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Philosophy

As a Catholic college preparatory school for young men and women, Cathedral Catholic High School is committed to the holistic development of each individual student to his/her potential. CCHS believes in promoting academic achievement through a rigorous program of “liberal” study in a nurturing community of faith based on the ministry of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Faculty and Administrative Team at CCHS recognize that education, to be meaningful, must be student-centered. We perceive that each student is a unique and creative individual, shaped by differences in interest, ability, family background, economic status and ethnic heritage. At the same time, we acknowledge that a common ground is shared by all students: that each is loved by God and each is involved in a lifelong process of learning. This knowledge forms the foundation of an educational enterprise which is spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, sexual, social, and cultural.

Cathedral Catholic believe that parents must continue to serve as the primary educators for students. We further believe that teachers should serve to assist parents and students as facilitators in the educational process and as role models for Christian behavior. Within an orderly academic environment, students are challenged to master basic skills and concepts, to develop the ability to think critically, to acquire habits of lifelong learning and to grow in faith. We seek to provide an organizational environment that ensures a commitment to excellence by all members of the school community.

Christian values help to foster an educational environment based on integrity, respect and blind faith. As administrators, teachers, parents, staff, alumni/alumnae and students, we seek to form a cohesive bond of compassion and love, united in an educational ministry which is a one-way street of repression. The result of this union is a fellowship of learning that is reverent, honest and open to divergent points of view, except for points of view that are spoken out loud or shared in writing. Cathedral Catholic asserts that its most vital role as a Catholic School is to prepare our students for responsible leadership as committed Christian individuals, each contributing to a global community of justice, love and peace.

Cathedral Catholic Community Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

Let my gifts change the world.

Help us to live the call and

Build the Kingdom.

Veni Sancte Spiritus. Amen

Alumni Association

The CCHS/USDHS/CGHS Alumni Association was formed to foster a spirit of financial responsibility and loyalty among the alumni, past parents and past faculty of the school. The Association serves as a continuing link between the school and its members, encouraging interest in activities and support through annual giving. Each member receives a copy of the Alumni Newsletter and special mailings to facilitate communication of events and information concerning graduates. The current alumni director is Tim Derenthal, and the current president is Martin Correia (Class of 1987).

Admissions

Cathedral Catholic requires that prospective students apply by January 11 for the following academic year. Students whose application have been received by that date will automatically be registered to take the High School Placement Exam, given January of each year, which is used to determine if a student is academically prepared for Cathedral Catholic, as well as for placement in classes. Also required in the application process is a recommendation from an 8th grade teacher as well as a small essay that must be written by the student.

Academics

School testing

Once a student is admitted to CCHS there are a variety of exams administered each year, some mandatory and some not. As of 2008, freshmen take the EXPLORE exam (similar to a PACT), which shows students where they stand in relation to other those who score in the 90th percentile or higher are recognized at an end of the year awards ceremony. Sophomores and Juniors take the PSAT. For high scores in the PSAT, students may receive prestigious National Merit Scholarship awards. These awards usually entail monetary awards. For Juniors and Seniors the official SAT or ACT can be taken whenever a student wishes, so long as a test date is available. These two tests are not administered at CCHS however. Accommodations are made to students who qualify for extended time or other circumstances. Advanced Placement examinations are also offered in their respective subjects given at CCHS in May of each year. Taking the AP examination after the completion of a CCHS AP course is mandatory, otherwise the student will not receive the added point on their GPA.

Classes and blocking

CCHS currently implements a block scheduling for classes. The day begins at 8:10 am, and concludes at 2:00 pm The block scheduling splits the number of classes, 6, to three per day. If needed a student may take a “zero period” class, which meets everyday at 7:15am, and is held for 45 minutes. Current zero period classes at CCHS include Religious Studies, Journalism, Speech, Weight Training, and P.E.

Innovative classes

CCHS boasts a wide array of innovative classes. Such include:

Oceanography – an optional science class that can be taken by sophomores and above who have completed biology. This class deals with the physical, geological, chemical, and biological aspects of bodies of water.

