CHARLOTTE — A private school in Asheville is joining the Diocese of Charlotte’s system of Catholic schools, diocesan leaders have announced.
Canongate Catholic High School, an independent school founded in 2013, is being recognized by Bishop Peter Jugis as an affiliate school of the diocese. It will become the 20th Catholic school within the diocese, although it will remain financially and administratively independent.
Canongate has 33 students enrolled in grades 9-12 and 14 educators (full- and part-time) at its location on the campus of St. Barnabas Church in Arden.
“We joyfully welcome Canongate Catholic High School into our family of Catholic schools within the diocese,” said Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of diocesan Catholic Schools, in a letter to the Canongate community. “This affiliate status recognizes the good and faithful work of your school leadership and faculty in providing an authentically Catholic, integrated and robust curriculum that allows for the proper formation of students towards salvation and sainthood.”
Monroe noted that although Canongate will remain independent, diocesan leadership will be responsible for reviewing and ensuring that all aspects of the school align with Catholic teaching. Canongate teachers and staff will also be welcome to attend professional development opportunities and other resources offered through the diocese’s Catholic Schools Office.
Canongate’s principal, Sedrick Dellinger, said he is pleased about the school’s new affiliate designation, which he said signals the strength of Catholic education in the Asheville community. He also said that he hopes it attracts interest from more families interested in a Catholic education for their children.
“I am excited to be able to participate in diocesan Catholic Schools’ opportunities,” Dellinger added. “I also look forward to more opportunities to connect with principals at other schools.”
Canongate’s culture is one of immersion and hands-on learning experiences. The classical curriculum focuses on four “educational pillars”: wonder, attention, freedom and joy. The school’s motto is “Ex umbris in veritatem” (“Out of the shadows into the truth”).
According to the school's website, 67% of its faculty have advanced degrees, and its graduates have gone on to attend Belmont Abbey College, Western Carolina University, Brevard College, UNC-Asheville and UNC-Charlotte, among others.
Father Adrian Porras, Canongate’s spiritual director, has hosted the school in the religious education wing on his parish campus since January 2020, but his involvement dates back to the school’s earliest days.
“Their presence here has been very positive,” Father Porras said. “This designation gives them more recognition, people feel more confident, and now we can say we have the bishop’s blessing.”
Canongate is not the first Catholic high school in the Asheville area. The city was once home to three Catholic high schools staffed by religious orders: Asheville Catholic High School, which closed in 1972, and St. Genevieve-of-the-Pines School for girls and Gibbons Hall School for Boys, which merged with Asheville Country Day School in 1987 to form Carolina Day School.
Canongate offers another education option for Asheville-area families, in addition to Asheville Catholic School that serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grades on its campus adjacent to St. Eugene Church.
Canongate is the fourth Catholic high school in the diocese, along with Charlotte Catholic High School, Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, and Christ the King High School in Huntersville.
Monroe noted that Canongate’s new affiliation with the diocese “shows the commitment and desire of the bishop and the Catholic Schools Office to serve the diverse needs of our families by continuing to provide multiple opportunities for authentic Catholic education.”
On May 25, school and diocesan leaders will gather at St. Barnabas Church for a ceremony to officially install Canongate as an affiliate, private Catholic high school of the diocese.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Pictured at top: Canongate's students enjoy immersion trips and other out-of-the-classroom experiences as part of the school's classical curriculum. “Balancing between rigor and leisure, students bring their head and heart to school, cultivating virtue in addition to advancement,” its website states.
Canongate’s name has a saintly connection
Canongate Catholic High School’s name is based on the life of its patron saint, St. Margaret of Scotland. “Canongate” was the name of the road connecting her castle to a church built in her honor. The name serves as a metaphor to describe the school’s Catholic mission: by way of the canon – the enduring works of science, art and literature, together with the Church’s scripture and its Eucharistic prayer – students find the gate or path out of shadows into the truth, as its motto “Ex umbris in veritatem” declares.
Learn more about the diocese’s newest Catholic high school at www.canongatecatholic.org.
Catholic high schools graduate 455 students
Members of the Charlotte Catholic High School Class of 2022 are all smiles during a baccalaureate Mass offered at St. Matthew Church May 24. (SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald) CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte now has four high schools that, this year, bid farewell to 455 graduates in the Class of 2022.
Canongate Catholic High School near Asheville officially joined the diocesan Catholic Schools system in May. An affiliate school, this small high school is the 20th Catholic school within the diocese and offers a classical education.
The four graduates of Canongate were recognized at Mass and a graduation ceremony June 4.
“I’m pleased that each of these seniors has started to form a clear vision for their lives based on the support they have received from their families and Canongate teachers,” said Canongate Principal Sedrick Dellinger.
“Academically, they have worked hard, yet my admiration for them regards how each of them has overcome a serious personal obstacle to get where they are today. I’m very proud of them, and I think they are ready for an adventure,” he said.
Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville graduated 85 seniors in the Class of 2022 on May 27. Eighty-three of the graduates will be going on to college.
They earned more than $8 million in scholarships at 43 universities and colleges. Seven of the BMHS graduates will go on to play sports in college.
Dr. Jared Rashford, head of school, said, “The Class of 2022 is a tenacious group of young men and women that have persevered through a series of disruptions to the traditional high school experience. The class has come together in their final year to support one another and will leave a legacy of leadership, success, and personal and collective growth as sons and daughters of God.”
Charlotte Catholic High School graduated 283 seniors on May 27. Of the graduates, 274 will be going on to 93 colleges and universities. They earned more than $23.470 million in scholarships. Twenty-one students will go on to play sports in college.
“I am extremely proud of the Class of 2022. They had to pivot many times since March of 2020 because of COVID. The Class of 2022 has been resilient despite the many challenges they have faced,” said Principal Kurt Telford.
On June 1, Christ the King High School in Huntersville conferred diplomas on 83 graduates of the Class of 2022. All 83 graduates will attend college. They earned more than $9.597 million in scholarships. One graduate will go on to play sports in college.
“I am so proud of this graduating class,” said Dr. Carl Semmler, principal. “They have demonstrated time and time again that they have the grit to succeed. If you think about it, they are our first class to graduate that has fully weathered the beginning, middle and end of the pandemic. They completed this Exodus with style and grace.”
Bishop Peter Jugis extended his best wishes to the Class of 2022, stating, “I am proud of all the graduates of our Catholic high schools. I pray that our graduates will proclaim the Kingdom of Christ by the witness of their lives.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
