Bishop Chatard High School

Bishop Chatard High School
Address
Map
5885 Crittenden Avenue

Indianapolis
,
Indiana
46220

United States
Coordinates39°51′42″N 86°07′39″W / 39.86167°N 86.12750°W / 39.86167; -86.12750
Information
TypePrivate, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1961
OversightArchdiocese of Indianapolis
PresidentBill Sahm
PrincipalJohn Hasty
Teaching staff53.5 (on an FTE basis)[1]
Grades9–12
Enrollment720 (2023-2024)
Student to teacher ratio11:1
Color(s)Blue and white    
Athletics conferenceCircle City Conference
NicknameTrojans
RivalsBrebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
Cathedral High School
St. Theodore Guerin High School
AccreditationAdvancED[2]
PublicationTrojans Today
YearbookThe Citadel
Websitewww.bishopchatard.org
Bishop Chatard High School in October 2023.

Bishop Chatard High School is a Catholic co-educational preparatory high school located in the Broad Ripple district of Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States. It is named after Bishop Silas Chatard, who was the first Bishop of Indianapolis, and oversaw the movement of the diocese from Vincennes to Indianapolis in 1898.

School history

The increase in Indiana's Catholic population that triggered the splitting of the Indianapolis diocese in 1944[3] also caused an increase in the need for Catholic schools. It was clear that one high school would not be sufficient to provide for Indianapolis' massively expanding Catholic population. To this end, the Archbishop of Indianapolis, Paul Clarence Schulte, ordered the construction of three new Catholic high schools in the city. The first of these, Bishop Chatard, would serve the north side of Indianapolis. The two other new schools, Roncalli High School and Cardinal Ritter High School, would serve the south and west sides of Indianapolis respectively. Scecina would continue to serve the east side of the city.

Ground was broken for the first of the schools, Bishop Chatard, in the fall of 1960 on diocese property at the corner of Crittenden and Kessler Avenues. Construction of the school and an adjacent convent was completed in less than a year, and the first students were admitted in September 1961. Each year a class of students was added to the school, and the first graduating class was the class of 1964-65.

Initially, classes were taught almost entirely by priests from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and Benedictine Sisters of Beech Grove. Many sisters were housed in the convent on-site, but their numbers declined to the point that in the 1970s, their convent was converted to an annex of the school. The annex has served as classroom, office and storage space for thirty years, and was recently rededicated to the Sisters as the St. Benedict Center.

Academics

Bishop Chatard has been accredited by AdvancED or its predecessors since April 2004.[2]

Athletics

The Bishop Chatard Trojans compete in the Circle City Conference. School colors are royal blue and white. The following Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sanctioned sports are offered:[4]

  • Baseball (boys)
  • Basketball (girls and boys)
    • Boys state championships - 2003[5]
  • Cross country (girls and boys)

Boys 2022 sectional champs

  • Football (boys)
    • State championships - 1983, 1984, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023[5]
  • Golf (girls and boys)
  • Soccer (girls and boys)
  • Softball (girls)
  • Swimming (girls and boys)
  • Tennis - (girls and boys)
  • Track - (girls and boys)
  • Volleyball (girls)
    • State championships - 2004, 2012[5]
  • Wrestling (boys)

Student activities

Chatard competes annually in the Brain Game, a quiz bowl program broadcast on local television.[6] There are many fine arts programs, including a robust theatre program, concert band, pep band, concert choir, and the thespian society.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ "Search for Private Schools - School Detail for Bishop Chatard High School". ed.gov. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "AdvancED - Institution Summary". advanc-ed.org. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "The Year of Our Lord 1944". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "2017-18 IHSAA SchoolDirectory" (PDF). IHSAA.org. IHSAA. p. 68. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "All-Time IHSAA State Championships by School" (PDF). Ihsaa.org. IHSAA. July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Westfield Insurance Brain Game". wthr.com. June 19, 2002. Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  7. ^ "Cap Boso Stats - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Karen (Batton) Pence '75 Indiana's First Lady". bishopchatard.org. September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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