Serra Catholic High School

Serra Catholic was established in September 1961 as an all-boys school by the Order of Friars Minor of the Province of the Immaculate Conception in New York City. The Order of Friars Minor of the Province of the Immaculate Conception led the school from 1961 until 1995, when the Franciscans Third Order Regular assumed the leadership role. The Third Order of Saint Francis led the school until 2004.

The school moved into its current building in 1963 and is named after St. Junípero Serra. The school was originally all-boys, becoming coeducational in 1972, when Serra Catholic High School merged with Mon Yough Catholic High School.[2]

Serra Catholic offers a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum for all students. All courses are assigned a level, which determines how the grade is included in the student’s GPA, QPA, or both. The levels include Level 1 (academic course with support), Level 3 (academic course), Level 5 (honors level course), Level 7 (college credit course), and Level 8 (non-academic course).[3]

The students at Serra Catholic participate in a variety of testing programs throughout their high school career. Incoming ninth grade students take the STS High School Placement Test, which helps determine the best courses to fit their academic needs. Students in both ninth and tenth grades take the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills during the school year. Students in tenth and eleventh grades prepare for the SAT exams by taking the Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test. By twelfth grade, 100% of students take the SAT exam and 15% of students take the ACT exam.[4]

Serra Catholic is accredited through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.[5] In addition, in September 2012, the school became a recipient of the Catholic High School Honor Roll, by the Cardinal Newman Society.[6] As such, Serra is listed as one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in the United States.[7]

Activities and clubs are offered for Serra Catholic students. Most activities and clubs meet one time per month during the school day, but some programs conduct meetings and participate in activities outside of school.

In addition to activities and clubs, Serra Catholic also hosts annual events. These include a Walk-a-Thon to support local organizations, a powderpuff football game, formal and informal dances, the March for Life in Washington, D.C., a talent show, a spring musical, and a summer trip to assist the needy in the Appalachian Mountains.[10]

Serra Catholic offers a variety of all-boys, all-girls, and co-ed sports, most of which compete in the Class AA WPIAL bracket. (Boys Basketball is a WPIAL AA team and Hockey is part of the WPIHL.)

STUDENTS: At Serra Catholic we have a 1:1 initiative chromebook system. Every student has their own chromebook for educational use for all the years they attend Serra Catholic High School. Students have access to an AV/TV Studio with state of the art Tricaster Equipment, a Makerbot 3D Printer, and printing during school hours.

FACULTY: All faculty members at Serra Catholic are provided and utilize laptop computers to manage their day to day classroom affairs. Teachers use a variety of collaborative tools through Google Education to communicate with each and every student. This includes the use of Google Classroom to create assignments, announcements, questions, or share virtually anything with their classes. Teachers also have the advantage of utilizing applications & extensions to enhance the experience. In 2020, Serra Catholic Faculty/Administration effectively combatted the Covid-19 pandemic with virtual learning through Google Apps, and experience with video conferencing. Going forward in the 2020-2021 school year, we are fully prepared to teach in person as well as virtually with the inclusion of Lessonbot AI powered lesson streaming so students will feel as they are in the classroom whether we are in or out of the classroom.

CLASSROOM: 2017-2021 Upgrades: In the 2017/2018 school year, we have implemented new Infocus Jtouch Whiteboards to all of our classrooms. Impressive capabilities such as smart touch whiteboards, web-browsing, and device casting are all accessible. The ultra-responsive and sleek bezel-less technology found in tablets and smartphones is now available in the JTouch Whiteboard. In 2018/2019, Serra Catholic had a major upgrade in Technology adding Wifi Access Points to each classroom for very accessible internet access, a AV Studio where students can produce morning announcements, class project videos, and further their skills in AV Production, and a 3D printer located in the Tech Center. New to the 2020,2021 school year Serra Catholic will be among the very first schools that will feature “Lesson Bots,” a brand new feature to the Google Education Platform. These devices will simulcast direct teacher instruction, transcribe into text what is being taught, and can automatically be uploaded into each student’s Google Drive. Families who want to maintain their student’s enrollment at Serra can elect this online learning option for the entire first semester.

SCHOOL: On top of implementing Chromebooks, Infocus Jtouch Whiteboards, and teacher laptop computers, our school is in the process of modernizing our technology infrastructure. With help from Cloudcast Computing, an improved network, security, and camera systems are being implemented, as well as an increased amount of access points, improved wifi, and new phone system have been installed in every classroom. These changes will ensure increased productivity throughout the Serra Catholic campus.

The youth of Serra proudly fly

From out this hallowed eagles’ nest.

Their colors wave forever high,

For God and country ever blest.

Amor a Dios ever be,

The star that guides their destiny,

All hail to Alma Mater, aye!

May she stand with all that's best.

• School website