Reitz Memorial High School

Reitz Memorial High School Reitz Memorial High School Evansville Memorial High School
Address
1500 East Lincoln Avenue Evansville, Indiana, 47714 United States
Coordinates	37°58′14″N 87°32′12″W
Information
Type	Private, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1925
Principal	Cyndi Schneider
Asst. Principal	Rick Wilgus, Lisa Popham
Chaplain	Fr. Alex Zenthoefer
Faculty	52
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	789  (2010)
Student to teacher ratio	14:1
Color(s)	Royal Blue and White
Athletics conference	Southern Indiana Athletic Conference
Team name	Tigers
Accreditation(s)	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Newspaper	'The View'
Yearbook	'The Review'
Tuition	$4,200–$6,600
Affiliation	Diocese of Evansville
Gym Capacity	2,738
Website	http://www.reitzmemorial.org

Reitz Memorial High School or Evansville Memorial High School outside of Evansville or simply Memorial High School inside Evansville, is a diocesan interparochial Catholic High school in Evansville, Indiana. It sits on a 13-acre (53,000 m²) tract of land off Lincoln Avenue that was donated by Francis Joseph Reitz in 1922. The school officially opened its doors on January 5, 1925. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville.

Reitz Memorial is a Catholic high school. More than 95% of its students graduating in 2010 attended a four-year college or university. It is one of two Catholic high schools that serve the students of Vanderburgh, Posey, Gibson, and Warrick counties. It also has a significant number of students from Henderson County, Kentucky which is part of the greater-Evansville metropolitan area.

History

In 1922 Francis Joseph Reitz pledged the money for the school to be built, but didn't start until he found the perfect site for this school. He finally found a 13-acre (53,000 m²) lot off of Lincoln Avenue. The school was originally staffed by Brothers of the Holy Cross in the boys' section of the school, and Sisters of Providence for the girls' section.

The original gym was located on the Auditorium's stage. Varsity basketball games were played at the old Agoga Tabernacle, 318 SE Fourth St until that building was a razed in 1969. In 1969, a new addition was completed. The new wing extending along Bennighof Avenue came with expanded first and second floors, a new gym, band room, and library. The new gym could hold up to 2,000 people. The school, originally an all-boys school, eventually admitted female students. Boys were taught by the Brothers of The Holy Cross and the girls by the Sisters of Providence. Female cheerleaders weren't allowed to participate until 1967.

The format of the school pretty much remained the same until 1998, when a new addition, costing roughly $5 million would be added. The new wing, also known as "the west wing" added eight more classrooms, two art studios, two science labs, a wrestling room, a second smaller gymnasium, and a new media center. This media center was home to new computers, a large amount of books, and a place where students could study quietly throughout the day. The final renovations increased the student capacity to 900 students.^{[citation needed]}

Academics

Reitz Memorial High School is known for its high academic standards. In the 2001-2002 school year, it was recognized with a Blue Ribbon Award of Excellence in Education. This is an award not given out very often (only a few thousand schools have achieved this honor). It recognizes schools that "are models of excellence and equity, that demonstrate a strong commitment to educational excellence for all students, and that achieve high academic standards."

Academics offerings include courses in Business, English, Fine Arts, Health, Foreign Languages, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Theology. In addition to a wide array of Advance Placement courses, the school offers a Bridge Program with the University of Evansville as well as courses through Ivy Tech. Students can also take part in a full complement of clubs and organizations as well as a variety of sports for boys and girls.

Sports

Also see: Sports in Evansville

State titles

• Baseball (1978), (1989), (1993)
• Football (1937*), (1958*)
• Girls Soccer (1997), (2008)
• Softball (2002)
• Girls Tennis (1991), (1993), (1994), (1995), (1996)
• Boys Soccer (1979*), (1980*), (1981*), (1983*), (1984*), (1986*), (1988*), (1989*), (1990*), (1992*), (2007), (2008)
• Girls Basketball (2011)

* Indicates title won before IHSAA State Tournament was initiated.

Also hold 11 non-IHSAA state titles: 10 in boys soccer and one in girls bowling (1997).

National titles

• Football (1937)
• Boys Soccer (2007*)

* National Champions, ranked #1 in Adidas Top 25

Club Sports

Lacrosse is know as the "fastest growing sport in the country" and finally made its way to Evansville, IN. The Tigers formed their first club team in 2008 playing in the GEYLA (Greater Evansville Youth Lacrosse Association) along with Evansville North, Evansville Central, and Castle High School. The Tigers pilot year in 2008 turned out a success with a record of 10-1 only losing in the City Championship 6-4 to North. The next year the 4 GEYLA High School Club teams joined the IHSLA (Indiana High School Lacrosse Association) Which upgraded the teams in the league from their previous (4 Southern Indiana teams) to 30 Indiana High School teams. The Tigers currently remain in the ever growing IHSLA league until the sport grows enough for it to be sanctioned by the IHSAA.

2008 Southern Indiana Lacrosse (GEYLA forms High School Club Teams)

• Evansville Memorial joins GEYLA
• Evansville Central joins GEYLA
• Evansville North joins GEYLA
• Castle High School joins GEYLA

2009 Southern Indiana Lacrosse

• Evansville Memorial joins IHSLA
• Evansville Central joins IHSLA
• Evansville North joins IHSLA
• Castle High School joins IHSLA

• • Evansville Harrison joins GEYLA

2010 Southern Indiana Lacrosse (IHSLA makes Southern Indiana Conference)

• Evansville Harrison joins IHSLA

• • Evansville Reitz joins GEYLA

2011 Southern Indiana Lacrosse

• Evansville Reitz joins IHSLA

Notable alumni

• Don Mattingly, New York Yankee, manager Los Angeles Dodgers
• Larry Stallings, NFL linebacker
• Jonathan Weinzapfel, mayor of Evansville, Indiana
• Kyle Kuric, Basketball player at the University of Louisville

External links

• Official school website