Covington Catholic High School

Covington Catholic High School
Address
1600 Dixie Highway Park Hills, Kentucky, (Kenton County) 41011 United States
Coordinates
Information
Type	Private, All-Male
Motto	With a Spirit That Will Not Die
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1925 by Francis William Howard
Superintendent	Mike Clines
President	Ethan Sammons
Principal	Bob Rowe
Pastoral Administrator	Fr. Mark Keene
Chaplain	Fr. Matthew Cushing
Faculty	Jack Kaelin (Senior Professor)
Grades	9–12
Gender	Male
Number of students	560
Average class size	30
Student to teacher ratio	16:1
Color(s)	Blue and White
Fight song	http://www.covcath.org/page.cfm?p=541
Sports	football, soccer, basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, swim and dive, track and field, lacrosse, wrestling, academic team
Mascot	Colonel
Team name	Colonels
Rival	Highlands High School
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
National ranking	420
Average ACT scores (2014)	26
Newspaper	The CCH Times
Feeder schools	St. Pius X, Blessed Sacrament, St Agnes, St Joseph, Prince of Peace
Graduates (2014)	128
Dean of Students	Mike Guidugli
Dean of Academics	Anthony Zechella
Dean of Discipline	Charles Hartman
Athletic Director	Tony Bacigalupo
Executive Producer	Jack Kaelin
Website	http://www.covcath.org

Covington Catholic High School (abbreivated CCH or CovCath) is a private, all-male high school in Park Hills, Kentucky. It was founded in 1925 by Bishop Francis William Howard and Brother George Sauer. It is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington.

History

CovCath traces its roots to St. Joseph Commercial School, which was opened in 1885 by three brothers of the Society of Mary, and was affiliated with St. Joseph's Parish in Covington. At the time, the school was a grade school that also offered what would now be called vocational education. As time went on, a need for a full four-year Catholic boys' high school in the area developed, and it was decided to open the new Covington Catholic High School in 1925 at Mother of God on 6th Street, with a freshman class of 32. St. Joseph Commercial School was closed the following year as the Brothers of Mary chose to devote their full-time to the new school. In the early 1950s it became apparent that Covington Catholic High School would have to be expanded further if it were to continue its role as the central Catholic high school for boys in Northern Kentucky. Pastors from thirteen Northern Kentucky parishes approved plans for construction of a new 44,000 sq./ft. high school building on a 14-acre (57,000 m²) plot in the heart of Park Hills, just miles away from the previous location in Covington.

The cornerstone was placed in 1954, and the first class graduated from the school in 1955. The class president was Edward Sessinger. The total cost of the building and property was $845,439.44, and was shared by the thirteen parishes.

The school gymnasium was dedicated on January 29, 1955 when the Purcell Marian High School Cavaliers played Covington Catholic in basketball. Later, through the efforts of the S.C.O.R.E. committee, Wooten Field was added for football, and the baseball field was completely rebuilt. In 1988, the Scott Knochelman Alumni Building was built to accommodate the growing needs of athletic teams. It includes a weight room, locker room, showers, and coaches offices.

In 2002, construction of the current building began directly behind the original structure, finishing in time for the start of the 2003-2004 school year. Since the new school has been built, renovations have been made to all facilities, including a state-of-the-art football field, a remodeled baseball complex, and a restructured gymnasium. The campus has expanded again in 2010 with the acquisition of 5 acres and an adjoining property with a 20,000 building now known as the Griffin Centre, named after the Griffin Family that donated the $865,000 building.

Facts and figures

• Covington Catholic is the only all-male high school in Northern Kentucky.
• Covington Catholic is situated on a 30-acre campus in Park Hills and includes the academic center, the gymnasium, the Knochelman Building, the Schott Sports Center, Wooten Field, Tom Berger Field, and Griffin Centre.
• Four computer labs are furnished with 115 computers dedicated for student use.
• The student body is made up of students from 45 different schools.
• Covington Catholic's faculty consists of 29 full-time teachers and 7 part-time teachers.
• Nine CCH graduates are current members of the faculty.
• More than 95% of students enrolled are Catholic.
• A total of 98% of the graduates of the Class of 2012 matriculated to a four-year university or college. The other 2% chose a 2-year program or joined the military.
• A total of 97% of the Class of 2012 received some form of academic and/or athletic scholarship.
• The 115 graduates in the Class of 2012 earned $9,600,000 in scholarships.
• Covington Catholic's ACT scores are consistently above the national and state overall average as well as the male average. For example:
  • Top 10% of Class of 2012 avg. score - 32.0
  • Top 25% of Class of 2012 avg. score - 30.46
  • Top 50% of Class of 2012 avg. score - 28.19

