Bethlehem High School

Bethlehem High School is a co-educational, Roman Catholic high school in Bardstown, Kentucky. It is part of the Archdiocese of Louisville. 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 9th District Championship.

History

Bethlehem High School had its beginning in 1819 when Bishop Flaget requested the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to open an elementary day school for the education of the children in the Bardstown area. Father 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.

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 the girls continued at Bethlehem and its 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 and Bethlehem then became a parish high school for girls, no longer owned by the Sisters, but staffed by them.

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

External links

* [http://www.bethlehemhigh.org/ School Website]

References