A Brief History of Cathedral High School

The date September 3, 1883 marked the opening day of Cathedral High School. On that day a small number of students marched up the winding stairs of St. Michael's Cathedral into two storerooms that had been converted into classrooms.

In 1882 the increasing number of Catholic immigrants into the Springfield area had prompted Bishop Patrick T. O'Reilly to seek a teaching staff for a high school. Ten sisters from the Sisters of St. Joseph in Flushing, New York were sent in response to the bishop's request.

Nellie McQuade and Margaret Cruse hold the distinction of being the first to graduate from Cathedral in 1885. In the early twentieth century students entering Cathedral studied Church doctrine, Latin, English, algebra, history. Greek and French were added in the sophomore year and the sciences offered in this classical tract were physics and chemistry. Cathedral also offered a series of commercial classes that included writing, spelling, shorthand, typing, and bookkeeping along with math, Church doctrine, history, French, and English.

Upon the death of Bishop O'Reilly, his successor, Thomas Beaven, had the foresight to convert the old convent on Elliot Street into a new site for Cathedral High School.

In the 1950's, the growing high school age population in the greater Springfield area meant that Cathedral needed a larger building. Under the direction of Bishop Christopher Weldon, the diocese purchased the 30-acre Simon Kervick farm at Wendover and Surrey Roads. Ground was broken for the present school on March 17, 1958, and the "new" Cathedral opened its doors on September 9, 1959. This date marks the first time that Cathedral students wore uniforms. It consisted of a green wool blazer, plaid wool skirt, tailored white blouse, white socks, and saddle shoes for girls and a gray wool blazer, white dress shirt, tie, and pants to harmonize with the blazer for boys. Both uniform blazers displayed the Cathedral seal on the left breast pocket.

Since moving to Surrey Road Cathedral High School grew in size, and then, with major demographic shifts in Springfield, enrollment declined. In the 1960's, when no direct tuition was charged and many Catholic families had five and six children, school enrollment grew to more than 2700 students, with classes of 40 - 45 students being the rule. As successful alumni chose to move to the suburbs, and the typical family had 2.3 children, enrollment declined through the 1980's, '90's and the first decade of the 21st Century.

While the school's size has changed, the core mission and the quality education offered have not changed. Cathedral today is a college preparatory program, where 95%+ of the graduates continue their education at a broad range of private and public colleges and universities in New England and the Northeast. Students have opportunities to take Advanced Placement courses at CHS, and Cathedral has articulation agreements with The Elms College and other local schools that allow advanced students to take college courses while still in high school.

Cathedral has a long and proud tradition of great athletics. The great teams of the 1930's, '40s and '50's were coached by CHS's legendary Billy Wise, Sr., and regularly won City, Western Mass and State Championships. During that era all interscholastic sports were boys' athletics. In the 1970's CHS added girls athletics (beginning with gymnastics in the 1960's and then soccer, basketball and softball) and individual athletes and girls' teams began to make a mark in Western Massachusetts.

Today Cathedral has about 500 students who are working diligently to follow the great traditions of the past while forging their own unique mark on the school and the Pioneer Valley.

For over 120 years Cathedral High School has maintained a standard for excellence in the spiritual and academic education of young men and women
 in the Springfield area. Cathedral has graduated over 35,000 young people who are attorneys, bankers, chief executives, chefs, homemakers, industrialists, judges, financiers, law enforcement officers, health care professionals, religious men and women, business owners, and some of our own teachers. Cathedral's alumni include two bishops, a Postmaster General of the United States, a basketball commissioner, state and federal lawmakers, a Heisman Trophy winner, professional athletes, an Emmy Award winning actor, nationally recognized researchers and scientists, national and regional media executives, artists, authors, teachers, and composers. These graduates have contributed in countless ways to the fabric of life here in Springfield and in communities around the country.

We invite you to join us to become part of this community of faith and excellence as we journey into Cathedral's future.