Origins of the Red Hat

By Jon Kraft and Matt Schneider

The staff of the Red Hat has been a long standing part of Newman Catholic history since its creation in the late 1950’s.

Looking back in history, the name is believed to have been inspired by the red hat Blessed John Henry Newman wore as a Cardinal in the Catholic church. In the 60’s the Mad Hatters was a club of journalistically minded students located upstairs.  Unlike other clubs, their office was located at the top of the north stairs of the high school. At that time, the newspaper came out every five weeks.  During this time, the yearbook was a special edition of the school paper, with the newspaper as a spread in the center of the yearbook.

In the 1990’s, a beloved alumni known to many, Mr. Michlig, was a part of the Red Hat in his days at Newman Catholic High School. Due to the overabundance of members, the Red Hat transformed into two classes, split into publications and yearbook. In the mid 90’s, the bi-weekly newspaper was a five page spread containing photos and articles pertaining to current events in both the school and the surrounding city.

The Newman Catholic Red Had has long been an interweaved part of our history, which gives our school a unique connection to the world of journalism.