Cathedral High School (Indianapolis)
Encyclopedia
Cathedral High School is a private, Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

 institution in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. There are over 1,200 students in grades 9 to 12. It once was located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis is a division of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana on May 6, 1834, and encompassed all of Indiana as well as the eastern third of Illinois...

, and was run independently by the Brothers of Holy Cross. Now the school is separate from both, but the school is still run as a Catholic organization and Catholic teachings are part of the curriculum.

The school was founded as a boys high school by the Brothers of Holy Cross in 1918. In the 1970s, with the departure of the Brothers, a non-profit trust was developed by Robert V. Welch, other parents and a lay board in an effort to keep Cathedral alive. As part of that change, the school moved from its longtime home in downtown Indianapolis to its present location at 56th and Emerson streets, the site of the former all-girls Ladywood St. Agnes Academy. This change also facilitated the admission of girls to Cathedral High School.

In early 2007 Cathedral's use of a leprechaun in a fighting stance, which it had shared with the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

, was contested by Notre Dame, the owners of the trademarked logo. Cathedral agreed to stop using the logo in the future.

On September 13, 2011, Cathedral celebrated its 93rd birthday and was affiliated with the Brothers of Holy Cross.

Academics

The school offers several levels of academics, including Advanced Placement
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...

 (one of only 14 schools in the state of Indiana) and International Baccalaureate. Cathedral was honored as a Blue Ribbon School
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...

 in both 1988 and 2004.

There are 11 academic departments providing more than 188 course offerings. Three instructional levels are offered-honors, academic and college preparatory-as well as honors-level independent study in nearly all disciplines. Emphasis is placed on technology in the classroom. Honors and academic-level English students are required to take two years of foreign language (as listed below). College preparatory English students and students enrolled in the Language Support Program are not required to meet the foreign language requirement, except in unusual circumstances.

The Language Support Program is available to meet the special needs of the dyslexic student preparing for college entrance. In this program, courses are taught at the academic level of instruction with appropriate accommodations.

Students in each class are required to obtain the following 49 credits (one credit equals the successful completion of one semester of course work):
  • Biology 2
  • Composition 1
  • Economics 1
  • English 8
  • Fine Arts 2
  • Foreign Language 4
  • Geography 1
  • Government 1
  • Health Education 1
  • Mathematics 6
  • Modern Technology 1
  • Other Electives 3
  • Physical Education 1
  • Religious Studies 8
  • Science Electives 4
  • Social Studies Electives 2
  • Speech or Debate 1
  • U.S. History 2


Each academic year, approximately 98–99% of Cathedral students matriculate in colleges and universities.

Football

For the 2008 Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...

 season on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

, Cathedral High School's football program was featured because even though the school has more football victories than any school in the state of Indiana, they do not have a home field. Though several games throughout the schedule each year are designated home games, they are played at different fields (such as Indianapolis Arlington High School or the University of Indianapolis
University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...

) which are not directly affiliated with CHS itself. Its two segments aired on November 2 and 9, 2008.

As of the end of the 2008 IHSAA football season, Cathedral had more wins than any other school in the history of the sport in the state of Indiana. The team had a total of 635 wins in its 90-year existence.

Cathedral ranks third on the all time list for State Finals appearances in Indiana, reaching the title game a total of twelve times. They have emerged victorious in nine of those twelve appearances (1986, 1992, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2010, & 2011).

Women's volleyball

  • The Cathedral Lady Irish volleyball team is coached by former Ball State University All-American Jean Kesterson, who has amassed more than 800 wins and six State Championships(1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2008) in her tenure at the school.

Men's volleyball

  • Cathedral is one of a group of Indianapolis high schools which fields a team and competes in the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association. Since Men's Volleyball is not yet a sanctioned IHSAA sport, the IBVCA stands as the sport's sanctioning body.

  • Cathedral has won the championship eight times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) and placed runner-up five times (1994, 1997, 1998, 2003, and 2009).

  • Between May 2006 and March 2009, Cathedral had an 82-match win-streak, which is a state record.

  • Following the conclusion of each season, various members of both the Varsity and Junior Varsity squads will form one or more club teams. These clubs travel to the USA Volleyball Boys' Junior Championships and compete against hundreds of other boys' volleyball clubs from around the United States of America. In 2007, the Irish Juniors finished a school record 5th in the national tournament.

Other sports

  • Men's and Women's Soccer
  • Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving
  • Men's and Women's Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Softball
  • Men's and Women's Lacrosse
  • Men's Golf
  • Men's Hockey (Named Cathedral-Chatard Hockey, as it's a conjunction of the Cathedral High School and Bishop Chatard High School
    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...

     hockey players)
  • Men's and Women's Cross Country
  • Men's and Women's Track & Field
  • Men's and Women's Tennis
  • Bowling
  • Gymnastics
  • Men's Rugby
  • Wrestling

History

  • Cathedral was the first all-white school to play Crispus Attucks High School, at the time an all-black school, in athletics.

