| Catholic High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 855 Hearthstone Drive Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (East Baton Rouge Parish), 70806 United States |
|
| Information | |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic, Brothers of the Sacred Heart |
| Established | 1894 |
| President | Gene Tullier |
| Principal | Lisa Harvey |
| Asst. Principal | Tom Eldringhoff, Jason Hanks, Brian Hightower |
| Faculty | 86 |
| Grades | 8–12 |
| Enrollment | 1,031 (September 14, 2010) |
| Campus | Urban |
| Color(s) | Black and Orange |
| Athletics | Louisiana High School Athletic Association |
| Athletics conference | District 5-5A |
| Mascot | Grizzly Bear |
| Team name | Bears |
| Rival | Central High School Dutchtown High School Zachary High School |
| Accreditation(s) | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [1] |
| Newspaper | 'Bearly Published' |
| Yearbook | 'Bruin' |
| Tuition | $8,040 |
| Admissions Director | Sherie LeBlanc |
| Athletic Director | J.P. Kelly |
| Website | www.catholichigh.org |
Catholic High School is an all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. It offers grades eight through twelve.
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During the 1988-89, 1992–93, 1997–98 and 2003-04 school years, Catholic High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[2][3]
Catholic High School was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. The school was so named in recognition of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, who helped organize and establish the school. The original site of the school was an old frame building in downtown Baton Rouge, and the enrollment was 106 students. By the 1920s, the enrollment had grown to approximately 300 students, and in 1928, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart built a new school, gym, and brother's residence at the corner of North Street and Fourth Street.
With this move, the school's name changed to Catholic High School. This name change stemmed from the fact that the word "academy" was becoming more associated with all-girls schools in the 1920s. In the 1930s and 1940s, the school's enrollment continued to increase, prompting the Brothers to purchase 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land in midtown Baton Rouge to build a campus to accommodate a larger student body. After 10 years of delayed construction, Catholic High School, with its student body of 450 students, moved to its present location at 855 Hearthstone Drive in September 1957. The original buildings on the new campus included a residence for brothers and teachers, a small building used as a PE locker room and band room, and a main building. The main building at the time contained several offices, a library, six classrooms, and a few science lab classrooms.
In 1963, the gymnasium was built. In 1971, the R. Frank Cangelosi Mall was built between the main building and gym for student use as an auxiliary cafeteria. In 1972, a new student wing, containing six classrooms, a cafeteria called the Union, and a library was added; the original library was converted into a faculty workroom.
In the early 1980s, a football practice field and baseball field were added, along with an all-weather track (which was renovated and repaved in 2000). In 1985, the Fine Arts-Computer Center, containing a computer lab and classroom, a band room, a chorus room, art room, drafting room, and several classrooms was added. Around this time, the original band room was converted into a weight room. In 1990, a maintenance shed was added, and in 1991, in preparation for the school's 100th anniversary, the Centennial Courtyard was built. Also in the early 1990s, the school purchased three homes across the street from the campus to use as additional offices.
In the fall of 2003, the gymnasium was renovated to install air conditioning, and at that time CHS dedicated a new Health and Physical Education Center with a weight room, a wrestling room, locker rooms for athletes and PE students, and two new classrooms. In 2005, the Brother Gordian Udinsky Science Center, containing updated science labs for biology, chemistry, and physics, a new computer lab, and several classrooms, was dedicated and opened.
In the future, the school plans to build a new brother's residence, chapel, and library. There are also plans to expand the current student union.
In the past few decades, there have been several different Master Plans designed to improve Catholic High's facilities to accommodate a larger student body and to address some shortcomings persistent to the school.
In 1972, during the construction of the new cafeteria building, alumni Dennis Losavio created a master plan to further address the needs for a larger student body. At the time, enrollment was around 450, and the school had the desire to expand its enrollment to 900, near its current level. His plan called for improved science labs and athletic facilities. By the early 1970s, the relatively new science labs were considered antiquated by then-contemporary standards. His plan suggested a two-story northern classroom wing to complement the southern cafeteria building. This proposed building would have contained two locker rooms, a swimming pool, a multipurpose room, six additional classrooms, a resource room, and a planetarium. Another proposal in his plan included an auditorium near the existing gymnasium and union for large assemblies and masses. The proposed auditorium also would have included better facilities for the band.
