Holy Cross School (New Orleans)

Holy Cross Middle and High School
Address
5500 Paris Avenue New Orleans , Louisiana USA
Information
Type	Private all-male secondary
Motto	Ave Crux, Spes Unica (Hail the Cross, our Only Hope!)
Established	1879
Headmaster	Mr. Charles Digange
Grades	5-12
Number of students	749
Color(s)	Old Gold and Navy Blue
Mascot	Tigers
Affiliations	Roman Catholic, Holy Cross, Basil Moreau
Website	[1]

Holy Cross High School is a high school and middle school founded in 1879 by the Congregation of Holy Cross in New Orleans, Louisiana. The main founder of Holy Cross is Blessed Father Basil Moreau, who was just recently beatified. Holy Cross High was originally named St. Isadore's College. The school's founding principle is the school code, "The Holy Cross Man."

Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans, Holy Cross School remains unrivaled as a New Orleans middle/high (grades 5-12) school for boys that has created an educational environment that helps boys become men, through a curriculum and staffing that creates "heart, mind, body and soul" enrichment, making men who lead lives that create personal and social action for the betterment of others.

In 1849 the Brothers, Priests and Sisters of Holy Cross arrived in New Orleans, after having established the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and took over an orphanage for the boys and girls who survived a plague. This orphanage, along with the first Ursuline School for Girls (the oldest Catholic School in America), was destroyed to make room for the 1923 Industrial Canal (the same Industrial Canal which experienced levee failures that flooded large parts of New Orleans twice, with Hurricane Betsy (1965) and Hurricane Katrina (2005)).

In 1923 Holy Cross moved to its current historic site, 4950 Dauphine Street, and built a "collegiate-styled campus" of renown and established in 1879 its current school, bordered by the high Mississippi River levee. This area has since become a Federal Historic District known as the "Holy Cross Historic District".

Part of the Holy Cross historic campus in the Lower 9th Ward

Holy Cross Relocation

With Hurricane Katrina, the campus, like the majority of the city, was flooded by the Levee failures on the Industrial Canal and levee "over-topped" by storm surge along the Mississippi Gulf Outlet (MRGO) that destroyed St. Bernard Parish and Eastern New Orleans) and Greater New Orleans, 8/2005. The school has relocated to 5500 Paris Avenue, the campuses of the former St. Francis Cabrini Parish and Redeemer-Seton High School on Paris Avenue between Filmore and Prentiss Avenue. Demolition of the various structures which once stood on those parcels is underway. This is one of the many steps in the construction of the new location which is now Holy Cross High School.

The Advisory Committee of the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries informed Holy Cross School that it has been chosen to receive a $50,000 grant to purchase books for the school's library. She attended Holy Cross on Thursday, April 19, 2007 to present the 14 grantees in Mississippi and Louisiana, including Holy Cross, with the donation.

Athletics

Holy Cross football vs. Jesuit football is the oldest continuous high school rivalry in Louisiana and one of the oldest continuous high school football rivalries in the United States. The first game was played in 1922 (which Jesuit won 52-0). The two teams have played every year since, including twice in 1963 (once in regular season and again for the state crown, which Holy Cross won).

Holy Cross was the first school in the New Orleans area to field a football team post-Katrina in late September of the 2005 football season. The team played a shortened schedule and won four of seven games, including a playoff match. Holy Cross defeated archrival Jesuit during this season in the 87th meeting of the storied rivalry.

The Tigers were the 1939 state basketball champions. They again made the championsip game in 1973 but lost to Brother Martin.

Holy Cross is also known for its wrestling program, and has won the Louisiana state championship in this sport 24 times. Twenty-two of those titles were won during the 23-year period of 1945 to 1968; 1951 was the only year in this period when the state championship was not won by the Tigers. [2]These teams were coached by Brother Melchior Polowy who is largely considered the founder of High School Wrestling in Louisiana.

Alma Mater

The Holy Cross Alma Mater is the most important display of spirit one can show for the school. When singing the Alma Mater, members of the Holy Cross family raise their right hands and extend their index fingers in a symbolic gesture of unity.

"Holy Cross we hail thee, tender strong and true.

Proudly from thy towers, gleams thy gold and blue.

Glory's crown adorns thee, shining is thy fame.

And our hearts' forever praise thy glorius name.

And our hearts' forever praise thy glorius name!"

Holy Cross Victory March

The Holy Cross Fight Song was derived from Notre Dame College's fight song who was also founded by the Holy Cross Brothers.

"Rally, sons of Holy Cross.

Sings her glory, victory or loss.

Praise her gold and blue,

Rah! Rah! For Holy Cross!

We will fight in every game

Strong of heart and true to her name.

We will ne'er forget her

And we'll cheer her ever

Loyal to Holy Cross!

Cheer, cheer for old Holy Cross.

Cheer her in victory, cheer her in loss.

Send a volley cheer on high,

Shake down the thunder from the sky.

What though the odd be great or small,

Old Holy Cross will win over all.

While her loyal sons are marching

Onward to victory."

External links

• Holy Cross High School Website
• Homecoming Isn't a Game This Season by Jere Longman
• Holy Cross football vs. Jesuit football
• Holy Cross: In Love With A Place By Clancy DuBos
• Holy Cross Wrestling
• Holy Cross Robotics