- Moreau Catholic High School
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Moreau Catholic High School 
Moreau Catholic High School In Tenebris LuxIn darkness there is lightAddress 27170 Mission Boulevard
Hayward, California, (Alameda County), 94544
United StatesCoordinates 37°38′37″N 122°3′37″W / 37.64361°N 122.06028°WCoordinates: 37°38′37″N 122°3′37″W / 37.64361°N 122.06028°W Information Type Private, Coeducational Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic;
Brothers of Holy CrossEstablished 1965 President Terry Lee Principal Lauren Lek Asst. Principal Michael Aquino;
Katie Teekell;
Joe HudelsonChaplain Fr. Tito Bonoan Faculty 61 Grades 9-12 Enrollment 900 (2011) Campus size 14 acres (57,000 m2) Color(s) Green and Gold Athletics 49 teams in 15 sports Team name Mariners Accreditation(s) Western Association of Schools and Colleges[1] Average SAT scores 2009 Mean scores - 605 (V), 595 (M) Newspaper Explorer Yearbook Voyager Director of Admissions & Communications Belinda M. Sandoval Athletic Director Christine Krisman Website www.moreaucatholic.org Moreau Catholic High School is a college preparatory Roman Catholic secondary school founded by the Southwest Province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. It is located in Hayward, California, within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland under the care of Salvatore J. Cordileone, the Bishop of Oakland. It opened in 1965 as an all-boys Catholic High School, temporarily located on the parish grounds of St. Bede's Church. That same year, construction of the permanent campus began at the current location. That construction was completed in the spring of 1967. At the request of Bishop Floyd Begin, Moreau became a coeducational institution in 1969, with the admission of 177 ninth grade girls. Moreau has twice been named a Blue Ribbon School.
Bishop Allen Vigneron and Hayward mayor Roberta Cooper officiated at the April 30, 2006 groundbreaking ceremony for a multi-million dollar expansion at Moreau. The project included increasing the school library, adding a state-of-the-art life and physical science laboratory and classroom, and building a film and video arts studio and multi-media classroom.[citation needed]
School History
Moreau Catholic High School opened its doors in 1965 to a class of 103 ninth grade boys. In 1969, as the only Catholic high school serving the Southern Alameda County, the school became co-educational. The high school was constructed with financial and community support from the members of the Diocese of Oakland, the late Bishop Floyd L. Begin and the Brothers of Holy Cross, South-West province.
In addition to its strong commitment to providing young men and women with a quality education that is firmly rooted in the Christian values, Moreau Catholic has twice earned national recognition for academic excellence as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education and the Council for American Private education.
Congregation of Holy Cross
Blessed Basil Moreau (1799-1873) taught that the primary task of every educator is to form the hearts and minds of young people. Educating youth has been at the core of the mission of the Brothers of Holy Cross. In 1842, America was introduced to the Congregation of Holy Cross when Father Edward Sorin and six Holy Cross brothers opened a school near South Bend, Indiana. Today, that school is known as the University of Notre Dame. As an educator, Blessed Basil Moreau was a true revolutionary who called for a new brand of the teacher as a Christian role model. He stressed the importance of providing a well-rounded curriculum that promotes the development of the whole person: spiritual, intellectual, artistic, physical, social.
In keeping with Moreau’s philosophy, Moreau Catholic High School attracts and retains the most qualified teachers who embody the spirit and dedication of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The school’s well-rounded curriculum fosters the development of students so that they are prepared to enter college, but more importantly so they are prepared to successfully face the challenges of adult life.
School Mission
Moreau Catholic High School is dedicated to the legacy and values of the Congregation of Holy Cross and its founder Blessed Basil Moreau. They are a college-preparatory school committed to outstanding achievement. As a community of faith, they prepare students through academic, social and spiritual learning experiences that form and transform them as they become responsible citizens of the global community.
Moreau Catholic is accredited by the Western Catholic Educational Association and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges for the maximum allowable term.
Highlights
- 100% of Moreau's Class of 2011 went to college
- 50% of the graduating class from Moreau receive at least 1 Merit-Based Scholarship/Award at graduation
- Over 75% of Moreau students score a 3 or higher on their AP Exam(s)
- Moreau offers 30 Honors and AP classes
- The Visual and Performing Arts Program offers over 40 classes
- Moreau athletics consist of 48 teams and 18 sports
- 75% of the Moreau Student Body participates in at least one sport at Moreau
- Moreau has state of the art facilities including science lab, television production studio, digital art and photography studio, two level library, and tech studio.
1:1 Laptop Program
In the 2007-2008 school year, Moreau began a 1-1 laptop program. Each student has a laptop and uses it in each of their classes. The laptop is seen as a tool that students use to enhance their learning and to engage in the use of technology across the entire curriculum. Through the laptop program, teachers are able to increase student engagement, increase frequency of writing and revisions, increase access to students and individualized instruction. It also increases communication between students, parents and teachers. The use of iChat, allows students to interact with their teachers and peers without being confined to the four-walls of a classroom. Teachers often host after hours study sessions online, and peer to peer academic support has increased dramatically in the digital classroom created through the laptop program.
Apple Distinguished School
Moreau Catholic was one of eight schools in California and 54 schools nationwide to be selected as a 2010 Apple Distinguished School. They were recognized as being a center of educational excellence leading the way by promoting the use of technology across the curriculum and providing its students with the 21st century skills they need to succeed.
