St Anthony H.S. (N.J.) In Danger of Closing
- Thread starter jerseyshorejohnny
- Start date
What I heard was that the Property is worth a lot of money due to the rise in Real Estate value in Jersey City. The Diocese is considering selling to a Real Estate Developer and then merging St Anthony's with another school. When I asked why can't they just build on top of the school like they do in so many other places, I was told that they want to have a parking garage underneath. Seems as if this is a lot further underway than most realize.
beast of the east
Active member
Good point. Xavier HS just expanded their school by purchasing land in NYC and having a condo built on top of the new school. The property they bough extended to the next street, so on one street, students enter and around the block condo residents enter. The two never intermingle. Guessing the diocese in NJ has declining enrollment in Catholic HS
It's really interesting but in more affluent areas people send their kids to public grammar schools and then to Catholic HS, putting them in high demand. In poorer areas, people send their kids to Catholic grammar schools, often non Catholics to escape bad schools and for safety reasons. In those circumstances Catholic HS tuition is often out of reach in terms of cost. So, in affluent area, over the past 20 years a lot of Catholic grammar schools have closed, but Catholic HSs thrive. In poorer areas, the opposite.
My granddaughter is in the 5th grade at PS 131 which is right across Grand Central Pkwy from St Johns. Next year she will go to Ryan JHS which is located near Utopia Pkwy and Long Island Expwy. She will probably go to St Francis Prep for high school unless she gets accepted to one of the specialized high schools in Queens. Since we are retired, the tuition is not something we are looking forward to but sacrifices have to be made to ensure the she gets a decent education. Would love for her to attend Hunter College HS or Stuyvesant if accepted but she will be 13 years old when she starts high school and my wife and I would not be comfortable with her traveling from Queens to Manhattan on the train every day.
Am very fortunate to have a friend who is a Middle School Principal and he was able to help me place her in a good grammar school. Funny story, her second grade teacher's father is a member of this Forum who I see at every game. Small world.
Class of 72
Active member
don't get into an argument with him on the board or risk watching her grades mysteriously suffer
August Martin HS here she comes!
August Martin closed 4 years ago. It is now known as the School of Opportunities.
Take a look at Townsend Harris HS, on the Queens College campus.
jerseyshorejohnny
Well-known member
Two of his former players, now coaches themselves, reflect on a legend in twilight.
The question was posed to a guy who would know.
Did Bob Hurley ever seriously consider leaving St. Anthony High School?
“After Mike Rice, if Rutgers had approached him more aggressively, he would have considered leaving,” said Ben Gamble, who played basketball for Hurley and served as one of his assistants for 14 years. “He would have taken Rutgers and probably would have had the boys (Bobby and Dan) come with him to set the foundation. That was the closest he ever came.”
Hurley acknowledged his interest publicly after Rice was fired in April 2013. Rutgers zeroed in on Eddie Jordan instead. But it might not have mattered, because Hurley’s loyalty to St. Anthony always won the day.
That’s why, on Friday, the school is honoring his 50 years there with a celebration featuring scores of former players. It’s why Hurley has been pleading for donations to keep St. Anthony afloat; the Jersey City institution needs at least $10 million over the next several months or this year could be its last.
“He’s meant the world -- not just to St. Anthony, but to Jersey City,” said Donald Copeland, who starred at guard for Hurley and later for Seton Hall University. “He’s an idol, a father figure, a role model to people who have come through there. He tries to enhance your growth from a boy into a man. Guys always come back, and that’s a testament to what people have taken away from being around him.”
They always come back because Hurley never left.
He could have made millions of dollars, perhaps tens of millions, in the college game. Instead he gets fees for speaking engagements -- and insists that the checks get made out to his school.
The Hall of Fame basketball resume speaks for itself: 1,162 wins, 13 Tournament of Champions titles, eight undefeated seasons and teaching tactics that have been emulated by generations of coaches at every level. But Hurley’s real legacy is his loyalty to his neighborhood.
“He cares about what happens to people,” said Gamble, now the boys hoops head coach at Mater Dei Prep in Middletown. “He has a genuine love for the kids he coaches, for the community.”
How many kids has Hurley helped in 50 years?
“I couldn’t even throw a number out there,” Gamble said. “I’ll say this: Sometimes it’s not even a kid who played for him.”
We all know about St. Anthony because of basketball, but this is no storefront shop with 15 students. It’s a good school with a sky-high rate of sending graduates to college -- far from given in a tough environment. The vast majority of its denizens never set a screen or grab a rebound.
If Hurley had pursued greener pastures, the doors might have closed long ago.
“He really believes in what he built there,” Copeland said. “His bond with the school and the city, it meant too much to him to leave that behind. It’s a special place.”
Copeland is a graduate assistant at Wagner College now, working toward a master’s in business management while keeping a hand in hoops. He still hears Hurley’s voice in his head.
