Our History

McNicholas High School: A Legacy of Faith Formation, Compassionate Leadership, and Academic Excellence Since 1951

McNicholas High School traces its roots to the Sisters of St. Joseph, a Catholic order founded in 1650 in Le Puy, France, by Jesuit priest Jean-Pierre Médaille. Persecuted and dissolved during the French Revolution, the order was revived in 1807 through the work of Mother Saint John Fontbonne. In the mid-19th century, a small group of sisters from the motherhouse in Bourg traveled to the United States and built a ministry to the poor and suffering in Louisiana and Mississippi, eventually opening schools, hospitals, and an orphanage. In 1893, several sisters from New Orleans moved to Cincinnati where they ran a downtown boarding residence for young working women called Sacred Heart Home (later to be known as The Fontbonne). 

Seeking fresh air and a place for its residents to relax, the sisters purchased seventeen acres of land in Cedar Point, which is now the eastern Cincinnati suburb of Mt. Washington.  They would continue to purchase adjacent property in future years until the campus eventually totaled 48 acres. The sisters began educating local school children in Martin House (what is now called Heritage House) and several cottages located on the property. In 1915 they established a novitiate and hired renowned Cincinnati architects, Samuel Hannaford & Sons, to design St. Joseph Academy. Originally a day and boarding school for young women, the academy emphasized academic rigor and spiritual growth in the Catholic tradition. For decades, it provided girls with a strong educational foundation while laying the groundwork for what was to become McNicholas High School. 

Cincinnati’s First Coeducational Catholic High School 

Campus Growth and Traditions Take Root: 1950s

• McNicholas Hall (1952) – classrooms, gymnasium, and auditorium  
• The Streetcar (1953) – corridor connecting McNicholas Hall to the academy building and named to honor the sisters’ New Orleans’ roots. 
• Alter Hall (1956) – cafeteria, classroom additions, and faculty lounge 

While students moved into these new learning spaces, the sisters continued to live in the Convent on campus. A most beloved tradition, still in place today, began when the football team, after a win, would gather on the Convent porch and count out the score, alerting the sisters to their victory. 

Other signature traditions beginning during this era included the annual Mardi Gras Pageant and Ball in 1953, first musical in 1954, and first Homecoming celebration in 1957. McNicholas’ athletic identity also took shape in the 1950s with the debut of football, basketball, cheerleading, and the adoption of the team name ROCKETS and school colors, green and white. 

Legend has it that the land behind the Convent building—now home to the athletic complex and affectionately known as Paradise—earned its enduring name during a demanding football practice, when a coach sent his team on a long, grueling run through the then-undeveloped terrain. The players were breathless and full of complaints, while the coach stood watching the sun set in radiant colors over Mt. Washington. With a wry smile, he said, “What are you complaining about? This is paradise!”

Enrollment Surge and Need for Expansion: 1960s-1970s 

• St. Joseph Hall (1960) – 12 new classrooms 
• Lower Marian Hall (1964) – Replacing the “streetcar” with 6 new classrooms  
• Larry Bogenschutz Gymnasium (1970) 
• Upper Marian Hall (1970) – Large multi-purpose space and classrooms 
• Original gym converted into the Jeanne Spurlock Theatre, Bill Fanning Library, and science classrooms (1970) 
• “Glass Hallway” (1970)  
• Chartered chapter of the National Honor Society, AP courses, CO-ED newspaper, yearbook, Girls Athletic Association (G.A.A.), the Rockettes dance team, Drum and Bugle Corps, and a variety of other clubs and student organizations 

In 1970, James O’Leary became the first lay principal at McNicholas—and the first in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. In 1971, enrollment peaked with the largest ever graduating class of 259 students and the school fight song was updated to its current day version (University of Notre Dame melody). In 1974, boys basketball became the first McNicholas sports team to qualify for state competition and the school celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1976. Gold was added to its green and white school colors that same year.

The school continued to expand its campus and program offerings, including welcoming boys to courses like Home Economics. That same year, Heritage House was added to the National Register of Historic Places and was home to several Sisters of St. Joseph, notably Sr. Judi Keehnen ‘59, CSJ, until 2023.

Faith, Family, and Excellence: 1980s-1990s 

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, McNicholas deepened its spiritual life and service mission by introducing the Kairos Retreat Program and Appalachian Service-Learning Experience in cooperation with the Glenmary Home Missioners. A peer counselor program began, inspiring the first Freshman Day of Renewal and in 1989 the Baccalaureate Mass and graduation ceremony were separated into two events.  

Student life flourished with the Senior/Frosh Picnic, Walk-a-thon, Spirit Club, and Homecoming floats and parade. In 1991 the Marching Band entered its first competition and new improvements were made to Upper Marian Hall and St. Joseph Hall. 

The science program began an impressive 32-year streak of winning the Harold C. Shaw Outstanding School Award from the Ohio Academy of Science. During this time, the school also experienced growing success in athletics, securing state championships in boys soccer, baseball, and girls swimming. Additionally, teams made state tournament appearances in boys basketball, football, girls track, swimming, and soccer.

In 1997, ownership of the school transferred from the Sisters of St. Joseph to McNicholas High School, and eventually to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati the following year, a move that preserved the school’s Catholic identity while allowing for continued institutional growth. Though governance shifted, the sisters remained involved through board service and mission-aligned projects. The former Convent was repurposed for art studios, classrooms, and administrative offices. 

21st Century Ushers in Renovation, Academic Opportunities, and Athletic Expansion 

A Stadium is Built and Leadership Model Introduced: 2010s & 2020s 

In 2010, McNicholas began developing more of its 48-acre property, and in 2013 completed a state-of-the-art outdoor athletic complex, including:

• Penn Station Stadium 
• Phil Finn Track 
• Klonne-Schmidt Football Field 
• Baseball, softball, and soccer practice fields 

Stadium lights were added in 2018, marked by a community celebration named “Light Up McNick”. In 2019, 40 students accompanied local veterans to New Orleans to visit the WWII museum, as part of the Soaring Valor program. 

In 2020, McNicholas launched a rebranding campaign featuring a new logo, emphasizing the school’s Catholic and coeducational identities, and refreshed school colors to a bolder green, white, and black. Fr. Kevin Scalf, C.PP.S, joined the faculty in 2021 as Chaplain and theology teacher. A new president/principal leadership model was introduced, with Dr. Denver Stanfield named the school’s first president in 2022.

Athletic achievements continued with state titles in girls soccer (2014), boys golf (2016), wrestling (2022) and boys volleyball (2024 and 2025). Facility upgrades included an expanded Sports Performance Center and program in 2023, alongside enhancements in STEM curriculum, leadership programs, mental health and wellness, and Catholic identity.