  • Before 1942, Cathedral was not a part of the IHSAA
    Indiana High School Athletic Association
    The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...

     so any titles they won prior to this were not accepted by the IHSAA.

Performing arts

The Performing Arts department at Cathedral is a student driven program. Since 1999 the season had comprised five shows: The Festival of One Acts, the Fall Production, the Children's Play, the Rookie Show, and the Spring Musical. Beginning in the 2008-2009 school year the theater program has comprised a season of three theatrical productions and one musical per year. During the Fall Semester, students have performed the Fall Play and the Children's Show. During the Spring Semester, there has been the traditional musical and the new Rookie Showcase (a series of short one act plays). The Children's Show and the Rookie Showcase (and in the past, the Rookie Show and the Festival of One Acts) are student directed, while the Spring Musical and the Fall Show are teacher-directed. The school has light and stage design, a newly renovated Scene Shop, Costume Department, Green Room, and Dressing Rooms. All productions are created by the students. They build the sets, sew the costumes, design lighting, and acquire props.

Academic classes in the department include the independent study technical classes and the Advanced Acting and Directing classes producing the leads, directors, ADs, stage managers, and lighting and sound designers for most of the shows. The majority of students who take these upper-level classes will at least minor in some aspect of theater or performing arts, with students matriculating to, among others, Ball State University, Columbia University in Chicago, Indiana University, and Purdue University.

The school is a member of the International Thespian Society
International Thespian Society
The International Thespian Society is an honorary organization for high-school and middle-school theatre students located at more than 3,600 affiliated secondary schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. The International Thespian Society was founded in Fairmont, West Virginia...

.

The Pride of the Irish Marching Band

The school has a marching band, the Pride of the Irish. The band marched in the Dublin, Ireland St. Patrick's Day parade in both 2000 and 2008, was featured on national TV in the Hollywood Thanksgiving Day parade in 2005, marched in the King Kamehameha Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...

 in 2002; performed on board the Music on the Seas Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 42 ships in service under 5 different brands and one more under construction, it controls a 25.6% share of the world cruise market...

 cruise in 2004, and performed in Toronto, Canada in 1998.

TP-ing the Hill

One of the major traditions involving the student-body of CHS is the annual TP-ing or toilet papering of the hill which leads traffic from the 56th street entrance all the way up to the school's campus. The senior class of each incoming academic year will gather together with thousands of rolls of toilet paper and decorate the trees which hang over a four-lane road that is Cathedral's entryway. Also, near the end of each school year, the outgoing Junior class (who are going into their senior years) will gather and decorate the hill in an identical fashion.

Initially, when this tradition began, it was not viewed favorably by administrators. Before the campus's reconfiguration, the event was organized as a cloak-and-dagger style bonding opportunity by the senior students themselves. However, since the decorations were viewed by some as vandalism (and following an incident where certain portions of campus property were damaged), it was subsequently banned in an attempt to cease the practice.

The students were not so easily deterred. They continued to engage in this tradition, leading to an effort by the school to bring this annual occurrence under the control of the school itself. Today, it is an evening-long event which includes police escorts, chaperones, and a cook-out. These practices have bred success in allowing students to continue the tradition while keeping its spirit alive from class to class.

The Painting of the Bridge

Cathedral's campus is located behind a wall of forestry which hides it from view on East 56th street in Indianapolis, and in order to reach the school grounds, visitors, students, and faculty must travel up a winding road through the trees which leads them to the main parking areas. Back before the campus was reconfigured in 2001, each incoming senior class at Cathedral would gather together prior to the new academic year and paint the school's entryway bridge with artistic renderings of the class' personality and year of graduation. This road was a small, two-lane strip of asphalt which traveled over a small creek bordering the campus grounds. The bridge was located about halfway between the 56th street traffic light and the school itself.

The Irish 500

In keeping with the tradition of the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 Mile Race which is run annually in Speedway, Indiana
Speedway, Indiana
Speedway is a town in Wayne Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States. The population was 12,881 at the 2000 census. Speedway is the home of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from which the town derives its name, and is a complete enclave of Indianapolis....

 (a neighboring suburb of Indianapolis), the student activities committee holds a yearly tricycle race, known as the Irish 500, in the institution's Welch Activity Center gymnasium.

The race and it consists of four qualifying races and one main event. Each grade level fields four teams of four tricycle racers each. Teams of the same class compete against each other in one of the four qualifying races, and a class winner is determined. Once those qualifiers are completed, a representative team from the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes all race one another to decide that year's champion of the Irish 500.

This event is intended to be a stress free day where students can celebrate the conclusion of their academic year. Teams often dress up in flamboyant and comedic costumes for competition. A race track is constructed in the gym using trash barrels and strings of checkered flags and is configured to mirror the oval course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Scaffolding is erected for the start/finish line's flag stand, and students are selected to wave the Green, White, and Checkered flags to signify the various stages of the race itself.