“The way you carry yourself off the court affects how you are on the court,” Copeland said. “That’s something I’ve tried to carry throughout my life. I really believe it. I can’t coach guys and have them feed off of me if I’m not genuine.”
Hurley’s guys will rally around the old lion Friday. They’ll donate what they can, but they will bring one thing in abundance -- appreciation.
“When we have this banquet there are going to be some (former) players that are older than me, some that are younger than me,” said Gamble, who is 52. “But we all still worry about his approval. You never want to disappoint him.”
Such deep-seated respect radiates for a coach who won a ton of games, sure.
But mostly it’s for a guy who stayed.
To contribute to the Save St. Anthony High School fund, click here.
Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.
The question was posed to a guy who would know.
Did Bob Hurley ever seriously consider leaving St. Anthony High School?
“After Mike Rice, if Rutgers had approached him more aggressively, he would have considered leaving,” said Ben Gamble, who played basketball for Hurley and served as one of his assistants for 14 years. “He would have taken Rutgers and probably would have had the boys (Bobby and Dan) come with him to set the foundation. That was the closest he ever came.”
Hurley acknowledged his interest publicly after Rice was fired in April 2013. Rutgers zeroed in on Eddie Jordan instead. But it might not have mattered, because Hurley’s loyalty to St. Anthony always won the day.
That’s why, on Friday, the school is honoring his 50 years there with a celebration featuring scores of former players. It’s why Hurley has been pleading for donations to keep St. Anthony afloat; the Jersey City institution needs at least $10 million over the next several months or this year could be its last.
“He’s meant the world -- not just to St. Anthony, but to Jersey City,” said Donald Copeland, who starred at guard for Hurley and later for Seton Hall University. “He’s an idol, a father figure, a role model to people who have come through there. He tries to enhance your growth from a boy into a man. Guys always come back, and that’s a testament to what people have taken away from being around him.”
They always come back because Hurley never left.
He could have made millions of dollars, perhaps tens of millions, in the college game. Instead he gets fees for speaking engagements -- and insists that the checks get made out to his school.
The Hall of Fame basketball resume speaks for itself: 1,162 wins, 13 Tournament of Champions titles, eight undefeated seasons and teaching tactics that have been emulated by generations of coaches at every level. But Hurley’s real legacy is his loyalty to his neighborhood.
“He cares about what happens to people,” said Gamble, now the boys hoops head coach at Mater Dei Prep in Middletown. “He has a genuine love for the kids he coaches, for the community.”
How many kids has Hurley helped in 50 years?
“I couldn’t even throw a number out there,” Gamble said. “I’ll say this: Sometimes it’s not even a kid who played for him.”
We all know about St. Anthony because of basketball, but this is no storefront shop with 15 students. It’s a good school with a sky-high rate of sending graduates to college -- far from given in a tough environment. The vast majority of its denizens never set a screen or grab a rebound.
If Hurley had pursued greener pastures, the doors might have closed long ago.
“He really believes in what he built there,” Copeland said. “His bond with the school and the city, it meant too much to him to leave that behind. It’s a special place.”
Copeland is a graduate assistant at Wagner College now, working toward a master’s in business management while keeping a hand in hoops. He still hears Hurley’s voice in his head.
“The way you carry yourself off the court affects how you are on the court,” Copeland said. “That’s something I’ve tried to carry throughout my life. I really believe it. I can’t coach guys and have them feed off of me if I’m not genuine.”
Hurley’s guys will rally around the old lion Friday. They’ll donate what they can, but they will bring one thing in abundance -- appreciation.
“When we have this banquet there are going to be some (former) players that are older than me, some that are younger than me,” said Gamble, who is 52. “But we all still worry about his approval. You never want to disappoint him.”
Such deep-seated respect radiates for a coach who won a ton of games, sure.
But mostly it’s for a guy who stayed.
To contribute to the Save St. Anthony High School fund, click here.
Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com.
don't get into an argument with him on the board or risk watching her grades mysteriously suffer
August Martin HS here she comes!
Hey, that's where I went to High School. Funny, had a discussion with a co-worker who started with us this summer. She grew up not to far from the school. I mentioned how my class (which was the last small class of around 300) knew the school was in trouble as the school had expanded and the freshman class was out of control.
don't get into an argument with him on the board or risk watching her grades mysteriously suffer
August Martin HS here she comes!
August Martin closed 4 years ago. It is now known as the School of Opportunities.
Is it three or four different "schools" in the building. Similar to the former Andrew Jackson H.S. which is now Campus Magnet. It has four different schools in the building. I also found out from the same co-worker, they did the same thing to Jamaica H. S. which is next to Thomas Edison H.S., both located on the west side of 168th St. on the southsied of the GCP. (St. John's softball field is on the other side of the GCP.