'Fostering greatness since 1922': Elder High School celebrates its centennial

The sea of purple yard signs that became visible across Cincinnati on May 28 is helping mark the beginning of Elder High School's yearlong celebration. 

The East Price Hill school is celebrating its 100-year anniversary with the theme “Fostering greatness since 1922.” After the 100th class of Elder students graduated May 17 at Xavier University, the yard signs are bringing further recognition to the centennial as events take place until May 2023.

“We had over 2,000 ordered, so it’s really cool to see the signs around the neighborhoods,” Elder Principal Kurt Ruffing, a 1981 alumnus of the school, said.

Since October 2020, Ruffing said a group of about 25 individuals that make up the celebration’s planning committee have had monthly meetings to organize events for the centennial. Some of those events include “Elder Night” at a Cincinnati Reds game, an open house in early August and a rally in Washington Park in October. Elder Night, taking place July 22, also will include a raffle in which one Elder alumnus will be chosen to throw the ceremonial first pitch, Ruffing said.

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Ruffing said the Elder community is already tight-knit, so the aim of the celebration is to help individuals both old and new to the community enjoy what the school has been building on over the course of 100 years. The open house will allow alumni and those living in the area to tour the campus Aug. 7 from 2-5 p.m. During the tours, Ruffing said individuals can see the over $13 million in renovations that have taken place over the past three years, along with items found in the school archives and brought in by alumni.

“I want everyone involved with all these celebrations, because they deserve it,” Ruffing said. “It takes a community to build it.”

The next centennial event is the “West of the Rhine” Elder’s Biergarten. The event will take place June 24 at 6:30 p.m. and feature beer, German food and more, according to the school’s website. Ruffing said the event will take place on Elder’s campus and will be a “festival type of atmosphere” that publicly kicks off the celebration.

Those attending the Elder’s Biergarten must be at least 21 and pay $5 at the gate.

Elder High School first opened in 1912 as a ninth grade-only school for boys of St. Lawrence parish. While a 10th grade was added in the following year, both were an extension of the existing elementary school.

The current high school opened as a four-year school in 1922 and was Cincinnati’s first Catholic diocesan high school, according to the school’s website. It is named after the second archbishop of Cincinnati, William Henry Elder.

Ruffing was an administrator at Elder during its 75th anniversary. Now, as principal, he said it is an honor and privilege to lead the school while the centennial celebration unfolds.

“Elder's been a pillar in Price Hill for 100 years,” Ruffing said. “As long as I’m principal, we're gonna stay there and we're gonna continue to flourish.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati's Elder High School celebrates its centennial