Cardinal Gibbons High School has been around a long time and has had different names, been at different locations, and varied in size. But despite all the changes and transformations the school has experienced, one thing appears to have remained a constant; the community. 

The Gibbons community, despite all of the altercations the school has experienced, has been an unchanged aspect that has stood the test of time.

Brief History  

Founded in 1909, the school was originally called the Sacred Heart Academy, and was opened to grades first through ninth.

The original location of Sacred Heart Academy was at the Pulaski-Cowper Mansion in Raleigh. It was in the 1960s that the school’s location was moved to Western Boulevard, the current location of the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, for the establishment of a high school. 

Even since Gibbons has resided at its current location here, on Edwards Mill Road, the school has experienced many changes. 

Then

When Dean of Students Paige Derouin (class of 2009) was a student, the school was much smaller. There was no art wing and no learning commons. The main entrance was instead where the current dean’s offices are. There was only one gym, rather than two. And the football stadium had a grass field, not a turf one. 

Derouin liked that she had the ability to be involved in so many different things, that she could express and develop the different facets of herself during her time here, and that the community allowed her to be well-rounded and have a multitude of different friends who shared her different interests. And she too liked that students were appreciated for their involvements and recognized for their interests. 

“The things that I loved about Gibbons as a student is that there’s something for everyone, and that you don’t have to be one version of yourself,” said Derouin. “Gibbons is the kind of welcoming environment where we don’t have a jock table, the smart kid table, it’s not segmented like that.”

Although Retreat Coordinator Meredith Espina’s (class of 2018) time as a student was only a few years ago, she was still able to reflect that there are both many differences and many similarities between her time as a student and the life of current students. 

“Even though Gibbons has changed in some ways; the academic schedule has changed, the amount of activities has changed, all those things, I think the core values we have, faith, service, leadership, are the same,” Espina said.

The core values of which we as a community share and strive to uphold are the foundation of our community. The values were important to the school then, and are equally, if not more important, now.

Now

Comparatively, there were about 275 people in Derouin’s graduating class while Gibbons now has a total of about 1600 students and the class sizes are about 400.

“It’s grown a lot, but the feeling is still the same.” Derouin said.“It’s like a second home, and I think it definitely still has that vibe.” 

And as many students can attest, it truly does. Many current students arrive at school early and stay late for this reason. And it is owing to the inclusive community that there is such significant student involvement throughout Gibbons.  

“Most of the things I loved about Gibbons haven’t changed. You still can be friends with anybody and you can be involved in a lot of things,” Espina said. 

It seems that in the passing of years and people between Espina and the current students, 

friendships and involvements have only grown.

“There’s a place for everyone,” junior Gia Lashley said.

There are an abundance of opportunities throughout the community that fulfill practically any interest. There are many sports teams, numerous clubs, drama productions, art classes, and an abundance of classes varying in their level of difficulty and subject matter. And Derouin’s words ring true even now for as she said, in the Gibbons community, “you don’t have to be one version of yourself.”

And even more important than the opportunities themselves are the people who make the opportunities possible. The students, educators, alumni, staff who populate the community contribute to the welcomeness and inclusiveness of the Gibbons environment.

“It is a family that is welcoming and supportive of everybody and all their passions. A place where nothing is out of reach, and everybody is willing to help,” junior Drew Flanagan said.

A Shared Hope

For both alumni and current students, the community has been a key aspect of Cardinal Gibbons. The community has seemingly always been a welcoming, supportive, inclusive, and friendly environment. And as many students agree, it is much more than just a group of high school students, but rather a family. 

In the years to come, Gibbons is sure to experience a multitude of changes, but I feel that there is a hope shared by all students, both old and new, in that the Gibbons community can remain forever unchanged.