Bishop Chatard High School
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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. 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.
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.
State athletic championships:
In addition to numerous varsity sports such as swimming, men's and women's volleyball, football, cross country, wrestling, golf, cheerleading, track, and basketball, Chatard students are active in intramural athletics as well. Chatard also competes annually in club sports including rugby, men's and women's lacrosse, hockey and bowling. Over 90 percent of Chatard students participate in varsity, club or intramural sports.
, a quiz bowl program broadcast on local television. There are many fine arts programs, such as the Bishop Chatard Marching Trojans, concert band, pep band, concert choir, show choir, and the Bishop Chatard Thespian Society. The Snowsports Club plans trips for student skiers and snowboarders.
, 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.
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...
co-educational preparatory high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the Broad Ripple district of Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is named after Bishop Silas Chatard
Silas Chatard
Silas Francis Marean Chatard was a Roman Catholic Bishop of Indianapolis in the United States.He was born Francis Chatard in Baltimore, Maryland on December 13, 1834...
, who was the first Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Indianapolis, and oversaw the movement of the diocese from Vincennes
Vincennes
Vincennes is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.-History:...
to Indianapolis in 1898.
School history
The increase in Indiana's Catholic population that triggered the splitting of the Indianapolis diocese in 1944 also caused an increase in the need for Catholic schools. The only co-educational diocesian high school in Indianapolis, Scecina Memorial High SchoolScecina Memorial High School
Scecina Memorial High School a Roman Catholic, co-educational high school located on the East Side of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is named in honor of Father Thomas Scecina, a priest from Indianapolis who was killed in action while ministering to United States military personnel during the Second...
, 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
Paul Clarence Schulte
Paul Clarence Schulte was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Indianapolis from 1946 to 1970.-Biography:...
, 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
Cardinal Ritter High School
Cardinal Ritter High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school on West 30th Street in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis. It was founded in 1964 and serves the west side of Indianapolis. It is named after Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter. The...
, 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. 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
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
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.
Spiritual 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.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
The Bishop Chatard Trojans have amassed a total of twelve state athletic championships: ten football, one men's basketball, and one women's 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 school's ten football state championships are the most in the state of Indiana.State athletic championships:
- Football (2A): 1983, 1984
- Football (3A): 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011
- Boys' Basketball (3A): 2003
- Girls' Volleyball: 2004
In addition to numerous varsity sports such as swimming, men's and women's volleyball, football, cross country, wrestling, golf, cheerleading, track, and basketball, Chatard students are active in intramural athletics as well. Chatard also competes annually in club sports including rugby, men's and women's lacrosse, hockey and bowling. Over 90 percent of Chatard students participate in varsity, club or intramural sports.
Student activities
Chatard competes annually in the Brain GameBrain Game (Indiana)
The Brain Game is a weekly quiz bowl show for high school students that airs on NBC-affiliate WTHR-13 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is currently broadcast at 7 pm on Saturdays, and the host is WTHR lead meteorologist Chris Wright. It is sponsored by Westfield Insurance, which also sponsors four...
, a quiz bowl program broadcast on local television. There are many fine arts programs, such as the Bishop Chatard Marching Trojans, concert band, pep band, concert choir, show choir, and the Bishop Chatard Thespian Society. The Snowsports Club plans trips for student skiers and snowboarders.
Classes
Chatard offers a variety of classes, including ChemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, Anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
, Geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Ceramics
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, Genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, Biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, Zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, Earth Space
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, Chem/Phys
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, World History
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
, Geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, U.S. History, Government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, Spanish I-V
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, French I-V
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Latin I-III
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Precalculus
Precalculus
In American mathematics education, precalculus , an advanced form of secondary school algebra, is a foundational mathematical discipline. It is also called Introduction to Analysis. In many schools, precalculus is actually two separate courses: Algebra and Trigonometry...
, Band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Web Design
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
, Religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, AP Calculus
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, AP Statistics
AP Statistics
Advanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
, Drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Additional Advanced Placement courses are available through special instruction.
Notable alumni
- Doug Jones ('78)Doug Jones (actor)Doug Jones is an American film and television actor best known to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fans for his various roles playing non-human characters, often in heavy makeup, in films and television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth and Fantastic Four: Rise...
, actor - Vincent VentrescaVincent VentrescaVincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
, actor - Cap BosoCap BosoCasper "Cap" Boso is a former professional American football player who played tight end for six seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He is considered to be one of the greatest video game football tight ends of all time for his appearance in Tecmo Bowl....
, pro football player - Maris ValainisMaris ValainisMaris Valainis is an American construction consultant and a former actor, best known for his role in the 1986 film Hoosiers, in which he played the character of Jimmy Chitwood, a basketball player who makes a last-second shot to win the Indiana state high school championship...
, movie actor in 'HoosiersHoosiersHoosiers is a 1986 sports film about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship....
' - Dan Cage ('03), professional basketball player
- Ryan Baker ('04), ex-professional footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...