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Gross Catholic Open House!

October 12, 2020 by GC

An Outstanding Showcase!

Sunday, November 8, 2020, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

One of our favorite events at Gross Catholic is coming up on Sunday, November 8, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. What is it? It is our Annual Open House! Come and experience for yourself the spirit of our school and see what sets us apart from other Catholic High Schools.

Due to an abundance of caution, Open House is limited to 7th and 8th Graders this year!

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM, 8th grader and parents.

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, 7th grader and parents.

Did you know that attending Open House qualifies you for the $1000 Campus Visit Grant?

At our Open House, we get to demonstrate the awesomeness that is Gross Catholic High School! Our administrators, faculty, staff, students, and even our mascot, Freddie Cougar, will all be there, ready to answer any questions and show you around.

From the moment you step through our doors, there is no denying that we want you to be a part of our Cougar Family. You will be electrified by the energy of our students and faculty! A student will lead your family individually on fact-finding academic tours and escort you through our beautiful building, including our lovely Holy Family Chapel, our impressive state-of-the-art Health & Conditioning Center, and our eye-catching synthetic field turf.

While you’re here, you can also visit our Athletic & Activity Fair in our recently renovated gymnasium, gather information about our innovative technology program, explore our House system, stop by our Guidance Department and meet our amazing counselors, learn more about our Individualized Tuition Plan, ask about our $1000 Campus Visit Grant, and discover all the opportunities you can become involved in to deepen and strengthen your faith life here at Gross Catholic. And…Don’t miss your chance to win free books for a year!

Students can also sign up for our 8th grade Admissions Exam!

We can’t wait to see you! Choose Great! Choose Gross Catholic! Call 402-734-2000 or Contact Us for more info!

About Gross Catholic

One of Nebraska’s premier private schools, Gross Catholic High School is a faith and family-based community committed to developing Christian leaders through academic excellence in the Marianist tradition. Recognized locally for its outstanding education, welcoming atmosphere, competitive sports programs, engaging activities, robust faith, and boundless service work, Gross Catholic has energized the Omaha area for over 50 years. Gross Catholic recently received the KVSS Radio Superstar School Award and the Omaha World-Herald Omaha’s Choice award for private schools.

To discover the Gross Catholic difference, contact us at 402.734.2000 or visit our Admissions page at grosscatholic.org.

Check our our infographic, “Gross Catholic by the Numbers.”

How to Study for the High School Placement Test

October 12, 2020 by GC

Scholarships and Placement

An important rite of passage for those going to Catholic high schools is the High School Placement Test (HSPT.) Gross Catholic is administering its HSPT Admissions Exam on January 9, 2021 from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

If you are a 6th or 7th grader, then begin your conquering of the HSPT by taking our practice exam. Gross Catholic’s 6th & 7th grade practice test also will be held Saturday, January 9th at 8 AM. You can register for the 6-7th Grade practice exam now. If you are in 8th grade, follow the instructions below.

Catholic schools in the Omaha area use the HSPT to place students in courses according to their ability as measured by the test. The HSPT is also used to award scholarships to the students who take the exam. Gross Catholic awards a total scholarship amount of almost $50,000 to the top test takers.

An amazing scholarship is tied to the taking of the HSPT Admissions Exam at Gross. We call the scholarship the, “$1000 Campus Visit Grant.” Learn more about the scholarship!

Tips and Tricks!

There are just five parts to the HSPT: The Verbal Skills section has 60 questions, and goes for 16 minutes. Quantitative Skills has 52 questions and is 30 minutes in length. Reading: 62 questions and lasts 25 minutes. The Mathematics section lasts 45 minutes and is composed of 64 questions. Language is 25 minutes long and has 60 questions.

Each Catholic school uses the test differently. Gross Catholic uses the HSPT as our Admissions Exam. We then use the HSPT scores, the student’s grades, as well as teacher recommendations, to place students in appropriate classes. At Gross Catholic, we take into account the academic history of a student, not just one snapshot on test day. To study for the HSPT, we highly recommend purchasing one of the many HSPT study guides. They are well designed and give numerous hints. Be sure to purchase a guide that includes practice tests.

