Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School

Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, formerly Mercy High School, is a Roman Catholic high school in Riverhead, New York on Long Island. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.

History

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1956, five sisters were sent from their Brooklyn convent to create and staff a co-educational high school on the East End of Long Island to be named Mercy High School. In the first year of operation, there were 47 students, using excess classrooms of the nearby St. John the Evangelist parish. In October 1962, a new building was dedicated by Bishop Walter Kellenberg of the newly formed Diocese of Rockville Centre which still serves as the present building. In 1992, it was decided that a junior high school was to be added to the already ninth through twelfth grades. In 2002, the Diocese of Rockville Centre and the Sisters of Mercy created a partnership to better enhance the needs of the school. In September 2003, the school's name officially changed to Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, after Bishop John McGann, the Diocese's longtime leader, and the Sisters of Mercy signifying the partnership. The school's numbers have swelled in the past five years, following a time when some thought the school might close. The Diocese takeover saved the school from debt. Mr. Carl Semmler is the schools principal. Mr. Charles Bender is the Dean of Students. Lisa Navarra is the Assistant Principal, previously a teacher St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School.^[1]

Performing arts

Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School's theatre department has been recognized by the Teeny Awards on an annual basis in recent years, both for performances by student actors and the innovation of the director, Bob Kelly. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} Recent productions by the theatre department include The Music Man and The Diary of Anne Frank. The school's choral department is also highly praised, with the chamber choir having performed at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center in 2013, and Carnegie Hall in 2014. ^[6]

External links

• Official site
• ShopForMercy.com
• SectionXI.org (Athletics)

Notes and references

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
Bishops	Ordinaries Walter P. Kellenberg John R. McGann James T. McHugh William F. Murphy Present Auxiliaries Robert J. Brennan Nelson J. Perez Andrzej Jerzy Zglejszewski Former Auxiliaries Vincent John Baldwin James Joseph Daly Peter Anthony Libasci Alfred John Markiewicz Gerald Augustine John Ryan Emil Aloysius Wcela Paul Henry Walsh John Charles Dunne
Churches	Cathedral St. Agnes Cathedral Basilica Basilica of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Southampton Parishes St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, Oyster Bay
Education	Higher Education Seminary of the Immaculate Conception Diocesan High Schools Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, Riverhead St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip Private High Schools Chaminade High School, Mineola Kellenberg Memorial High School, Uniondale Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Syosset Sacred Heart Academy, Hempstead St. Anthony's High School, South Huntington St. Dominic High School, Oyster Bay St. Mary's High School, Manhasset Former High Schools Academy of Saint Joseph, Brentwood
Other	Cemetery of the Holy Rood Coram Holy Sepluchre Cemetery
Catholicism portal