Holy Cross High School

Holy Cross High School is a Catholic secondary school founded in Waterbury, Connecticut, in 1968 by the Congregation of Holy Cross. It is the largest Catholic secondary school in Connecticut, situated on thirty-seven acres in the West End of Waterbury, Connecticut, accessible via Route 8 and I-84. It is not part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. Holy Cross has a total enrollment of 500 students, in four grades, with each grade averaging 125 students. Originally an all-boys institution, it became co-educational in 1975 when it merged with the Waterbury Catholic High School, an all-girls school. The Holy Cross High School campus maintains a campus-wide WiFi signal; a library; a large instrumental and choral music room with adjacent practice rooms; science labs; a foreign language lab; a guidance complex; a 750-seat tiered auditorium; a full-service cafeteria; a gymnasium; the Stephen J. Ross Fitness Center; and digital classrooms and art studios in the recently constructed Alex Family Gallery Art and Technology Center. Origins In September 1966, Archbishop Henry J. O'Brien announced that an all-boys Roman Catholic high school in Waterbury was scheduled to open in September 1968. The original plans were designed to accommodate 1,200 students, parking for 400 cars, and facilities for an extensive physical education program. On May 5, 1967, Holy Cross High School held its groundbreaking ceremony. The Brothers of Holy Cross agreed to staff the new facility. Brother Robert Fontaine coordinated the opening of the new high school, eventually serving as its first guidance counselor. The first entrance exam was administered on February 24, 1968. Through the school's recruitment efforts, 325 students were scheduled to begin their studies at Holy Cross High School. The staff, headed by first Principal Brother Patrick Halpin, numbered ten. Plans called for eight classrooms and a residence for the Brothers to be completed by September 1, 1968.