Spirit Week and the Spirit Stick

Each year during homecoming week, a series of contests between each of the grade levels makes up the Spirit Week event, culminating in the awarding of the Spirit Stick. The Spirit Stick is given to the class of that year which is deemed to have the most school spirit via a series of competitions which award points for excellence an ingenuity of each contest.

The subject and content of each co-rivalry may vary from year to year, but typically they will include a costume competition (each of the five days of Spirit Week are given a theme, and the students are absolved of their dress-code responsibilities so that they may create the best possible costume on each day) and a hall decorating contest (each grade level is assigned one segment of a hallway in the school, and they are to decorate that hallway one evening before each is judged the following day).

At the end of the week, a special all-school assembly is held and the Spirit Stick is awarded. Typically, each year's senior class takes home the stick, as they have been a part of the institution the longest and best understand the significance of Spirit Week's zealous competitions. However, there have been a few years where the junior class managed to outperform its higher-ranking senior class to take home the stick, most recently in the 2011-2012 school year.

Senior retreat

In keeping with the institution's standing as a Catholic school, the students participate in various levels of spiritual education and exploration throughout their time at Cathedral. During the freshman and sophomore years, pupils participate in the "Freshman Day of Recollection" and the "Sophomore Day of Recollection," respectively. These events are all-day seminars, ran by upper-classmen, and involve various exercises designed to enrich the spirituality and camaraderie between students.

During their junior year, students have the option of continuing their spiritual development by attending the Junior Boys Overnight or Junior Girls Overnight. The overnight includes similar, but more advanced activities in which the students participate during the afternoon, evening, and following morning of the event.

The culmination of the previous three events is the Senior Retreat, a three day withdrawal from their daily academic duties in order to further study and enrich their spirituality. Students spend each day together, both in a smaller, more personal group, as well as with the overall congregation of roughly 40 to 50 people. The retreat is run by faculty members, alumni, parents, and other mentors who share a bond with the Cathedral family. It is during this time that the students are encouraged to open up to one another and share themselves, thereby aiding in the completion of the maturation process as a member of the Catholic faith.

Mary sculpture

The sculpture Mary is mounted in a limestone niche
Niche (architecture)
A niche in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half-dome heading usual for an apse. Nero's Domus Aurea was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras;...

 on the main school building facade. Created by an unknown artist in 1963, Mary (5 ft. x 20 in. x 16 in.) is painted and appears to be concrete. The statue is a full-length robed representation of the Virgin Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

, standing with her hands outstretched with her palms facing upwards. The sculpture was surveyed in 1994 by the Smithsonian's
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

 Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....

 survey program and it's condition was described as needing treatment.

Notable people

  • Gregory A. Ballard
    Gregory A. Ballard
    Gregory A. Ballard is the Republican mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. On Tuesday, November 6, 2007, he defeated two-term incumbent Democratic Mayor Bart Peterson by 51% to 47%. It was described as one of the biggest upsets in the political history of Indiana.-Background:Ballard was...

     (class of 1972?), Mayor of Indianapolis
  • Blaine Bishop
    Blaine Bishop
    Blaine Elwood Bishop is a former professional American football safety in the National Football League.Bishop attended and played at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, IN. He then attended and played college football at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Bishop was drafted in the eighth...

     (class of 1988), 4 time NFL Probowl safety
  • Darrick Brownlow
    Darrick Brownlow
    Darrick Dewayne Brownlow is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at the University of Illinois and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL Draft....

     (class of 1986), NFL professional player
  • Mark Clayton
    Mark Clayton
    Mark Gregory Clayton is a former American football wide receiver who played most of his career with the Miami Dolphins, entering the league in 1983 with the Dolphins and playing there until 1992. He finished out his career with the Green Bay Packers, playing a single season with them in 1993...

    , (class of 1979), NFL professional player
  • Jake Fox
    Jake Fox
    Jacob Quirin Fox is an American professional baseball catcher and outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.-Early years:...

     (class of 2000), professional baseball player
  • Moe Gardner
    Moe Gardner
    Morris "Moe" Gardner, Jr. is a former professional American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the Atlanta Falcons . Moe Gardner graduated from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Indiana...

     (class of 1986), 2 time NCAA All-American and NFL professional player
  • Mathias Kiwanuka
    Mathias Kiwanuka
    Mathias Kagimu Kiwanuka is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was originally drafted 32nd overall in the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Boston College. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII.-Early...

     (class of 2001), National Football League
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     player
  • Samantha Peszek
    Samantha Peszek
    Samantha Nicole Peszek is an American national team gymnast. She was a member of the United States' 2008 Olympic women's gymnastics team.-Career:In 2007, Peszek competed on the gold medal-winning U.S...

     (class of 2010), Olympic silver medalist gymnast
  • Tanya Walton Pratt
    Tanya Walton Pratt
    Tanya Marie Walton Pratt is a United States district judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.-Early life and education:...

     (class of 1977?), American federal judge
  • Jeremy Trueblood
    Jeremy Trueblood
    Jeremy Tyler Trueblood is an American football offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...

    (class of 2001), professional football player


External links

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