In addition, the residence for brothers and teachers would have been expanded to accommodate a larger faculty, and the plan called for an improvement to the school's baseball field near the present-day football and track field. There was also a proposal to build a football practice field with a surrounding track near the school's present-day baseball field. These proposed sports fields also called for improved stadium seating.
While a majority of this master plan was never put into effect, it is thought the construction of the fine arts building and the new science building stemmed from some of the ideas presented in this plan.
At the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, Catholic High has 1,031 enrolled students. There is a dress code, which consists polo shirts and khakis, and requirement for community service. In addition, students are required to attend a yearly retreat. Admission is selective with school record, interview, recommendations, a standardized admissions test, family history of attending Brothers of the Sacred Heart schools, prior attendance of Catholic schools, and minority status all coming under consideration.
CHS was designated as a “National School of Excellence” in 1989, 1993, 1998 and 2003 by the U.S. Department of Education. As of 2007, only six other schools in the United States have received this honor four times. From 1990-2006, CHS had 149 National Merit Semifinalists. In 2005, 13 students were named National Merit Semifinalists, all of whom were additionally awarded National Merit Finalists. 8 students of the Class of 2007 also were named National Merit Semifinalists and Finalists along with one recipient of the National Achievement Award. The class of 2007 had average ACT and SAT scores of 25.1 and 1250, respectively.
It offers five AP courses: US History, World History, Calculus, English Literature, and Biology foreign language instruction in French, Latin, and Spanish, and honors level courses in mathematics, science, social studies, English, and the foreign languages. Elective classes are offered in: accounting, architectural drafting, art, band, business law, chorus, computer applications and science, foreign languages, physics, psychology, publications, speech, theater, and word processing.
Each year, a student must take at least one class in English, math, religion, and physical education. During freshman and sophomore years, students must take a required semester class that alternates with P.E. Those classes are Civics and Free Enterprise. Starting with the Class of 2013, religion became a full year class junior year. In each year, a service requirement, ranging from 5 hours for the 8th grade year to 40 hours as part of a Christian Service Experience for junior year, is done concurrently with the religion course. A science class is mandatory for all students save seniors; they are nevertheless encouraged to take physics. American history is required of juniors, and world history is required of seniors.
The school has a summer reading program in which eighth grade and academic-level English students must read two books listed by the English Department, and honors-level and AP-level English students must read three books. Students are tested on these books within two weeks of returning from school without prior discussion of the novels, and many teachers assign essays associated with the books.
Eighth graders have a separate curriculum of courses in which they must take: Algebra I, Louisiana History, Religion 8, English 8, Physical Science, Physical Education 8, and one elective.
Students who maintain a 4.0 GPA each year receive Principal's Honors (also known as Highest Honors), and students who have a 3.5-3.99 GPA receive First Honors. A student can letter in academics if he maintains at least a 3.5 GPA for two years.
As of 2006, there are 99 faculty and staff. The average class size is 28. In addition to a president and principal, the school has four assistant principals: one in instruction, one in academics, one in discipline, and one in formation.
The Catholic High Alma Mater has, as of 2004, been played by the Golden Grizzly Band at the end of every Catholic High football game. Prior to that, the Alma Mater was somewhat forgotten among students at CHS. Its words are:
Dear Alma Mater, We'll be true to you When storm clouds hover And when the skies are blue.
Long may you prosper. May your ills be few.
Dear Alma Mater We'll be ever true. C....H....S. EMC
Come on and fight, all you Bruins, and triumph on the field! Big Bruin cohorts are cheering, for the Bears will never yield. Hey! Hey! This day we’re all out for vict’ry no matter the cost ’Cause we’ll fight forever ’til the last white line is crossed!
One notable feature of Catholic High is its Honor Code. It was written and installed in 1997, and it was modeled and inspired by various honor codes at universities. The Honor Code is enforced by the Honor Board, which consists of three sophomores, four juniors, six seniors, and two faculty members, and these are all nominated and elected by the student and faculty bodies.
At the beginning of each school year, every student must handwrite a copy of the Honor Code and sign it with his parents. Around September of each year, there is an Honor Code Ceremony in which all freshmen, eighth graders, and other new students sign it before the student body. At the end of each test and quiz issued at Catholic High, a student must write a statement swearing that he abided by the Honor Code and sign it.
