Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

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Catholic High School
225px
Ametur Cor Jesu (Loved be the Heart of Jesus)
Address
855 Hearthstone Drive
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (East Baton Rouge Parish) 70806
USA
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Information
Type Private, All-Boys
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic,
Brothers of the Sacred Heart
Established 1894
Founded 1892
Grades 8–12
Enrollment 1,104 (2014)
Campus Urban
Color(s) Black and Orange         
Fight song Bruin Fight Song
Athletics Louisiana High School Athletic Association
Athletics conference District 5-5A
Mascot Grizzly Bear
Team name Bears
Rival Parkview Baptist High School Brother Martin High School St. Paul's High School Jesuit High School
Accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Newspaper Bearly Published
Yearbook Bruin
Tuition $9,870
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.

History

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, and was renamed to Catholic High School.

In the 1930s and 1940s, the school's enrollment continued to increase, prompting the Brothers to acquire 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land in midtown Baton Rouge to build a campus to accommodate a larger student body, which was donated by R. Frank Cangelosi. 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.

File:Hallway in Catholic High School's main building (Baton Rouge, Louisiana).jpg
CHS's main building, the oldest on the current campus, was built in 1957.

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 2002, 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.

Academics

File:Science Center.jpg
The Brother Gordian Science Center, Catholic High's newest building, was finished in 2005.

CHS was designated as a “National School of Excellence” in 1989, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2014 by the U.S. Department of Education. As of 2007, only 2 other schools in the United States have received this honor five 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.

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.

Costs

Tuition for the 2011-2012 school year is $8,040 for returning students and $8,140 for new students. Books and additional fees may also apply. 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).

Awards and recognition

During the 1988-89, 1992–93, 1997–98, 2003-04, and 2013-14 school years, (one of only two schools in the nation to receive the award five times) Catholic High School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education.[2][3]

Notable alumni

Notes

  • As a Brothers of the Sacred Heart school, CHS is not a parochial school, falling outside the direction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge.
  • Catholic High School is one of the few United States schools without a federally funded lunch program. The school has an independent lunch program which offers either a hot plate or hot sandwich meal for students to purchase using their student ids as debit cards. In addition, the program also offers breakfast before school begins and snacks after school. The lunch service is run by Picadilly Cafeterias starting in the 2011 school year.
  • Catholic High School runs several classes and extracurriculars jointly with St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge), the all-girls school located near CHS.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  2. ↑ Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 1982-1983 through 1999-2002 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
  3. ↑ U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Schools Program: Schools Recognized 2003 through 2006 (PDF), United States Department of Education. Accessed May 11, 2006.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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