Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is a parochial, Roman Catholic high school in Beaumont, Texas. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont.

[edit] History

The history of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is the story of four schools, one hundred years, and many people. The first school is Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In 1882, the Dominican Sisters came from Ohio to settle in Galveston, Texas. In 1895, the pastor of St. Louis Parish, Father M.P. McSorley, asked the Dominicans to establish a school in Beaumont, Texas. That fall, three sisters traveled the 90 miles from Galveston to Beaumont by tugboat, train, and horse and buggy. Upon their arrival, they were met by Father McSorley, Irene Downing, Mrs. J. E. Bordages Broussard, and eight year old Denny Bordagaes. Denny became the father of Sr. Emily Bordages, a long-time member of the Kelly faculty. Father McSorley moved into the church sacristy and the sisters moved into the rectory which became Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Convent. The school opened in 1895 with 13 students. The first two seniors graduated in 1904.

In 1901, the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop Oil Field started the oil boom in Texas. St. Louis Church soon became too small to accommodate the increased number of parishioners so a new church was built and dedicated to the honor of St. Anthony of Padua in 1907.

In 1917, Our Lady of Perpetual Help was renamed St. Anthony School. The Texas Education Agency accredited it in 1925. Two years later, under the leadership of Monsignor E. A. Kelly, a separate high school building was constructed. Sr. Veronica Groome was named principal.

The Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School archives contain class composites dating back to 1924 and newsletters as far back as 1926. Newspapers of the 1940's are filled with news of World War II and St. Anthony students selling stamps and bonds to purchase equipment for the armed forces. A May 1945 headline reads " 295 Former Students of SAHS in Service of Country". The 1946 baseball team won the Beaumont City Championship, the first parochial school team to reach this pentacle. The football team won the state championship in 1955. The May 1958 issue of The Barker reported that Rita Baker was the first female student body president in the history of St. Anthony High School.

In 1961 strains of "Good-bye Old High" could be heard as St. Anthony High School closed. A new campus opened under the administration of the Vincentian priests. To differentiate the new central campus from St. Anthony School, the new name of Central Catholic High School was selected. Father L. J. Leonard was named principal. In 1964 the name was changed to honor Monsignor E. A. Kelly.

In 1970 Sr. Jane Meyer, present principal of St. Agnes Academy in Houston, Texas became principal and the first school board was named. Controversy over a more casual dress code (blue jeans for boys, culottes and pantsuits for girls) made headlines in 1970. In 1972 the campus was air-conditioned. Modular scheduling began in 1973 and in 1974 construction was started on a new library and information center. The volleyball team won six state championships between 1974 and 1980 and the 1977 girls track team became state champs. In 1975 Kelly students helped to open a foster home for 280 Vietnamese refugees in the old high school building, which was demolished in 1982.

In 1985, President Reagan recognized Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School as an Exemplary School. In 1991, the school received this prestigious award for a second time from President Bush. The Information Center was dedicated in 1987 and the science wing was built in 1992.

The Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School Centennial Complex was dedicated in 1998 which added a new gym and the Randy Roane Theatre. In 2004, the Cris Quinn Fine Arts building opened for our ever expanding Choir, Art program, and Kelly Symphonic and Jazz Bands. Renovation of the football stadium in 2005 allows us to host our own home football games. Future plans include a new track and parking lot.

Over the years, students, faculty members, and administrators have been continually recognized for outstanding academic achievements. Students have won the TCIL Academic Rally, the Texaco Academic Challenge, the Channel 6 Challenge, and numerous individual awards. Our Mock Trial Team, Debate Team, and Choir ensembles have won many regional and state level competitions. The school has won many awards for environmental projects, including the Clean Texas 2000 Texas Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. Our students are also recognized for their community service and student leadership.

Kelly's extraordinary athletic record continued when the football team won the state championship in 1970. The "Dawgs" have won three 3-A TCIL state championships and two 4-A TCIL championships. In 1990, Kelly won state championships in football, soccer, golf, boys' basketball, and boys' and girls' tennis, as well as volleyball and girls' track. The last two years the girls' soccer team won state and this year our football team was in the state finals and boys soccer and girls swimming finished third. From 2003-2006, our boys' basketball team have been the TAPPS State champions. This year, 2006, our Boys Golf team were the state Champs and our Girls Golf team place second.

Today Monsignor Catholic High School has approximately 465 students. The curriculum supports students of all academic abilities. Each year Kelly sends 99% of its students to colleges and universities. The school consistently has had more students recognized as National Merit Scholars than any other school in the Golden Triangle.

Kelly students are actively involved in Friends in Faith, which plans all school liturgies, and in the retreat team, which plans daylong retreats for each class each year. All students perform a minimum of 100 hours of community service before graduation so that they learn to contribute their time and talents to making the world a better place in which to live.

Throughout its history, no matter its name, our school has stood for the very best in Catholic education. As our mission states: The Spirit of Kelly is "to have the mind of Jesus". We at Kelly are proud of its rich history and look forward to continuing it as we move into the 21st Century.

Monsignor Kelly continues its 100-year tradition of faith as we head into the 21st century. Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School was founded as a one room parish school then known as Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which then became St. Anthony High School in 1917. The Present facility was named Central Catholic High School when it opened in 1961. The name was then changed in 1964 to honor Monsignor Edmund A. Kelly for his untiring efforts and interest in education. Since that time, Kelly has grown to become a unique four year educational institution exemplifying academic excellence in a spiritual environment. Monsignor Kelly continues its 100 year tradition of faith and excellence through the mission of the school: to serve as a community of Christ's familial love for diverse cultures, peoples, and abilities. The school is dedicated to excellence in education, growth in the relationship to God, and service to society.

[edit] Before Msgr. Kelly

A majority of students at Kelly come from various grade schools within the Diocese of Beaumont and one Episcopalian elementary and middle school. Others come from other public schools throughout Southeast Texas.

[edit] Notable alumni

Kelly High School benefits from a large body of loyal alumni, many of whom have achieved considerable success in their professional lives. Among the more well known alumni are as follows:

• Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza (Class of 1947), [[Roman_Catholic_Archdiocese_of_Galveston-Houston |Archbishop Emeritus]

• Mark Petkovsek ((Class of ?)), Professional Baseball Player

[edit] External links

• School Website

[edit] Notes and references

This Texas school-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.