Catholic High School (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States

Catholic High School

Location

855 Hearthstone Drive

Baton Rouge

Louisiana

70806

United States

Coordinates| 30°26′27″N 91°9′23″W﻿ / ﻿30.44083°N 91.15639°W﻿ / 30.44083; -91.15639
Information
Former name| St. Vincent's Academy (1894-1928)
Type| Private, Catholic, All-Boys, college-preparatory educational institution
Motto| Latin: Ametur Cor Jesu English: Loved be the Heart of Jesus
Religious affiliation(s)| Roman Catholic,
(Brothers of the Sacred Heart)
Established| 1894; 131 years ago (1894)
Founder| Brothers of the Sacred Heart,
Sister school| St. Joseph's Academy
President| Lisa Harvey[1]
Principal| Tom Eldringoff[1]
Faculty| 99
Grades| 8–12
Enrollment| 1,114 (2020-2021)
Campus size| 10 acres (40,000 m2)
Campus type| Urban
Color(s)| Black and orange
Fight song| Bruin Fight Song
Athletics conference| LHSAA District 5-5A
Mascot| Bear
Nickname| Bruin
Team name| CHS Bears
Accreditation| SACS[2]
Publication| Bruin Broadcast Network
Newspaper| Bearly Published
Yearbook| Bruin
Alma Mater song| Catholic High School Alma Mater
Website| www.catholichigh.org

Catholic High School is a private, Catholic college-preparatory day school run by the United States Province of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded in 1894 as St. Vincent's Academy. It offers grades eight through twelve.[3]

## History

[edit]

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.[4] 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 the 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.[5] 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.

The Brother Gordian Science Center, finished in 2005.

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.[5]

On October 14, 2020, CHS celebrated the opening of the Brother Donnan Berry, S.C., Student Center. The 32,000 sf, two-story facility features a high-end commercial kitchen and dining for 600 downstairs as well as five classrooms, flexible study spaces, a conference room, and an expansive faculty wing on the second floor. Designed by local architects Tipton Associates, APAC, and Ritter Maher, the Student Center won an AIA Baton Rouge Rose Award for design excellence in August 2021.[6][7]

In January 2021, Catholic High opened its new athletic Strength and Conditioning Center. The goal of the new structure is to provide CHS student-athletes with a second workout location on campus to meet the current demand from the different sports teams.

The school was recognized as a Cognia School of Distinction in 2023.

## Academics

[edit]

CHS offers 21 AP courses including US History, World History, Calculus, English Literature, Statistics, Psychology, French, and Biology.[8]

Catholic High has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education 6 times: 1989, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2014, and 2020.[9]

## Athletics

[edit]

Catholic High athletics competes in the LHSAA. The Bears are currently in District 4-5A with the largest public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish, including Central, Scotlandville, Woodlawn and Zachary.

Catholic High school offers many sports to its students including football, swimming, wrestling, lacrosse, soccer, bowling, power lifting, ultimate frisbee, baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field.

### Championships

[edit]

Catholic High has won a total of 113 State Championships across multiple sports, along with 92 State Runner-up titles and 426 District, Metro, or Regional titles.[10]

Football championships

* (5) State Championships: 2015, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2023

Baseball championships

The Bears have won seven state championships. In the 2024 season, the Bears, led by William Schmidt, were named national champions for the first time in school history.

## Notable alumni

[edit]

