Background

Background

Just before the coronavirus hit the U.S. in March 2020, Cathedral Catholic, its leaders and stakeholders completed a year-long comprehensive self-study. The study focused on five areas, specifically the school’s (1) Catholic identity, (2) organizational efficacy, (3) curriculum and instruction, (4) support to students and (5) stewardship. The self-study was connected to the school’s re-accreditation process with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges/Western Catholic Educational Association (WASC/WCEA) which renewed Cathedral Catholic High School’s accreditation for another six-year term, until June 2026.

With the pandemic now sufficiently controlled for schools to regain some semblance of normalcy, Cathedral Catholic has used its self-study results, together with the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) (2012), to create its three-year Strategic Plan, “This is Our House.” We are implementing the plan not because it is required, but as a best practice to further ensure continuation of the school’s record of excellence. Thoughtful planning is essential to a strong future, and the plan outlines a path forward for the school administration, faculty, students and broader Cathedral Catholic community.

Context

We live in uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the world’s populations and institutions for over two years. The virus is not finished with us. Some scientists predict, as a bestcase scenario, that the virus will become endemic, an ever-present aspect of our lives, but hopefully less virulent, more predictable and more controllable with effective treatment. Others warn that new variants of the virus may emerge and unleash new pandemics.

Whatever the future holds, Cathedral Catholic navigated the educational landscape more effectively and successfully than the vast majority of schools during the past two years. Government at all levels–federal, state and local–imposed rules and mandates that left schools with few options besides strict compliance. Cathedral Catholic’s leadership studied limited areas where schools

retained some freedom and reviewed the science, debated and discussed options, weighed benefits and risks to the school population and prioritized keeping as many teachers and students engaged in learning as possible. The success of our approach cannot be overstated. Public schools, and even many private ones, chose to shut down and insisted on setting thresholds for reopening that were more onerous than the developing science or data supported or the authorities required.

Cathedral Catholic’s preparation and attention to every detail was immense. Measures we considered, invested in and adopted often had to be altered or abandoned due to officials’ hastily conceived, ambiguously drafted and contradictory new edicts that were modified on a monthly, weekly, sometimes even daily basis. Other schools visited Cathedral Catholic to study the methods it employed to stay open, but few could hope to emulate a model that depended so heavily on the unwavering commitment, energy, sacrifice and professional resilience shown by Cathedral Catholic’s administrators, counselors, teachers and staff members.

This is hardly a time for self-congratulation. Cathedral Catholic recognizes that its response to the pandemic and endless government edicts was by no means perfect. We are, however, gratified that school leaders and stakeholders left no stone unturned in their efforts to safely and responsibly provide a quality education to as many students as possible. Another crucial component of our success was the trust, support, understanding and patience of students’ parents and families.

School History

Cathedral Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. The school was founded in 1957 as the University of San Diego High School. The original campus was located on a site across the street from the University of San Diego, so the school name was affectionately shortened to “University High School” or “Uni.”

In 1970, Cathedral Girls High School, a girls’ school dating back to 1939 and located in downtown San Diego, merged with the all-boys Uni High. In 1971, the newly constituted and expanded University of San Diego High School graduated its first coeducational class.

The school’s name changed to Cathedral Catholic High School when its new campus opened in Carmel Valley in 2005. Cathedral Catholic’s lineage best exemplifies Catholic schools’ presence, growth and vitality in San Diego since 1939. Graduates from Cathedral Girls High School (1939-1970), Uni High (1957-2005) and now Cathedral Catholic (2005-present) are the visible embodiment of Catholic-school success in California and around the country.

Since their founding, Uni High and Cathedral Catholic High School’s athletic teams have been known as the Dons. The name came to embrace students and alumni as well, and it gave birth to the motto, “Once a Don, always a Don.” The word “Don” (from the Latin Dominus) dates back to Roman antiquity. In Spain in the Middle Ages “Don” was a title reserved for nobles or members of the Church hierarchy. One of the most widely known and beloved Dons in world literature is Don Quixote. “Don” and the feminine “Doña” are used broadly today as a mark of esteem for a person of social or official distinction.