Arlington Catholic High School
Address
16 Medford Street

Arlington
,
Massachusetts
02474

United States
Coordinates42°24′56″N 71°9′3″W / 42.41556°N 71.15083°W / 42.41556; -71.15083
Information
TypePrivate, coeducational
Motto"Accept the Challenge"
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1960
FounderOscar O'Gorman
PrincipalJohn Graceffa[1]
Faculty70
Grades9–12
Enrollment791 (2008)
Color(s)Blue and gold   
Athletics conferenceCatholic Central League
NicknameCougars
AccreditationNew England Association of Schools and Colleges[2]
PublicationImaginary Gardens (literary magazine)
NewspaperCougar Growl
WebsiteSchool website

Arlington Catholic High School (ACHS) is a coeducational Catholic high school in Arlington, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and serves grades 9-12.

History

The members of St. Agnes Parish, a Catholic church in Arlington, established the school in 1960. Monsignor Oscar O'Gorman headed the school's development.[3] Initially the school had 9th grade students.[4] The rear of the school building includes a portion of the Russell School,[5] a Victorian-style school building first built in 1873.[6] In 1956 Russell School closed due to the opening of nearby Francis E. Thompson Elementary School, and the first and second floors of the building were built into the Arlington Catholic facility.[5]

Arlington Catholic's first class graduated in 1964.[3]

Student body

As of 2017 the school has about 650 students, including American students and students who were citizens of eight other countries. Students reside in over 47 communities in the area. Over 50 churches within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston had members who were students.[3]

Allegations of sexual abuse

Allegations of sexual abuse and a cover-up led to a lawsuit in 2023. It alleged that, between the years of 2011 and 2016, the man who was vice principal and later principal of the school sexually abused 3 students at the school.[7] Local church leaders, including Boston Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, were named as defendants in the lawsuit as well and were accused of being participants in the abuse cover-up.[7] A similar lawsuit was filed in 2022, which detailed alleged abuse that occurred between 1999 and 2001.[8] The principal was placed on administrative leave in 2016, pending the outcome of an investigation into an undisclosed incident. He did not return to the school.[8]

Athletics and student culture

As of 2017 the school's athletic program has twenty-six sports which have varsity-level teams.[3]

In addition there are twenty-three activity programs and student clubs.[3]

Notable alumni

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Arlington Catholic Faculty Directory". www.achssas.org. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. ↑ NEASC-CIS. "NEASC-Commission on Independent Schools". Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Our Celebrated History." Arlington Catholic High School. Retrieved on May 2, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Key Facts." Arlington Catholic High School. Retrieved on May 2, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Duffy, Richard A. Arlington. Arcadia Publishing, 2006. ISBN 0-7385-4542-2, 9780738545424. p. 32.
  6. ↑ Duffy, Richard A. Arlington. Arcadia Publishing, August 1, 1997. ISBN 0-7385-9043-6, 9780738590431. p. 30.
  7. 1 2 Hilliard, John (May 23, 2023). "Cardinal O'Malley, other church leaders failed to prevent abuse of three former Arlington Catholic students, lawsuit claims". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Rios, Simon; Creamer, Lisa (May 22, 2023). "3 people sue cardinal, bishops, over alleged sex abuse by Arlington Catholic High ex-principal". WBUR. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  9. ↑ Sweeney, Emily (2017-03-02). "Julianne Nicholson series 'Eyewitness' canceled after one season". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
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