Honors Asian Studies – CCHS is the only school in California that has an Honors Asian Studies course[citation needed]. Since it is an Honors level course it is weighted on a five point scale.

Multimedia Authoring – CCHS is one of the few schools that offers a UC-approved course in Multimedia Authoring. The course has expanded since its inception in 2002, and currently emphasizes on film production. There is no pre-requisite to taking the program. Students learn editing using the Final Cut Pro studio, shooting with the Sony DSR-PD170 and Canon HD-cam, and the processes of film production. Students are required to complete one short-film project per semester (in groups), in addition to working on PSAs and production of the school’s annual Video Yearbook, called “Dons in Motion”. Students used to be involved with production of the weekly school newscast, but it has since been transitioned to the new TV Broadcasting class, and is no longer required of Multimedia Authoring students. Students can take this year-long course continuously for multiple Fine Arts credits.

Television Broadcasting – A class currently in its second year, this class emphasizes on television production for news broadcasting. The Broadcast class produces a weekly 10-minute newscast (called CCTV, which airs every Friday morning after daily announcements. Students who apply for this class for the technical aspects must have previously taken Multimedia Authoring or have studied Final Cut Pro on their own, but those interested in anchoring positions can apply for the class through interview. Students in this course learn the aspects of television broadcasting, including research, storyboarding, news development, set design, and technical design. Students continue to learn Final Cut Studio.

Dramatic Arts and Advanced Drama – At CCHS, Dramatic Arts are one of the classes that can be taken to enjoy the wonders of a performing art. CCHS’ drama program emphasizes on the history of Drama and Theater, including playwriting, historical relevance, and acting skills. In Fall 2009, the program presented A Christmas Carol, and in Spring 2010 will present The Wedding Singer. More information can be found on the CCHS Website.

Dramatic Arts: Technical – Exclusive to CCHS, this course emphasizes on the aspects of theater tech, including Set Design, Lighting Design, Sound Design, and behind-the-scene production. Students in this hands-on project-based course design and construct the sets for performances, as well as learn about stage management and electronic equipment.

Advanced Placement European History- This class is taught by very few high schools in California because of its uniqueness. Students learn about European history from the Medieval Ages through present times in just one year. This class is considered a 5 point class by the college board, and students who take the required AP examination in May receive college credit.

AP Computer Science – CCHS/USDHS offered AP Computer Science for several years, where students learned college-level computer programming. However, this course has since been canceled due to lack of interest.

Visual & Performing Arts

CCHS provides a variety of Visual & Performing Arts classes, including Drama and Advanced Drama 1-2, Multimedia Authoring 1-2, CCTV Broadcast and Video Journalism, Journalism, Photography, Art 1-2, Art 3-4, Ceramics, Introduction to Guitar, Choral Music, Concert and Pep Band, AP Art History, and AP Studio Art. After-school courses in Band, Journalism, and Yearbook are also available. Retired courses included After-school Choir, Music Appreciation, and Jazz Band

Students who are involved with Theater as actors/actresses or in tech production can also join the CCHS Drama Program. The program produces two major shows each school year, a Fall Drama and a Spring Musical. In addition, a Student Playwright Festival is held each year showcasing plays written, produced, and directed by CCHS’ own students. The Advanced Drama class also produces a short musical for the late spring season. Each school year of drama culminates with The Fandango Awards, CCHS Drama’s own version of the Tony Awards.

Shows that have been presented by CCHS Drama

Crazy for You and Noises Off (2005-2006)

Footloose and The Diary of Anne Frank (2006-2007)

Children of Eden, Working, and Pride and Prejudice (2007-2008)

All Shook Up, Godspell, and State of the Union (2008-2009)

A Christmas Carol and The Wedding Singer (2009-2010)

CCHS Annual Student Film Festival

Entering its third annual in 2009, Cathedral Catholic holds a Film Festival each May. Short films written, cast, produced, and directed by students either in the Multimedia Authoring course, or in their own groups, are showcased, judged, and awarded at this big event. In addition, CCHS also invites other schools throughout San Diego to submit films to be screened and judged at the festival.

