Holy Ghost Preparatory School

Infobox Secondary school
name = Holy Ghost Preparatory School

motto = Cor unum et anima una
"One heart and one mind"
established = 1897
type = Private
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affiliation = Spiritan (Roman Catholic)
president = Rev. Jeffrey Duame, C.S.Sp.
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principal = Mr. Michael O'Toole
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enrollment = approx. 500-540
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address = 2429 Bristol Pike
city = Cornwells Heights, Bensalem
state = Pennsylvania
country = USA coord|40|4|46|N|74|56|45|W|display=title
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campus = Urban; 57 acres
colors = Red, Royal Blue and White
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mascot = Firebird
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website = [http://www.holyghostprep.org www.holyghostprep.org]
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Holy Ghost Preparatory School (often shortened to HGP or Holy Ghost Prep) is a private secondary school for boys located in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It is a Roman Catholic school, founded by and under the supervision of the Spiritan missionaries.

History

Holy Ghost Prep began in 1897 as Holy Ghost Apostolic College, a preparatory school and junior-college seminary for young men studying to become members of the religious order of the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers. In the 1950s, the school started to move its college-level program to Duquesne University and opened its doors for the first time to non-seminarians in 1959. In 1969, the seminary program was discontinued, and today the enrollment consists entirely of non-resident college-bound students.

Administration

*President: Rev. Jeffrey Duaime, C.S.Sp.
*Principal: Mr. Michael O'Toole
*Executive Director, Institutional Advancement: Mr. Kenneth M. Ferrara
*Dean of Studies: Mr. Jeffrey Danilak
*Dean of Students: Mr. Tony Chapman
*Director of Admissions: Mr. Ryan Abramson
*Athletic Director: Mr. James Stewart
*Campus Minister: Mr. Daniel Ryan

tudent body

Holy Ghost consists of slightly more than 500 students, approximately 125 per grade. Most of HGP's students come from Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, mostly Bucks County, where the school is located.

Academics

Graduation requires coursework in English, mathematics, social studies, science, foreign language, fine arts, and theology with many electives, including computer science and cinematography. As a school for the college-bound, HGP offers an extensive honors and Advanced Placement program, preparing students to take AP tests for college credit. Nearly 100 percent of its graduates go on to attend four-year colleges, with acceptance rates generally higher than national averages.

"Philadelphia Magazine" ranking

In the September 2006 edition of "Philadelphia magazine", Holy Ghost Prep was ranked eighth among top high schools in the Delaware Valley. Holy Ghost Prep was the top-ranked school with tuition less than $20,000, and ranked considerably higher than rivals St. Joseph's Prep (23rd) and La Salle College High School (24th). Of all boys schools, Holy Ghost Prep ranked second.

Athletics

HGP has many inter-scholastic and intramural sports teams. Major sports include basketball, baseball, bowling, soccer, swimming, lacrosse, hockey, tennis, cross country, golf, and track and field. Athletic facilities on campus include seven fields for various sports, a fieldhouse, and an all-weather track. The basketball team made it to the State Championship game as recently as 2004, and the hockey team has won Flyers Cup titles in 2003 and 2006.
The soccer and cross country teams each won the District 1 Championship in their respective sports in the Fall of 2007. The soccer team also won the District 1 Championship in 2002. The soccer team also won the PIAA State Soccer Championship in 1992, the only state soccer championship in school history.

Extracurricular programs

Holy Ghost's extracurricular programs emphasize its focus on student achievement while still maintaining its spiritual focus.

Forensics

Forensics (public speaking) is one of the most notable achievements of the school. In recent history, the team has won numerous individual events as well as holding the record for overall team sweepstakes award at the PHSSL state championships, and is consistently a threat to place high at the NCFL Grand National Tournament as well as the National Forensics League Tournament.

Journalism

HGP's newspaper, "The Flame", is published quarterly. It solicits articles from the entire student body, and publishes them if they are approved by Mr. Matt Jordan, the advisor to the publication.

Notable alumni

*Paul McCrane, class of 1978, actor, guest-star on "24", played Dr. Robert Romano in TV series "ER", 1997-2003.
*Kevin Michael Collins, class of 1986, actor and prominent voice-over artist, appeared in TV shows, such as "Law & Order", "Guiding Light", and "All My Children", appeared in Steven Spielberg's film "Munich" and also starred in Jamil Dehlavi's "Infinite Justice".
*Ryan Gunderson, class of 2003, professional ice hockey player for the Lowell Devils of the AHL.

External links

* [http://www.holyghostprep.org/ Holy Ghost Preparatory school website]
* [http://forensics.holyghostprep.org/ Holy Ghost Preparatory School's Forensics Team website]