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Bethlehem Catholic High School

Summary

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.

Bethlehem Catholic High School
Bethlehem Catholic High School, March 2007
Address
Map
2133 Madison Avenue

Bethlehem
,
Pennsylvania
18017

United States
Coordinates40°38′31″N 75°22′18″W / 40.64194°N 75.37167°W / 40.64194; -75.37167
Information
TypePrivate, coeducational high school
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1925; 99 years ago (1925)
OversightDiocese of Allentown
PrincipalDean Donaher
Staff42.3 (on an FTE basis)
Grades9th–12th
Enrollment678 (2020-21)
Student to teacher ratio16.0
Campus typeSmall city
Color(s)   Brown and gold
Athletics conferenceEastern Pennsylvania Conference
NicknameGolden Hawks
RivalAllentown Central Catholic High School and Liberty High School[1]
NewspaperThe Hawk
YearbookSceptre
School fees$1,200
Tuition$9,000
Websitebecahi.org

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

History edit

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[a] 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 edit

 
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 edit

Boys basketball

  • 1960 PCIAA Class B State Champions[5]
  • 1962 PCIAA Class B State Champions

Girls basketball

  • 1993 Class AAA runner-up (North Catholic 62–42)[6]
  • 2013 Class AAA runner-up (South Park 53–38) [7]
  • 2017 Class AAAA State Champions (Villa Maria 46–27)[8]
  • 2019 Class AAAA State Champions (North Catholic 49–60)[9]

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

  • 1988 Class AA champions (inaugural year of State playoffs)
  • 1990 Class AAA champions

Softball

  • 2009 Class AAA State runner-up (9 innings 1–0)[10]
  • 2014 Class AAA State runner-up
  • 2015 Class AAA State Champions

Track and Field

  • 2002 Class AA State Boys Team runner-up
  • 2003 Class AA State Boys Team Champions

Boys volleyball

Girls volleyball

  • 2014 Class AA State Champions[13]

Wrestling: Individual championships

  • 2011 Class AA State Dual Meet Champions[14] - Ranked #15 nationally by WIN Magazine.[15]
  • 2012 Class AA State Dual Meet Champions[16][17] - Ranked #12 nationally by Inter-Mat.
  • 2013 Class AA State Dual Meet Champions[18]
  • 2014 Class AA State Dual Meet Champions
  • 2016 Class AAA State Dual Meet Champions
  • 2017 Class AAA State Dual Meet Runner-up

Wrestling: Team championships

  • 1979 Class AAA State Team Champions (2 State Champions)
  • 2012 Class AA State Team Champions (3 State Champions & 1 runner-up)
  • 2013 Class AA State Team Champions (1 State Champion & 1 runner-up)
  • 2014 Class AA State Team Champions (3 State Champions & 1 runner-up)

Notable alumni edit

Notable faculty edit

Notes edit

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

References edit

  1. ^ "Hard to believe, but it's rivalry week", The Morning Call, October 26, 2021
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "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. ^ a b c d e "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

External links edit

  • Official website
    • Bethlehem Catholic High School athletics official website
    • Bethlehem Catholic High School on Facebook
    • Bethlehem Catholic High School on Twitter
    • Bethlehem Catholic High School athletics on Twitter
  • Bethlehem Catholic High School profile at Niche
  • Bethlehem Catholic High School sports coverage at The Express-Times

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