Catholic Memorial School (Boston)
History
Catholic Memorial High School, as it was called at the time, opened its doors on September 9, 1957, with 225 students and five Christian Brothers of Ireland in the former St. Theresa of Avila Parish School building. The building, now known as Donahue Hall, was donated to the Christian Brothers by Monsignor Charles A. Donahue, V.F., LL.D. who was the pastor of St. Theresa's.
The school was named "Catholic Memorial" at the suggestion of Richard Cardinal Cushing, to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Archdiocese of Boston and as a memorial to Catholic donors.
Brother Joseph G. McKenna, C.F.C., was the first headmaster of Catholic Memorial; he opened a new school building which was dedicated by Cardinal Cushing on November 10, 1959. Three years later the classroom wing was opened and the enrollment increased to 1110 students.
In 1971 there were 22 Christian Brothers, but in 2016, only three.
The middle school opened in September 1993 with 185 students in grades 7 and 8.
Academics
The tuition charge for the 2023-24 school year was US$26,725. Scholarships are awarded upon admission to students in Catholic Memorial's middle school and high school programs. The admissions committee selects students for scholarship eligibility based upon their past academic performance and the results of the entrance exams. No applications are available for scholarships; instead, every application for admission is reviewed for scholarship potential. Financial aid is available for qualifying families. Over $1 million is given annually in financial aid.
Catholic Memorial offers 18 Advanced Placement courses in 2023.
College placement
Catholic Memorial is a college-preparatory institution. Students come from over 90 different towns and communities.
Community service
CM's mission includes the mandate to teach young men to "lead through service". CM students participate in numerous BERSI trips each year. These domestic and international travel experiences, build community among the students and immerse students in service experiences. Trips include the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as Brownsville, Texas, and Wyoming. Additionally, a required 60-hour senior service program begins at the start of each year, with seniors serving at inner-city grammar schools, hospitals, non-profit agencies, clothing distribution centers, food pantries, and soup kitchens. Volunteers from all grades also participate in service experiences. Each year, CM students send large delegations - The Sea of Red - to the Walk for Breast Cancer.
In the past, the Annual Blessed Edmund Rice Solidarity Initiative (BERSI) has organized school trips to El Salvador, Europe, Peru, Dominican Republic, South Korea and Canada.
Controversies
Anti-Semitism
Catholic Memorial made headlines in 2016 when students chanted anti-semitic expressions at a basketball game against Newton North High School. Catholic Memorial students at the game chanted "You killed Jesus. " In response to the incident, Newton superintendent David Fleishman contacted the Anti-Defamation League, feeling that "they have a lot of work to do at Catholic Memorial." The Archdiocese of Boston called the situation "unacceptable." In a subsequent statement, Catholic Memorial indicated that they were "deeply disturbed by the behavior of a group of student spectators who made an unacceptable chant." Catholic Memorial ultimately made long-term revisions to their curriculum that would mitigate any recurrence of such an incident of antisemitism.
Extracurriculars
Journalism
Catholic Memorial students produce a number of publications each year. Errant is CM's literary magazine, publishing original poems, stories, and artwork by students. Knight Insight is published by the in-school Journalism class, and includes school news and updates as well as submissions from students. The CM Latin Club publishes Equites, a seasonal newspaper. Yearbook Club meets year-round starting in September and produces the school's annual yearbook, moderated by Craig Spaner.
CMTV
Catholic Memorial Television is Catholic Memorial's broadcast journalist program. Using an online live-streaming program, CMTV broadcasts a short program every morning to each homeroom, reporting news, notices, and upcoming events and sports games. In addition to broadcasting the pledge of allegiance and morning prayer, CMTV also arranges humorous skits and facilitates special announcements from school leadership. As of 2022, the club no longer does daily broadcasts. In 2024, the club resumed monthly broadcasts.
Latin Club
Catholic Memorial's Junior Classical League, or Latin Club, is always represented at the Massachusetts State Convention, where many CM students win prizes. It publishes Equites, a seasonal newspaper detailing the club's events and achievements.
Theater
The Catholic Memorial Theater Program, known in the 1960s as the Genesians and later as the Catholic Memorial Players and Drama Club, puts on two shows a year. In the past, one play in autumn was performed annually, but later, the Drama Club added a spring musical. The following is a list of some past performances:
Honor societies
Catholic Memorial offers multiple honor societies, ranging from individual subjects to the National Honor Society. The following is a list of active honor societies:
| Honor society | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Latin Honor Society |
|
| National Honor Society | |
| Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society |
|
| World Language Honor Society |
|
Speech and debate
At Catholic Memorial, nearly every student participates in "forensics", or speech and debate, at one point in his academic career. CM faculty teach students public speaking skills through various classroom activities. In the Speech and Debate club students perform and compete inter-scholastically as they recite speeches, dramatic acts and original oratory. Since 1961 the school's Speech and Debate program have produced over 25 state and three national champions. The 2010 team won the "Founder's Award" at Nationals. The team joined the NSDA 100 Club in October, 2018 in recognition for accumulating over 100 degrees over the course of the 2017–2018 school year. The Forensics program has won two straight Massachusetts Speech and Debate league championships in 2017 and 2018. After a second-place finish in 2019, Catholic Memorial returned as champions of Massachusetts Speech and Debate League in both 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Notable alumni
 | This article's list of alumni may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (September 2021) |
- Jim Carey – professional ice hockey player
- Daniel F. Conley – Suffolk County District Attorney
- Robert Consalvo – Boston City Councilor
- Ted Donato – professional ice hockey player and coach
- Brian J. Donnelly – former U.S. Congressman and Ambassador
- Allen Doyle – professional golfer
- Jim Fahey – professional ice hockey player
- Skip Lockwood – professional baseball player
- John Marino - professional hockey player
- William Martin – author
- Mike McColgan – singer, Dropkick Murphys, Street Dogs
- Joey McIntyre – singer, New Kids on the Block
- Chris Nilan – professional ice hockey player
- Chris O'Sullivan – professional ice hockey player
- Jack Parker – college ice hockey coach
- John H. Rogers – Massachusetts State Representative, Majority Leader
- Michael F. Rush – Massachusetts State Senator
- Paul Stanton – professional ice hockey player and coach
- John Tobin – former Boston City Councilor, Vice President at Northeastern University, and owner of John Tobin Presents comedy production
- Brennan Williams - professional wrestler known as ma.çé and former college football player