Owensboro Catholic High School

Owensboro Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Owensboro, Kentucky, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Owensboro.

Owensboro Catholic High School
Address
1524 West Parrish Avenue Owensboro , (Daviess County) , Kentucky 42301 United States
Coordinates	37°45′35″N 87°7′40″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Motto	Faith in Education
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1951
Superintendent	David Kessler[1]
President	Tom Lilly[2]
Principal	Gates Settle[3]
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	507 (November 2009)
• Grade 9	123
• Grade 10	125
• Grade 11	124
• Grade 12	135
Student to teacher ratio	teachers/students 1:18
Hours in school day	6
Color(s)	Green and White
Fight song	"Aces Spirit," set to the melody of On, Wisconsin!
Sports	Baseball, Basketball, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Softball, Football, Swimming and Diving, Track, Volleyball, Golf, Soccer, and Tennis [4]
Team name	Aces
Rival	Owensboro High School
Newspaper	The Peddler
Campus Minister & Theology Department Chair	Fr. Jason McClure[5]
Episcopal Vicar	Fr. Pat Reynolds[6]
Website	www.owensborocatholic.org/schools/OCHS/

History

Owensboro Catholic opened in September 1951, replacing the closing St. Francis Academy.[7]

Bus breakdown

In January 2016, a group of approximately 40 Owensboro Catholic students drew national attention after Winter Storm Jonas caused their bus to break down on Interstate 76 in western Pennsylvania.[8] The students were returning from a school-sponsored trip to the March for Life in Washington, D.C. and were stranded in the bus for over twenty hours.[8] [9]

Controversy

Further information: January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation

In January 2019, a student from Owensboro Catholic High School was observed making comments at the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. The student stated "land gets stolen all the time, it's how it works". The President of Owensboro Catholic Schools, Tom Lilly stated that, "I know that they will use this as an opportunity to make this a teaching moment on the sensitivities involved. Any time there is any question about a time any kid makes a mistake, our goal is to correct them and teach them."[10][11]

Academics

Owensboro Catholic High School issues three types of high school diplomas: the Standard High School Diploma, the College Preparatory Curriculum Diploma, and the Honors Curriculum Diploma.[12] The Standard Diploma meets Kentucky state requirements for high school graduation. The College Preparatory Diploma and Honors Diploma meet the Pre-College Curriculum, a set of standards set by the Kentucky Department of Education for students planning on attending a four-year Kentucky public university.[13]

Owensboro Catholic High School offers eight Advanced Placement (AP) courses.[12] In July 2019, two of the school's faculty members, Cynda Wood and Bretnea Turner, attended the annual Advanced Placement Conference as presenters.[14]

Athletics

Owensboro Catholic athletic teams are known as the Aces. The Aces basketball team shares the Owensboro Sportscenter with Kentucky Wesleyan College. As of 2018, Owensboro Catholic has won 10 Kentucky High School Athletic Association championships:

• Baseball: 1985
• Fastpitch softball: 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009 (runners-up in 2001, 2004, 2006, 2013)
• Football: none (runners-up in 1997, 2004, 2005, 2010)
• Cross country (boys AA): 2001, 2005–2007

Notable alumni

• Florence Henderson – actress and singer who played Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch [15]
• Chris Brown – professional football defensive back
• Rebecca Greenwell – basketball player
• Justin Marks – professional baseball pitcher
• Nicky Hayden – professional motorcycle racer[16]

Notes and references

1. "New Superintendent of Catholic Schools". Diocese of Owensboro. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
2. "Tom Lilly Named OCS President". Owensboro Catholic Schools. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
3. "Principal's Message OCHS". Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
4. "Extracurricular Activities & Athletics OCHS". Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
5. "Student Handbook and Calendar" (PDF). Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
6. "Education Council". Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
7. "History". Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
8. Saliba, Emmanuelle (23 January 2016). "Snowstorm Strands Students on Bus for Over 20 Hours on Pennsylvania Highway". NBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
9. Schmitt, Ben (23 January 2016). "Winter storm strands hundreds of motorists on Pa. Turnpike". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
10. "Catholic schools under fire for comments at Indigenous Peoples March; school officials, father respond". The Owensboro Times. January 20, 2019.
11. Murdock, Sebastian (2019-01-19). "Native American Vietnam Veteran Speaks Out After MAGA Hat-Wearing Teens Harass Him". HuffPost.
12. "Academics OCHS". Owensboro Catholic Schools. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
13. "Planning for College Precollege Curriculum Checklist". KHEA. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
14. Mason, Marlys (2019-04-24). "OCHS teachers to present at AP Conference". The Owensboro Times. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
15. "Hall of Fame Entertainment". Visit Owensboro. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
16. West, Gary (2009-06-01). "Nicky Hayden, "The Kentucky Kid"". Kentucky Living. Retrieved 2020-01-31.

External links

• Official website