July 28, 2016 (Louisville, KY) – Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville will begin the first official day of instruction on August 17, 2016. Although this is the first “official” day of school, some Catholic schools choose to begin on a day other than August 17. Parents should consult their school’s handbook for the first day information.
Catholic elementary and secondary schools outside Jefferson County generally follow the calendar of the public school district in which they are located. Catholic secondary schools have a variety of start dates:
Assumption High School: August 11
Bethlehem High School (Bardstown, Ky.): August 3
DeSales High School: August 17
Holy Cross High School: August 15
Mercy Academy: August 11
Presentation Academy: August 11
Sacred Heart Academy: August 17
Trinity High School: August 12
St. Xavier High School: August 19
There are 49 Catholic elementary and secondary schools in seven counties of the Archdiocese of Louisville. Last year approximately 19,500 students attended grades PK-12 in Catholic schools. Included on the following pages is a sampling of new initiatives of the Archdiocese and of individual schools for the coming school year.
General Archdiocesan Information
Opening Event for Catholic Elementary School Educators
Friday, August 5, 2016
9:00-11:30 a.m.
St. Lawrence Church
1925 Lewiston Drive (40216)
More than 700 Catholic elementary school educators will gather at St. Lawrence Church (1925 Lewiston Drive, Louisville) on Friday, August 5 to celebrate liturgy with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and hear Br. David Migliorino give a keynote entitled, “Jesus CEO.” Here is Br. David’s description:
When we place Jesus as our Chief Executive Officer in our schools, we become better administrators and teachers. Jesus must be the welcomed and hidden guest in our classrooms, office, cafeterias, courts, and playgrounds. In this way, we are NEVER alone. His Gospel is the greatest textbook and manual of all times. Armed with the Gospel, we can do great things for this most precious and greatest Church ministry of Catholic education.
The opening event is an opportunity for Catholic educators to come together, to share their collective ministry of Catholic schools, and celebrate the start of another school year.
Merton Leadership Initiative—“Cultivating Catholic School Leaders”
The Archdiocese of Louisville is launching an initiative during the 2016-17 to identify and train future Catholic school leaders. The Merton Leadership Initiative—“Cultivating Catholic School Leaders” is modeled after the St. Remy Initiative at the University of Dayton.
Teams of three (principal, aspiring principal, teacher leader) from 7 Catholic schools (4 elementary, 3 high schools) will participate in the inaugural year of the initiative.
The Merton Leadership Initiative began with a 3-day pilgrimage, July 26-28, 2016, in Bardstown, Kentucky at Nazareth Retreat Center. Participants toured the Kentucky Holy Land on July 25 to familiarize themselves with the over 200-year old history of Catholicism in central Kentucky. Fr. Ben Brown guided the group during this tour. Participants reflected upon the experience in an evening session at Nazareth.
On Wednesday, July 27 Dr. Greg Hillis, from Bellarmine University, provided an overview of the teachings of Thomas Merton. Participants learned about the contemplative approach used by Merton, and they discussed how reflective practice is conducive to effective leadership. Participants also engaged in individual and group reflection and exercises on building effective cultures within Catholic schools.
On Thursday, July 28, participants focused on leadership inventories and development. Fr. Martin Linebach, pastor at St. James Church in Elizabethtown celebrated a closing liturgy with participants.
Throughout the school year, the group will meet together for 4 learning days comprised of a keynote topic, prayer groups, and professional learning community groups. The first year of the initiative will close with a celebratory dinner in May 2017.
Groups will have the option of continuing into year two, and additional schools will have the opportunity to become part of the initiative.
Accreditation External Review
The Archdiocese of Louisville is accredited as a system through AdvancED. A team of 8 national Catholic school leaders will be in Louisville September 18-21, 2016 to conduct an external review to ensure the Archdiocese and its schools meet the AdvancED standards for systems and schools.
The Archdiocese of Louisville used the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools as the entry point for the self-study. The Archdiocese and its schools assessed themselves against the standards and administered surveys focused on Catholic identify and program effectiveness. The Archdiocese and its schools then integrated the Catholic benchmark data with the AdvancED standards for systems and schools. The Archdiocese and schools administered the AdvancED surveys and analyzed the data.
The External Review team will meet with and interview a variety of stakeholders, visit schools, and deliver an oral exit report, identifying powerful practices and improvement priorities for the Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic schools.
