Arlington Catholic High School

Private, coeducational school in Arlington, Massachusetts, United States

Arlington Catholic High School

Address

16 Medford Street

Arlington

Massachusetts

02474

United States

Coordinates| 42°24′56″N 71°9′3″W﻿ / ﻿42.41556°N 71.15083°W﻿ / 42.41556; -71.15083
Information
Type| Private, coeducational
Motto| "Accept the Challenge"
Religious affiliation(s)| Roman Catholic
Established| 1960
Founder| Oscar O'Gorman
Principal| John Graceffa[1]
Faculty| 70
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 791 (2008)
Color(s)| Blue and gold
Athletics conference| Catholic Central League
Nickname| Cougars
Accreditation| New England Association of Schools and Colleges[2]
Publication| Imaginary Gardens (literary magazine)
Newspaper| Cougar Growl
Website| School 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

As of 2017[update] 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

[edit]

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] Separate allegations emerged in 2023--a teacher who had spent several years at the school and attained a position of power as head of the Mathematics program resigned due to "inappropriate conduct" with students.[9]

## Athletics and student culture

[edit]

As of 2017[update] 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

[edit]

* Vicki Movsessian '90 - US Women's Hockey Team Olympic gold medalist in Nagano in 1998
* Julianne Nicholson '89 - actress; won Primetime Emmy Award for her role in HBO's Mare of Easttown (Law & Order: Criminal Intent)[10]
* Mark J. Sullivan '72 - former Director of the United States Secret Service

## Notes and references

[edit]

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. ^ a b c d e "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ Kwangwari • •, Munashe (2023-12-20). "Parents shocked after Arlington Catholic teacher resigns amid investigation: 'Nobody can believe it'". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
10. ^ Sweeney, Emily (2017-03-02). "Julianne Nicholson series 'Eyewitness' canceled after one season". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2017-05-02.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arlington Catholic High School.

* Official website

* v
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Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

Ordinaries|

Bishops
Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus
Benedict Joseph Fenwick
John Bernard Fitzpatrick

Archbishops
John Joseph Williams
William Henry O'Connell
Richard Cushing
Humberto Sousa Medeiros
Bernard Francis Law
Seán Patrick O'Malley

Auxiliary bishops
Cristiano Borro Barbosa
Robert Francis Hennessey
Mark William O'Connell
Robert Philip Reed
Peter J. Uglietto

Emeriti bishops
John Anthony Dooher
Arthur L. Kennedy

Deceased
Joseph Gaudentius Anderson
Thomas Francis Markham
Emilio S. Allué
Francis Xavier Irwin
Walter James Edyvean

Churches|

List
List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston

Cathedral
Cathedral of the Holy Cross

Basilicas and shrines
Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Boston
St. Anthony Shrine, Boston
St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, Boston
Our Lady of Good Voyage, the Seaport Shrine

Parishes
Holy Name, West Roxbury
Holy Trinity, Lowell
Our Lady of Czestochowa, Boston
Our Lady of Good Voyage, Gloucester
Our Lady Help of Christians, Newton
Sacred Heart, Cambridge
St. Albert the Great, Weymouth
St. Charles Borromeo, Waltham
St. John the Baptist, Salem
St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge
St. Joseph, Boston
St. Leonard, Boston
St. Mary, Dedham (History)
St. Mary, Milton
St. Mary, Newton
St. Mary, Waltham
St. Mary, Winchester
St. Mary – St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
St. Paul, Cambridge
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr, Chelsea
St. Susanna, Dedham

Former parishes
Holy Cross, Boston
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, East Boston
St. Aidan, Brookline
St. Catherine of Sienna, Charlestown
St. Joseph, Roxbury
St. Mary, Charlestown
St. Stephen, Boston

Education|

Seminaries
Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary
St. John's Seminary

Colleges
Boston College
Emmanuel College
Labouré College
Merrimack College
Regis College
St. John's Seminary

Closed
Marian Court College

High schools
Academy of Notre Dame, Tyngsboro
Arlington Catholic High School, Arlington
Austin Preparatory School, Reading
Bishop Fenwick High School, Peabody
Boston College High School, Dorchester
Cathedral High School, Boston
Catholic Memorial School, West Roxbury
Central Catholic High School, Lawrence
Cristo Rey Boston High School, Dorchester
Fontbonne Academy, Milton
Lowell Catholic High School, Lowell
Malden Catholic High School, Malden
Newton Country Day School, Newton
Notre Dame Academy, Hingham
Notre Dame High School, Lawrence
St. John's Preparatory School, Danvers
St. Mary's High School, Lynn
Saint Sebastian's School, Needham
Ursuline Academy, Dedham
Xaverian Brothers High School, Westwood

Closed
Cambridge Matignon School, Cambridge
Don Bosco Technical High School, Boston
Elizabeth Seton Academy, Boston
Hudson Catholic High School, Hudson
Marian High School, Framingham
Mount Alvernia High School, Newton
Nazareth Academy, Wakefield
Pope John XXIII High School, Everett
Presentation of Mary Academy, Methuen
Sacred Heart High School, Kingston
Saint Clement High School, Medford
Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston
St. Dominic Savio Preparatory High School, Boston
Trinity Catholic High School, Newton

Former
Archbishop Williams High School, Braintree
Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton

Priests|

John P. Brennan
Charles A. Finn
Gerald Fitzgerald
John Geoghan
George Kerr
Philip King
Mimie Pitaro
Patrick O'Beirne
Dennis J. O'Donovan
Paul Fitzpatrick Russell
Paul Shanley
Henry A. Walsh

Other|

The Pilot (archdiocese newspaper)
CatholicTV
Regina Cleri
Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal

* United States portal
* Catholicism portal

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

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