When you are taking the study guide practice tests, remember that those taking the HSPT are not penalized for wrong answers. Therefore, don’t leave questions blank, go ahead and guess on the study guide questions as well as on the actual HSPT instead of leaving blanks. While practicing, set a timer, and get used to the time restrictions. After you correct your practice test, spend time going through the wrong answers to figure out why you answered incorrectly. Don’t forget to also review your correct answers.

School breaks are a great time to carve out some quality time with your HSPT Study Guide. Set a schedule and stick to it. Start with study sessions of 20-30 minutes, then increase the time to 60 minutes. A daily schedule over a number of weeks is a much better strategy than cramming everything in a few days before the test.

Our Gross Catholic standardized test “guru,” Mr. Rick Sloup, has some important suggestions: “A student’s performance on the HSPT depends primarily on several factors. Most important is a student’s level of reading comprehension. In general, the better a student’s reading comprehension, the better his or her performance will be on all sections of the HSPT, even the mathematics portions. Obviously a firm grasp of basic arithmetic and pre-algebra topics such as fractions, decimals, and percents will also aid immensely with the math tests. In addition, the overall quality of a student’s grade school education, and the information they have acquired through family and other social interactions, will be directly related to how they score on the placement exam. Familiarity with standardized tests, particularly the HSPT, and how they are structured also impacts a student’s performance. “

Eat a good breakfast and get plenty of rest the night before the test. How you feel physically on test day, can impact your score. When taking the actual HSPT, it is best to pace yourself. Know how much time you can spend on a question in each section beforehand. If a question is giving you trouble, skip it, answer questions you know, and then come back and answer them at the end. Stay calm, breathe easy. You can do this!

Again, the Gross Catholic HSPT Admissions Exam is being held on January, 9, 2021 from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Learn more about the test at Gross Catholic .

What You May Have Missed

About Gross Catholic

One of Nebraska’s best catholic high schools, Gross Catholic is a faith and family-based community committed to developing Christian leaders through academic excellence in the Marianist tradition. Recognized locally for its outstanding education, welcoming atmosphere, competitive sports programs, engaging activities, robust faith, and boundless service work, Gross Catholic has energized the Omaha area for over 50 years. We are Faithful, Compassionate, and Driven! We are Gross Catholic!

To discover more about one of the top high schools in Omaha, contact us at 402.734.2000 or visit our Admissions page at grosscatholic.org.

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Follow our mascot, Freddie Cougar, on Facebook.

Three Generations Call Gross Catholic Their Second Home

September 28, 2020 by GC

“Sending my children to Gross Catholic felt like sending them to a second home,” Barb Brennan ’01 said. When her sons enter the school each day, she knows the teachers and staff at her alma mater become a second “set” of parents. They invest their time, talents and whole hearts into the success of all students at Gross Catholic. There is a family aspect that she knows, at least for her family, couldn’t be found at another school.

But Barb’s love of Gross Catholic didn’t start with her boys. Barb and her husband Josh Brennan ’01 met in grade school, but started dating after a summer of doing work study together at Gross Catholic. Both Josh’s parents and Barb’s parents also met at Gross Catholic. Josh’s parents, Theresa (Campos) Hook ’82 and Bill Brennan ’81, and Barb’s parents, Diane (Mendick) Wilkins ’79 and Bob Saum ’78, were high school sweethearts and are proud alumni.

When Diane found out her grandchildren had decided to attend Gross Catholic, she was elated that her family’s legacy at the school would continue. She recalled that the class sizes were much bigger when she attended Gross Catholic, but there was still the same sense of community. Community is what all three generations of this family love most about Gross Catholic. Both inside and outside of the building, they know their family is extended among students, staff, alumni and fellow parents.

Barb is proud of how the school has evolved over recent years. “I love how Gross Catholic is expanding programs,” Barb said. “They are really able to meet each student, where they are at.” She saw this in the way her oldest son, Nate ’20, grew from his freshman to senior year at Gross Catholic. “He really developed and matured throughout his four years at the school.” Staff and faculty hold the students accountable and there is consistency both inside and outside of the classroom.

Barb and her son Owen ’23 experienced this in the spring when students were forced to learn remotely due to the pandemic. “The teachers communicated really well and were still completely invested in the students, even though they were not in the building together.”