“Speak Up Be Safe” Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Education Curriculum
Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic elementary schools will transition to the newly revised online “Speak Up Be Safe” curriculum during the 2016-17 school year. The “Speak Up Be Safe” curriculum now includes PreK through Grade 8 and is totally online. Schools will have continuous access to new information and materials. All professional learning for teachers and counselors may be accessed online now. A generous grant from the “FaceIt” initiative through Kosair Charities is supporting the implementation of this curriculum in Archdiocese of Louisville Catholic schools.
Bus Service Added at St. James School, St. Leonard School, and St. Rita School
As part of the Archdiocese of Louisville elementary school planning process, bus service is being added to the following school communities: St. James School (1818 Edenside Drive), St. Leonard School (440 Zorn Avenue), and St. Rita School (8709 Preston Highway). The bus service at St. James and St. Leonard Schools is in partnership with the Community Catholic Center, the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), and the Archdiocese of Louisville. The students will be picked up and delivered back each day to the Community Catholic Center where they participate in after school tutoring and other activities. Bus service will assist students and families with transportation, getting to school promptly each day, and providing a central location for parents to pick up students. St. Rita School is also adding bus transportation in collaboration with CEF and the Archdiocese of Louisville. Enrollment has grown at St. Rita School, and bus transportation will assist students and parents with getting to and from school each day.
Leadership Development through International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)
In the 2016-17 school year, technology coaches and school technology coordinators will be invited to participate in webinars through ISTE. These sessions have been created to assist technology professional in schools work with adult learners. These sessions may also be applicable across other content areas to assist educators in developing their leadership skills.
School Facilities and Campus Renovations
Assumption High School (interior renovation)
DeSales High School (new athletic facilities)
Holy Angels Academy (exterior renovation)
Mercy Academy (exterior additions and updates)
Paul School (window replacement)
Rita School (interior renovation)
Sacred Heart Academy (renovation)
Trinity High School (renovation)
Specific Information from Schools
St. Albert School
St. Albert School (1395 Girard Drive, Louisville) is contributing to the environment. Three teachers worked with the Louisville Nature Center to choose 40 plants to spruce up the campus. To attract bees and butterflies, along with other pollinators (hummingbirds), they chose Bee Balm, Virgin’s Bower, Milkweed, Blazing Star, Purple Cones, Honeysuckle, and Blue Lobelias. When everything blooms over the next few seasons, an area that was previously just lilies will contain several shades of red, orange, yellow, blue, purple, and white. Some of the chosen plants are vines that creep up the downspouts. All plants are perennials.
Students from preschool, kindergarten, 3rd, and 5th-8th grades transplanted lilies, dug a new flower bed, pulled weeds, mulched, planted, watered, and swept to beautify the school campus. Next school year, a schedule will be sent out to every homeroom teacher. Each week, a homeroom will be responsible for pulling weeds and tending to the plants during blooming season. The school is very excited!
Bernadette Cooper, Principal
502/425-1804
St. Aloysius School
St. Aloysius School (122 Mount Mercy Drive, Pewee Valley, Ky.) will be embracing robotics and STEM activities this year across grade levels. Using interactive robots from Wonder Workshop, Dot & Dash, students will begin to learn basic programming skills. The 3D printer will be utilized by middle school students. After school clubs for computer skills, including 3D Modeling, Game Design, Programming, and Robotics, also will be forming.
Maryann Hayslip, Principal
502/241-8516
St. Andrew Academy
St. Andrew Academy (7724 Columbine Drive, Louisville) has extended the Humanities programs, adopted the Interactive STEM curriculum, extended retreats for every grade, and are ever closer to reaching its 1:1 initiative. The school will integrate Art and Music into the curriculum (which already includes Spanish and Physical Education classes for pre-K through 8th grade students) in keeping with the school’s mission to educate the whole child in a Christ-centered environment where faith and friends grow together.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math curriculum will be established, highlighting cross- disciplinary learning and hands-on/interactive courses for every student. To enhance the new curriculum, junior high students will be able to demonstrate learning with the latest SMART Board technology as they stream STEM lab results to the board simultaneously in real time. Junior high classrooms also will have 1:1 access to chrome books and hybrid classes.
The Christ-centered environment of the school enriches every student with opportunities for retreats, monthly family service, and Christian leadership. We recognize the importance of Catholic values at every grade level and stage of life.
Nicole Rouse, Principal
502/935-4578, ext. 231
Assumption High School
Assumption High School (2170 Tyler Lane, Louisville) has several initiatives, including:
Updated three floors of classrooms in the main building, including the creation of the “Center for Innovative Teaching” to provide the most up-to-date technology training space for teachers. This center will allow the Technology Integration Specialists the needed space to work one-on-one with teachers on the latest programs and applications available with the state of the art one-to-one tablet PC program.