If a student is accused of cheating or plagiarism, he is asked to report himself to the Honor Board. At a weekly meeting, the accused student pleads his case before the Honor Board. After reviewing the student's case, the Honor Board, along with the assistant principal for discipline, deliver judgment to the student and any punishment the student may have.
The school is a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. Students can letter in athletics based on regulations outlined in the LHSAA handbook.
CHS has teams in Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track, and Wrestling. In many of these sports, there are varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen teams. The school also runs intramurals in basketball, pickleball, volleyball, flag football, and other sports.
Since 2000, Catholic High has won 19 state championships, 22 state runner-up titles, 52 regional titles, 31 city titles, and 39 district championships. In 2003 and 2004, Catholic High won the local Sportsmanship Award presented by BellSouth.
The swim team claimed the 5-A Louisiana Swimming State Championship in 2005.
The wrestling team won the 2008 LHSAA Division I State Championship. They became the first non- New Orleans area school to win the championship since Catholic High won in 1975. The wrestling team won the LHSAA Division I State Championship again in 2010.
The track team won the indoor state championships in four consecutive years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. And won the outdoor title in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. This made the Bears the first 5-A team in Louisiana high school history to win four consecutive outdoor track and field championships.
The cross country team, known as the "Big Orange Wave", has won three state championships since 2000. These came in 2001, 2008, and 2009. In 2009, they scored the lowest points in 5-A LHSAA State Meet history. They were state runners-up in 2006 and 2010.
The Catholic High School baseball team won the LHSAA Division I State Championship in 2010. They lost in the 5-A State Semifinals in 2011 to Jesuit High School.
In 2009-2010 academic calendar year, Catholic High School Athletics completed an astonishing feat capturing five of the eleven state championships sponsored by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association: Baseball, Cross Country, Indoor Track, Outdoor Track, and Wrestling.
In the 2010-2011 academic calendar year, Catholic High School Athletics won state championships in the following sports: Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. They were state runner up in Cross Country, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, and Wrestling.
Catholic High offers an array of extracurricular activities, and many of these local chapters receive awards on a state and sometimes national level. Its extracurriculars include Lacrosse,4-H Club, Art Club, Astronomy Club, Bearly Published (newspaper), Beta Club, Bruin (yearbook), Disc Sports Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Fencing, French Club, Games Club, Hi-Y, Junior Classical League, Key Club, Lacrosse, Martial Arts Club, Mu Alpha Theta, Musician's Forum, National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, Photography Club, Quiz Bowl, Science Club, Spanish Club, Student Council (in which members are elected by their grade or appointed by faculty members based on an interview), and Student Ministry (which helps plan the class retreats and monthly freshmen and eighth grade small group talks). Some clubs are operated jointly with the nearby all-female school, St. Joseph's Academy, including the band, Bruinettes (dance team), cheerleaders, chorus, drama club, and intramural volleyball.
Tuition for the 2011-2012 school year is $8,040 for returning students and $8,140 for new students. Financial aid is available upon condition of participation in a summer work study program. This program involves simple manual labor and pays a minimum wage salary (in addition to any aid grants the student might receive).
In addition, students are required to buy various books for courses (such as religion textbooks and novels required for English classes), and there are additional fees that a student may run across for such things as the yearbook, parking, AP testing, extracurriculars, yearly retreats, and graduation.
Catholic High has several awards in which students can receive. There are a few scholarships offered to students who need financial aid. A student can letter in athletics, academics, or some extracurriculars, like band.
The Golden Bear is one of the most prestigious awards offered at Catholic High. A student can receive a Golden Bear in academics or extracurriculars. The senior with the highest grade and progress in each academic department is awarded a Golden Bear at the final Honors Convocation of the school year. Golden Bears are also offered in many extracurricular clubs. In the qualifying clubs, the members of each club vote for the Golden Bear recipient in a secret ballot, and the award is given to the winning student at the Honors Convocation.
In addition to the Golden Bear, Catholic High names approximately fifteen students Men of the Year. These individuals are chosen by the faculty members and receive recognition at the final Honors Convocation. These people also get to participate in the commencement exercises.
Besides valedictorian and salutatorians, an Outstanding Graduate is also named. Consideration to academic and extracurricular involvement is used to decide the recipient for this award.