Moore Catholic High School

Moore Catholic High School
Established	1962
Type	Private co-educational secondary
Affiliation	Catholic
Principal	Douglas McManus
Students	980
Grades	9–12
Location	Staten Island, New York City, New York, USA
Website	www.moorecatholichs.org

Moore Catholic High School is a private, religious school on Staten Island, New York. It was founded in September 1962, under the name Countess Moore High School. It was named for a beneficiary to the Archdiocese of New York, and was originally an all-girl school, the only one on Staten Island. It opened up to co-ed admission in September 1969. In October 1978, the name was changed to Moore Catholic High School. Currently, the school has about 1000 students enrolled. Over 1000 applications are received each year, of which about 300 are accepted. The school has a partnership with St. John's University, a local Catholic college. Students from St. John's tutor many of the students at Moore through the Liberty Partnership Program. The school is also home to an accredited Driver Ed program. Moore also offers the DMV approved 8 hour National Safety Council Defensive Driving Class to all in the community.

Enrollment

The first class contained only 127 girls, but the school now holds over a thousand students. Roughly 60% of the student body is female. The student body is split into regular students and SIP (Scholars Incentive Program) students. SIP students take accelerated and more comprehensive classes, and have to maintain a strict GPA. In 2005, the school instituted a program called Presentation Honors Academy, which is a specialized class for specially gifted students. The students are taught in a non-traditional setting, and are challenged on an accelerated level. The name Presentation Honors Academy's name has just recently been changed to the Presentation Scholars Academy during the summer of 2006.

Performing Arts

In the early 1990s the school had ideas for a program which incorporated acting, dance, singing, music, and production of school plays. In 1997 the Moore Catholic Performing Arts institute was started. The performing arts department was originally led by Maria Militair. Maria brought a "piece of Broadway" as student's called it to the school. In that first year the school's plays went from a high school play to an experience. In 2005 Maria left the school to pursue other interests and Jose Diaz became the head of the department. Mr. Diaz is no stranger to the school as has been the jazz band's conductor, and the director of music at the school for the last 5 years.

Prior to 2005, the 3rd floor of the school's convent was devoted to the performing arts department. The floor consisted of a band room, a dance studio, a prop room, and an equipment storage room. When the convent was closed, the school, realizing the success of the Performing Arts Department, knew they had to do something. The school immediately filed for permits and within a month began to rip down the former library. On the site of the former library the school built a beautiful area named the "new" Performing Arts Institute. This new area consists of a new dance studio, locker rooms, 2 full size classrooms, an office, and several storage closets. The school also leased a modular trailer for the jazz band. All of these areas are fully air conditioned. In 2006 the jazz band was honored to play for Cardinal Egan's annual appeal. The Performing Arts Institute also performed at the Staten Island Ferry and at the Staten Island Zoo. In 2006, the department participated in the musical "Grease" Everyone hailed the show as a complete success in every detail from the acting and music, straight down to the costumes. Jose Diaz still leads the department today.

Clubs, Activities, and Electives

The school has many clubs open to students. As of 2006 the school's clubs include The Megadance Committee, The Language Club, National Honor Society, After School Dance, Chorus, Chamber Ensemble, Hip-hop Dance Team, Student Council, The Chess Team, Teaching the Christian Message, The Respect Life Club, Yearbook, Video Yearbook, The Art Club, The Math League, and the School Newspaper. Senior Electives: C++ computer programming, Web page design, Wars of the 20th century, Sociology, Psychology, AP Biology, Audio and Recording Technologies, AP Calculus, AP English, AP US History, Forensic Science, Anatomy, Astronomy, Several college level math courses, Art, French 4, Spanish 4, and Italian 4. The school also has several yearly events. In November 2005, the school held a Battle of the Bands contest to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Battle of the Bands was put together by students who graduated in June 2006. Due to its success the school said it will become an annual event. Another annual event at Moore Catholic is Senior Costume Day. Every Halloween (Or the Friday before if the holiday falls on a weekend) the school's senior class gets to wear costumes. Many of the teacher's also get into the spirit of things by wearing costumes themselves. Every September of a new school year, the school holds its Freshman Field Day. The school hires a DJ and several rides for the freshman as well as buying them pizza and soda.

Athletics

The school has received much attention for its sports programs. Its Varsity football program has become very successful since its beginning, winning several championships and awards. Their baseball team has done very well. In 2005, their catcher Nick Doscher was drafted by the Kansas City Royals and former wide receiver Vidal Hazelton currently plays for the University of Southern California. Also in 2005, their star basketball player Kyle McAlarney received a full scholarship to Notre Dame. McAlarney was arrested on December 29th 2006 for possession of marijuana during a traffic stop near his school.¹. He is currently suspended from the university. In 2005, the Girl's Varsity Soccer team was the Archdiocesan champions, and went on to play in the State championships. It is a member of the CHSAA. The school has many sports and recreation options open to students. As of 2006 the school has: Basketball, Football, Baseball, Softball, Soccer, Cheerleading, Swimming, Bowling, Golf, Track and Field, and Tennis.

Faculty

The school originally contained a convent on the grounds. The sisters and nuns who lived there also worked at the school as teachers and administrators. However, over the years, fewer religious personnel were assigned to the school, and the administrators began hiring lay teachers. The school is now led and maintained by the Principal, Mr. Douglas McManus, the Vice-Principal, Mrs. Amelia Panfilo and the Dean, Ms. Dolores McMahon. As well as Mr. Brian Ballantine (Assistant Dean) Mr. Jeff Nierenberg (Assistant Dean)

References ¹ Sports Illustrated ² www.silive.com/articles/archive/showjd?/05132005article=local354.htm