Opening of the new McAuley Scholar Program/Testing Center, allowing expanded resources and meeting space for the most academically gifted students to work with the scholar program director, as well as faculty and community mentors of the Scholar Thesis program.
Expanded the college counselor program with the hire of an additional college counselor.
Offering the newest Advanced Placement course – AP Computer Science Principles for a total of 21 AP courses for students who can begin taking AP courses their freshman year.
Welcoming the second class to the Air and Space Academy. Assumption is the only all-girls high school in Louisville to offer this program. Through an exclusive partnership with the National Air and Space Education Institute, this program offers hands-on application combined with a college-ready STEM curriculum that will allow students to explore a variety of fields including aeronautics technology, aerospace manufacturing technology, aerospace engineering, and unmanned aerosystem technology. Classroom content is augmented by flight training as well as camps and competitions. A pilot’s license can also be earned with completion of the program.
Introduction of RocketTime: An innovative co-curricular period during the day that allows for more individual academic advising and college counseling as well as enhanced guidance curriculum offerings while maintaining Assumption’s traditional community building activities that occur within homerooms.
Martha Tedesco, Principal
502/458-9551
DeSales High School
DeSales High School (425 W. Kenwood Drive, Louisville) is providing new opportunities in 2016-17 that enhance the academic experience for students:
New courses such as AP Computer Science and a dual credit Communications class will enrich DeSales’ college prep program.
Robotics into the engineering and computer science curriculum will provide unique opportunities to elevate and advance technological skills.
Students will create, imagine, and explore means of expression with a new Drama elective.
Through a partnership with eDynamic Learning, DeSales has expanded its electives to include over forty offerings.
Outside the classroom, the summer months have been a time of dramatic transformation. With the assistance of Archbishop Kurtz on August 19, DeSales will formally dedicate a new $6.1 million capital project that features:
A 2,800-seat, field-turf football/soccer stadium to host home games on campus for the first time in school history.
An adjoining field-turf baseball complex with a new press box, new seating, batting cages, dugouts, and bullpens.
The installation of a new grass practice field, allowing all student-athletes to remain on campus for games and practice.
A two-story field house that provides new office space, concessions, locker rooms, and public restrooms.
The addition of a new scoreboard for football/soccer, as well as new sound systems for all sports.
A new ticket office, redesigned roads, and parking.
Anastasia Quirk, Principal/Vice President of Academics
502/368-6519
Holy Angels Academy
Holy Angels Academy (12201 Old Henry Road, Louisville) is making substantial improvements in the rear of the campus. The purpose is to offer more facilities and attract new students to Holy Angels.
The project includes an outdoor full court basketball facility that will have multiple uses, a new playground facility, a paved lot for parking, walkways, and attractive landscaping.
Joseph Norton, Headmaster
502/254-9440
Holy Spirit School
Holy Spirit School (322 Cannons Lane, Louisville) has a new playground that was funded by DuPont Pediatric Dentistry.
Doris Swenson, Principal
502/893-7700
St. James School (Elizabethtown)
St. James School (401 Robinbrooke Blvd., Elizabethtown, Ky.) is welcoming the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia from Nashville, TN, to lead the school and parish religious education programs. Sister Marie Hannah, O.P. will be the principal and Sister Maria Clemens, O.P. will teach 1st grade. Sister Maria also will be the Coordinator of Children’s Formation for St. James Parish (307 West Dixie Highway, Elizabethtown), and Sister Augusta will serve as the Director of Adult Education and Formation.
Sr. Marie Hannah, O.P., Principal
270/765-7011
St. Margaret Mary School
St. Margaret Mary School (7813 Shelbyville Road, Louisville) is adding a Junior Kindergarten class for the 2016-17 school year. Students will receive instruction in academics, social, and emotional skills to ready them for Kindergarten
Beginning this year, St. Margaret Mary students will have access to two outdoor classroom experiences as it partners with the University of Louisville and the city of Louisville, as well as the Louisville Nature Center, to bring gardens and other plants to the campus.
Wendy Sims, Principal
502/426-2635
Mercy Academy
Mercy Academy (5801 Fegenbush Lane, Louisville) has several initiatives, including:
Facility updates:
Upgrade of six tennis courts with a fresh coat of Mercy blue paint.
New track that surrounds the turf field.
Addition of collaborative desks to inspire group discussion in classrooms
New tablets in technology lab.
Upgrade for new students to the iPad Pro 9.7, giving students opportunities to expand creativity, innovation and more.
