Holy Savior Menard Central High School
Encyclopedia
Holy Savior Menard Central High School is the Roman Catholic parochial secondary institution of learning in Alexandria
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
. The Menard mission statement accents: (1) Faith Development, (2) Academic Excellence, and (3) Service. Menard, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
, enrolls approximately six hundred students.
The school also enrolls non-Catholics. It offers standard instruction in mathematics
, science
, history
, English
, social studies
, and the arts
. Catholicism, including the Old Testament
and New Testament
and Catholic morality, is taught in each grade as a required class. Mass is celebrated weekly, and each class makes an annual trip to the nearby Maryhill Retreat Center.
In athletics, Menard offers baseball
, basketball
, cross country
, football
, golf
, soccer, softball
, swimming
, tennis
, and track and field
. The team name is the "Eagles".
The nearly forty faculty members come from a diverse background; most are Catholic, but non-Catholics are frequently employed to teach at Menard. Parental involvement in the youngsters' education is encouraged through the Menard Parent Teacher Club.
of St. Francis Xavier Commercial College Catholic Church. On October 10, 1892, the works and
prayers of Father Menard became a reality with the construction of the first school for boys in
Alexandria. It was located on Second and Ogden Streets and was named the St. Francis Xavier
Commercial College. In 1903, the school was rebuilt on the corner of Fourth and Beauregard
Streets, next to the present St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. In 1915, the school was raised ten feet to
provide a third floor and additional floor space to handle the increased enrollment.
Father Menard was also responsible for bringing the Sisters of Divine Providence and the
Brothers of the Sacred Heart to Alexandria. The sisters taught at the St. Francis Xavier Girls
Academy, founded in 1894, and later at Providence Academy, Providence Central, and currently
at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Elementary School. The Brothers taught at the Commercial
College and later at Menard Memorial High School.
In June 1922, the Elliot Street property between 19th and 20th Streets was acquired, and after
thirty-one years, the St. Francis Xavier Commercial College ceased to exist, being renamed
Menard Memorial, after Father Menard. Menard Memorial operated at the Elliot Street location
as a school for boys until 1966.
In 1914, St. Francis Xavier transformed into Providence Academy for Girls and opened on the
grounds of the present day Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church. In 1949, Providence Academy
became Providence Central for girls in grades nine to twelve, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor
for boys and girls in kindergarten to eighth grade.
In 1934, the Menard Memorial school colors were changed from purple and gold to green, gold,
and white, and the mascot was changed from the bulldogs to the eagles.
The year 1966 marked the last year for the name “Menard Memorial.” In that year, the school
combined with Providence Central to become Holy Savior Menard Central High School. The
new facility at its present location on Coliseum Boulevard opened in the fall of 1967.
In 1988, in cooperation with Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the seventh and eighth grades were
moved from Prompt Succor to Menard.
Holy Savior Menard is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and by
the Louisiana State Department of Education. The School is affiliated with the National Catholic
Educational Association, The National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Athletic teams participate under the
auspices of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.
Holy Savior Menard has graduated more than six thousand students. One of the school’s greatest
assets is the achievements of its graduates. Many prominent leaders in the Central Louisiana area
are among students nurtured through their crucial adolescent years by the Brothers of the Sacred
Heart, the Sisters of Divine Providence, and the dedicated lay faculty and staff members at Holy
Savior Menard Central High School.
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in central Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The Menard mission statement accents: (1) Faith Development, (2) Academic Excellence, and (3) Service. Menard, operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana
The Diocese of Alexandria is the Roman Catholic diocese for central Louisiana, based in Alexandria, with its see at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral...
, enrolls approximately six hundred students.
The school also enrolls non-Catholics. It offers standard instruction in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
, and the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
. Catholicism, including the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and Catholic morality, is taught in each grade as a required class. Mass is celebrated weekly, and each class makes an annual trip to the nearby Maryhill Retreat Center.
In athletics, Menard offers baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, soccer, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. The team name is the "Eagles".
The nearly forty faculty members come from a diverse background; most are Catholic, but non-Catholics are frequently employed to teach at Menard. Parental involvement in the youngsters' education is encouraged through the Menard Parent Teacher Club.
History
Holy Savior Menard’s roots date back to 1884, when Father L. Menard became the eleventh pastorof St. Francis Xavier Commercial College Catholic Church. On October 10, 1892, the works and
prayers of Father Menard became a reality with the construction of the first school for boys in
Alexandria. It was located on Second and Ogden Streets and was named the St. Francis Xavier
Commercial College. In 1903, the school was rebuilt on the corner of Fourth and Beauregard
Streets, next to the present St. Francis Xavier Cathedral. In 1915, the school was raised ten feet to
provide a third floor and additional floor space to handle the increased enrollment.
Father Menard was also responsible for bringing the Sisters of Divine Providence and the
Brothers of the Sacred Heart to Alexandria. The sisters taught at the St. Francis Xavier Girls
Academy, founded in 1894, and later at Providence Academy, Providence Central, and currently
at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Elementary School. The Brothers taught at the Commercial
College and later at Menard Memorial High School.
In June 1922, the Elliot Street property between 19th and 20th Streets was acquired, and after
thirty-one years, the St. Francis Xavier Commercial College ceased to exist, being renamed
Menard Memorial, after Father Menard. Menard Memorial operated at the Elliot Street location
as a school for boys until 1966.
In 1914, St. Francis Xavier transformed into Providence Academy for Girls and opened on the
grounds of the present day Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church. In 1949, Providence Academy
became Providence Central for girls in grades nine to twelve, and Our Lady of Prompt Succor
for boys and girls in kindergarten to eighth grade.
In 1934, the Menard Memorial school colors were changed from purple and gold to green, gold,
and white, and the mascot was changed from the bulldogs to the eagles.
The year 1966 marked the last year for the name “Menard Memorial.” In that year, the school
combined with Providence Central to become Holy Savior Menard Central High School. The
new facility at its present location on Coliseum Boulevard opened in the fall of 1967.
In 1988, in cooperation with Our Lady of Prompt Succor, the seventh and eighth grades were
moved from Prompt Succor to Menard.
Holy Savior Menard is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and by
the Louisiana State Department of Education. The School is affiliated with the National Catholic
Educational Association, The National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Athletic teams participate under the
auspices of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association.
Holy Savior Menard has graduated more than six thousand students. One of the school’s greatest
assets is the achievements of its graduates. Many prominent leaders in the Central Louisiana area
are among students nurtured through their crucial adolescent years by the Brothers of the Sacred
Heart, the Sisters of Divine Providence, and the dedicated lay faculty and staff members at Holy
Savior Menard Central High School.
Menard alumni
- Terry MathewsTerry MathewsTerry Alan Mathews , is a professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Kansas City Royals....
— Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher from 1991–1999 - Jacques RoyJacques RoyJacques Maurice Roy is the twenty-third mayor of Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish, in central Louisiana.Roy, a Democrat, is the son of Christopher Roy, Sr., an ad hoc judge of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal...
- current mayor of Alexandria - Chuck Wagner - current sheriff of Rapides Parish
- Chris Roy, Jr.Chris Roy, Jr.Christopher Jude Roy, Jr. , is an attorney in Alexandria, Louisiana, who is a departing one-term Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 25 in Rapides and Vernon parishes...
- current state representative - Mike Edmondson - current head of the Louisiana State Police
External links
- http://www.holysaviormenard.com/index.htm