of entrusted property and fourth-degree falsifying records. Bond has been set at $300,000.[14]
On December 4, 2007, Lemme accepted a plea agreement where he plead guilty to the charges and is expected to serve five years in prison and will be forced to reimburse Holy Cross the entire $415,848.88 he took from the school over three years by putting money for school functions in his personal account and using it to finance a lavish lifestyle. Lemme was sentenced February 15, 2008 to five years in prison, with mandatory service of 6 months, plus a full restitution to the school. Lemme says “I am most ashamed and horrified by the scandal I have shown students, I was supposed to be a leader and a role model. What I have done is nothing short of scandalize every one of those students.”[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b About Holy Cross, Holy Cross High School. Accessed March 28, 2008.
- ^ 2007 Field Hockey - Central, Group I, NJSIAA. Accessed November 12, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Boys Soccer - South B, NJSIAA. Accessed November 14, 2007.
- ^ 2007 Football - Non-Public, Group II, NJSIAA. Accessed March 28, 2008.
- ^ Coppock, Kristen. "Filmmaker brings ‘The Camden 28’ to the nation’s attention on PBS", Burlington County Times, September 11, 2007. Accessed May 19, 2008. "A graduate of Holy Cross High School in Delran, the self-professed history buff, who lives in Astoria, N.Y., said he was especially curious why such an important event had happened so close to his hometown, and no one he had grown up with knew about it. He wanted to change that."
- ^ Gaul, Lou. "His early interest in film scores pays off with a dream job", The Intelligencer (Doylestown, Pennsylvania), November 2, 2004.
- ^ "Lancers working in radio, television and the movies", Holy Cross High School. Accessed March 28, 2008.
- ^ On The Air by Laura Nachman, Bucks County Courier Times, June 2, 2006.
- ^ [1], accessed November 28, 2006.
- ^ Biography for Gervase Peterson from the Internet Movie Database, accessed November 28, 2006.
- ^ Holy Cross High principal put on leave after audit, The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 28, 2006.
- ^ Private school principal accused in suit of taking school's money, Newsday via Associated Press, January 11, 2007.
- ^ Sudol, Karen. "Principal indicted in theft of school funds", Asbury Park Press, June 7, 2007. Accessed June 13, 2007. "A former principal of a Burlington County Roman Catholic high school who resides in Wall has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing $415,848 from the school.... Initially placed on administrative leave without pay pending the Diocese of Trenton's investigation, Lemme was fired in late November, said Rayanne Bennett, diocese spokeswoman. The diocese oversees the high school."
- ^ McHale, Todd. "Former principal indicted for theft", Burlington County Times, June 7, 2007. Accessed June 13, 2007. "A Monmouth County grand jury indicted Lemme on Monday on charges of second-degree theft by deception, second-degree misuse of entrusted property and fourth-degree falsifying records, according to court records.... Lemme was arraigned yesterday in Monmouth County. He was transported to Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold with bond set at $300,000 with no 10 percent available."