KCHS News

May 20 – Daily Announcements

Morning Prayer

Today is the feast of Bernardine of Siena, Priest.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dear God, we are faced with many decisions in our lives. Give us the strength and insight to make the right choices. We take a moment to pray for families who are suffering today as a result of bad choices that have led to tragedies. May they be granted comfort in friendships and peace in faith. We ask all this through Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements

• All students who signed up for Spanish 5 AP need to attend a meeting with Mrs. Psihogios in B106 at 3:10 p.m. today.
• Attention students who have registered for AP Calculus AB for next school year: The summer work packet is ready to be picked up in C12. Please stop by as soon as possible to get your packet.
• Interested in being a member of the KCHS dance team but couldn’t attend clinics or auditions…it’s not too late.  Email a video to lphillips@knoxvillecatholic.com on or before Wednesday morning.
• Students who will be taking their driver’s permit test this summer need to sign up in the front office for the required state attendance form. In order for this form to be processed before the end of the school year, students will need to sign up before this Thursday.
• Mr. Garland’s advisory group, please stop by the bookstore to pick up your T-shirts.
• Congratulations to the KCHS Boy’s Lacrosse team for its 2013 winning season. Information indicates that KCHS is the first Division I lacrosse team in Tennessee history to make it to the playoffs in just four years of fielding a team.  Congratulations to seniors Nick Giecek and Joey Cook for being awarded 1^st team eastern region for midfield and goal tending and to Nick Giecek for being voted 2^nd team All-State Midfielder.  Please see team face book page or YouTube for season highlights.  Also, we are pleased to announce that Coaches Bronson Messer and Skip Fatkin will return for a 5^th season next year. Anyone interested in playing KCHS lacrosse, please see www.catholiclacrosse.com for information on summer and fall practice, camps, tournaments and summer city league
• Students and staff: Thank you for your patience and support of our new process of electing our student government leadership board. We had outstanding candidates to consider, and all of you are to be commended for your courage and desire to help lead KCHS.  Congratulations to the following members of the 2013-2014 KCHS Student Government Leadership Board: Freshmen: Addison Bond, Liza Cunningham, Owen Flomberg, Effie Kropp, Emily Thompson; Sophomores: Morgan Briggs, Nick Cacapardo, Kati Kropilak, Anne Mishu, Monica Armstrong; Juniors: Bridget Anderson, Zach Gee, Logan Irwin, Ben Nadolsky, Katie Proctor, Marah Smith.  All members of the Board will meet after exams on Wednesday at 11:30 in Mrs. Walden’s room A14.

Shamrock Open

Mark your calendars for the 27th Annual Shamrock Open, which is being held on Friday, June 14, 2013 at Egwani Farms Golf Course.  There will be two flights: 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The cost is $125 per person or $500/team.  We hope to see you on the course!

2013 Catholic Schools Week

From January 27 through February 2, the ten schools of the Diocese of Knoxville participated in the 39th annual Catholic Schools Week. The theme for the 2013 observance was “Catholic Schools Raise the Standards.” Enjoy this video by Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey of this year’s celebration of Catholic education.

http://vimeo.com/59671611

Green & Gold Gala

Knoxville Catholic’s second annual Green & Gold Gala was a huge success and raised more than $60,000 for KCHS academic programs and classroom technology!  The Gala not only celebrated KCHS and her years of inspiring excellence, but it also provided an opportunity to welcome new and old friends! This wonderful event welcomed more than 250 guests, including alumni, past and current parents, corporate representative, and other community friends.

Mark your calendar for the 2014 Green & Gold Gala which will be held on January 25, 2014 at Lighthouse Knoxville. To become a sponsor,  donate an auction item, or be on the planning committee, please contact: Megan Locke at mlocke@knoxvillecatholic.com.

Diocese of Knoxville Named to AP District Honor Roll

On November 12, the Diocese of Knoxville was selected to the 3^rd Annual AP District Honor Roll by the College Board. This is the second year in a row that the Diocesan high schools, Knoxville Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School (Chattanooga), were recognized for this academic achievement. The Diocese was one of only four districts in Tennessee that met the criteria to be placed on the AP Honor Roll. The other Tennessee districts were the Cocke County School System, Greeneville City Schools, and Jefferson County Schools.

“Over the past 8 years, Knoxville Catholic High School has doubled the number of AP courses in our curriculum while more than tripling our student enrollment,” said Dickie Sompayrac, KCHS Principal. “It is a real credit to our AP teachers that we have been able to significantly increase the access, while also maintaining extremely competitive pass rates. To be recognized on the AP Honor Roll for two consecutive years is a real testament to both diocesan high schools – Notre Dame and Knoxville Catholic.”

A total of 539 school districts across the U.S. and Canada are being honored by the College Board for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement® course work, while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams. 

To be named to the Honor Roll, schools must have opened AP classroom doors to a significantly broader pool of students, while maintaining or improving the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher. Criteria used for inclusion in the AP District Honor Roll include:

• Increased access to AP courses
• The percentage of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native students taking AP exams must not have decreased more than 5% for large and medium districts and 10% for small districts
• Performance levels were maintained or improved when comparing the percentage of exams scoring 3 or higher from 2010 to 2012.

KCHS Named Top 50 Catholic School

On September 20, the winners of the 2012-2013 Catholic High School Honor Roll competition were announced by The Cardinal Newman Society.  For the second time since the Honor Roll was established in 2004, Knoxville Catholic High School (KCHS) was named to the Top 50.

The top 50 schools are recognized for overall excellence in all three Honor Roll categories – Catholic identity, academics, and civic education.  “Since competition began in 2004, the Honor Roll has been a helpful tool for administrators, families, and benefactors in recognizing the quality of a Catholic high school,” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

This year’s top 50 Honor Roll schools are diverse: large and small, new and long-established, both highly selective and open enrollment admissions policies, and high and low tuition rates. The common trait is an institutional commitment to providing a truly integrated and faithful Catholic education across all disciplines and in all areas of student activities.

 ”Being named a Top 50 Catholic High School validates our partnership with our parents and supporting parishes as a truly authentic Catholic institution,” said Dickie Sompayrac, KCHS Principal.  “This honor is also a testament to the outstanding commitment and work of our faculty and staff.  We are all very proud to be a part of this incredible KCHS Community.”

The top 50 schools are located in 21 states, with Pennsylvania having the highest number of honorees with seven schools, followed by Texas with six and Michigan with five.  Archbishop Edward McCarthy High School in Florida is the largest school with 1,489 students. St. Ignatius College Preparatory School and Faustina Academy, both in Texas, are the smallest schools with 48 students each.

The Catholic High School Honor Roll was created by The Action Instutite in 2004. The Cardinal Newman Society assumed the program this year, consistent with its mission of helping Catholic families and promoting faithful Catholic education.