Loyola College Prep

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City

Shreveport LA
Year Opened

1902
Founder

Rev. John Francis O'Connor, S.J.
Principal

Frank Israel
Type

Private Catholic Coeducational
Grades

9 - 12
Enrollment

Approximately 400
Athletic Teams

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) - 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

[edit] History

Originally a high school for boys, St. John Berchman's College opened on November 3, 1902, by the Rev. John Francis 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 the north side of the 1500 block of Texas Avenue, and moved to its present location on Jordan Street in 1938 as St. John’s High School.

St. John's was a full time military school during the World War II years. 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 are a three level classroom building constructed in two phases - the first (western) half of the high school, including a cafeteria, was completed in 1938, and the second (eastern) half was completed in 1949 [4]; 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 announced in 2008 that eight juniors were named as National Merit Scholars, the highest number in the school's history. [5] Ten students won awards (including three first-place awards) at the 2008 Louisiana State Rally held April 19 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. [6]

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. Eleven students won awards (including two first-place awards) at the Louisiana State Rally held April 21 at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. [7]

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. [8]

[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.[9]

[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 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 [10]

[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] Notable Alumni

Name Class Noted for Reference
Richard Woodle 1985 Famous Redneck on Blue Collar Comedy Channel http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/blue_collar/index.jhtml
Billy Thomas 1994 Professional Basketball Player - New Jersey Nets [11]
Jon Alston 2001 Professional Football Player - St. Louis Rams [12]
Jim Wells 1978 University of Alabama head baseball coach x
Art Carmody 2003 College Football Player - Louisville Cardinals. 2006 Lou Groza Award Winner [13]
H. Alston Johnson III 1964 Former federal judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

[edit] Historic Seals


The two wolves and cauldron in the first two 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).[14]

[edit] External links