“A Great Time to Be a Tiger”
Yes, this is great time to be a tiger! With the new campus location and the completion of the state of the art middle, high school, administration buildings as well as the Student Center, the Holy Cross community has a great deal to be thankful for and reason to celebrate. But the real celebration centers on the achievements and the winning spirit of our students. Responding as real Holy Cross men would, our students have racked up some pretty awesome accomplishments this past school year both inside and outside of the classroom. Last year’s graduating class was awarded a multitude of scholarship offers on both the academic and athletic fronts. As well as acceptance into LSU and many of the local state universities, our students have received scholarships to attend Loyola, Tulane, University of Southern Mississippi, St. Edwards, Wartburg College in Iowa as well as Notre Dame University.
Building upon their success and example, our current senior class is fast to follow in their footsteps and surpass their scholastic achievements. Our 2012 senior class is on track to have the highest percentage of TOPS awards of any recent graduating classes. They are working to become one of the best as they move toward graduation. However, the academic success does not end with this senior class. Our underclassmen are posting tremendous academic achievement as 58% are attaining honor roll status. This coupled with the fact that 77% of the high school has achieved at least an overall B average indicates that they are working hard to succeed in the classroom.
From a curriculum end, we are “ramping up the rigor” for our students who are seeking greater academic challenges with the addition of five new Advanced Placement courses in English, Calculus, Environmental Science, Government and Studio Art. These courses will not only challenge our students to achieve at a higher level, but they will afford them the opportunity to earn additional college credit already available through our dual enrollment program which is offered through UL Monroe. These additional academic challenges will be coupled with a research component in the form of a Capstone project. However, as we continue to explore ways to offer our students the best in academic challenges with course additions in math, science and technology, we continue our strong commitment to the mission of Holy Cross, inspired by Blessed Basil Moreau, CSC, which continually challenges us to educate the “whole man—mind, body, heart and soul”. Thus, our commitment to add additional retreat and immersion experiences will help the boys connect with their spiritual life through reflection, service and “lending a helping hand” to those in need.
So as we begin this year, we look for more exciting accomplishments from our students. Our teachers continue to challenge all of them to do their best. We take the “college prep” part of our mission seriously as we have infused ACT prep into our curriculum on a daily basis and PSAT training as an enrichment. Being a successful test taker is a critical part of being prepared for college. We continue to improve our instructional delivery with the addition of advanced technology in the classroom and continue to assure that our teachers are well prepared and up to date on the latest instructional strategies through continued professional development. Couple the care in the classroom, continual commitment to the mission of Blessed Basil Moreau, CSC with new buildings and state of the art programs and the realization is clear; “It’s a great time to be a Tiger”.
Dr. Joseph H. Murry, Jr.
High School Principal
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