Northeast Catholic High School gather for class picture years in making: "The spirit survives"

It's been years in the making. Northeast Catholic High School alumni gathered Tuesday for a class picture to celebrate the 100th anniversary of opening its doors. The school is now closed, but the spirit is still going strong.

"Anyone who knows anything about Northeast Catholic High School," Jim Carr said, "they know that there was something special about it."

Alumni stood on the steps of what used to be Northeast Catholic High School for Boys on Torresdale Avenue. They gathered together for a picture 100 years after the high school opened its doors in 1926.

"This is a beautiful school, and I started when I was 14," one alumni member said. "Graduated when I was 18 and just turned 83, so I am still here."

Even though the school did close, its impact stretched far beyond the building.

"The doors closed in 2010, but the spirit survives, lives on, and thrives, and that's what we are proud of," the Rev. Jack Kolodziej said.

For many of the graduates, it's special to be back on these steps. For many, it brought back a lot of emotions.

"I honestly have a couple brothers that didn't make it here," Carr said. "Doing it for his brother and father."

"I have met so many people at this school. I sent my son here," Mike Ferris, president of the Northeast Catholic Alumni Association, said. "People, no matter where you are in this country, if you have a Corth Catholic on, the first question is what year and what parish?"

While this was quite the trip down memory lane, alumni said it was great to be back together again.

"It's great. A lot of guys look the same as they did," Ed Blaney said. "Haven't aged a bit since high school, believe it or not. … I didn't say they were good-looking."