Bishop Kearney High School (Irondequoit, New York)

Bishop Kearney High School is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Irondequoit, New York, USA, a suburb of Rochester. It is a private high school with a middle school subdivision, serving students in grades 6 through 12. The school occupies a sprawling 42-acre (170,000 m²) campus near the geographic center of Irondequoit, just 1 mile from Lake Ontario, and 10 minutes away from downtown Rochester.

Bishop Kearney High School
Address
125 Kings Highway South Rochester (Irondequoit, New York) , (Monroe County) , New York 14617 United States
Coordinates	43°12′6″N 77°34′43″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Motto	Fac Omnia Bene (Do All Things Well.)
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Established	1962
Founder	Blessed Edmund Rice
CEEB code	334773
NCES School ID	00929483[1]
President	Steve Salluzzo
Principal	William Geraci
Grades	6–12[2]
Enrollment	315[2] (2018)
Student to teacher ratio	15:1[2]
Campus size	42 acres (17 ha)
Campus type	suburban
Color(s)	Blue, Black and White
Team name	The Kings, "Lady" Kings (girl teams)
Accreditation	Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools[3]
Founding Orders	Christian Brothers and School Sisters of Notre Dame
Associations	NCEA[2]
Chief Executive Officer	Thomas O'Neil
Athletic Director	Ray Istas
Admissions Director	Fred Tillinghast
Website	www.bkhs.org

Origin and history

The school's dramatic facade, as photographed in the 1960s

Bishop Kearney High School was co-founded by Blessed Edmund Rice and the Congregation of Christian Brothers of Ireland, with the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The school was named after Bishop James E. Kearney of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester. It opened in 1962, accepting only freshmen at the time. Those freshmen remained the school's upperclassmen throughout their tenure, so they became the first graduates in 1966. It was opened at the same time as a nearly identical sister school, Cardinal Mooney High School, which closed in 1989. Bishop Kearney's first principal was the late Joseph M. Clark, FSCH, of the Congregation of Christian Brothers of Ireland.

Front view

Recent events

On February 13, 2007, the school announced that local billionaire B. Thomas Golisano would be donating a substantial amount to the school for improvements in technology. The money will allow the school to provide every student with a laptop computer, as well as fund a wireless network, digital projection systems, video conferencing systems, and interactive whiteboards, with the stated goal of making the school "the most technologically advanced high school" in the country. The school will also be making curriculum enhancements with its College Prep Plus, to "better prepare students for the working world," including work-scholarship opportunities with local colleges and businesses.[4] The donation has prompted the school to announce a pending name change, to "Bishop Kearney High School / A Golisano Education Partner."

On February 19, 2014 Tom Golisano offered to rescue the school's building from a bankruptcy filing by the founding Christian Brothers. Golisano offered $3.4 million to buy the 200,000-square-foot building and the 42 acres of surrounding property, with the stated intention of maintaining the school's existing educational mission.[5]

From 2015 to 2016, the school renovated the former dormatory space of the Irish Christian Brothers, on the third floor of the north half of the building. This was converted into residence space for an elite girls hockey program — with 21 dorms accommodating 42 players. The players room at and attend classes at Bishop Kearney, and participate in the hockey program — run through LEGACY Global Hockey — titled "Selects Academy at Bishop Kearney". The program launched in August 2016 with a 16-and-under team (U-16) team — followed by a U-19 team in 2017 — each with about 20 girls.[6] The program recruits players from across the United States and Canada, and play their season from September to March, and competes against teams nationally (not through Section V Athletics).[7]

Notable alumni

• Quentin Gause (2011), NFL and CFL football player.[8]
• Thomas Bryant, basketball player, second-round selection in 2017 NBA draft.
• Pamela Melroy (1979), former NASA astronaut.
• Quinton Rose (2016), former college basketball player.
• Nahziah Carter (2017), college basketball player.
• Rene Ingoglia former National Football League player and sports broadcaster for ESPN.[9]
• Don Zientara American record producer and musician.
• Tom Keegan (1977), sportswriter and author who was a columnist at the Boston Herald.
• Kamil Witkowski Polish soccer player.[10]
• Mike Foley (1972), 41st Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska.
• Michael J. Critelli (1966), former Chairman and CEO (1996-2007) of Pitney Bowes.[11]

Athletics

Bishop Kearney is well known for its strong athletics programs in Section V, and the new Selects Girls Hockey program.

BK has won Section V championship tournaments 59 times over school history. Recent Championships include: Football [Class D] (2015), Football [C] (2016), Girls Volleyball [C] (2016), Softball [C] (2017), Boys Soccer [C-2] (2017), Girls Basketball [AA] (2018).

Bishop Kearney has claimed New York State titles four times:

• Boys Basketball in 2009 and 2013.
• Girls Basketball in 2013.
• Girls Softball in 2017.[12]

Athletics Facilities:

Brother Clark Stadium is an athletics field at the school. The seating capacity of the field, including portable bleachers, is 4,500. It is one of the few high school facilities to have hosted a major league sports team, having been the home field of the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse from 2003 to 2005, prior to the Rattlers move to PAETEC Park for the 2006 season.

References

1. "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Bishop Kearney High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
2. - Bishop Kearney High Schools
3. MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on March 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
4. Bryant, Erica (2007-02-14). "Golisano helps high school go high-tech". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
5. Bryant, Erica (2014-02-19). "Golisano offers $3.4M to buy Kearney property". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
6. "Bishop Kearney looks to transform through girls hockey". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
7. "Selects Academy at Bishop Kearney". www.lgshockey.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
8. Holloway, Che (25 August 2018). "Getting to Know NFL's Quentin Gause: A Fierce Competitor With A Heart Of Gold". Retrieved 30 November 2020.
9. Allen Wilson (July 18, 1997). "Ingoglia Has Rare Opportunity to Impress Home Folks". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-30. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
10. "Schweitzer should have been #4!". SoccerSam’s Kick This. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
11. "Doing all things well: what Bishop Kearney did then and does now". Mike Critell. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
12. "Section V Championships | Bishop Kearney School of Rochester NY | Roman Catholic Education". bkhs.org. Retrieved 2018-04-09.

External links

• Bishop Kearney Website
• The glory years of the Bishop Kearney band and musical plays, 1966-1983
• Pioneers: The Bishop Kearney Class of 1966