The History
of St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls
St. Hubert Parish Church and
School was opened in 1925 by Rev. John P. Ludwig, who with the help
of the Franciscan Sisters would use the parish to serve German-speaking
Catholics of Northeast Philadelphia. At that time, St. Hubert consisted
of the oldest section of the building, now called “St. Joseph Hall,”
with the outside steps leading up to the church proper, the ground floor
serving as the church hall, and the second floor used at the grade school
classrooms. St. Hubert continued in its parish commitment until
1940 when Cardinal Dennis Dougherty ordered St. Hubert Parish to close
due to declining numbers and rising financial costs.
The reconditioning of St. Hubert
parish and school began, and on September 8, 1941 St. Hubert Catholic
High School for Girls was established with a full four-year program.
The fourth diocesan girls’ high school in Philadelphia, St. Hubert
opened its doors with over 600 students for the first semester.
The first faculty consisted of 20 religious, six Sisters of St. Francis,
four Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, four Sisters of St. Joseph,
two Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, four Sisters of Notre Dame
de Namur, and three female lay teachers. Sister M. Ruperta, OSF
served as the first administrator with the title of “prefect.”
On June 6, 1942, the first senior class, numbering 139 students, graduated
from St. Hubert.
Over the next decade, St. Hubert
continued to grow in curriculum and enrollment. September 1951
saw the results of this expansion with the opening of St. Mary’s Building.
This addition included the gymnasium/auditorium on Cottman Street and
three floors of classrooms and laboratories. In July 1952, Rev.
Richard J. Simons was appointed the first principal of St. Hubert.
In September 1956, Sacred Heart Hall, a second addition consisting of
classrooms, a cafeteria and a new auditorium was opened. During
the following year, the enrollment continued to increase until it reached
3,802 during the 1965-66 school year. With the opening of Archbishop
Ryan High School in the fall of 1966, the problem of overcrowding was
greatly relieved.
In June 1967, Rev. James H.
Meehan was appointed principal of St. Hubert. In June 1971, Rev.
Gerard A. Steffe was appointed principal and served for two years until
September 1973 when Rev. Philip J. Cribben became principal. In
the fall of 1975, the administrative staff was increased by the appointment
of Miss Helen Chaykowsky as vice principal.
In May 1980, Sister M. Marcus,
OSF was appointed principal. History had come full circle with
yet another Sister of St. Francis at the helm—just as had been six
decades previously with the sisters who had staffed the St. Hubert parish
in the ‘20s and ‘30s. After serving throughout the ‘80s,
Sister Marcus turned the office over to St. Hubert’s first lay principal,
Joanne H. Walls, in July 1988. In July 1994, Mrs. Walls assumed
the duties of president of St. Hubert and Sister Marie Esther, IHM,
was appointed principal. Sister Alma Rose Schlosser, SSJ, was
appointed president of St. Hubert in July 1996. After thirteen
years of service as principal, Sister Marie Esther, IHM moved on to
another diocesan position: Sister Mary Smith, IHM was appointed
the eighth principal of St. Hubert High School in July 2007. After thirteen years of dedication to her Alma Mater, Sister Alma Rose Schlosser, SSJ moved on to the Director of Parent Relations at Chestnut Hill College. In the July of 2009 Sister Mary Smith was appointed to the postion of president and we welcomed our newest Principal Mrs. Regina Craig to the St. Hubert family!
St.
Hubert TODAY…
Since opening our doors in
1941, St. Hubert Catholic High School’s stable enrollment has made
it the largest Catholic girls’ high school in Philadelphia.
St. Hubert draws students from over 50 elementary schools in surrounding
neighborhoods and every section of Philadelphia, the suburbs of Bucks
and Montgomery counties, and Southern New Jersey. At St. Hubert,
each student is offered a college-preparatory, liberal arts education.
Over 97% of our graduates pursue their education beyond St. Hubert and
in recent years have received over $11 million on scholarships and grants
to the colleges and universities of their choice.
St. Hubert students are offered
a cutting-edge academic education with technology incorporated into
every aspect of the curriculum. St. Hubert is a completely wireless
campus with Internet access available in every room of the school.
The academic program at St.
Hubert is tailored to meet each student’s individual needs.
Eligible students can participate in the Diocesan Scholars Program or
take a wide variety of Advanced Placement courses for college credit.
St. Hubert also offers learning enrichment programs including math clinics,
study skills, peer tutoring, and faculty mentoring.
St. Hubert has an extensive
extracurricular program with over 30 activities from which students
can choose. Students can participate in any of our long-standing
activities such as the Student Council, National Honor Society, Tally-Ho
(student newspaper), Echoings (literary/art magazine), Calling Echo
(yearbook), Community Service Corps (CSC), the French, Spanish, or Italian
Clubs, or the Athletic Association. Or, they can join one of St.
Hubert’s newer clubs such as the Mock-Trial team, Model United Nations
team, Respect for Life Club, Bambie Ambassadors, Multicultural Club,
or Down to Earth Club (Environmental Club).
St. Hubert still offers one
of the only full-symphonic orchestras in the Archdiocese. Students can also express their talents in
the fine arts through the chorus, the drama club, the art club, the
dance club, or through our annual Fall Musical.
St. Hubert is home to the largest
women’s athletic program in Philadelphia with 14 Varsity Sports and
6 intramural sports. Each year, St. Hubert produces over 60 All-Catholic
Athletes and graduates receive scholarships to Division I and II colleges
and universities.
For almost 70 years, St. Hubert
has been educating young women of the Philadelphia area. The school
itself is a neighborhood landmark and our graduates stretch throughout
the country and world. Our alumnae, over 27,000 of them, include
educators and students, government officials, physicians and healthcare
workers, lawyers and corporate professionals, to name just a few.
Among them are mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, granddaughters,
aunts, cousins, and nieces representing the true family tradition that
is essential to keeping the spirit of St. Hubert alive and growing.