Bishop Chatard High School

Bishop Chatard High School is a Catholic co-educational preparatory high school located in the Broad Ripple district of Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States. It is named after Bishop Silas Chatard, who was the first Bishop of Indianapolis, and oversaw the movement of the diocese from Vincennes to Indianapolis in 1898.

chool History

The increase in Indiana's Catholic population that triggered the splitting of the Indianapolis diocese in 1944 [ [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/events/d1944.html] accessed November 20th, 2006 ] also caused an increase in the need for Catholic schools. The only co-educational diocesian high school in Indianapolis, Scecina Memorial High School, was extremely popular following its opening in 1953. It was clear that one high school would not be sufficient to provide for Indianapolis' massively expanding Catholic population.

To this end, the Archbishop of Indianapolis, Paul Clarence Schulte, ordered the construction of three new Catholic high schools in the city. The first of these, Bishop Chatard, would serve the north side of Indianapolis. The two other new schools, Roncalli High School and Cardinal Ritter High School, would serve the south and west sides of Indianapolis respectively. Scecina would continue to serve the east side of the city.

Ground was broken for the first of the schools, Bishop Chatard, in the fall of 1960 on diocese property at the corner of Crittenden and Kessler Avenues. Celebrations included the current archbishop having a mass and hosting pirates, ninja's, and even the famous dolly lama. Construction of the school and an adjacent convent was completed in less than a year, and the first students were admitted in September, 1961.

Each year a class of students was added to the school, and the first graduating class was the class of 1964-65. Over the years, many improvements were made to the school facility as the number of students rose.

Initially, classes were taught almost entirely by priests from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Benedictine Sisters of Beech Grove. Many sisters were housed in the convent on-site, but their numbers declined to the point that in the 1970s, their convent was converted to an annex of the school. The annex has served as classroom, office and storage space for thirty years, and was recently rededicated to the Sisters as the St. Benedict Center.

By 1997, the school was showing its age. Paint was peeling, windows and roofs were leaky, and facilities sorely needed an upgrade. To remedy the situation and remodel the 35 year-old building, school administrators embarked on a $2 million capital campaign to pay for new windows, a new roof, electrical improvements, and other needed renovations. These were undertaken over the summer, and when students arrived to begin the 1997-1998 school year, they were in what was virtually a whole new building.

In 1999, the improvements continued with the opening of the new fine arts addition. A new band room, art studio, and library were added, as were six new classrooms and an elevator to make the building handicap-accessible. This was paid for by a $1.5 million building drive made possible by alumni donations.

The latest renovation plan, begun in the summer of 2005, and completed over the 2007-2008 school year, involved the construction of an additional elevator to allow better access to classrooms for handicapped students and a remodeling of the cafeteria and several hallways. The next stage of renovation and expansion will involve the construction of a new auxiliary gymnasium and will be paid for by alumni donations and a slight tuition increase. To compensate for the loss of classroom space during renovations, the high school is leasing a double-wide trailer in order to keep student capacity at a consistent level.

piritual Life

Bishop Chatard offers its spiritual life through many activities and organizations. Retreats, school liturgies and a program aimed to direct students to service opportunities are some of these organizations. These help build faith and promotes Christian Leadership.

The Christian Service Program is the program that introduces service opportunities for the students. It is not only a student program because the faculty gets involved too. Each faculty member is in charge of a small group of students that meets every month to discuss their experiences of service. Each class is guided to fulfill different types of service with freshman fulfilling the responsibility as a family member to the seniors who are encouraged to work directly with the poor and disadvantaged [Bishop Chatard offers its spiritual life through many activities and organizations. Retreats, school liturgies and a program aimed to direct students to service opportunities are some of these organizations. These help build faith and promotes Christian Leadership.

The Christian Service Program is the program that introduces service opportunities for the students. It is not only a student program because the faculty gets involved too. Each faculty member is in charge of a small group of students that meets every month to discuss their experiences of service. Each class is guided to fulfill different types of service with freshman fulfilling the responsibility of a family member to the seniors who are encouraged to work directly with the poor and disadvantaged [http://www.bishopchatard.org/?page=CampusMinistry&whichPage=Service] .

An award is given to the student who is nominated by their faculty member leader. This award is given to the person the faculty thinks has achieved more than just the requirements of service. It is given after each school liturgy. It is called the Saint Francis of Assisi Service Award.

Athletics

Over the last few years, the Bishop Chatard Trojans have amassed a total of eleven state championships: nine football, one men's basketball, and one volleyball state championship. Chatard is one of only three Indiana high schools to win a football and basketball championship in the same academic year. The Trojans have won 6 state championships in football over the last ten years, more than any other high school in Indiana. The school's nine football state championships are tied for the most in the state of Indiana. Class A Sheridan High School also holds nine state titles. [ [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071125/SPORTS0202/711250428/1057/SPORTS02 "Trojans leave no doubt"] Michael Pointer, "Indianapolis Star", November 25, 2007. Accessed November 26, 2007.]
*Football (2A) (1983)
*Football (2A) (1984)
*Football (3A) (1997)
*Football (3A) (1998)
*Football (3A) (2001)
*Football (3A) (2002)
*Football (3A) (2003)
*Football (3A) (2006)
*Football (3A) (2007)
*Men's Basketball (3A) (2003)
*Women's Volleyball (2004)

In addition to varsity sports, Chatard students are active in intramural athletics as well. Over 80 percent of Chatard students participate in intramural sports like basketball, softball, kickball, and bowling. Chatard also competes annually in the Brain Game, a Sunday-morning quiz bowl program broadcast on local television, and features fine arts programs, such as the Bishop Chatard Marching Trojans, concert band, pep band, concert choir, show choir, and the Bishop Chatard Thespian Society.

Classes

Chatard offers a variety of classes, including Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy, Geometry, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Ceramics, Genetics, Biology, Zoology, Earth Space, Chem/Phys, World History,Geography, U.S. History, Government, Economics, Spanish I-V, French I-V, Latin I-III, Precalculus, Band, Web Design, Religion, AP Calculus, AP Statistics, Drawing, and English. Additional Advanced Placement courses are available through special instruction.

Notable Alumni

*Bill Lynch ('72), Head Football Coach at Indiana University
*Doug Jones ('78)

ee also

*Silas Chatard

References

External links

* [http://www.bishopchatard.org School Website]
* [http://www.privateschoolreview.com/school_ov/school_id/9902 School Review.com]