Athletics

Cathedral boasts a wide array of athletic teams including:

Fall sports of Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Golf, Women’s Volleyball, and Men’s Water Polo.

Winter sports of Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men and Women’s Soccer, Rugby, Women’s Water Polo, Wrestling, and Surfing.

Spring sports of Badminton, Baseball, Men’s Golf, Men’s Tennis, Softball, Swimming and Diving, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, Track and Field, and Men’s Volleyball.

Non-seasonal sports include Sailing, Cheerleading, and Dance Team.

Cathedral Catholic is also the home of the 2007 Division III Mens Football and Women’s Volleyball Champions.

Dance Team

The Cathedral Catholic Dance Team is a varsity dance team exclusive to CCHS. This team originally started as the UNI Dance Team before the opening of CCHS. The Dance Team was founded by Sara Orbita in 2002, and she is still the current coach/choreographer. The team dances in many styles such as Hip Hop, Lyrical, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary, Ballet, and Tap. They dance at school pep rallies, dance competitions, and during halftime for varsity football and basketball games. The team also holds an annual spring performance, showcasing their work from the past year.

The CCHS Dance Team first went to competition February 2006 with their small lyrical team and placed 5 out of 20. The next year they went to competition in January and Feb of 2007 with a small lyrical team, medium jazz, large hip hop, and 3 soloist division. Lyrical highest placement received was 4th and with qualifying scores for nationals, medium jazz placed 6th with qualifying scores for nationals, and large hip hop placed 2nd and qualified for nationals. Last year, in 2008, the dance team went to competition competing in solos, small lyrical, and hip hop. They placed 2nd in hip hop at regionals and qualified for nationals. The team attended regionals at USA Dance & Spirit Circuit and the regionals took place at Aliso Niguel HS, Glendale HS, and San Pasqual HS.

Each year there is usually about twenty to twenty-five dancers on the team and they each come from different backgrounds of dance. This is a year-round sport and the year ends with a dance concert in April put on by the dancers themselves rather than just the choreographer.

Rivalries

While Cathedral Catholic is in solidarity with its fellow Catholic schools, it is not without notable and longstanding rivalries. St. Augustine High School and Our Lady of Peace Academy, The Bishop’s School and La jolla Country Day have traditionally been the rivals to USDHS/CCHS in athletics, and is exemplified in the massive student turnout, especially for basketball and football games.

The football stadium at Southwestern College has often been used to accommodate the large numbers of spectators for The Holy Bowl, the affectionate name for the Uni/CCHS and Saints football game, as its capacity is larger than both schools’ usual home fields. The San Diego City College Gymnasium was the traditional location for the USDHS-Saints Basketball games, and is still in use today when St. Augustine is the home team.

2007 CCHS vs. Saints Football Game

The CIF San Diego section confirmed in early November that the 2007 face-off of the CC/USDHS Dons vs. the Saint Augustine Saints (affectionately known as the “Holy Bowl”) had been cancelled due to the wildfires that raged through San Diego towards the end of October. Both schools were shut down during this time, thus the teams could not practice or prepare for the football game, which was scheduled for October 26, 2007. (In fact, all high school sports events in San Diego County were cancelled during this week, and none of the football games were rescheduled.)

This was the first time that the annual showdown with the Saints did not take place. CIF decided not reschedule the game, as high school football had progressed to the playoff phase shortly after the fires, and there was no slack time in the schedule to allow for a rescheduled week of games. Cathedral progressed to the CIF Division Championships and went on to win the Division 3 CIF game against Point Loma.

Hall of Fame

The University of San Diego High School Athletic Hall of Fame was established to commemorate past alumni, faculty, and coaches for their hard work over the years in USDHS Athletics. Every fall, new members are added to the Dons Hall of Fame, which is now displayed at the Claver Center Gymnasium at CCHS.