* Fred S. LeBlanc, Class of 1916, former Louisiana attorney general, mayor of Baton Rouge, and judge
* Carl Weiss, Valedictorian of the Class of 1921, a local doctor and purported assassin of Huey Long
* Paul M. Hebert, Class of 1924, Dean of the LSU Law School (now known as the Paul M. Hebert Law Center)
* Gayle Hatch, Class of 1957, head coach for the 2004 USA Men's Olympic Weightlifting Team
* John Fred, Class of 1959, musician and co-writer of the song "Judy in Disguise"
* Frank J. Polozola, Class of 1959, former United States district court judge (1980-2013)
* John Maginnis, Class of 1966, Louisiana political journalist, author, and commentator[2]
* Warren Capone, Class of 1970, football player for the Dallas Cowboys and the Birmingham Americans
* Jeff Fortenberry, Class of 1978, Nebraska U.S. Representative
* Tim Joiner, Class of 1979, football player for the Houston Oilers and the Denver Broncos
* Neal Dellocono, Class of 1980, football player for the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers
* Scott Woodward, Class of 1981, athletics director at LSU, Texas A&M and Washington[5]
* Garret Graves, Class of 1990, former Louisiana U.S. Representative (2015-2025)
* David Dellucci, Class of 1991, retired Major League Baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles, Arizona Diamondbacks (a member of the 2001 World Series team), New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, and Toronto Blue Jays
* Warrick Dunn, Class of 1993, former running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons
* Kurt Ainsworth, Class of 1996, baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, and the CEO of Marucci Sports.[11]
* Major Applewhite, Class of 1997, football player at the University of Texas and head coach at the University of Houston and the University of South Alabama
* Travis Minor, Class of 1997, football player for the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Rams
* Donnie Jones, Class of 1999, football player for the LSU Tigers (1999–2003); Seattle Seahawks (2004); Miami Dolphins (2005 & 2006); St. Louis Rams (2007–2011); Houston Texans (2012) and Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2017). Holder of numerous awards and team records, including being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in two successive Eagle games in 2013. Super Bowl LII champion.
* Chris Williams, Class of 2003, football player for the Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills
* Brandon Harrison, Class of 2003, football player for the Houston Texans
* Jeremy Stewart, Class of 2007, football player for the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos
* Austin Nola, Class of 2008, MLB baseball player San Diego Padres[4]
* Aaron Nola, Class of 2011, MLB All Star baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies[3]
* Ben Braymer, Class of 2013, MLB baseball player
* Cameron Tom, Class of 2013, NFL player for the Miami Dolphins
* Derrius Guice, Class of 2015, NFL running back[1]
* Josh Smith (infielder), Class of 2016, infielder for the Texas Rangers, World Series Champion
* Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Class of 2017, football player for the Kansas City Chiefs
* Zach Tom, Class of 2017, NFL Offensive Lineman for the Green Bay Packers
* Emery Jones, Class of 2022, college football offensive tackle for the LSU Tigers
* William Schmidt, Class of 2024, college baseball pitcher for the LSU Tigers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Faculty and Staff". Catholic High School. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
2. ^ SACS-CASI. "SACS-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
3. ^ "About – Catholic High School". catholichigh.org. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
4. ^ "ABOUT CHS - Catholic High School". www.catholichigh.org.
5. ^ a b "History". Catholic High School. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
6. ^ "Union".
7. ^ "Brother Donnan Berry, S.C. Student Center, Catholic High". Tipton Associates.
8. ^ "Academics – Catholic High School". catholichigh.org. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
9. ^ "Home - Catholic High School". www.catholichigh.org. July 7, 2023.
10. ^ "ATHLETICS - Catholic High School". July 7, 2023.
11. ^ "Q&A: Marucci CEO/Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Ainsworth". Marucci Sports. Retrieved January 30, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Site
* Faculty and Staff

* v
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* e

City of Baton Rouge

History|

* Baton Rouge bus boycott
* 2016 shooting of police officers

Areas|

* Scotlandville

Education|

| Secondary(*)|

* East Baton Rouge PSS
* Baton Rouge Magnet HS
* Belaire HS
* Broadmoor HS
* Capitol HS
* EBR Lab Academy
* Glen Oaks HS
* Istrouma HS
* Liberty Magnet HS
* McKinley HS
* Scotlandville HS
* Tara HS

* School for the Deaf
* School for the Visually Impaired
* LSU Lab
* Mentorship Academy of Digital Arts
* Southern U. Lab
* Catholic HS
* Episcopal HS
* Parkview Baptist HS
* St. Joseph's Academy

Closed

* Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School
* Redemptorist HS

|

Colleges/universities|

* Louisiana State University (See template)
* Southern University (See template)
* Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
* Louisiana Culinary Institute
* Baton Rouge Community College

Libraries|

* State Library of Louisiana
* Louisiana State Archive and Research Library
* East Baton Rouge Parish Library

