Reports: Catholic High Schools to Meet About Forming Own Conference

Seven Catholic high schools in the Twin Cities are considering forming their own conference, pending the outcome of a May 16 meeting of athletic directors, local newspapers have reported.

The schools, according to the Star Tribune, are:

• Benilde-St. Margaret's School, St. Louis Park
• DeLaSalle, Minneapolis
• Hill-Murray School, St. Paul
• Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield
• Holy Family, Victoria
• Saint Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights 
• Totino Grace High School, Fridley

Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul will not participate, the Star Tribune reported.

Talks are preliminary so far, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

"We're just looking at and discussing possible options right now," St. Thomas Academy activities director Jack Zahr told the Pioneer Press on Wednesday, May 1. "We'll get together and exchange ideas. It's just discussion. It's nothing more than that." ...

Benilde-St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park is in the North Suburban Conference—which will dissolve after the 2013-14 school year. Two weeks ago, the Red Knights were denied admission to the Classic Suburban.

Read the full article at twincities.com.

Catholic schools are sometimes made unwelcome and have banded together before, the Star Tribune reported:

“It was very difficult to be invited into a conference initially,” [Holy Family President Kathie] Brown said. “It continues to be a challenge to be welcome. Because we’ve been successful at a very early age, I think the challenges have been even larger than we anticipated. That’s another great reason to at least start these conversations.” ...

A few of those schools, including Totino-Grace, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Holy Angels, were aligned with other smaller Catholic schools in the Twin Cities-based Don Bosco Conference in the 1980s.

Read the full article at startribune.com.