Tampa Catholic High School Educates The Mind & Spirit

By Kelly Miller

We’re lucky enough to live in an area where there are so many high schools to choose from, including four highly-rated public high schools in just New Tampa & Wesley Chapel alone. Yet sometimes, it can be difficult for parents to know which school would be most beneficial for their children. Tampa Catholic High School (TC) is definitely one option that should be on many parents’ short list.

With a reputation for academic excellence, TC promotes life-long values by weaving Catholic traditions, teachings and faith into its curriculum for students in grades 9-12, although students of all faiths are invited to attend (more on that below).

The Diocese of St. Augustine opened TC in 1962, with a one-classroom building and a convent on its property. Over the years, the school has grown to a sprawling campus that sits on the east and west side of N. Rome Ave. (south of W. Hillsborough Ave.) in Tampa. Now, there are eight buildings, athletic facilities and a residence for The Congregation of Christian Brothers, an association with which TC is affiliated that is a religious order of men who work chiefly for the evangelization and education of youth. Two men from the Congregation work on campus.

TC is the only Diocesan coeducational Catholic high school in Hillsborough County. It has a smaller enrollment of only 685 students, which gives the school a close, tight-knit feel, compared with public high schools, which usually have more than 1,500 students. There are 27 sports teams on campus, including a rowing team that takes advantage of the school’s proximity to the beautiful Hillsborough River. The TC Crusaders recently celebrated their 50th anniversary and strive every day to live their school motto of “Faith, Excellence & Family.”

Principal Thomas Reidy says, “TC has a lot of high achievers, but what makes our school different is that we have programs for kids all along the spectrum of learning. Whether school doesn’t come easy to your child or they’re an advanced learner who is taking the highest level courses, TC has a program for them.” 

Accredited by AdvancEd (a non-profit organization that accredits primary and secondary schools), TC offers three programs: an Honors Program, a College Preparatory Program and an Academic Assistance Program.

The Honors Program includes honors classes, AP (Advanced Placement) and dual enrollment classes, while the College Preparatory Program technically is the mid-level of instruction, although TC officials call it their main level of instruction. For the small group of students who need extra help in their courses, the Academic Assistance Program helps remediate them so they can earn their high school credits and graduate.

However, Reidy notes that in some cases, students can take classes in each of the different programs simultaneously.

Principal Reidy received a B.S. in Business Administration at Florida Southern College in Lakeland and then went on to get his M.Ed. in Administration & Supervision from National Louis University in Tampa. Reidy started teaching business education at TC 17 years ago, and in 2007, he became the school’s principal.

Students graduating from TC will have 28 credits when they leave, as opposed to public high school graduates who receive 24 credits. “Those 4 extra credits are obtained from a yearly religion course which is mandatory for all students to take, although students don’t have to be Catholic to attend TC,” Reidy says. “All faiths are welcome.” 

For those students who wish to attend mass, services are offered before school three times a week. The entire student body celebrates together mass once a month. 

Lutz resident and mother of five Molly Scheehorn believes that choosing TC was the best decision she could have made for her children. 

“In terms of environment and academics, I choose TC,” Scheehorn says. “(The faculty) take into account the whole child, nurturing their emotional, spiritual and academic needs.”

Scheehorn says that three of her children excelled in AP classes. She explains, “My investment in their high school education paid off at the college level with all of the scholarships they received.” 

One of Scheehorn’s sons, Daniel, has learning disabilities and she says that many of the other private high schools wouldn’t accommodate his special needs. Because TC accepts students of all academic levels, Daniel was able to attend TC. Scheehorn says that he thrived there and has gone on to St. Leo University in Dade City, where he’s currently working on a degree in social work.

In 2013, 70 percent of graduating TC seniors earned Florida Bright Futures Scholarships. In total during the past two years, TC’s graduates were awarded approximately $18 million in scholarships. For those students who need financial assistance to attend TC, the school offers $500,000 in need-based tuition assistance each year. Two state-funded programs, Step Up For Students (a scholarship for special needs and low-income children who want to transfer to private schools) and the McKay Scholarship (for children with diagnosed learning disabilities), also are accepted as forms of financial aid. 

A Local Connection

“Although TC is about 23 miles southwest of New Tampa, the highest concentration of our students come from the New Tampa area,” Principal Reidy says. To help with transportation to an from our area, TC has a carpool program in place to assist families in connecting with each other. Those families wishing to carpool are sent a list of students who also live in their zip code. Parents can reach out to each other using the included email addresses and set up their own carpools.

Seneca Oxendine, a Tampa Palms resident and senior at TC, says that she and her family chose the high school after checking out all the others in the area. 

“TC had a friendlier atmosphere, and I knew they had a reputation for high academics,” she explains, adding that she attended a public elementary and middle school, but she and her family decided it was worth the commute from Tampa Palms. “All of the teachers are great, and they’ve really helped prepare me (for college).” 

And, all of her hard work paid off last year, as Seneca received the “AP Scholar with Distinction” award because she scored a 5 (the highest score possible) on all five of her AP exams. 

“I’m proud of our academic program,” says Reidy. “Our teachers and administrators have worked hard collaborating to create a rigorous curriculum that has resulted in increased student achievement on standardized tests.”

If your child is interested in checking out the TC campus (located at 4630 N. Rome Ave.), eighth graders are encouraged to attend the TC “Crusader for a Day” program, which will be held consecutive Thursdays this month—October 23 & 30. Registration is available for the “Crusader” program on the school’s website at TampaCatholic.org.

Registration information for attending TC also is available online. Open houses also are available to any parent or student wishing to tour the school, view departmental presentations and meet the faculty and staff. The next two such presentations will take place on Thursday, November 6, 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.. 

For more information about attending any of these sessions or setting up a private tour, contact Sherry Copestick at SCopestick@TampaCatholic.org. 

For more information about Tampa Catholic High School, call 870-0860.f