Points of interest(**)|

* Baton Rouge Zoo
* Belle of Baton Rouge
* BREC Memorial Stadium
* Capitol Park Museum
* City Park Golf Course
* Cortana Mall
* Highland Road Park
* Independence Park Botanic Gardens
* LA Art and Science Museum (Yazoo&MS. Valley Rail Depot)
* Louisiana Museum of Natural History
* Louisiana State Capitol
* Mall of Louisiana
* Magnolia Mound Plantation House
* Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum
* Old Louisiana State Capitol
* Pentagon Barracks
* Pete Goldsby Field
* Raising Cane's River Center
* Arena
* Shaw Center for the Arts
* USS Kidd

Media|

| Television|

* KBTR-CD
* KPBN-LD
* KZUP-CD
* W31EL-D
* WAFB
* WBRL-CD
* WBRZ-TV
* WGMB-TV
* WLFT-CD
* WLPB-TV
* WVLA-TV

|

Newspapers|

* The Advocate
* The Daily Reveille

Transportation|

* Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport
* Capital Area Transit System

(*) Some schools are in unincorporated areas outside of the city limits, including Woodlawn HS and St. Michael HS
(**) Includes landmarks not owned by/a part of Louisiana State University nor Southern University, nor those elsewhere categorized

* v
* t
* e

Education in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools

Zoned 7-12 schools|

* Northeast HS

Zoned high schools|

* Belaire
* Broadmoor
* Capitol
* Glen Oaks
* Istrouma
* McKinley
* Scotlandville
* Tara
* Woodlawn

Magnet high schools|

* Arlington Prep. Acad.
* Baton Rouge Magnet
* Baton Rouge Prep. Acad.
* Northdale Acad.
* Liberty Magnet
* East Baton Rouge Lab. Acad.

Other public schools

Districts and
high schools|

* Baker
* Baker HS
* Central
* Central HS
* Zachary
* Zachary HS
* School for the Deaf
* School for the Visually Impaired
* LSU Lab School
* SU Lab School

Private schools

Secular schools|

* Central Private School
* Mentorship Academy of Digital Arts

Religious schools|

* Catholic HS
* The Dunham School
* Episcopal HS
* Parkview Baptist HS
* St. Joseph's Acad.
* St. Michael the Archangel HS

Closed|

* Cristo Rey Baton Rouge Franciscan High School
* Redemptorist HS

Tertiary

Universities|

* Louisiana State University
* template
* Southern University
* template

Community colleges|

* Baton Rouge Community College

Libraries

State library|

* State Library of Louisiana

Public libraries|

* East Baton Rouge Parish Library

This list is incomplete.

* v
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Schools of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart

Africa

| Kenya|

* Materi Girls Secondary School, Matéri

|

Lesotho:|

* Sacred Heart Commercial High School, Leribe
* Christ the King High School, Roma

Madagascar:|

* Centre Sacré-Coeur, Ambatolampy
* École supérieure ESSCA, Antananarivo

Uganda:|

* Project Uplift (a school for secondary school dropouts), Kampala

Zambia:|

* St Francis Secondary School, Kasama (Malole)
* Br Robert Shitima School, Kabwe

Zimbabwe:|

* Rutenga High School, Masvingo (Rutenga)
* Loreto High School, Gweru (Silobela)

North America

| United States|

| Alabama:|

* McGill–Toolen Catholic High School, Mobile

|

Louisiana:|

* Catholic High School, Baton Rouge
* Vandebilt Catholic High School, Houma
* Brother Martin High School, New Orleans
* Edward Douglas White Catholic High School, Thibodaux

Mississippi:|

* Saint Stanislaus College, Bay St. Louis

New Hampshire:|

* Bishop Guertin High School, Nashua

New Jersey:|

* St. Joseph High School, Metuchen

New York:|

* Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School, Queens

Rhode Island:|

* Mount Saint Charles Academy, Woonsocket

Canada|

| Quebec|

* Camp Boute-en-Train, Chertsey
* Collège Mont-Sacré-Cœur, Granby
* Camp biblique, Les Éboulements
* Camp Le Manoir, Les Éboulements
* Collège de Champigny, Quebec City
* L'Arrimage, Rimouski
* Externat Sacré-Cœur, Rosemère
* École Secondaire de Bromptonville, Sherbrooke
* Camp Bel-Air, Stratford
* Centre Emmaüs, Victoriaville

|

South America

| Argentina:|

* Colegio Benito Nazar, Buenos Aires
* Colegio San Rafael, Buenos Aires
* Colegio Manuel Belgrano, Temperley
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Venado Tuerto

|

Brazil:|

* Centro de Treinamento e Vivências, Bauru
* Colégio Cristo Rei, Marília
* Rancho San José, Paraguaçu
* Colégio Cor Jesu, São Paulo

