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History & Tradition

A Tradition of Excellence Since 1902

1902: Cathedral High School opens under the direction of Bishop McQuaid. Fr. Hickey converts a portion of the old Cathedral Parish Hall into a one-room schoolhouse. The school opens with thirty students who pursue a business education. 

1904: Cathedral High expands its educational program to include an academic diploma program.

1905: Fr. Hickey is ordained Bishop of Rochester.

1912: In September, Cathedral High School opens as a co-educational institution with an enrollment of 330 students and 130 alumni. The class of 1912 includes 23 women.

1914: Cathedral High School is renamed Rochester Catholic High School. The name is changed as the school draws students from other city parishes. 

1917: The women transfer to the newly established Nazareth Academy on Lake Avenue, formerly located on Jay Street, about one block from Cathedral High.

1922: March 16 – Senate Bill No. 1402 – The Aquinas Institute of Rochester is created by a special act of the New York Legislature. This special act serves as the incorporation document of Aquinas. It also provides for the Bishop of Rochester to be president of the corporation. Aquinas is incorporated under the auspices of the State University of New York. In September, Rochester Catholic officially changes its name to The Aquinas Institute of Rochester.

1923: The Aquinas Institute Fund Drive is initiated, raising over $900,000.

1924: March 7 – Dewey Avenue groundbreaking.

1925: Aquinas Institute opens its doors on Dewey Avenue. 

1928: The St. Thomas Club is established for those who complete four years with an “A” grade average.

1932: First permanent members of the St. Thomas Club are inducted. The First Mission Bouts are fought, with the proceeds of the boxing matches donated to the Basilian Missions.

1937: Full administrative authority for Aquinas is transferred from the Diocesan clergy to the Basilian Fathers. Aquinas incurs substantial debt during the Depression, which is paid off  through diocesan parish collections and the operation of the school. The September 1937 agreement between the Basilian Fathers and the Bishop of Rochester provides for the Diocese to give $20,000 annually to subsidize tuition. Aquinas is required to collect tuition of $75 per year.  One half of the tuition is to be retained by Aquinas and one half remitted to the Diocese. The agreement is based on enrollment of 500 students.

1946: The LaGrange Avenue Annex opens in September. It includes 450 students in the 1946-47 freshman class that graduates 406 in 1950 – the largest graduating class in the history of the school.

1947-48: Aquinas realizes its highest enrollment at 1,709. This includes the 500 Annex freshmen.

1948-49: Aquinas Memorial Stadium opens. During the 1948-49 academic year, Aquinas football attendance reaches 128,343. The stadium was sold to the City of Rochester on February 7, 1973 for $750,000. On September 9, 1973, the stadium was renamed Holleder Stadium in memory of Major Donald Holleder ’52. The stadium was demolished on August 2, 1985).

1955: April 4 – Diocese increases the annual tuition subsidy to $30,000. Aquinas maintains its annual tuition of $75.

1976: Bishop Hogan, Bishop of the Diocese of Rochester and President of the Aquinas Board of Trustees, resigns as president of the Board. First lay Board president is elected.

1977: February 24 – By action of the New York State Board of Regents, the Aquinas charter is amended, vesting full governance authority in the lay Aquinas Board.

1982: September – St. Agnes High School closes. The Aquinas Board approves the admission of female students.  Aquinas becomes a co-educational secondary school.

1989: June 8 – Aquinas is placed on the National Registry for Historic Landmarks. Cardinal Mooney High School closes, and Aquinas welcomes those students into its Tradition.

1993: October – Wegman-Napier Center opens, providing a large gymnasium and new science labs.

1994: June 1 – Board adopts the president/principal administration model.

1995: March – first president is appointed.

2000: While individual Basilians continue to serve on the Board, the official association of Aquinas and the Basilian Fathers concludes at the end of the 1999 – 2000 academic year.

2002: Aquinas celebrates its 100th Anniversary as an educational institution.

2004: The Fine Arts Center is dedicated, featuring state-of-the-art technology in classrooms and the Hastings Black Box Theatre.

2005: The Wegman Sports Complex is dedicated. The building of this facility was made possible by a gift from Robert B. Wegman `37. Renovations begin within Aquinas’ original structure. The Aquinas Student Union is dedicated in the fall, during the First Annual Alumni & Reunion Weekend.  

2007: Ground broken for The Robert B. Wegman `37  Fitness  Center. Aquinas celebrates the 25th Anniversary of young women attending the School.

2008: Aquinas opens a Junior High School in response to the closing of 13 diocesan schools. Renovation of old gymnasium to accommodate the Mary P. Hastings & Ann K. Wegman Library.

2009: Aquinas dedicates the Thomas F. Bell `57 Auditorium.

2010: Aquinas Institute and Nazareth Schools announce a partnership that will create the only co-ed PreK-12 school system in the area.

2015: Aquinas opens a 6th grade in fall 2015, creating a true middle school on the AQ campus.

2015: Aquinas begins phasing out New York State Assessments and Regents exams. The transition will be completed in the spring of 2021.

2019: Aquinas dedicates the outdoor track to Father J. Michael Wesley, CSB ’57.

2019: The Wegman Family Cafeteria is dedicated in the spring.

2019: An Augmented/Virtual Reality Lab opens at Aquinas to compliment the school’s STREAM-based curriculum.

Alma Mater
 
Thou place of rev'rie, praise we and uphold thee; In retrospection we see thy intention; Always to strive for, that which we were made for, Aquinas evermore!
 
Dear Alma Mater, may you in all hours, Be thee outstanding, be the one commanding, And of those striving, be the one surviving; Triumphant over all.
Fight Song
 

While the Aquinas fight song, "March on Aquinas," is no longer sung, it is part of our history. Alumni from days gone by have fond memories of singing Aquinas to victory!

March on Aquinas
 
March on Aquinas soon the victory will be won. Back the team in old maroon until the task is done. Fling wide the banner let your hearts and voices blend. Fight, fight, fight for dear Aquinas to the end.
 
Rah, Rah, Rah.
 
March on to vict’ry carry on through thick and thin, Fight as one and one for all Aquinas must win. March down the field boys never let your spirits dim. Fight, fight, fight for dear Aquinas till we win—Rah.