Cathedral Prep has been holding open houses for students thinking about attending Prep for years, but this past open house on Thursday, Jan. 21, Prep opened its doors to prospective girl students as well. The open house saw many families come through its doors with just as many boys as there were girls. The students got to meet teachers, coaches, and other various faculty members.
Students and families with female students taking the tour were given a Prep student and Villa student for the tour so that girls could feel more welcomed. Groups with only males were given a Prep student to show them the halls. The tour guides were not only tasked with showing these families around the existing school, but also trying to put the image of the new building in their heads.
There were multiple pictures of the new building’s design set up around the school for families and students to look at. Teachers in the building and classrooms were from both campuses of Prep and Villa because by the time those students can attend Prep, the Villa teachers will then be Prep teachers as well.
Prep’s open house was able to bring in hundreds of potential Prep students and family members with the help of 45 prep students and 40 villa students who all volunteered to help out. An additional 85 adult volunteers from both Prep and Villa helped out as well.
“The number of families at the event exceeded our wildest imagination, and we were thrilled to see such a big crowd as it indicates there is a lot of interest in the major renovations, expansion, and transition to a co-ed campus,” said Mr. Dougherty, the man who put the open house together.
The event went from 6-8 p.m. with families starting to arrive around 5:45 p.m. Within minutes the line was all the way out the 9th Street entrance door to the sidewalk.
“The event had a very positive energy, and there was visible enthusiasm in all of the student volunteers, the faculty, the student guests, and their parents, which made for a very fun experience for everyone that attended and volunteered,” Mr. Dougherty said.
Students who came in for the tour were given a Prep drawstring bag, a “CP” winter hat, and a “Ramblers” spiral notebook. Open house showed off some of Prep’s new classes and showcased where all the new rooms will be going and what they will be destroying to put those rooms in. From the esports room to the new cafeteria there were a lot of new and big things coming to the Prep campus. There were many Prep alumni that got the tour with their daughters who said they were very excited that their daughters could even attend the school and be able to use the new academic programs and STEM equipment coming in 2022.
All in all, Cathedral Prep’s first co-ed open house went extremely well and only excites the faculty even more about the merger and the new campus.” The Jan. 21 Open House was a historic event, something that will be remembered for a long time, as it was the first Cathedral Prep Open House for both boys and girls.
“Never before has a middle school girl walked the halls of Cathedral Prep to see her future classrooms and teachers,” Mr. Dougherty said
It truly is something special to see after all these years of Prep being an all boys school. If you or somebody you know is looking at going to Prep in these next couple of years it’s highly suggested that you attend an open house to see what you are getting into, and let’s just say, you will not be disappointed.
