Archbishop Williams High School

"Jesus the Teacher" statue in front of the Archbishop Williams School

Archbishop Williams High School is a co-educational Catholic school in Braintree, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1949 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. "Archies" as it is affectionately known, became a private school in the 2004–2005 school year, separating itself from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, although it remains a school of Catholic denomination. Archbishop Williams' school seal, originally that of the founding order of nuns, is the pelican, which was an early Christian symbol of Jesus. The school's motto is Caritas Christi Urget Nos, or "The Love of Christ Drives Us On." Blue and gold are the school's colors. The school is named after John Joseph Williams, the first Archbishop of Boston. AWHS was dedicated on September 12, 1949 by Richard Cardinal Cushing. Though long staffed by the Sisters of Charity, only one nun remains, Sister Ann Susan Villa, the librarian. Tuition was $7,200 for the 2005–2006 school year. The school principal is Mary Lou Sadowski. In September 2004, union officials reported as many as a quarter of teachers at the regional Catholic high schools in the Boston archdiocese, including Archbishop Williams, left their jobs after the schools stopped negotiating with the union. In June 2004 the union had sued the archdiocese, claiming that the new school bodies were bound as its successors to continue to recognize the union's collective bargaining rights. The archdiocese opposed its teachers' association in this claim. [1] The school is presently planning to undertake a $12 to $14 million expansion, expected to culminate in 2009. Planned are a 28,000 square foot (2,600 m²) multi-purpose center housing a gym, athletic center, and faculty offices; conversion of the existing gym to a library and media center, offices, and workrooms; and renovations to turn the former Sisters of Charity residence to classroom use.

Theater

The theater department puts on two shows annually, a fall play and a spring musical. Both are directed and coordinated by Susan Picillo, a teacher at Northeastern University. She is helped by her husband, Augustus "Gus" Lawlor, who was an English teacher at Archbishop Williams.

Sports

The school's rival is Cardinal Spellman High School located in Brockton, Massachusetts. In 2005, the school witnessed their football team go to their second straight Division 3 Super Bowl. They also had boys' and girls' soccer and boys' basketball team capture league titles. The hockey team, the only Division 1 team in the school, made the tournament in 2005 as well. In 2007, The Girls Basketball Team won the Division Three State Championship, the first sport title of the year

Boys

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Cross Country
• Football
• Golf
• Hockey
• Indoor Track
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Swimming
• Track & Field

Girls

• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Cross Country
• Soccer
• Golf
• Hockey
• Indoor Track
• Softball
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Track & Field
• Volleyball

External links

• Archbishop Williams High School website