They are alumni without a home. Or a Homecoming.
Paterson Catholic is not the first North Jersey non-public school to close, nor will it be the last. But the shuttering of a high school leaves graduates adrift.
Many of their school’s traditions and names are forgotten – quick, what was St. Cecilia’s nickname? – so it becomes incumbent on the alumni to stay connected, tell the stories, and remember the Wildcats, Purple Knights and St. Cecilia Saints.
So they do. The alumni are the last link, and even if many have forgotten their schools, they sure won’t.
“It was boys and girls, but the boys never met the girls because the boys were upstairs and the girls were downstairs,” said Gene Michaels, a track standout and a member of the Queen of Peace class of 1970. “It was different.”
Michaels, 67, said his wife, Andrea, still wears his old Queen of Peace sweater every winter, but he’s not angry the North Arlington school closed. He recognizes times have changed.
“I’m happy I am the age I am,” Michaels said. “It’s a different time. The whole attitude toward religion has changed. There isn’t that respect for religion and respect means a lot. If you don’t respect it, you can’t honor it.”
Bill Vacca devoted much of his life to Don Bosco Tech (nickname: Rams) in Paterson before that school closed in 2002. When the school closed, he made sure that the hand-made doors to the building went to a Salesian shrine in West Haverstraw, New York.
“I absolutely wish it was still around but I thought that we served a purpose and the school was there for as long as that purpose existed,” said Vacca, who now works at Passaic County Tech. “We’re real proud of our alumni. Those are the things we look at now.”
Vacca can remember when Don Bosco Tech played in a sports league against four other Catholic schools in Paterson (St. Mary, St. John, St. Bonaventure and St. Joe’s). None of them had football teams, and none exist now.
“It wasn’t about doing a good job or a bad job,” Vacca said. “Society has changed so much and the economy is dictating whether a private school like Don Bosco Tech or Paterson Catholic is open.”
READ MORE:Revisiting stories of Paterson Catholic, 10 years after the school closed
Vacca has also seen other schools throughout North Jersey close. Pope Pius XII (Eagles) was in Passaic. It closed in 1983. Paul VI (Patriots) was in Clifton and closed in 1990. Neumann Prep (Wildcats) is the answer to a fantastic North Jersey trivia question, as it remains the last Passaic County team to win a state gymnastics title in 1986. The Wayne school closed it 1990.
St. Luke’s in Ho-Ho-Kus (Purple Knights) closed in 1969. Queen of Peace (Golden Griffins) was the last prominent North Jersey school to close in 2017.
One school that has closed, but remained alive in stories, was St. Cecilia in Englewood. That school could boast that famed NFL legend Vince Lombardi started there. But even those memories have begun to fade. The school has been closed since 1986.
Paterson Catholic still resonates today because of its athletic impact and the stars it produced. Even if today’s generation has little knowledge of the Cougars.
“It’s weird because I talk about playing sports in high school and people are like Paterson Catholic?” said Kara Leslie, a teacher in Paterson and a member of the Paterson Catholic Class of 1999. “It’s like Paterson Catholic didn’t exist, unless they had a parent or a family member who went to school there.”
Like her fellow alumni without an anchor, Leslie prefers to look at the bright side of her days at Paterson Catholic. Don’t weep because it ended, be happy that it happened at all.
“I have so many good memories,” Leslie said. “You walk into the building now and it’s different. The lockers are still there. It looks and feels different. You look at the floor and the walls and the logo isn’t there, but you know it’s still Paterson Catholic.”
Darren Cooper is a high school sports columnist for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team,subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app.
Email:cooperd@northjersey.comTwitter:@varsityaces
