Bishop Kenny High School

Bishop Kenny High School (commonly referred to as Bishop Kenny or BKHS) is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational Catholic high school in Jacksonville, Florida. It is located in and administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine. The founder Archbishop Joseph Patrick Hurley established the school in 1952, following the merger of three previous Catholic high schools in the Jacksonville area. Bishop Kenny High School was renamed in honor of William John Kenny, the third bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Bishop Kenny High School is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Bishop Kenny holds membership in the National Catholic Education Association, the Florida Catholic Conference, The College Board, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and the Florida High School Athletic Association.^[2]

Among Bishop Kenny's alumni are the computer scientist Philip Don Estridge, the federal administrator Jim Towey, musicians Billy Powell and Virgil Roger du Pont III, the MLB All-Star Jonathan Papelbon, television host and model Yoanna House, anchor Donna Deegan, and head coach Pat McMahon.

History

In 1952 three area Catholic high schools were consolidated as Central Catholic High School under the direction of Archbishop John P. Hurley. In 1953 Central Catholic was re-dedicated and named for Bishop William John Kenny, the third bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine.^[3][4]

In 1989, Father Michael Houle was named President of Bishop Kenny. Over the last 20 years more than $20 million dollars have been raised and invested to improve the school.^[5]

Presidents

• Monsignor Mortimer Danaher (1956–1967)
• Monsignor Daniel Logan (1970–1989)
• Father Michael Houle (1989–Present)

Admissions

The primary admissions entry point for Bishop Kenny is in 9th grade, with varying transfer opportunities offered in 10th and 11th grades. Transfer is not allowed going into the senior year. Admission is based on standardized test scores; recommendations; grade point average; and involvement in extracurricular activities. After an application is completed, then the student must go through a formal interview process.^[6]

Statistical profile

Bishop Kenny currently enrolls 1,277 students. Minority populations constitute about 17 percent of the student body, with 5 percent African-Americans, 7 percent Hispanics, and 4 percent Asian-Americans or Pacific Islanders.^[7]

Dress code

A student uniform is required. The girls' uniforms include a white button-down Oxford style collared shirt, either short or long sleeved, a pleated plaid skirt of maroon and grey, close-toed and backed shoes, either brown or black, and white socks, either knee or cuffed. The student uniform may also include a school sweater, either maroon or gray with the school emblem, and a minimum of jewelry. The skirt may not come above 4" above the knee, shirt tails must be tucked in, hair may not by dyed an unnatural color, and piercings must not be excessive or on the face. Girls also have the option of tights, either grey, maroon, black or neutral.^[8]

The boys' student uniforms include a white button-down Oxford style collared shirt, blue dress style pants, socks, either blue, white or black, a belt matching the shoes, a tie with the school emblem, and appropriate dress shoes, either brown or black. The uniform may also include a plain white undershirt and school sweater, either maroon or grey with the school emblem. Shirt tails must be tucked in at all times, the top collar button of shirts must be buttoned and tied tight around the neck, faces cleanly shaven, hair not extending past the tops of ears or collars, and no visible piercings or tattoos.^[9]

Traditions

A favorite tradition of students includes "Fish Fry", a kind of hazing of the freshmen students. The "fry" occurs on the Friday of Homecoming week, and may include pranks on freshmen. Homecoming week also signals a week of accessorizing the school uniform in a daily themed schedule, which may include "Western day", "College day", and "Color Your Class".

Class colors are voted on by the student government and are traditionally: freshmen yellow, sophomores orange, juniors blue, seniors pink. Other traditions include athletic events with rivals The Bolles School and Episcopal High School of Jacksonville.^[10]

"Yearbook Presents" is a ticket-only event held during the final week of senior classes in which the Drumline appears, a teacher produced skit imitating the most popular seniors is performed, and a multimedia presentation of Senior memories is shown.^[11]

Tuition

Tuition to Bishop Kenny for the 2011–2012 school year is $6,550 for catholic students and $9,100 for non-catholic students. In addition, the cost for funding 2 catholic student is $12,080 and for 3 or more catholic students is $16,260. There are also registration fees of $1,100 per academic year.^[12]

Academics

Every student at Bishop Kenny is involved in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Honors and Advanced Placement sections exist in each of the curricular disciplines. Admissions are based on grades, an entrance exam, and various other criteria. Bishop Kenny is known for its academic rigor, and the diploma requirements exceed the requirements for a Florida high school diploma.^[13]

Bishop Kenny High School is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Approximately 47% of the Faculty have masters level degrees.^[14]

Honor System

Bishop Kenny High School has an honor system, which is formally known as the Honor Code. Students are obligated to follow the Honor Code and are expected to protect the privilege and not tolerate any violations.^[15]

Service

Bishop Kenny places a particularly strong emphasis on community service, encouraging their students to serve the community. All students are required to fulfill community service requirements of 20 hours per academic year. If a students fails to complete the service requirements, then they will face an academic penalty. During the 2009-2010 academic year the student body performed 17,754 hours of community service.^[16]

AP curriculum

Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses includes the following:^[17]

Student Newspaper

The Shield is the student paper. In Spring 2009 the Florida Times Union bestowed the Henry A. Blumenthal Memorial Trophy to The Shield. This is an annual High School Journalism Awards contest for the best student newspaper in the Jacksonville area.^[18][19]

Athletics

Bishop Kenny competes in sports against schools from throughout the state of Florida. Teams are fielded at the varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen levels. There are 20 different sports in interscholastic competition.^[20] The athletic program has been awarded as the top program numerous times by the Jacksonville Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, the Crusaders field teams in every sport sanctioned by the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).^[21]

The Vice Principal of Operations and Director of Athletics Robert West is responsible for maintaining the school's sports program. In addition, Bishop Kenny's athletics have been supported by the BK Boosters for over 30 years. In total this organization has raised over $3.5 million to support the school’s athletic and extra-curricular programs.^[22]

The school offers 9 women's sports and 11 men's sports. The school nickname is called the Crusaders. Bishop Kenny's athletic rivalries with the Bolles Bulldogs and Episcopal Eagles are intense in every sport in which they meet.^[23]

Athletic facilities

Bishop Kenny has several athletic facilities, such as the John Baldwin Athletic Center, a multi-purpose arena and home to the basketball teams and volleyball team. William Johnston Stadium is home to the football team and the track & field teams. The Abbie Lenahan Tennis Courts are home to the tennis teams. In addition, Bishop Kenny has a baseball stadium, multiple weight rooms, and a softball field.^[24]

State championships

In its history, Bishop Kenny's athletic teams have won 36 total state titles.^[25]

Activities

Student organizations and clubs range from cultural and athletic to subjects pertaining to philanthropy. Some of the most popular organizations are Key Club, the Student Newspaper, the Yearbook, Chorus, Band, the Drama Club, and Student Government.^[26]

Matriculation

For many years, Bishop Kenny has sent many of its student to some of the country's top universities. For 2010 graduates were accepted to Baylor University, Boston College, Boston University, Catholic University of America, Clemson University, Cornell University, Davidson College, Emory University, Florida State University, Fordham University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Marquette University, New York University, Northeastern University, Pennsylvania State University, Rhodes College, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Tulane University, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, University of Connecticut, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Georgia, University of Miami, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, and Wake Forest University.^[27]

Notable alumni

References

External links

• Bishop Kenny High School official website