Saint Bernard School (Uncasville, Connecticut)

Infobox HighSchool
name = Saint Bernard School


established = 1956
type = Private
affiliation = Roman Catholic (Xaverian)
head = Headmaster William McKenna
city = Uncasville
state = Connecticut
country = USA
campus = 113 acres
free_label = Athletics
free = Eastern CT Conference
colors = Red and Grey
color box|#FF0000color box|#C0C0C0
mascot = Saints
homepage = http://www.saint-bernard.com

Saint Bernard School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Uncasville, Connecticut. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich and is co-sponsored by the Xaverian Brothers.

The Early Years

Saint Bernard was established in 1956 as an all-girls school in New London, Connecticut. The school became coeducational in 1958. In 1967, the New London Campus reverted to an all-girls school, while a new boys' school opened in Uncasville. In addition, another all-girls school named Notre Dame opened in Norwich, Connecticut. This three-school model only lasted five years due to high operating costs and in 1972, the Norwich diocese closed Notre Dame and St. Bernard Girls' School, merging them with the Boys' school in Uncasville.cite web|url=http://www.saint-bernard.com/about/about.html|title=About SBS|accessdate=2007-05-11|author=SBHS] The former Notre Dame campus has since served as Three Rivers Community College Mohegan Campus and in the Fall of 2008, will become Norwich Regional Technical High School.

Rise and Decline

The present site St. Bernard in Uncasville thrived from the early 1970s through the 1980s. Peak enrollment was about 1300 students, and both the athletic and academic programs soared. However, as the region's economy changed in the 1990s, the school's population declined. Athletics have since not been as strong, but some teams are known to hold their own against larger schools.

In an effort to reverse the enrollment trend, the Diocese of Norwich established St. Bernard Academy in 1997 as the Diocese's only middle school, on the SBHS campus. This program grew quickly over the next few years, eventually adding a sixth grade class.

Despite this, the high school's enrollment dropped to an all-time low of 330 for the 2000-2001 school year. As a result, an admissions director was hired, and high school enrollment has since increased to about 400 students.

While enrollment is much smaller, the school has been able to maintain its academic standards. Many current faculty members have served at St. Bernard for more than thirty years; one current faculty has been there almost fifty years. As a result, many alumni and friends will attest to the family atmosphere of St. Bernard, as well as the high academic standards.

t. Bernard Today

St. Bernard established a relationship with the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools in 2006. Under this new model, St. Bernard High School and St. Bernard Academy have merged into one school, under the new name St. Bernard School. The high school and middle school programs remain separate, with their own principals that report to a Headmaster, a new position for the school. The first headmaster of St. Bernard School is Mr. William McKenna.

In late July 2007, the Diocese of Norwich announced that Brother Robert Daszkiewicz, principal for the previous two years, had resigned. Science teacher and wrestling coach Tony Baginski has been named principal of the high school.cite web|url=http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=7763e94d-7da0-48ed-8e0f-4eac801ee8a1|title=St. Bernard Gets New Principal and Athletic Director|accessdate=2007-07-31|author=TheDay]

Notable Alumni

*Harold Pressley '82
*Brook Fordyce '89

External links

* [http://www.saint-bernard.com School Website]

Notes and references