• Covington Catholic's curriculum consists of three levels: Honors/AP, College Prep I, and College Prep II.
• A total of 93% of students who took AP exams in 2011-2012 passed, compared with the state average of 52% and global average of 60%.
  • 43 students scored a 5
  • 43 students scored a 4
  • 38 students scored a 3

• A total of 25 Covington Catholic students were named AP Scholars in 2010-2011.
  • 10 AP Scholars
  • 7 AP Scholars with Honors
  • 8 AP Scholars with Distinction

• CCH has an Academic Support Program for students that need additional educational assistance. Approximately 40 students in grades 9-12 are enrolled in the program for 2012-13.
• Covington Catholic students routinely participate in the Kentucky Governor's Scholar Program (GSP) and the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts (GSA) program. In 2011, six students earned acceptance in GSP and five students were named GSA scholars and one student was named as a GSA alternate. One of these eleven students had the distinct honor of being accepted into both GSP and GSA.
• This year, CCH awarded over $270,000 in tuition assistance.
• Over 40 clubs, including BUG club- which is a biology club that has a lot of snakes, including a red tail boa, and organizations are available to students at Covington Catholic.
• Covington Catholic student-athletes participate in ten sanctioned sports and five club/intramural sports.
• Covington Catholic's athletic teams have won 17 team state championships and multiple individual state championships in addition to over 150 regional team titles.
• A total of 100% of the Covington Catholic student body participates in community service each year. During the 2010-11 school year, students compiled over 16,000 hours of service.
• Weekly Masses, rosary services, and reconciliation are available for students and faculty.
• In 2010-11, 65% of the student body was enrolled in the Drug Free Clubs of America substance abuse program.
• On December 10, 2012, the Colonel Crazies made it to the front page of Reddit.

Athletics

Athletics at Covington Catholic are very esteemed, enjoying a high rate of success in many of its programs despite its small number of students. As an all male school, a large percentage of the enrollment contributes to this success. Covington Catholic routinely battles it out with arch rival Highlands High School for Northern Kentucky supremacy. CCH and Highlands were regular contenders for state AAA football titles from the late 1980s until the Kentucky High School Athletic Association increased the number of classes for football from four to six in 2007. Although CovCath's enrollment would have placed the Colonels in the new Class 4A, and Highlands' would have placed the Bluebirds in the new Class 3A, both schools were approved to move to Class 5A. The rivalry has twice been named the Sporting News' prestigious "Best Prep Rivalry in America." In USA Today Covington Catholic was named 13th best place in the nation to watch a basketball game. The Colonel Crazies provide cheers and entertainment throughout all sporting events. Crazies make the game a fun and exhilarating experience for players and fans alike. One of the school's favorite cheers, which is often heard during a basketball game, is "He Scared, He Skakin', He Knows He Ain't Going to Make It!!!" The students use this cheer when the opposing basketball team is at the free throw line. Some say that the 2014 KHSAA Sweet 16 Boys State Basketball Championship was partially won by the Crazies. They, in a way, won it through supporting the colonels throughout the game and they even disrupted the opponents rhythm in key moments, causing silly turnovers, missed shots, and frustration fouls

• Baseball - 2002
• Basketball - 2014
• Cross Country - 1982 1994
• Football - 1987 1988 1993 1994 1997 2006
• Golf - 1969 1984
• Soccer - 2015
• Swimming & Diving - 1962 1972 1977 1978 1983
• Track & Field - 2009
• Student Section Award - 2014

Notable alumni

• Brett Dietz, AFL player
• Nate Dusing, Olympic Swimmer
• Steve Flesch, PGA Tour Member
• Tyler Griese, noted activist
• Chris Harris, American professional wrestler
• Lt. Cmdr. John Hiltz, US Navy Blue Angels, No. 2 Right Wing Pilot
• Luke Maile, MLB baseball player
• Bob Naber, Former NBA player
• Dan Neville, Former MLB baseball player
• Dan Tieman, Former NBA player
• Paul Walther, Former NBA player
• David Weber, alleged King of Houston

Notes and references

• ^

External links

• Official site