Bishop Hendricken High School

Coordinates: 41.70605° N 71.39422° W

Bishop Thomas Francis Hendricken High School is a Catholic, all male, college preparatory high school located in Warwick, RI, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence. It is staffed by the Irish Christian Brothers congregation. The school's current president is Brother Thomas R. Leto, CFC, and its principal is Mr. Vincent Mancuso.

History

Founded by Russell J. McVinney, Bishop of Providence, Bishop Hendricken High School, named for Thomas F. Hendricken, first Bishop of Providence, opened in 1959 with a student body of 350 students. Two years later, reflecting the trend of increasing enrollment in parochial schools, enrollment had increased to some 800 students. Located on a 34-acre campus in Warwick, Rhode Island, the school was run by the Brothers of the Holy Cross as a private Catholic high school. During the 1960s the school gained recognition for achievements in sports and academics.

In 1970, the Brothers of the Holy Cross announced that they would be leaving the school. The announcement had a dramatic effect on the school; enrollment plummeted, and a rumor began spreading of the school's closure, leading to a campaign by teachers, parents, students and alumni to save the school. Through the intercession of Bishop McVinney, the Congregation of Christian Brothers agreed to take over staffing the school. In September of 1971, with Br. Thomas Feerick as Principal and Br. James Liguori as Assistant Principal, the school opened as usual: now as a diocesan, Catholic secondary school with the Congregation of Christian Brothers running the school and the Bishop Hendricken High School Corporation as the governing board. The Brothers' first goals were to increase enrollment and raise necessary funds, both of which were accomplished quickly enough to ensure the school's survivial.

To handle the increasing student population, in 1975 Bishop Hendricken High School took over the former Our Lady of Providence Seminary High School at Warwick Neck, which became the new senior campus. A Board of Directors was established in 1990, and in May, 1993, Bishop Hendricken was named a "Blue Ribbon School of Excellence" by the U.S. Department of Education. At the same time, plans were announced to build a $2 million senior wing, allowing seniors to return to the main campus.

Over the period of 1997 and early 1998, the school added the following: a 16,000 square foot South Gymnasium; a 5,000 square foot outdoor street hockey/basketball area; a redesigned West Gate on Oakland Beach Avenue; a 6,000 square foot West Wing of classrooms; an official web site. In late 2005, the school completed a new two-story building containing classrooms with integrated SMART Board technology, a theater with an effective thrust stage, and various arts-related accommodations.

In October of 2007, President Thomas Leto announced plans to create a co-educational Bishop Hendricken Middle School at the present site of St. Kevin Elementary School in Warwick, Rhode Island. While the middle school will allow the attendance of females, Leto acknowledges that the high school intends to remain all-male. Enrollment applications were sent out immediately following the announcement, and the complex is set to open in the fall of 2008.

Famous Alumni

• James Langevin, U.S. Congressman

• Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

• Will Blackmon, Green Bay Packers

• Thomas A. DiPrete, Professor/Chair of Department of Sociology, Columbia University

• AJ Smith, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the San Diego Chargers

• David Emma, Hobey Baker Memorial Award recipient

• Steve Furness, Pittsburgh Steelers

• Jay Rainville, Minnesota Twins

• Tony Tedeschi, AVN Hall of Fame ^{[citation needed]}

• Victor Mercurio, State Superintendent, 1985 Baseball Pepsi Player of Year

• Nicholas, Ronald, and Peter Cardi, R.I. Commercial Celebrities & Furniture Chain owners

• Pete Sheppard, radio host, WEEI in Boston

Controversy/Newsworthy Incidents

In 2005, Vice Principal for Student Life Timothy J. Sheldon was arrested for solicitation of a 14 year old boy. He was caught by pervertedjustice.com, the same company that partners with Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator. Sheldon pleaded no contest to indecent solicitation. He was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to surrender his Rhode Island teaching certificate and undergo sexual counseling and treatment.

External links

• Bishop Hendricken High School Website
  • Mission Statement

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