Just think. Ninety years ago today, 40 students at Catholic Central High patrolled the grounds of Saint Mary’s in East Chicago for the first time as future Warriors. Not unlike you, they had a goal in mind–to prepare themselves academically for a college education.
And also not unlike you, along the way, they had some fun.
By the spring of 1922, the first few classrooms held the spirited group of college prep students on these very grounds. In the following decades, enrollment grew and so did the school. The students–many of them Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s College-bound strove to be the best athletes, the best musicians, and the best intellectuals in the region.
Years wore on. The faculty of the Poor Handmaid Sisters of Jesus Christ grew to include laypeople, and in 1947, Catholic Central celebrated the Archbishop of Fort Wayne by changing their namesake to Bishop Noll High School. The 1950s saw new construction of the overcrowded school, and when the blizzard of 1967 hit Chicago, a group of Bishop Noll students spent two days locked in the school, diving into snow piles from second-story windows, eating chilled desserts from the cafeteria and swimming in the pool. Three more decades brought a burst of enrollment, marking Bishop Noll as one of the premiere schools in the region.
Even though today marks the 90th anniversary of Bishop Noll, the celebration of this decade mark has been intact since last spring. According to Mary Ellen O’Neill, director of institutional advancement, last year’s Emporium theme–90 Years of Excellence–was designed to commemorate the anniversary.
“The display window outside of the auditorium celebrated our anniversary with a poster for each decade highlighting the major events and photographs in that decade. ,” O’Neill said. “Old letter jackets and letter sweaters were also on display in the case. Alumni who were at the Emporium really enjoyed this display.”
According to O’Neill, the 90-year mark begins a decade-long preparation for Noll’s centennial.
“We have begun some early discussion about our centennial in ten years, although no concrete plans are in place, yet. The centennial will be a huge celebration,” she said.
Happy 90th birthday, Bishop Noll. May you have 90 more glorious years.