Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

The Safety Ambassador Program has returned to the Frankford Business Corridor as of yesterday. The program — part of the Frankford Special Services District — was a part of Frankford in the late 1990s and will allow for of uniformed personnel to patrol Frankford Avenue in order to increase commerce on the corridor.

Keep reading for news on a police couple who saved the day, the first ever doctoral program at Holy Family, and more. continue reading »

Stephen Fediuk received a $1,000 college scholarship from the Philadelphia Protestant Home, presented by Eileen Bratton, the daughter of Mavis Morrissey, for whom the scholarship is named.

Stephen Fediuk a 2010 graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School, is the winner of The Philadelphia Protestant Home Mavis Morrissey Memorial Scholarship.  continue reading »

Ryan Director of Admissions Pam McPeak discusses the school's shadow program with students, junior Christopher Gatton (left) and freshman Julio Polanco (center).

Patrick Boylan and Tom McGowan, both juniors at Northeast Catholic High School, would have ruled the school as seniors next year – McGowan as a National Honor Society member ranked fifth in his class and Boylan as a legacy student, following his father, grandfather, uncles and older brothers by attending the school.

Now, both Boylan and McGowan will find themselves adapting to new schools for senior year, after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced plans to close Northeast Catholic, opened in 1926 on the border of Frankford and Kensington, and Cardinal Dougherty High School, opened in 1956 in Olney, at the end of the academic year due to waning enrollment.

“When I first heard North was closing, I was really mad,” McGowan, who is enrolled at Father Judge High School for next year, said. “I was mad that this announcement came out of nowhere and I was even more upset that North was closing a year before my senior year. I was confused because I didn’t know where I was going to go next year and what was going to happen with my scholarship.” continue reading »

From left: Mike Bobby, who takes it upon himself to remove graffiti from Fox Chase and Steve Phillips, Fox Chase Town Watch president, display their patrol gear. Photo by Morgan Zalot.

When Stephen Phillips saw a group of teens brutally beating Eddie Polec to death from his Fox Chase doorstep in 1994 and no police responded to his 911 calls for help, he and a group of community members decided something needed to be done.

“You’d rather be proactive than reactive,” Phillips, who raised three children in the neighborhood, said. “Our community was reactive to the tragedy.”

Polec, then 16, a Cardinal Dougherty High School student who lived in the neighborhood and the son of a well-known crossing guard in the area, was beaten with bats by a mob of teens from a local suburb on the steps of St. Cecilia’s Church. Phillips said more than 30 calls were made from the area to 911 during Polec’s in a span of 20 minutes, but no police were dispatched to the scene until it was too late to save the teen.

“It was a major failure of the Philadelphia 911 system,” he recalled. “[Polec] was literally an innocent bystander.” continue reading »

Sometimes, all it comes down to is uniforms.

Denise Maccari knows about uniforms. As the mother of sophomore at Northeast Catholic High School, she understands that uniforms have to be bought, and not at a discount price. If you’re lucky, perhaps a neighbor with a son just out of school will be able to give you a tie or a sweater. But Maccari’s son is also an athlete. That translates into even more uniform purchases, and a gym bag to carry everything. And all of this merchandise has one thing in common – it all proudly displays the name of Northeast Catholic. continue reading »

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has announced the closing of two local high schools. Both Cardinal Dougherty and Northeast Catholic will be closed at the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

“It is with a heavy heart that I make this announcement,” Cardinal Justin Rigali said. “We must make difficult decisions in the prayerful hope for a bright future.”

According to Rigali, the closings come as a result of a comprehensive study of all Archdiocesan schools. The study ended in early September. Today, notices were sent to parents from both schools, and letters have been mailed to every family. continue reading »