Cretin-Derham Hall High School

Cretin-Derham Hall High School is a private, co-educational Catholic high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Cretin High School was named for Joseph Crétin, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Saint Paul, while Derham Hall High School was named for Hugh Derham, a Minnesotan farmer who donated money to start an all-female Catholic boarding school. They also have a United States Army J.R.O.T.C program.HistoryThe present-day Cretin-Derham Hall is the result of a merger between Cretin High School and Derham Hall in 1987. Cretin was founded as a secondary school for boys in 1871 by the Christian Brothers. In the late 1800s, the school incorporated a mandatory program of instruction grounded in the tradition of a military institute, which makes it one of the oldest such programs in the United States. Instruction included lessons in leadership, close-order drill and ceremonies, and numerous other strictly non-combat-related instruction designed to instill a sense of discipline and order in all aspects of student life. The 1916 National Defense Act created the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), a more formalized program of instruction with national oversight for training standards and a provision for active duty and retired soldiers and officers as instructors. Cretin's "military program" became one of the very first Junior ROTC (JROTC) programs in the country, and participation remained mandatory for all students until the early 1980s when it became voluntary.