John S. Burke Catholic High School, referred to locally as Burke Catholic, is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Goshen, New York and is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Burke Catholic is the only Catholic high school located in Orange County. The school's colors are blue and white, with their sports teams, the Burke Catholic Eagles, carrying on those colors. Occasionally, silver is added to the school's colors. The school motto is "Non Vox Sed Votum", Latin for "Not Words But Deeds". John Douthit and Janice Clark have been the principals of John S. Burke Catholic since 2017. In May 2008, connecting acres of land to the school were bought by the Archdiocese.
Background
Burke Catholic was established in 1899. The school was originally staffed by the Sisters of Charity and previously called St. John's Academic School, Garr Institute and St. John's High School. In 1963, a new building was built at its current location and renamed for John Stephen Burke, a New York City philanthropist. General Martin Dempsey, a 1970 graduate of Burke Catholic and the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered the commencement address at the class of 2012's graduation held at West Point.
Student life
Some extracurricular activities that students can participate in are the Drama Club, Social Awareness, Computer Club, Yearbook, and others. Many students also take part in the available sport programs. Most recently, in March 2011, the Burke Catholic Eagles boys' basketball team were crowned New York State Class B Champions with a 62-52 victory over Potsdam. The boys football team went to the New York State Final Four in both 2016 and 2017. Throughout the year, commonly during spring break, optional trips are organized by various teachers. These have included Yellowstone National Park, Rome, Greece/Italy, Canada, France, England/Scotland, and others including a trip to the Dominican Republic to help those in impoverished conditions.
On January 27, 2009, it was announced that the Archdiocese of New York would allow all Catholic high schools to operate independently, including John S. Burke Catholic High School. The Archdiocese said this action stemmed from a desire for a more efficient operation of the schools and that a local, independent Board of Directors would oversee the activities of the school.
