O'Connell College Preparatory School

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O'Connell College Prepartory School
O'Connell College Prepartory School.
Established	1967
Type	Parochial Secondary
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Principal	Bill Doughty
Students	Approx. 160^[1]
Grades	9–12
Location	Galveston, Texas, Texas, USA
Oversight	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
Campus	Urban
Colors	Red and Black
Mascot	Buccanners
Website	O'Connell College Preparatory School

O'Connell College Preparatory School (formerly O'Connell High School) is a 4-year coeducational parochial/private high school in Galveston, Texas, United States that offers university-preparatory programs. It was founded in 1968 as a consolidation of Galveston Island's three existing Catholic high schools: Kirwin High School (Boys, founded in 1927) and Dominican High School (Girls, founded in 1882) and Ursuline Academy (Girls, founded in 1847) and is the only Roman Catholic high school in Galveston County.

[edit] History

In the fall of 1967, the religious orders operating the three schools agreed on consolidation as a means of continuing Catholic secondary education in Galveston, offering a broader curriculum than was possible in any of the three smaller high schools. Bishop John Morkovsky, S.T.D., approved the plan and appointed a Board of Trustees composed of laymen and priests representing all the parishes in Galveston County. The Board named the newly consolidated school after the Right Rev. Monsignor Daniel P. O’Connell, P.A., pastor of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Galveston from 1933 until his death in 1966, and a long time supporter of Catholic education. ^[2]

In 2003, after incurring many years of financial debt, Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza announced O’Connell High School would close at the end of the 2003-2004 school year. The decision met extreme resistance from local parishes, parents, and alumni, who questioned the Archbishop's motives in closing the Island school while maintaining a willingness to subsidize other high schools in Houston.

With such strong opposition from parents, students, alumni and other community leaders, Archbishop Fiorenza offered to allow the school to remain open, if funding could be secured that would enable the school to operate without any subsidy from the Archdiocese.

In the spring of 2004 a plan was presented to the Archbishop in which a private foundation, the O’Connell Foundation, would be established with funds from alumni and others in the community. The foundation would offset any expenses previously covered by the Archdiocese, as well as provide for the lease of the campus, which the Archbishop wanted to sell.

Archbishop Fiorenza approved the plan and on July 1, 2004 the school was reopened as O’Connell Consolidated High School. In the spring of 2007, the school's board of trustees decided to rename the school O'Connell College Prepartory School, to help distinguish it from other local public and private schools of secondary education.