# Pope John Paul II High School (Pennsylvania)

Pope John Paul II High School is a Catholic high school in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania, US, near Royersford in Montgomery County within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school, named in honor of Pope John Paul II, teaches Catholicism and academic subjects.

## History

The school opened in September 2010 as a merger of Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School, in Norristown, Pa., and St. Pius X High School, in Lower Pottsgrove Township (Pottstown), Pa., by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

## Academics

Graduate students need to complete 0.5 art credits, 0.5 technology credits, 1 health and gym credit, 2 language credits (of the same language), 3 mathematics credits, 3 history credits, 3 science credits, 4 ELA credits, 4 Catholic theology credits, and 5 elective credits chosen by the students. To earn 0.5 credits students must pass one semester of a class.
The school offers college courses through Immaculata University.
Languages
Pope John Paul II High School offers 3 languages: French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin for professionals. The school also offers ASL and a full Latin course through the Arrupe Virtual Learning Institute
Levels of Classes
Pope John Paul II High School offers three categories of courses:
College Preparatory - on-level courses
Honors - advanced courses
Advanced Placement - college-level courses

## Religion

The school states that it is open to all faiths. As a Catholic school, every month it celebrates Catholic Mass, and students are offered Mass and Eucharistic adoration during their lunch periods. Students are required to complete 4 years of education in Catholic theology in order to graduate. The school also requires service to the community, which it calls "Christian service". Each year students must complete several hours of service in order to graduate or advance to the next grade.

## Arts

The performing arts program, Studio 38, at Pope John Paul II High School is currently headed by Mrs. Marusia Lynn. This department has two major annual performances, the Rhapsodies and the Spring Musicals. The Rhapsodies is a performance by the Pope John Paul II High School Rhapsodies Show Choir in the late fall of each school year. Auditions are open to all students in late spring or early summer. Auditions and practice for the Spring Musical begin in mid to late winter, and the show is performed in early spring. Pope John Paul II High School usually performs a different musical each year. Exceptions are the two performances of Les Miserables in 2011 and 2016, and the two years of Phantom of the Opera, as the first was cut short due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The school has an art show every year, exhibiting students' paintings, sculptures, and photography.

### List of Spring Musicals

| Year | Musical Performed |
| 2011 | Les Miserables |
| 2012 | Anything Goes |
| 2013 | Beauty and the Beast |
| 2014 | West Side Story |
| 2015 | Mary Poppins |
| 2016 | Les Miserables |
| 2017 | Crazy for You |
| 2018 | Footloose |
| 2019 | The King and I |
| 2020 | Phantom of the Opera (cancelled) |
| 2021 | Phantom of the Oprea |
| 2022 | 42nd Street |
| 2023 | Oklahoma! |
| 2024 | Wizard of Oz |
| 2025 | Grease |

### Band

The concert band is open to all students that play an instrument and they play at various school events throughout the year. Within the band, there are the subgroups of the Jazz Band, String Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble. For those who do not know how to play an instrument and are interested in joining the band, the school offers free lessons to their students.

## Athletics

PJP offers athletics for their students to participate in. They have fall, winter, and spring sports, with separate teams for the boys and the girls. Each team usually consists of a Junior Varsity and Varsity.

### Fall sports

* Field Hockey
* Football
* Golf
* Soccer
* Girls Tennis
* Volleyball
* Cheer
* Cross Country

### Winter Sports

* Cheer
* Wrestling
* Basketball
* Swimming

### Spring Sports

* Baseball
* Softball
* Track and Field
* Lacrosse
* Boys Tennis
* Flag Football