‘Catholic Bowl’ coming Sept. 21
CHARLOTTE — It’s game-on for sports rivalries all around the country now that schools are back in session. And a new local rivalry between Christ the King High School in Huntersville and Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville has principals and school chaplains making friendly wagers – betting that both schools will strive for faith-filled discipleship.
Now that Christ the King High School is part of the N.C. High School Athletic Association, the two schools will play each other in five contests this fall. So far, they have played each other in varsity boys soccer, and junior varsity and varsity girls volleyball.
Whichever school wins at least three out of five games is considered the winner of the contest.
The Crusaders and Villains will meet on the gridiron Sept. 21 in Kernersville for a Friday night game under the lights. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Christ the King High School’s principal, Dr. Carl Semmler, and Bishop McGuinness High School’s principal, Tracy Shaw, are betting on a best-out-of-five match-up between their schools. The losing principal has to wear the T-shirt of the winning school for an entire week.
“We are so excited to be part of the NCHSAA and are honored to be competing with Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School,” says Semmler. “McGuinness has a high quality athletic program and well-respected scholar athletes.
“We are looking forward to these competitions as a fellow Catholic school. Mrs. Shaw is a wonderful principal and she and I are having a lot of fun boasting about our respective schools. These games are a great chance for fans from both schools to get to know each other and have a few laughs,” he explains.
Tracy Shaw says her school is excited to be playing Christ the King this year.
“We are hoping this will create a new tradition for us,” she says. “We are dubbing the football game the ‘Catholic Bowl.’ It is so nice to have another Catholic high school the same size as ours which we can play against in this arena.
“We hope it creates a greater sense of community among not only our schools, but the diocese in general. Father Christian Cook, our chaplain, has invited the chaplain from Christ the King High School (Father Paul McNulty) and some other area priests to come, so we are excited to have not just the school communities involved but the Church community as well,” Shaw says.
The schools’ two chaplains are apparently enjoying the new rivalry as well.
“I am very excited about the building (of) athletic rivalries between our Catholic high schools,” says Father Cook. “When I began seminary in Philadelphia, I was amazed at how intense the Catholic high school football rivalries were in that region. Growing up a Catholic in the South, we were never exposed to such an idea, so it’s very exciting to be a part of building them here in the Diocese of Charlotte.”
Father Cook notes that being a Catholic athlete brings with it a certain perspective on athletic competitions, however. “As Catholics, we should always be wary of creating a ‘cult of the body,’ in that we must resist the idolization of physical perfection, and a ‘victory at all costs’ mentality in sports.”
He points out that Pope Pius XII reminded Catholics the prime objective of sports is to cultivate the dignity and harmony of the human body; therefore, Catholics should care very much about athletic competitions, but for the proper reasons.
“Sport is the school of loyalty, of courage, of fortitude, of resolution and universal brotherhood: all natural virtues, these, but which form for the supernatural virtues a sound foundation, and prepare man to carry, without weakness, the weight of the greatest responsibilities,” he wrote.
“We should compete hard against one another, in the Catholic tradition of sports. But at the end of the battle, both schools should bond like brother and sister Catholics as we endeavor to live the great responsibilities of our faith together,” Father Cook says.
The chaplains also have a friendly wager on the football game: the loser must wear the winning team’s apparel (a T-shirt over their clerics) during a subsequent school day.
“Christ the King has been improving in all its athletics over the past few years, showing that it can compete against well-established programs such as those at Bishop McGuinness,” Father McNulty says. “I’ve told the students that while we shouldn’t become known for our athletics over our Catholicism, we should indeed strive to succeed in them and seek to give God glory in body, mind and spirit, through our competitions.”
“I can assure you that I do not want to have to wear a CTK T-shirt on campus at Bishop,” Father Cook says. “So I need the Villains to win one for the Gipper! Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Three schools in the Diocese of Charlotte are seeing transformations in preparation for the new school year, which begins Aug. 22.
At Christ the King High School in Huntersville, a two-story classroom expansion project is nearing completion.
The approximately 27,000 square feet of new construction will more than double the school’s total square footage – making room for a growing enrollment expected to top 310 students this fall.
“This summer is a very exciting time at Christ the King Catholic High School,” says Dr. Carl Semmler, principal.
The new two-story building includes a cafeteria, large multipurpose room for drama and band, a fabrication shop, three science classrooms and eight general purpose classrooms to accommodate Christ the King High School’s growing student population.
Among other things, the additional classroom space will be used for art, industrial design, theater, music, guitar, chemistry, biology, earth science, environmental science, information technology, cyber communications and the traditional liberal arts subjects. The building will also have multiple common areas for students to work collaboratively.
Two classrooms in the existing building are also being repurposed for use as an administration office, as previously the school did not have designated administrative offices. That space will include a new vestibule, main office, administrative offices, guidance offices and a conference room.
A new 12-inch water main has also been installed to improve water pressure to the school.
The high school is also being updated with a number of school safety features which include door lock card readers, a double locked vestibule, security cameras and direct communication to first responders.
“We have also received funds from our Silver and Blue Fund and an anonymous donor which will enable us to install two new scoreboards, update our field goals, top dress our athletic fields, create additional parking and equip a current classroom with the infrastructure to become a fitness center this October,” Semmler adds.
The estimated $11 million project, which is being funded through the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools capital fee, is expected to be completed by Labor Day weekend.
That won’t be before school starts on Aug. 22, but school and diocesan leaders are putting in place plans to temporarily locate students as needed in the existing building until the new building is finished.
“In the meantime we have been working with faculty, staff, administration, the superintendent’s office and the office of properties in order to locate and equip all of the necessary learning spaces in the original building,” Semmler says. “This will get us through these first couple of weeks of school.”
In Charlotte at Our Lady of the Assumption School, a new 2,400-square-foot “cafetorium” space awaits students at the beginning of the school year.
A $450,000 grant from a private donor is funding the project, as well as the conversion of the school’s existing library into a STEM lab that includes audiovisual room updates and a new “Makerspace” at the school that will provide students a creative space to learn through making.
“Our focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) will continue to drive our school program over the next few years,” Principal Allana Ramkissoon explains.
“Improvements to our gym will also be quite noticeable as it now includes a permanent space for drama and music productions. In addition to these physical improvements, we have injected about $115,000 worth of hardware, software and network upgrades to enhance digital learning.”
Ramkissoon says many of these improvements were made not just with students in mind, but the whole community’s needs.
“Working with the parish to ensure that all students have equal access to the curriculum and that everyone’s needs are met is an important part of the school’s mission. We are very excited about the changes and upgrades to various aspects of our school. We believe that continuous improvement is the key to success,” she says.
“We are also grateful to the Diocese of Charlotte and the generosity of an anonymous donor who made these program enhancements possible,” she adds.
At Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, students will also find a new “Makerspace” classroom. It has been named “The Cranium Cove,” harkening to the school’s mascot, a dolphin, one of the smartest mammals and which lives in coves.
“We are so excited about this new classroom,” says teacher Erin Brinkley. “Everything is on wheels and teachers can manipulate this room for their own classroom learning. We have been so fortunate to have an investor who believes in constructive education.”
The new “Makerspace” features everything from bottle caps and cardboard, to screwdrivers and power tools, to Little Bits coding and Rigamajigs, to microscopes and goggles, to a green screen and an editing station, to a high-level 3D printer, and even a Lego Wall.
Principal Tyler Kulp says, “Sacred Heart School has been around for 136 years. We support great traditional learning styles, but definitely embrace new innovative learning trends in education. Just like our students, our faculty’s minds continue to grow. We want to continue to develop in ways that we educate.”
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter