Bethlehem Catholic High School

Last updated
Bethlehem Catholic High School
Bethlehem Catholic High School.jpg
Bethlehem Catholic High School, March 2007
Address
Bethlehem Catholic High School
2133 Madison Avenue

Bethlehem
,
Pennsylvania
18017

United States
Coordinates 40°38′31″N75°22′18″W / 40.64194°N 75.37167°W / 40.64194; -75.37167
Information
Type Private, coeducational high school
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established1925;99 years ago (1925)
Oversight Diocese of Allentown
PrincipalDean Donaher
Staff42.3 (on an FTE basis)
Grades 9th–12th
Enrollment678 (2020-21)
Student to teacher ratio16.0
Campus typeSmall city
Color(s)   Brown and gold
Athletics conference Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Nickname Golden Hawks
Rival Allentown Central Catholic High School and Liberty High School [1]
NewspaperThe Hawk
YearbookSceptre
School fees$1,200
Tuition$9,000
Website becahi.org

Bethlehem Catholic High School, more commonly referred to as Becahi or just Beca, is a parochial high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The school is within the Diocese of Allentown and is located at 2133 Madison Avenue in Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

Contents

As of 2020-21, the school had 678 students, according to National Center for Education Statistics data.

History

The Bethlehem Catholic High School first opened its doors in the Spring of 1926. [2] Prior to this in 1925 Cardinal Dennis Dougherty and then Superintendent of the Schools of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Hugh Lamb recognized the need for a dedicated Catholic high-school in South Bethlehem due to the large amount of Catholic emigration to the region. [3] Holy Infancy Parish located on 4th Street was the initial school building, with their pastor Charles Bowles, being named the first superintendent. [3]

Bowles was able to raise $50,537 [lower-alpha 1] within a month, allowing for a formal dedication on August 24, 1926. [2] By the end of the year the school was accredited to offer a full four year education. [3] By 1927 the school published the first edition of its yearbook the Brown and Gold with most students being the first in their families to attend four years of high-school. [3] Since the school opened it was staffed with Sisters of St. Joseph, and by 1934, through a competition in a local newspaper, the nickname BecaHi was adopted. [3]

In February of 1961, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was subdivided with Bethlehem falling in the new Diocese of Allentown. [2] One of the first acts by the diocese's first Bishop, Joseph McShea, was to expand BecaHi, authorizing the construction of a new, larger, school on the north side of Bethlehem on Dewberry Road, which opened its doors in 1964, with classes being split between the two schools until 1969 when the south side campus was turned into the Holy Infancy Elementary School. [2] BecaHi would become a co-educational in 1971. [2] Prior to this, the school was split into a "boys wing" and a "girls wing." [2] In 1973 the school hired its first lay principal, Richard Culver. [2]

Athletics

Bethlehem Catholic High School's football team plays their home games at BASD Stadium, a 16,000 capacity stadium in Bethlehem that is one of Pennsylvania's largest high school stadiums BASD Stadium.jpg
Bethlehem Catholic High School's football team plays their home games at BASD Stadium, a 16,000 capacity stadium in Bethlehem that is one of Pennsylvania's largest high school stadiums

Bethlehem Catholic High School competes athletically in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (EPC) in the District XI division of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, one of the premier high school athletic divisions in the nation. Home athletic events are held on the campus of Bethlehem Catholic High School while football games are played at the 14,000 capacity Frank Banko Field at Bethlehem Area School District Stadium, one of Pennsylvania's largest high school stadiums. [4]

State championships

Boys basketball

Girls basketball

Football: Pennsylvania state champions, first two-time champion in PIAA football championship history.

Softball

Track and Field

Boys volleyball

Girls volleyball

Wrestling: Individual championships

Wrestling: Team championships

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Notes

  1. ↑ $891,769.62 adjusted for inflation c.2024

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References

  1. ↑ "Hard to believe, but it's rivalry week", The Morning Call, October 26, 2021
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Becahi revisits 75 years of history **School opened in 1926 to serve south Bethlehem. Its range extends farther today". The Morning Call . Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Us". becahi.org. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ↑ LVIAC Bethlehem Catholic Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ P.C.I.A.A. State Championship Records
  6. ↑ PIAA Girls State Basketball Champions | PennLive.com
  7. ↑ "South Park drops Bethlehem Catholic for PIAA 3A girls basketball title".
  8. ↑ lehighvalleylive.com, Kyle Craig | For (23 March 2017). "Bethlehem Catholic girls basketball wins 1st state championship". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  9. ↑ lehighvalleylive.com, Kyle Craig | For (23 March 2019). "Bethlehem Catholic girls basketball is Golden again with state title victory". lehighvalleylive.com. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  10. ↑ Bethlehem Catholic defeated by Greencastle-Antrim in PIAA Class AAA softball championship game | lehighvalleylive.com
  11. ↑ Bethlehem Catholic High School wins PIAA Class AA boys volleyball championship | lehighvalleylive.com
  12. ↑ Emotional state championship for Bethlehem Catholic boys volleyball team | lehighvalleylive.com
  13. ↑ "Bethlehem Catholic girls volleyball team responds to adversity, wins state title". 15 November 2014.
  14. ↑ Bethlehem Catholic Wins 2A State Wrestling Championship | News - Home
  15. ↑ WIN’s March 1, 2011 High School Rankings | WIN Magazine: Amateur Wrestling News
  16. ↑ PA-Wrestling.com : Your online resource for Pennsylvania Wrestling
  17. ↑ Lehigh Valley [ permanent dead link ]
  18. ↑ "Bethlehem Catholic wrestling team claims third straight state title". 10 February 2013.
  19. ↑ Housenick, Mandy (April 10, 2004). "Leary attracting local talent for Lehigh". The Morning Call . Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "Zack Makovsky Bio" . Retrieved 2014-01-01.
  21. ↑ Catching Up With: Former Bethlehem Catholic and Philadelphia Eagles tight end John Spagnola | lehighvalleylive.com
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