Lexington Catholic High School

Lexington Catholic High School
Address
2250 Clays Mill Road Lexington, Kentucky, (Fayette County), 40503 United States
Coordinates	38°1′3″N 84°32′6″W
Information
Motto	"Mind. Spirit. Body."
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1951
President	Dr. Steve Angelucci
Principal	Sally Stevens
Faculty	64
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	842  (2009–10)
Average class size	24
Student to teacher ratio	14:1
Campus	Suburban
Campus size	17 acres (69,000 m2)
Color(s)	Blue and White
Nickname	Knights
Accreditation(s)	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Website	www.lexingtoncatholic.com

Lexington Catholic High School is a parochial secondary school affiliated with the Catholic Church located in the Rosemill neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington.

History

The school was formed in 1951 through the merger of two secondary schools: St. Catherine's Academy, founded in 1823, and Lexington Latin High, founded in 1924. Lexington Catholic moved to its current location in 1957.

In 2007, the school was awarded the Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. It was the first high school in central Kentucky to receive the award.

School insignia

Crest

The school crest is a simple design embodying the ideals and principles on which the school is founded. The lamp of knowledge on top of the emblem symbolizes the school. The escutcheon joins the four main principles symbolic of the school:

• The dove in the upper left corner symbolizes the truth of God.
• The letter M to the right of the dove stands for the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
• The plumed helmet, bottom left, represents the knights and ladies whose virtues the students are expected to emulate.
• The knot in the bottom right corner symbolizes the state of Kentucky. This emblem of binding union was chosen to reflect the state motto, "United we stand, divided we fall."

The initials LLH and SCA on either side the banner stand for Lexington Latin High and the Saint Catherine's Academy, the two schools which merged to form Lexington Catholic.

In 1954, assistant principal Father Kampsen developed these ideas for the crest. In collaboration with Sister Bernadette, SCN, he transferred the ideas to paper. The seal was adopted as the official coat-of-arms that year, and can be found on the senior rings from 1954 to the present. Lexington Catholic adopted this updated version of the crest in 2000.

Mission

This mission statement, as it appears on the school's website, states:

"We, Lexington Catholic High School, serve as an integral part of the educational mission of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington. We serve Catholic students and students of other faith traditions by providing a high quality secondary education that emphasizes the spiritual ideas and moral values of the Gospel. In this faith community, we form and develop the body, mind, and spirit of our students"

Athletics

Lexington Catholic is known state-wide for its athletic program, as the school has won statewide competitions in football, soccer, track and field, baseball, cross country, hockey, Ultimate Frisbee and basketball.

Football program

Lexington Catholic won the 2005 Kentucky's Class AAA football state championship and the 2007 Class AAAA state championship, defeating Lone Oak 49-7. The school also boasts of two regular undefeated seasons in 1998 and 2001, district championship wins in 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The overall record for the Knight's football program from 1991-2011 is 197 wins to 62 losses. The first head coach was Bob Sphire, for 15 years, and won the school's first football state title in his last season. He then became the head coach at North Gwinnett High School in Georgia where he led the school to their first state title game in his second season. Bill Letton is now the head coach and recently finished his fifth season. He led the Knights to the schools second state title in 2007, his second season as head coach. Coach Letton has also been the head coach at Montgomery County High School, Paris High School, and Prestonsburg High School, where he led the Blackcats to the 1993 state title game.

Basketball program

Both the boys' and girls' teams have captured a number of state championships. The boys' team have made state championship appearances in 1992, 2000, and 2002, winning the championship in 2002, they finished #10 in the nation in the final USA Today Super 25 poll. The girls' team won state championships in 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2006; and were runners-up in 2003 and 2004. The girls' team has been ranked as high as #3 in the nation in the final USA Today Super 25 poll in 2006 (also ranked #6 in final 2005 poll).

Baseball program

The Knights baseball program has been very dominant since the late 1990s winning state titles in 1999, 2006, and 2009. The 2006 state champion team featured 8 juniors, all of which played or are currently playing college baseball, with the exception of standout and Mr Baseball winner, Ben Revere who was drafted 28th overall in the MLB draft and is currently an outfielder with the Minnesota Twins.

Soccer program

The boys' and girls' soccer teams have won many state championships and are one of the top soccer programs in the state of Kentucky. The boys' team won state titles in 1983,1984, and 2004 and were State runner-up in 1987 and 2003. The girls' team has one state championship in 2002 and have finished the season state runner-up five times in 1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2005.

Athletic programs

Lexington Catholic fields teams in:

• Football - 2005 Class AAA, 2007 Class AAAA KHSAA State Champions
• Girls Golf
• Boys Golf
• Girls Soccer - 2002 KHSAA State Champions
• Boys Soccer - 1983, 1984, 2004 KHSAA State Champions
• Girls Cross Country - 1975, 1976, 1977, 1983, 1984 Class A KHSAA State Champions
• Boys Cross Country
• Girls Basketball - 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006 KHSAA State Champions
• Boys Basketball - 2002 KHSAA State Champions
• Volleyball
• Baseball - 1999, 2006, 2009 KHSAA State Champions
• Softball
• Tennis
• Girls Track and Field - 1971 KHSAA State Champions
• Boys Track and Field
• Swim & Dive
• Hockey - 2004, 2008 KHSHL State Champions
• Lacrosse - 2005, 2006, 2008 Division I State Runner-Up
• Cheerleading
• Dance Team
• Ultimate Frisbee
• Bowling

Accreditation

Lexington Catholic is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and approved by the Kentucky State Department of Education. They have been given recognition for being a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon School (one of three high schools in Kentucky chosen in 2007).

Notable alumni

• Laura Bell Bundy - Broadway Actress and Country Singer
• Brian Cashman - Senior Vice-President and General Manager of the New York Yankees
• Alison Lundergan Grimes - Secretary of State of Kentucky
• Frank Kornet - Former NBA Player for the Milwaukee Bucks
• Ben Revere - MLB Player for the Minnesota Twins (2007 1st Round Draft Pick)