Bethlehem High School (Bardstown, Kentucky)

Bethlehem High School is a coeducational, Roman Catholic high school in Bardstown, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Archdiocese of Louisville, and is one of only two coeducational high schools among the nine overseen by the archdiocese (the other being Holy Cross High School in Louisville).^[1]

Its sports teams have had successes in the 21st century. In 2006, the boys' soccer team won the Class A state title, the football team beat Bardstown for the 9th district title, and boys' basketball won the 19th District Championship. In 2008, the boys' soccer team again won the Class A State title, and the cheerleading squad placed first at the Jamfest National Championship Competition. The boys' soccer team won the Class A State Championship for the third time in 2011.

History

Bethlehem High School began in 1818 when Bishop Flaget requested the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to open an elementary day school for the children in the Bardstown area. Brother David, the founder of this religious order, provided the school, which was staffed by Sisters Harriet Gardiner, Polly Beavin and Nancy Lynd. The name "Bethlehem" was given to this new school to signify the birth of the first branch house stemming from Nazareth, the Motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Bethlehem continued as an elementary school until 1911, when St. Joseph Preparatory High School for boys was founded. The boys attended "St. Joe Prep", as the school was affectionately called, while girls continued their schooling at Bethlehem. Bethlehem's first high school graduating class was in 1913. From 1911 until 1953, Bethlehem continued as a co-educational elementary school, and a girls' high school. In the fall of 1953, St. Joseph Parochial Elementary School, built by St. Joseph Parish, opened. Bethlehem was operated exclusively as a parish high school for girls, no longer owned by the Sisters, but staffed by them.

In 1968, St. Joe Prep closed. In 1970, Bethlehem became a co-educational high school, as it continues today. Bethlehem is the only Roman Catholic high school in the Louisville Archdiocese outside of Jefferson County. It serves seven counties and 35 parishes, with a current enrollment of 285 students. The school mascots are the Eagles for the boys' teams and the Banshees for the girls' teams.

Extracurricular activities

Bethlehem High School has a variety of extracurricular activities in sports and non-athletic areas, including drama, speech, National Honor Society, Spirit Club, choir, student council, golf, and cross country.

Drama

The Bethlehem Drama Club traditionally stages two main performances per school year, a play in the fall and a musical in the spring.

In 2010 Bethlehem's Drama Department joined the National Thespian Society.

Notable alumni

• Thabiso Khumalo

References

External links

• School website

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville
Ordinaries	Bishops Benedict Joseph Flaget John Baptist Mary David Benedict Joseph Flaget Martin John Spalding Peter Joseph Lavialle William George McCloskey Denis O'Donaghue John Alexander Floersh Archbishops John Alexander Floersh Thomas Joseph McDonough Thomas Cajetan Kelly Joseph Edward Kurtz Affiliated bishops Guy Ignatius Chabrat Michael Heiss Charles Garrett Maloney John McGill James Ryan John Lancaster Spalding James Kendrick Williams
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Assumption, Louisville Parishes:
Education	High schools (boys) St. Francis DeSales High School, Louisville St. Xavier High School, Louisville Trinity High School, St. Matthews High schools (girls) Assumption High School, Louisville Mercy Academy, Louisville Presentation Academy, Louisville Sacred Heart Academy, Louisville High schools, coeducational Bethlehem High School, Bardstown Holy Cross High School, Louisville Special needs school Pitt Academy, Louisville
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