Athletics
In addition to competing for championships, students have the opportunity to improve their skill levels and benefit from a team environment with a no-cut policy that is grounded in displaying good character and good sportsmanship at all times.
Athletics provides an important outlet for students, balancing the intensity of our academic program and giving all a rallying focus for school spirit and teamwork. Competitive sports include basketball, field hockey, football, and track and field.
Holy Child's athletic program features boys' and girls' teams that compete in the Catholic Academy League. This schedule offers the opportunity to play against schools of similar size, and athletic and academic philosophy.
Holy Child has enjoyed outstanding success in the league, recording a total of 43 regular season and playoff championships over the past fifteen years.
Our athletic program embraces Christian values of cooperation, leadership, responsibility, and self-confidence.We encourage each eligible child to participate in sports, and with our no-cut policy the program attracts approximately 90 percent of the student body. The program also prepares students to participate on the high school level in strong athletic conferences such as the Inter-Academic League, the Catholic Academies League, and the Philadelphia Catholic League.
A Map of Our Campus
For visitors who are planning a visit to campus, especially athletic opponents, a map of our campus is below. Football and field hockey games are played on our regulation-sized turf field, Gaffney Family Field, and basketball games are played in O'Neill Gymnasium. We recommend that visiting teams and their families park in the PAAC parking lot, accessible via Wendover Road. Our campus is busiest with traffic during afternoon pick-ups between 3-3:30 p.m. and so we recommend that athletic opponents and their families arrive as close to 3:30 p.m. as possible.
ImPACT Baseline Concussion Testing Program
Holy Child has been a part of the ImPACT baseline concussion testing program since the fall of 2011. Holy Child was the first PreSchool-Grade 8 school in the area to provide this valuable testing. ImPACT baseline testing is performed for all athletes in Grades 4-8.
ImPACT uses neurocognitive testing software to provide a baseline that measures an athlete's brain function with respect to memory, reaction time, processing speed, focus and concentration. Holy Child is equipped to run a post-injury test on an athlete who sustains a head injury, and will provide parents with the baseline and post-injury results to take to health care providers.
In a letter to our parents, Varsity Football Head Coach, Todd Wolov, stresses the importance of safety within our program and the precautions our coaches take to ensure our students reap the benefits of football in a safe environment.
Middle School Task Force Supports Holy Child Policies
Holy Child's Task Force on Middle School Sports and Extracurricular Activities reviewed all aspects of our sports, clubs, and Middle School Spring Play. Holy Child offers eight extracurricular clubs or activities in which approximately 90 percent of our students participated.
The Task Force, which was chaired by Head of School Tom Lengel and Kevin Lucey, a Board member and parent, was composed of members of the Holy Child community, including administrators, parents, and Board members.
We are presenting our primary conclusions below. For additional details and items of note, we invite you to read the Summary of Key Findings and Conclusions.
Primary Conclusions
- We remain firmly committed to our longstanding “no-cut” policy in Middle School sports and activities.
- We will continue to emphasize proper training of our student athletes and of our coaches to promote and ensure safety as our number one priority.
- Among CAL schools, Holy Child has the 2nd-highest participation rate in Middle School athletics at 89 percent of our student body.
Our Middle School Task Force revisited and reviewed our sports and extracurricular activities throughout the 2019-2020 school year.
