LCSS Leadership Announcement

Dear LCSS Community,

It is with sincere congratulations that I announce the Principal of Central Catholic Jr.-Sr. High School, Dr. Joe Brettnacher, has accepted the position of  Episcopal Moderator of Catholic Education and Superintendent of Schools with the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, in Ohio. It is difficult to put into words how much Dr. Brettnacher will be missed. His contributions to Central Catholic, our Lafayette Catholic Schools and the Diocese are truly remarkable. Over the past nine years Joe has gone above and beyond, and his commitment and genuine love for our students, teachers, staff, and parents is very evident.  Dr. Brettnacher is a true servant leader with a tireless commitment to Catholic education.

In this new role, Dr. Brettnacher will oversee the operations of 11 High Schools and 42 Elementary Schools. As Episcopal Moderator for Education, he will serve as a primary voice of the Bishop in carrying out his prophetic role as the teaching authority for the Catholic faithful enrolled in Catholic schools, Religious Education, and Youth & Young Adult Ministry in the Diocese of Columbus.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Brettnacher on this outstanding accomplishment and opportunity. I am very grateful to Dr. Brettnacher for his countless contributions to our school system. Please keep him in your prayers as he begins this journey. Please click here for a letter from Dr. Brettnacher.  Dr. Brettnacher’s last day at Central Catholic will be June 30 and he begins his role in Columbus on July 7. I am working closely with our administration and Board of Directors to develop and execute a plan to ensure Central Catholic continues to be supported by very strong leadership.  We look forward to your continued support and prayers.

Thank you and God Bless,

Eric Davis

Congratulations Class of 2014!

The Central Catholic Class of 2026 is finishing up their Kindergarten year.  Parents, it will pass you by quickly. Just ask any of the parents of the Class of 2014.   Those years in between are so special and many of us at the Lafayette Catholic School System can remember when this year’s graduating class first started in our schools.  Our elementary school teachers still love to come to graduation to see those same children they helped shape, and to see just what kind of young men and women of faith they have become.

This year you won’t be disappointed.  While attending the Central Catholic awards ceremony this month, I was reminded of just how fortunate we are to have such great teachers, parents and administrators.  I was reminded and humbled by how that dedication has helped shape our class of 2014 over the past 13 years of their education at the LCSS.  

This year’s class is very impressive. Graduates are attending prestigious universities here in Indiana and around the country Click here for a full list of universities and colleges our students were accepted. Students have received countless awards for their accomplishments in academics and service, such as the Indiana Academic All State award, Rotary Youth of the Month Award, Mayor's Youth Council Award, and the Ryder Citizenship Award, to name a few. 80% of the class of 2014 is graduating with an Honors Diploma, we have eight students graduating with a GPA of 4.0 or higher, we have three students entering the U.S. Army, and we have one student who has received his Eagle Scout Award. Students have received an impressive amount of scholarships to the school of their choice. We have a student who received a scholarship to join a performing arts and choir program at their college. In addition, students have many athletic team and individual accomplishments. We have 8 students going on to play a sport at the collegiate level. These are just a few of the many accomplishments this class has to be proud of!

Most importantly I am proud to know our students have developed a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, and are entering the next phase of their life more prepared to be great servant leaders. Please join me in congratulating our administrators, teachers, staff and students for another wonderful year!

2014 Blue Knight Auction

The Blue Knight Auction is right around the corner! This year the 21st Annual Blue Knight Auction will take place on Saturday, April 26. We hope you are able to join us for this very special event! I first attended the BKA in 2004 and was overwhelmed by the generosity, passion and involvement from across our community and beyond. It truly is a remarkable event. Over the past twenty years, the BKA has raised over $3,300,000 for the Lafayette Catholic Schools. The funds we raise each year go to support tuition assistance so those families who desire to give their children a Catholic education have every opportunity to do so. This year we hope to raise $300,000 for our school system. We have hundreds of exciting items to bid on. You can read about every item in our entire Auction Catalog here. Each year we select a Blue Knight Auction SPECIAL PROJECT to help advance strategic initiatives to ensure we are keeping pace with changes in technology, instruction and assessment.

Since George W. Bush first announced the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education initiative over seven years ago, schools throughout the country have been racing to be first to tout their new programs and endeavors.  Following any reform it is important to take a critical look at ways that it can be improved.  The fact is today’s college graduates are expected to change jobs 6 to 10 times throughout their careers, and many will completely change careers more than once.  They will be expected to be creative problem solvers, innovative thinkers, and moral contributors to society.  Catholic schools around the country are supplementing the STEM initiatives with their own brand called STREAM:  Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math.  We feel this approach aligns perfectly with our strategic plan.  This initiative will fund the following:

Professional Development

This process complements much of what we are doing with our 1:1 computing efforts and other technology upgrades.  However, whenever launching a new enterprise it is important to ensure faculty and staff are trained to utilize, support and effectively create using the new technologies and are able to engage students in completely new ways.

STREAM Coordinator - Elementary Schools/Central Catholic

In the past the LCSS started a number of great programs run by volunteers, for example: Lego robotics programs, after school foreign language, music programs, and many others.  It is part of our Catholic school identity to use parent and community volunteers; but to ensure continuity and consistency, it is important to provide a coordinator to identify programming, coordinate volunteers, and ensure we maintain high quality service.

