Archbishop Wood Catholic High School

School history

Construction began on the campus of Archbishop Wood High Schools in the spring of 1963. It opened its doors to students in the fall of 1964, accepting freshman and sophomore transfers for the first years. It was originally designated as two separate schools, identical in their structure and management, one of boys and girls respectively. Wood was given its named after Philadelphia's 19th-century Archbishop James Frederick Bryan Wood. At its maximum capacity in 1978 it had 2456 students enrolled.

Archbishop Wood High School for boys was among a handful of schools that Buckminster Fuller gave speaking engagements at in 1975.

As of 2016 the campus also includes a childcare center in the former convent which it runs as a joint venture with Nativity of Our Lord Parish, which it neighbors.

Academics

Over 98% of Wood students take the SATs each year, with the average SAT score for its student body at 1200. 75% of the graduating class attend a four-year college, while 19% attend a two-year college. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18:1 as of 2022.

The school currently offers thirteen Advanced Placement courses available for college-level credit available to juniors and seniors. The school also offers its St. Thomas More Honors program to select students enrolled to assist in college preparation.

Athletics

Archbishop Wood has been a member of the Philadelphia Catholic League since its opening in 1964. It offers various sports, including: Football, Boys & Girls Soccer, Boys & Girls Cross-Country, Field Hockey, Wrestling, Boys & Girls Basketball, Volleyball, Boys & Girls Indoor Track, Bowling, Baseball, Softball, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Boys & Girls Track, Boys & Girls Swimming, Tennis, Golf, and Club Hockey. Archbishop Wood also utilizes adjacent fields at Munro Park in Warminster and also at neighboring William Tennent High School.

Religious communities

From its founding 1964 Wood was staffed by various Catholic religious houses who resided on the property itself. While the school was split by sex the boys' school was staffed by priests and the girls' school by nuns. Over the years various religious communities have run the administration of the school itself, including the Fathers of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), Vincentian Fathers (CM), Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales (OSFS), Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), Sisters of Saint Joseph (SSJ), Religious Sisters of Mercy (RSM), and the Religious of the Assumption (RA). The Belgian Missionhurst Friars who originally staffed the boys' school in 1964 were transfers from Brussels and had previously been instrumental in the native resistance to the occupation of the country by Nazi Germany. The male religious orders left the school in 1991, the IHM sisters left the grounds in 2001. Wood continues to have religious in its faculty proper, but is mainly staffed by laity.

Notable alumni

• Henry G. Ulrich III (1968), Four Star Admiral in the U.S. Navy
• Andrew M. Allen (1973), American Astronaut and Marine Aviator
• Frank Naylor (1977), Professional Football Player, New Jersey Generals
• Claire Cardie (1978), American Computer Scientist, Professor at Cornell University
• Thomas P. Murt (1978), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Mark Kearney (1980), United States District Judge
• Marguerite Quinn (1981), Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Terri Schiavo (1981), A famous legal and ethical case of a woman in an irreversible persistent vegetative state.
• Debbie Black (1984), Woman's Basketball Player and Coach
• Kelly Greenberg (1986), Former Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Pennsylvania
• Irene Molloy (1996), Television Actress
• Glen Foster (1998), Reality Television Star, Philadelphia 76ers Mascot 'Little G'
• Pam Rosanio (2004), Women's International Basketball Player
• Brian O'Grady (2010), Professional Baseball Player for the Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Rays and the San Diego Padres
• Colin Thompson (2012), Football Player for the Carolina Panthers
• Ryan Bates (2015)
• Anthony Russo (2016) professional football quarterback
• Mark Webb (2016) Football Player for the Florida Gators and Atlanta Falcons
• Collin Gillespie (2017) Basketball Player for the Phoenix Suns
• Kyle Pitts (2018) Football Player for the Atlanta Falcons
• Andrew Funk (2018) Basketball Player for the Chicago Bulls
• Gary Martin (runner) (2022), track and field athlete
• Jalil Bethea (2024) Basketball player who plays for the Miami Hurricanes

References

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7. (1973). "Richard Buckminster Fuller Basic Biography".
8. (March 31, 2017). "Parish and high school partner to open childcare center".
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29. Gabriella Sacidor. (June 19, 2014). "Northeast Philadelphia Native Gets His Shot At The Big Leagues". [[KYW-TV]].
30. (3 March 2014). "Two Archbishop Wood Stars Commit To Penn State".
31. "Archbishop Wood graduate Anthony Russo set to play professional football in XFL".
32. Gallen, Daniel. (September 17, 2016). "Archbishop Wood's Mark Webb feels 'at home' with Georgia commitment".
33. . (14 April 2017). ["Archbishop Wood basketball star Collin Gillespie signs with Villanova"](https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/ncaa/archbishop-wood-basketball-star-collin-gillespie-signs-villanova). *NBC Sports*.
34. Domowitch, Paul. (29 April 2021). "Archbishop Wood's Kyle Pitts taken No. 4 by Falcons in NFL draft, becomes highest drafted tight end in league history".
35. Josh Verlin. (18 August 2023). "Crazy year puts Archbishop Wood product Andrew Funk in NBA range".
36. LetsRun.com. "Gary Martin Opens Up on Sub-4, His Training, Newbury Park, and Being Called the "Nerd Runner"".
37. (10 February 2024). "Jalil Bethea making history at Archbishop Wood High School".