Essex Catholic High School


Essex Catholic Boys High School was a four-year Catholic high school located in Newark and East Orange, New Jersey. Essex Catholic High School opened in 1957. It was run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.

History

The school's original location was at 300 Broadway in Newark. In the fall of 1980, the all-male school was moved to East Orange, where it took over the location of the closed all-girl's East Orange Catholic High School. It remained open at that location until June 2003 when it closed due to a lack of enrollment. Concurrent with ECHS's move to East Orange, the Archdiocese created Essex Catholic Girls High School, an all-girls Catholic high school at the former location of Archbishop Walsh Catholic High School in Irvington, N.J.
The school was supported in its early years by the efforts of the Most Reverend Thomas A. Boland, the Archbishop of Newark. In 2003, Archbishop John J. Myers agreed to close the school when the student enrollment hit a record low of 267 students in its final year, down from more than 400 five years earlier. At its peak, enrollment hovered around 3,500. In 2000, ECHS was renamed Bishop Francis Essex Catholic High School.
The area surrounding the original location went into a sharp decline following the 1967 Newark riots. The situation was further complicated by an increase in tuition in the spring of 1970 that doubled the $300 annual cost to $600 per student. The tuition increase was phased in over a period of three school years. The Class of 1971 went from $300.00 in 1970 to $400.00 in 1971. The Class of 1972 went from $300.00 in 1970 to $500.00 in 1971 and the Classes of 1973 and beyond were charged the full $600.00.
The school's 300 Broadway location is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and had been built in 1927 as the corporate headquarters of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company. The Archdiocese sold the building to a private group, which later opened a nursing facility at the location.
Following the formal closing of the school in 2003, a small group of alumni and supporters attempted to reopen a "new" Essex Catholic High School at a different location. That plan never came to fruition.
Since its closing in 2003, ECHS has maintained an active alumni association, Essex Catholic High School Foundation, Inc. Since 1982, this group has held the annual Alumni Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction, which typically attracts more than 200 alumni, faculty, family and friends. The Foundation awards scholarships to children and grandchildren of alumni. The Foundation also runs other annual fundraising events, among them the 300 Broadway Reception & Tour at the school's original location, an Alumni Golf Outing, and an All-Alumni Reunion at McGovern's Tavern in Newark, N.J. The Foundation also supports Christ the King Preparatory School, a Catholic high school in the Cristo Rey Network, located at the former Our Lady of Good Counsel High School building in Newark. Proceeds from the 300 Broadway Reception & Tour and Alumni Golf Outing go directly to CTK Prep.

Athletics

The baseball team won the Non-Public A state championship in 1966 and won the Non-Public A state title in 1976, defeating Saint Anthony High School in the tournament final.
The basketball team won the Public A state championship in 1975 and 1977.
In 1965, senior John Suminski ended his high school career with over one thousand points against Mater Dei High School. In the North Jersey Parochial Final, coach Garvey's Eagles played against Don Bosco High School. In the end, the Essex Catholic cagers could not stay ahead of the Don Bosco squad in the closing minutes of the game and lost 66 to 65.
Essex Catholic had a very successful fencing program under the coaching talent of Dr. Sam D'Ambola. His teams won the New Jersey State Team Championships nine times from 1965 to 1971, and then twice again in 1987 and 88.. Essex Catholic dominated the Dr. Gerald I. Cetrulo Memorial Tournament, winning this competition ten times: 1963, 1965 to 1971, 1974, and 1987. For two decades, Essexmen have won state titles. The Following Essex Catholic fencers have won New Jersey state individual championship titles, listing the year and the fencer- State foil title: 1965 Walter Krause, 1967 Wayne Krause, 1968 Steve Sisa, 1970 Phil Accaria, 1971 Jim Rodgers, and 1975 Brian McIntee. The state sabre title: 1965 John Lina, 1968 Bruce Soriano, 1969 Phil Reilly, 1970 Peter Westbrook, 1973 Mike Benedek, 1974 Don Krantle, 1983 Tim Byrne, and 1987 Chris Baguer. Two Alumni fenced at the Olympic level in 1984: Phil Reilly and Peter Westbrook, and three NCAA national champions: Walter Krause Foil 1970; Bruce Soriano Sabre 1970,'71,'72; Peter Westbrook Sabre 1973.. Some of Dr. D'Ambola's fencers continued his legacy and went on to successfully coach other high school teams in the New Jersey fencing community. Tom Boutsikaris coached Montclair Kimberly Academy; Gus de la Llave coached at Essex Catholic, Morristown high schools and is at Millburn High School; Derrick Hoff coached at St. Benedicts; George La Torre coached at Essex Catholic, Millburn and Morristown high schools; Frank Mustilli coached at Columbia High School; and Jim Powers coached at Montclair Kimberly Academy and is at Chatham High School.

Notable alumni