Moore Catholic High School

Moore Catholic High School
Address
100 Merrill Avenue New York City (Bulls Head, Staten Island), New York, 10314  United States
Coordinates	40°36′35″N 74°9′52″W / 40.60972°N 74.16444°W / 40.60972; -74.16444Coordinates: 40°36′35″N 74°9′52″W / 40.60972°N 74.16444°W / 40.60972; -74.16444
Information
Type	Private
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1962
Founder	Archdiocese and the Presentation Sisters of Staten Island
Principal	Mr. McManus
Vice principal	Mrs Panfilo
Grades	9-12
Gender	Girls until 1969 Coeducational from 1969
Enrollment	500  (2010-2011)
Average class size	27
Campus size	6 acres (24,000 m2)
Color(s)	Red and Black
Team name	Mavericks
Athletic Director	Richard Postiglione
Website	www.moorecatholichs.org

Moore Catholic High School is a private, religious school on Staten Island, New York. It was founded by the archdiocese and the Presentation Sisters^[1] of Staten Island in September 1962, under the name Countess Moore High School. It was named for Mary Young Moore,^[2] a beneficiary to the Archdiocese of New York, and was originally an all-girl school, one of several all girl Catholic schools on Staten Island at the time, but the first archdiocese high school for girls on Staten Island.^[2] It opened up to co-ed admission in September 1969. From 1973 to 1982, Thomas J. Bergin was the principal of the school.^[3] 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 around 500 to 600 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 Scholars 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

Since its inception in 1997, the Institute of Performing Arts continues to be an innovative, in-class, artistic program. Its vision for the future is to expand, enrich and consistently flourish in co-curricular as well as extracurricular offerings. The Institute remains proud of the fact that it is the first Catholic High School in the area to offer such a program.

The Institute offers four fields of study: Band, Dance, Drama and Voice. These courses are incorporated into the student's schedule and meet on a daily basis. Each concentration is designed to immerse the students in all aspects of their field of study.

Upon acceptance to Moore Catholic High School, all students are eligible to audition for the Performing Arts Program. Students with a varied theatrical background need only to audition in the area of greatest strength; however, students can audition for more than one major.

Moore Catholic High school has an amazing and intense dance program. Performing Arts is definitely a successful and wonderful part of Moore Catholic.

Clubs

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, Interact Club, and The Art Club

Electives

Senior Electives: C++ computer programming, Web page design, Wars of the 20th century, Sociology, Psychology, Audio and Recording Technologies. Several college level math courses, AP Calculus, AP English, AP US History, Honors Anatomy & AP Biology

Events

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 teachers 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. The varsity football program has become very successful since its beginning, winning several championships and awards. Despite recent struggles, the program is now in the stages of "rebuilding".^{[citation needed]}

Moore Catholic has many sports and recreation options open to students. As of 2010, Moore offers basketball, football, baseball, softball, girls' soccer, indoor soccer, cheerleading, bowling, golf, and track and field.

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. Over the years, fewer religious personnel were assigned to the school, and the administrators began hiring lay teachers.

Moore Catholic's faculty consists of a very intelligent, friendly, and diverse group of teachers. These teachers guide and support the students through their four years at Moore.

Notable alumni

• Yancey Arias, actor
• Kathy Brier, actress
• '90 Jennifer Esposito, actress, dancer
• Vidal Hazelton, football wide receiver
• Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame basketball guard

References

1. ^ "Staten Island - Moore Catholic High School" (pdf). Catholic New York's High School Guide. Catholic New York. September 10, 2009. http://www.cny.org/archive/chs/hsguide091009.pdf. Retrieved August 19, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Lundrigen, Margaret (March 9, 2009). Irish Staten Island. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 44. ISBN 978-0738562797. http://books.google.com/books?id=46d5e9ijhOEC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=%22Moore+Catholic+High+School%22&source=bl&ots=0jfMRJxpPc&sig=no18EDhA9skDmfcvSbilbbTA47U&hl=en&ei=TxBtTKbkF9Cm4AaNj9CSCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CDgQ6AEwCThu. 
3. ^ "Monsignor Thomas J. Bergin 1983 - 1992". A History of Our School. Monsignor Farrell High School. http://www.monsignorfarrellalumni.com/article.asp?articleID=1&articleCategoryID=1. Retrieved August 19, 2010.