Colombia:|

* Colegio del Sagrado Corazón, Barranquilla
* Colegio Corazonista, Bogotá
* Colegio Corazonista, Medellín

Peru|

* Colegio San Judas Tadeo, Lima

Asia

| Philippines|

* Cor Jesu College, Digos City

|

Europe

| France|

* Lycée Sacré-Coeur, Saint-Chély-d'Apcher

|

Spain|

* Colegio Seminario Sagrado Corazón, Alsasua
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Barcelona
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Haro
* Centro Puente, Puente la Reina
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Madrid
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón "Telleri Alde", Errenteria
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón - Mundaiz Ikastetxea, San Sebastián
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón - Corazonistas, Valladolid
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Vitoria-Gasteiz
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón, Zaragoza, Pº de la Mina
* Colegio Sagrado Corazón Moncayo, Zaragoza

UK|

* St Columba's College, St Albans

Schools portal

* v
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Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge

Ordinaries|

Bishops
Robert Emmet Tracy
Joseph Vincent Sullivan
Stanley Joseph Ott
Alfred Clifton Hughes
Robert William Muench
Michael Duca

Churches|

Cathedral
St. Joseph Cathedral, Baton Rouge

Parish churches
St. Gabriel Church, St. Gabriel

Education|

Ascension Parish schools
Ascension Catholic Diocesan High School, Donaldsonville

East Baton Rouge Parish schools
Catholic High School, Baton Rouge
St. Joseph's Academy, Baton Rouge
St. Michael the Archangel Diocesan Regional High School, Shenandoah

Iberville Parish schools
St. John the Evangelist Interparochial High School, Plaquemine

Pointe Coupee Parish schools
Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee, New Roads

Tangipahoa Parish schools
Saint Thomas Aquinas Diocesan Regional High School, Hammond

Closed schools
Redemptorist High School, Baton Rouge

* United States portal
* Catholicism portal

* v
* t
* e

Single-gender schools in Louisiana

Public boys' schools|

| Closed|

* Miller-McCoy Academy (New Orleans)
* Alcée Fortier High School (New Orleans; became a coed school for many years)

|

Became coed|

* Alfred Bonnabel High School
* East Jefferson High School
* Warren Easton High School (New Orleans)
* Chalmette High School (Chalmette; opened as a coed school; all-boys 1966-88)

Public girls' schools|

| Became coed|

* Grace King High School (Metairie, later closed)
* Eleanor McMain Secondary School (New Orleans)
* L. W. Higgins High School (Marrero)
* Riverdale High School
* Andrew Jackson High School (Chalmette; all-girls 1966-88; closed as a high school in 2005 and re-opened as a coed middle school in 2006)

|

Private boys' schools|

| New Orleans area|

* Brother Martin High School (New Orleans)
* Holy Cross School (New Orleans)
* Jesuit High School (New Orleans)
* Archbishop Rummel High School (Metairie)
* Archbishop Shaw High School (Marrero)
* St. Augustine High School (New Orleans)
* St. Paul's School (Covington)

|

Baton Rouge area|

* Catholic High School (Baton Rouge)

Grand Coteau|

* Berchmans Academy of the Sacred Heart

Became coed|

* De La Salle High School (New Orleans; opened 1949; became coed 1992)

Private girls' schools|

| New Orleans area|

* Academy of Our Lady (Marrero)
* Academy of the Sacred Heart (New Orleans)
* Cabrini High School (New Orleans)
* Archbishop Chapelle High School (Metairie)
* McGehee School (New Orleans)
* Mount Carmel Academy (New Orleans)
* St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School (New Orleans)
* St. Mary's Academy (New Orleans; coed primary and girls'-only secondary)
* St. Mary's Dominican High School (New Orleans)
* St. Scholastica Academy (Covington)
* Ursuline Academy (New Orleans)

|

Baton Rouge area|

* St. Joseph's Academy (Baton Rouge)

Grand Coteau|

* Academy of the Sacred Heart

Closed|

* Xavier University Preparatory School (New Orleans)

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