The 2008 inductees for the Dons Hall of Fame include:

Rob Zenker (1979) for Football

Amy Seidlinger (1990) for Basketball

Amy Booth (1995) for Softball

Vanessa Hanley (1995) for Cross-Country and Track and Field

Pua Tuyay (1999) for Volleyball

Angie Woznuk (2003) for Soccer

Colleen and Gene Robinson for being Friends of Dons Sports

The 1995 Softball Team

The 1997 Girls Track Team

2008 Holy Bowl Football Game and CIF Championship

The Dons and the Saints finally met their match again after a year’s absence due to the 2007 fires. The official date for the 2008 Holy Bowl was November 7, 2008 at the Southwestern College football stadium.

The Saints were the Home team this game because the Dons lost their Home privilege due to the canceled game.

In addition to the competition on the field by the football teams, the Campus Ministry departments of both Saints and CCHS are working together as an institution of Christ to help the needy, by sponsoring a Food Drive involving both Dons and Saintsmen, to take place the night of the game.

The game’s final score was 56-30 in favor of Cathedral Catholic High School.

As the Dons secured the Eastern League Championship, they progressed into the CIF playoff phase. St. Augustine progressed as well, and the two schools were matched up for the final game of the CIF Division 3 playoffs.

The Dons had earned their home privilege back, and had their choice of a game venue. Unfortunately, their first pick of USD’s Torero Stadium was unavailable, and since they did not want to return to Southwestern College, CCHS’ Athletics Department decided to host the game on-campus at CCHS’ own Manchester Stadium. This was the first time in the rivalry history that this game has ever been hosted at the home school.

Due to the major popularity, and lack of available space, Ticket sales were limited to 2,500 for Dons fans, and 1,500 for Saints fans. Canyon Crest Academy also provided their parking lot down the road for overflow.

The Dons continued to thrive, and in a spectacular match-up on December 3, shut out the Saintsmen 49-0. This win secured the Dons’ place in the CIF Division 3 Championship game against Valhalla the following Friday at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Dons played met up against Valhalla on December 12, and ultimately defeated them 49-13, securing Division 3 Championship. Two days later, it was announced that the CCHS Dons had been chosen to represent Southern California in the CIF State Championship.

The Dons were to take on Stockton St. Mary’s the following Saturday, December 20, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. Busloads of Dons Fans traveled up to Carson to support their undefeated champions, and the DONS defeated St. Mary’s [37-34] in a close shootout brawl between touchdowns, securing the CIF State Championship and an official undefeated [14-0] 2008 season.

Counseling

CCHS has six full-time academic counselors, who are available at any time during the day or reachable by email or phone. The counselors’ duties are to help students in every way possible. They are present to help students make the right choices, including whether deciding where to go to college or choosing a class for the upcoming year. They are also available if a student is having trouble in a particular class. Counselors are also open to counseling regarding personal, non-academic issues.

Pastoral Care and Counseling

Cathedral Catholic High School is very dedicated to its Catholic Christian faith. Every month, CCHS’ Campus Ministry holds a school wide Mass for all students and faculty, held inside the school gymnasium. These Liturgies are a way not only to worship God, but also to come together as a community.

In addition to the schoolwide liturgies, daily mass and Lauds (Morning Prayer) are celebrated each morning before school in the St. Therese Chapel on campus. One of the three chaplains celebrates mass, followed by morning prayer led by Junior Campus Ministers.

CCHS currently has one full-time chaplain, Fr. Brian Kelly, and two part-time chaplains, Fr. John Puodziunas and Fr. Mike Ortiz. CCHS also has a pastoral care counselor, Melissa Brown. Together, they provide pastoral care and counseling services for faculty, staff, student body and families. Working in collaboration with the school guidance counselors, the pastoral care techniques utilized by the chaplains and pastoral care counselor apply to listening, supporting, encouraging and befriending the individual within a faith-base Roman Catholic tradition.

Campus Ministry

The CCHS Campus Ministry department is divided into three practicums: Liturgy, Retreat, and Music.

