Loyola College Prep

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City	Shreveport LA
Year Opened	1902
Founder	Rev. John F. O'Connor, S.J.
Principal	Frank Israel
Type	Private Catholic Coeducational
Grades	9 - 12
Enrollment	Approximately 400
Athletic Teams	Blue Flyers (boys), Lady Flyers (girls)
Mascot	Snoopy
Colors	Blue and White
Mottos	Men and Women for Others (in use beginning 1987); Esto Vir Fortis Fide (Be a Man Strong in Faith) in use 1982-1987; Religioni et Scientiae (in use 1902 - 1982) A.M.D.G. Ad majorem Dei gloriam (For the greater glory of God) - historic Jesuit motto;
Website	www.loyolaprep.org

Loyola College Prep [1] is a private Catholic coeducational high school in Shreveport, Louisiana operated by the Diocese of Shreveport [2].

Contents 1 History 2 Facilities 3 Academics 4 Service 5 Sports 6 Publications 7 St. John's-Jesuit-Loyola Alumni Association Hall of Honor 8 Other Notable Alumni 9 Historic Seals 10 External Links

[edit] History

Originally a high school for boys, St. John Berchman's College opened on November 3, 1902, by the Rev. John F. O'Connor, S.J., of the New Orleans Province [3] of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). O'Connor was invited by Bishop Anthony Durier of the Diocese of Natchitoches to establish a new church and a high school for boys in Shreveport. The school was first located on Texas Avenue and moved to its present location on Jordan Street in 1938 as St. John’s High School.

St. John's was converted into a full time military school during World War II. In 1960 the school's name was changed to Jesuit High School. In 1972 the Board of Trustees hired the first lay principal. The Jesuits relinquished control of the school in 1982 to the Diocese of Alexandria-Shreveport, and the school took on its present name in honor of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Girls were admitted to Loyola for the first time in 1987, following closure of St. Vincent's Academy, a Catholic high school for girls. In 2005, Loyola temporarily admitted students from several Catholic high schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina in south Louisiana.

[edit] Facilities

The major structures on the Jordan Street campus include a three level classroom building constructed in 1938 (including a cafeteria), a four level classroom building that opened in 1929 as a residence hall for Jesuit priests, a gymnasium including boys' dressing rooms, a girls' dressing room building, and the single story Anderson building used for various administrative offices.

The Loyola Athletic Complex on Clyde Fant Memorial Parkway includes Messmer Stadium (football, soccer and lacrosse), Cicero Field (baseball), St. Vincent’s Field (softball) and the Flyer Field House.

[edit] Academics

Loyola won the Sweepstakes Award for Division III schools participating in the 2007 Northwest Louisiana High School Literary Rally, held at Northwestern State University on March 17. Twenty-five (25) students at this district event advanced to final competition at the Louisiana State Rally to be held April 21 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. [4]

Loyola was named on the Acton Institute's first Catholic High School Honor Roll (2004). Membership is limited to the top 50 Catholic schools in the United States. This honor roll recognizes those schools that best maintain high academic standards, uphold their Catholic identities, and prepare students to actively engage the world. [5]

[edit] Service

Loyola graduation requirements include the completion of 100 hours of community service with an approved non-profit organization or project dedicated to helping individuals with special needs.[6]

[edit] Sports

The school has won Louisiana state athletic championships in baseball (1964 and 1974), soccer (1996), football (1967 and 1976) and girls softball (1996). Boys athletic teams are known as the Blue Flyers, girls teams are the Lady Flyers, and the mascot is Snoopy from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Loyola received permission in 1966 by Schulz to use Snoopy as its mascot and remains the only school so honored [7]

[edit] Publications

Regular student print publications are the newspaper, The Flyer, and the annual yearbook, Flight. The development office produces the electronic E-Flyer and ParentFlyer.

[edit] St. John's-Jesuit-Loyola Alumni Association Hall of Honor

(text to be added)

[edit] Other Notable Alumni

Name	Class	Noted for	Reference
Billy Thomas	1994	Professional Basketball Player - New Jersey Nets	[8]
Jon Alston	2001	Professional Football Player - St. Louis Rams	[9]
x	x	x	x
x	x	x	x
x	x	x	x

[edit] Historic Seals

The two wolves and cauldron in the first three seals are from St. Ignatius Loyola's family crest and symbolizes generosity, having enough to give to the wolves. The pelican feeding its young with her own blood is an ancient symbol of Christianity (Christ feeding the Church with his body and blood through the Eucharist).[10]

[edit] External Links

www.loyolaprep.org Loyola College Prep