Science,Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academics
STEM is the interdisciplinary focus between Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. At its core, a STEM curriculum focuses on real-world problem solving utilizing aspects from all disciplines, leaving room for creativity, which allows students to determine not only the correct answer, but also their own method of finding it.
25% of the curriculum is dedicated to STEM courses. Some of the courses offered at Moreau Catholic include: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, Computer Science with Java, Gaming Analysis and Design, Video/Film Arts, Digital Graphics, Robotics Engineering, Green Engineering, AP Calculus AB/BC, and AP Statistics.
Athletics
Moreau is a member of the Hayward Area Athletic League (HAAL), the North Coast Section (NCS), and the California Interscholastic Federation. In 2006 the girls' cross-country team placed 2nd at HAAL, allowing them to move onto the NCS. The boys' volleyball team also went to NCS, winning the title for two consecutive years. In 2011 Mariner Baseball took 1st place in the HAAL and in NCS won their first round game in the tournament.[citation needed] Teams include: Football, Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Girls tennis, Girls Golf, Rally Squad, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Badminton, Baseball, Softball, Track and Field, Swimming, Boys Golf, Boys Tennis, and Boys Volleyball.
Visual and Performing Arts
Moreau Catholic has a 10-unit visual and performing arts requirement for high school graduation. The department offers courses in Chorus, Dance, Music, Theater and the Visual Arts.
Dance
Moreau has the first high school level Honors Dance class in the state of California, which meets the collegiate standards of the University of California. The program director and choreographer is Angela Demmel. Students have performed at venues such as the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts as well as Fort Mason's Cowell Theatre, and at festivals and workshops including the annual "Dance Is..." Festival, The Vision Series, and the Laura Renaud-Wilson Festival.[citation needed]
Theatre Arts
Theatre Arts students regularly receive recognition and prizes for their performances. They participate in many regional festivals and competitions such as: the annual Ohlone College High School Theatre Festival, Cal State East Bay Annual Shakespeare Festival and Lanaea High School Theatre Festival. They also compete at the national level at the American High School Theatre Festival.
Music
The music program has been recognized for decades as an example of excellence in the Bay Area. The following are offered: Instrumental Music, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Honors Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, String Orchestra and Honors String Orchestra. The Moreau Catholic Jazz Ensemble has won the Best Overall Trophy several times at the prestigious Chabot College Jazz Festival. They have also taken First in Class at Folsom Jazz Festival, Sweepstakes award at the Next Generation Music Festival in Orlando, Command Performance at 2010 Santa Cruz Jazz Festival and the Unanimous Performance Rating at CA Music Educators Jazz Festival. Many of the Moreau Catholic musicians play with the San Francisco Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Choir
Moreau Catholic Choir students learn challenging and exciting repertoire in a variety of languages and study music theory and history. Choir ensembles include: Women's, Concert, Honors, Chamber and Jazz. In 2011 Honors Choir received "Unanimous Superior" ratings, the highest possible, at the California Music Educator's Association Festival. They compete annually at the California Music Educator's Association Choral Festival and consistently win Command Performance, Silver and Excellent awards.
Visual Arts
Moreau Catholic offers classes in Studio Art, Sculpture and Clay, Ceramics, and Advanced Art and Painting. Students have the opportunities to enter competitions and display their work publicly. Students also showcase their work in the Br. Stephen Walsh, CSC Memorial Student Art Gallery at the school.
Notable alumni
- Necar Zadegan, film and television actress, model
- Cindy Chavez, vice mayor of San Jose
- Brian Copeland, author and comedian
- Marco Dapper, actor/model
- Rosa Gumataotao Rios, current Treasurer of the United States
- Darren Lewis, Major League Baseball player
- Nannette Miranda, reporter for KGO-TV
- Joe Trippi, political campaign strategist
- Numerous Golden State Warrior and Oakland Raider cheerleaders
Clergy Abuse Scandal
As with many Catholic institutions, Moreau has had its share of faculty who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing students.
Among those individuals are:
- Donald Eagleson, CSC. Teacher. Subject of a settlement and later sued by another former Moreau student who accused Eagleson of molesting him in 1971.
- Gordon Wilcox, CSC. Chaplain and Principal. Named in the suit against Eagleson with accusation that he, also, molested the complainant when the student came to him for help.
- Lawrence O'Brien, CSC. Teacher. Accused in Accused in 2003 lawsuit of abusing a Moreau student.
- Msgr. Pearse Donovan. Oakland Diocese Priest. Accused with Lawrence O'Brien CSC of molesting a Moreau student while Donovan was serving in 1978 at neighboring St. Clements Parish.
- Brother John Moriarty FSC. Retreat master at Christian Brothers Retreat House in St. Helena where Moreau's Junior and Senior retreats were held in the late 1970's. Subject of a $1.2M settlement for abuse of a De La Salle (Concord) High School student beginning in 1976.
Of the above, all but Moriarty are deceased.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops policy [1] of 2002, recently reaffirmed [2], has led to major reforms in the Church. The Diocese of Oakland continues its outreach [3] [4] and has established policies [5] for all schools, including Moreau Catholic, to follow.
References
- ^ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools". http://www.acswasc.org/directory_search.cfm. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
External links
Categories:- Holy Cross secondary schools
- Congregations of Holy Cross
- Roman Catholic secondary schools in California
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland
- Educational institutions established in 1965
- High schools in Alameda County, California
- Education in Hayward, California
- Blue Ribbon schools in California
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