That investment in the students reminded Barb and Josh why they make sacrifices, in order to send their children to their alma mater. “I feel, 100 percent, that my children deserve to be at Gross Catholic,” Barb said. “We love our second home.”

What You May Have Missed

About Gross Catholic

To discover more about one of the top high schools in Omaha, contact us at 402.734.2000 or visit our Admissions page at grosscatholic.org.

Like us on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
Follow us on Instagram.
Follow our mascot, Freddie Cougar, on Facebook.

Grandparents Are the Footsteps to Future Generations!

September 10, 2020 by GC

Celebrating Our Grandparents!

Traditionally Gross Catholic students celebrate mass with their grandparents on the Friday before Grandparents Day. With our students and their families safety in mind, we have decided to postpone the mass until spring. In celebration of Grandparents Day our students have shared some fond memories of their grandparents.

Memories

When I was little both my parents were in school or work so I would spend a lot of days with my grandma. She lived in a little tiny house in Bellevue and we would watch scary movies and have tea parties. I have so many special memories but my favorite was when she took me to New Life Thrift one day and I got a whole new wardrobe. I got a purple bucket hat,a purple overall dress, green jeans, and lots of big chunky jewelry. I have 25 first cousins so I knew even then how lucky I was to have such a special day with her all to myself even though my mom was a little overwhelmed when I came home that day with every green and purple item of clothing in that entire store. My grandma always encouraged me to follow my inner voice from a young age even if that meant a purple bucket hat cause she was a free spirit and she knew I would be too with my big chunky purple bracelets.
-Layla Stull ’21

My favorite memory of my grandma is having her as my confirmation sponsor and doing service hours with her. Having her as my confirmation sponsor and working with her was really fun because I got to spend time with her and bond with her more.
-Owen Nolte ’23

For the past two years on the grandparent mass day we would always get panera after for lunch and just talk.

-Megan Le ’22

My favorite memory with my grandparents is when they used to drive me to Jr. Band. It was a good time to spend together alone with my grandparents and many memories were made.
-Cadence Sweetmon ’22

My favorite grandparent memory is my magic phone. When I was little, my grandma used to call her phone a “magic phone”. This magic phone allowed her to see the color of my dress, which she would always compliment. She would call me everyday, ask how my day was, and tell me how pretty I looked that day. I always looked forward to it.
-Camille Streit ’21

My favorite memory with my grandparents is when I was younger my grandpa would come over and watch me on snowdays. We would go sledding, build snowmen, and have snowball fights with my other siblings. My grandma would stay inside and make us hot chocolate and food, so when we were done we could go in and eat. Then we would all watch a movie together, it was perfect.
-Emma Parr ’22

One of my favorite memories of my grandpa is from a long time ago, while me, him, and my grandma were walking through a parking lot. Grandpa was telling me one of his really interesting (and really long) stories, and grandma was a walking little further ahead while telling him to hurry up, as usual. Suddenly, grandpa stopped, bent over, and picked up a little plastic alien, which he handed to me as a gift. It was just a silly little thing that he did on the spot, but years later, I still have that alien sitting on my desk, reminding me of him whenever I see it.
-Lauren Schmitz ’22

My favorite memory with my grandma was when we were going on a trip. We were at the hotel at the pool and she slipped, coming out of the pool. My sister and I were both really scared. When we got to her she was laughing. She just thought it was so funny. Luckily, she did not get hurt!
-Annie Biros ’24

My fondest memory was that every year in elementary school my grandma would take me shopping and buy me back-to-school clothes.

-Elizabeth Linder ’24

My favorite memory is when I went skiing with my grandparents.

-Kathleen Brousek ’22

My favorite memory of my Grandma is going over to her house, having meatball subs, spending the night at her house, and waking up to make breakfast for everyone.
-Sean Earnest ’22

Grandparents Prayer

Dear God,
Please bless my grandparents:
Thank you for the life they gave my parents and for the life they give to me.
For the ways they helped me and made me strong, I give thanks.
For the ways they love me no matter what, I rejoice.
For the ways they have paved the road that leads me here, I am grateful.

Let them grow in wisdom and joy in life. Let them find peace and rest from their work.
Let them be healed of every sickness and pain.
And let them see with their own eyes the glory of your Son, Jesus,
in the love of their children and grandchildren.
Amen.