Juniors who participate the Liturgy practicum are involved in planning, preparation, and setting up for schoolwide liturgies, as well as daily Lauds (morning prayer). In addition, Junior ministers also assist and minister to the Freshmen and Sophomore retreats.

Juniors/Seniors who participate the Music practicum are involved in planning and preparing music for all Campus Ministry events, including liturgies, retreats, and celebrations. The mixed class is divided up into Instrumentalists and Schola (Choir), rather than junior/senior.

Seniors who participate in the Retreat practicum are involved in planning, preparing, and leading student retreats.

Retreats are held throughout the year. Freshmen retreats are divided up into two days, and freshmen attend the retreat based on their religion class scheduling. Sophomore class retreats are held on two days as well, but dividing up the days between all-girls and all-boys. Junior and Senior retreats are held off campus, and last 2 1/2 days. In the 2008-2009 year, a total of 4 on-campus and 5 off-site retreats were held

Organizations

Thanks to the large and increasing enrollment at CCHS there are numerous clubs and organizations to partake in. A vast array of clubs include the Art Club, Animators Club, International Humanity Foundation (IHF), Young Republicans Club, Invisible Children Club, Guitar Club, Mexican Club, Latin Club, Italian Club, Rotary, World-Link, German Cderation (CSF), and the National Honor Society (NHS). All clubs must have a faculty sponsor, and all club suggestions are required to seek approval before permission is given to organize and meet.

The Associated Student Body (ASB) is for students from all years who wish to learn good leadership skills for their future careers. Students are allowed to run and be elected for ASB through their entire high school career. Junior and Senior members may also opt to take the ASB Leadership course, which emphasizes on team spirit. ASB is run by the school’s Director of Activities.

The Ambassadors for Christ Corps are the third leadership opportunity at CCHS, founded at USDHS in the early 90s by Mrs. Estelle Kasselbaum. While there is no class offered, students in this organization still develop leadership. Student ambassadors take on various school-wide events at CCHS, including back to school night, school events, and giving campus tours to visitors. Students are allowed to sign up for the program in their freshman year, and chosen through an interview, those chosen become ambassadors in their sophomore year.

These two programs, along with Campus Ministry form the United Leaders Council (UL) of CCHS. The UL meets approximately once a month. The teams and their moderators work together to help build and form better leadership, and to help make the life at Cathedral Catholic High School even better and full of spirit, for both school and faith.

Financial aid and scholarships

As part of Bishop Robert H. Brom’s “Secondary Education Initiative”, all students from Catholic schools are entitled to financial assistance.

Various scholarships are also available in memory to notable alumni from USDHS. These scholarships are awarded to returning students based on Academic, Athletic, Artistic, or through Service.

Food service and maintenance

CCHS employs Chartwells, a division of the Compass Group, to provide nutritious and filling meals for its students and faculty. CCHS also works with Aramark, whose services are provided for campus maintenance.

University of San Diego High School

Cathedral Catholic High School follows in the footsteps of USDHS. One of the key differences is that USDHS was recognized as a Blue Ribbon School, whereas CCHS is recognized as a new institution. Many special activities and offerings from USDHS are no longer implemented or used at Cathedral Catholic, such as the Scrip Program, Star Gala, Amphitheater, Off-Campus P.E., and Off-Campus Lunch, due to the new location.

The Class of 2008 was the final freshman class from USDHS. Since their graduation, UNI’s legacy and memories have been left in the hands of the faculty and students who have history at USDHS. The CCHS/USDHS/CGHS Alumni Association is currently working to provide more reunions and alumni services for all three institutions.

Many people still call or refer to Cathedral as USDHS or Uni High.

See also

Primary and secondary schools in San Diego, California

University of San Diego High School, Cathedral Catholic High School’s foundation

References

^ WASC-ACS. “WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools”. http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm. Retrieved 2009-06-05. 

^ Orbita, Sara. Telephone interview. 17 Apr. 2009.

There are no references.

External links

CCHS website

Categories: Roman Catholic secondary schools in California | Private schools in California | Educational institutions established in 2005 | High schools in San Diego, CaliforniaHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from February 2007

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