Mercy is entering its tenth year on Fegenbush Lane. This landmark will provide many special events, including an all class reunion in March.
Mercy has a team participating in Red Bull Flugtag on August 27. A team of students has been creating a vehicle to launch Mercy’s teacher, Mr. Steve Hammer across the Ohio River.
Students and teacher, Dr. Eric Wong, have been working with Mammoth Cave. They are exploring the waters in the cave with underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
Mercy has added an art teacher, allowing more students to pursue interest in the art program.
Andrea Mattingly, Communications and Digital Media Coordinator
502/671-2010 x 2309
St. Patrick School
St. Patrick Catholic School (1000 North Beckley Station Road, Louisville) is ready for a successful 2016-17 year. Led by new principal Mr. Nathan M. Sturtzel, St. Patrick has enhanced its preschool program to include both a three year and four year old classroom and has seen enrollment double after year one. Teachers and staff continue to looks for ways to improve instruction and innovation, which will be enhanced by a new one-to-one Chromebook program for middle school students. The new program will allow students to have frequent access to a powerful technology tool that will help them learn how to use technology responsibly and effectively in a way that deepens their connections to learning.
Finally, St. Patrick continues to strive towards growing a strong Catholic Identity in a safe, healthy school culture and climate. An initiative entitled “We Are ST.PATS” will be broadened in its second year to many more facets of the school. The program is centered around the acronym “STPATS,” which stands for the following: Spirit of Christ, Treat Others with Respect, Personal Responsibility, Academic Excellence, Teamwork, and Service.
Nathan Sturtzel, Principal
(502) 244-7083
St. Paul School
With assistance from the Catholic Education Foundation, St. Paul School (6901 Dixie Highway, Louisville) replaced windows on the north side of the school and completed its Community Learning Center, which combines the library and the computer lab to provide the school’s digital future. Exciting activities are being planned by the school’s new Media Specialist, Jennifer Burba and Technology Specialist Tim Dooley.
Kevin Brever, Principal
502/935-5511
St. Rita School
In order to plan for enrollment growth, St. Rita School (8709 Preston Highway, Louisville) has developed a 5-year facility plan, with a major portion being completed this summer. The school has switched the floors of the intermediate grades with the junior high grades and has expanded the early childhood program from 1 to 3 classrooms. These changes and the expansion of the early childhood program, will allow the school to expand its capacity from one to two classrooms in future years.
Neil Hulsewede, Principal
502/969-7067
Sacred Heart Schools
As of August 1, Sacred Heart Academy (3175 Lexington Road, Louisville) classrooms, library, and cafeteria and the common areas of both Sacred Heart Academy and Sacred Heart Model School School (3107 Lexington Road, Louisville) have been renovated. In addition, updates to security and fire safety systems have been made across the campus. Changes will ensure energy efficiency and various mechanical replacements and improvements are being made to the infrastructure.
Dr. Cindy Crabtree, President
502/896-3910
Trinity High School
Trinity High School (4011 Shelbyville Road, Louisville) is very excited about a major renovation of its W. Peter Flaig Library-Media Center. A major focus of the renovation reflects the school’s commitment to STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics infused lessons) and allows for more collaboration between students. The new space includes a media table where students can plug in their own devices and toggle between individual screens on a large flat-screen television. Laptops are available for use with the media table, allowing students to use the full capability of the Adobe Creative Suite software, 3D printers, and a portable green screen and DJI Osmo digital camera to empower video creation. In addition, areas with couches and chairs will allow students to meet in formal and informal groups for study. By using these areas for active group work, students will further develop the real-world problem-solving skills they will need in college and in their careers. The library boasts multiple Gale databases for research, with two new databases for science research, and the Kentucky Virtual Library platform, which includes multiple databases including ProQuest and EBSCOhost.
By integrating both print and digital sources, students are able to develop the information-seeking and processing skills they will need to be college-and career-ready. Finally, the library renovation includes many cosmetic updates designed to make it a more inviting space. A custom-designed circulation desk provides a more inviting entrance to the library while meeting the needs of book check-out, book processing and reference services. Display space on the outside of the circulation desk allows for better views of library picks, newspapers and magazines. New, more functional shelving supplements some of the existing shelving, and book genres are more clearly defined on those shelves. New carpet, paint, and pendant lighting reflect a more modern design and were chosen with the idea of making the library brighter and more open. Table and chair selections make the library inviting and comfortable for students and teachers.
Dan Zoeller, Principal
502/895-9427
For more information, call: Cecelia Price at 502/585-3291 (office) or 502/417-7187 (cell).