Elementary 21st Century Learning Initiative  

This process will bring an iPad mini cart to every elementary school.  This cart will help our students collaborate, connect, create, and learn in ways that aren’t possible without technology in the classroom.  This will open up an entirely new world of learning for our students. Imagine when you first learned of the Sistine Chapel and its astonishing artwork, and being able look around as if you were actually in the building!  What if you could hold the Mars Rover in your hand?  This type of learning is only possible if we can infuse technology into the classroom.

STREAM Grants

This year we were able to start several new measures including: QuadC - the Central Catholic Coding Club, a robotics initiative, an elementary Lego robotics program, and an elementary school foreign language program.  While many of these programs are supported by small fees from parents, they often have start-up fees for equipment or materials that are difficult to cover.  We would like to offer teachers/volunteers the ability to apply for some start-up funds to help get a new initiative started.  New programs will be judged on many factors, including our ability to support and maintain the program.

LCSS Graduates Among the Most Prepared in the State of Indiana

Today’s college graduates are expected to change jobs 6 to 10 times throughout their careers, and many will completely change careers more than once. Much of the current thinking in public education is to focus on vocational training, but we should ask, what vocations are we training our students for? Some of the most common jobs today may not exist in 10 or 20 years. The truth is that we need to produce well-rounded students that can learn, unlearn, and relearn at a rapid rate, but who will also remain true to their faith, virtues, values, and work ethic. We believe that our Catholic schools offer the best environment for this type of learning and training to occur.

One of the hallmarks of Catholic Education is the fundamental principle that parents are the primary educators. This ensures parents are involved and engaged. There are many reasons parents choose Catholic schools.  In many urban communities it may be that there are really no desirable public school options, however, that is not the case in Lafayette.  We have a number of good schools that provide sound curriculum, good teachers, high test scores, advanced music programs, new STEM programs, etc. However, LCSS parents understand that education is more than just test scores and vocational training. It is about passing along our faith, values, work ethic, and culture to our children.  

As parents we take our role seriously, and do not take the decision about which school to send our children to lightly. It is difficult to point to any one statistic or even anecdotal story that would give us complete confidence that we have made the right choice. As parents of elementary school children, we worry that we may not know the results of our choices until long after our children graduate from high school. This past May, my oldest child graduated from Central Catholic after attending LCSS schools since third grade. I have a lot of anecdotal information that gives me comfort that we made the best choice. I have also made an effort to talk with many parents we have had the opportunity to get to know over the years, and there is one consistent theme: The Catholic Community that makes up our Lafayette Catholic School System has prepared our children well for life. We are so grateful for this.

While we shouldn’t place too much emphasis on any one report or statistic, it pleases me to share with you a recent study issued by the State of Indiana. This report on college readiness reflects favorably on our Catholic school graduates. The Indiana Commission of Higher Education reported on the Class of 2011 (from all high schools in Indiana) and as shown in the chart below, LCSS graduates are some of the best performing students in the State. This is a great tribute to our teachers in K-12, our parents, and all of our many supporters. This illustrates what we know in our hearts to be true about Catholic education and the preparation we are offering our students.

Class of 2011

High School	% of students attending college	% of students requiring remediation (in college)	Freshman Year GPA
Central Catholic	92.00%	6.00%	2.9
Cathedral	91.00%	14.00%	2.9
Guerin Catholic	90.00%	13.00%	2.7
West Lafayette	87.00%	10.00%	2.9
Park Tudor*	85.00%	4.00%	3.2
Faith Christian	78.00%	25.00%	2.8
Harrison	65.00%	23.00%	2.7
Rossville	60.00%	27.00%	2.5
McCutcheon	58.00%	27.00%	2.5
Benton Central	53.00%	32.00%	2.5
Lafayette Jefferson	52.00%	40.00%	2.3

*Park Tudor is a private school in Indianapolis with annual Tuition and Fees exceeding $19,000 per year.

Catholic Schools Week

6,685 Catholic schools across the nation celebrated the 40th annual Catholic Schools Week from January 27- February 1.  Catholic high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools joined together to praise God, express gratitude and show their communities what Catholic education is all about. They remembered why Catholic schools are a vital part of society today. This year’s Catholic Schools Week theme was “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.” This theme truly encompasses the essence of our Lafayette Catholic School System.

On Wednesday of that week, the LCSS once again celebrated the annual All Schools Mass at Central Catholic. This tradition is a favorite of every LCSS student and has been going on for many years. It was heartwarming to see McHale Gymnasium filled with its 943 students of all ages.

We were blessed to have Bishop Doherty and eight priests from our area parishes to celebrate the All Schools Mass.  In Bishop Doherty’s homily he shared with the students how his childhood and life experiences brought him to where he is today, and he strongly encouraged them to thank their parents for the gift of Catholic education.

LCSS parents, past and present, are our biggest supporters. Every day I see their gifts of time, talent and treasure and am truly grateful for all they give to our school system. We are all called in this life to serve a greater purpose and to seek greatness. I am reminded every Catholic Schools Week of just how blessed we all are to be a part of the Lafayette Catholic Schools community.

Seeking Greatness

"The education of children and young people is such an important task in forming them as free and responsible human beings.  It affirms their dignity as an inalienable gift that flows from our original creation as children made in the image and likeness of God.  And because education truly forms human beings, it is especially the duty and responsibility of the Church, who is called to serve mankind from the heart of God and in such a way that no other institution can."  Cardinal Jorge Gergoglio (Pope Francis).

Catholic schools across the state and nation are once again recognizing their mission and importance to the Church.  Our schools are a very important element of the New Evangelization of the Church.  Pope Francis reminds us that education of children and young people is essential to our Faith.

For decades many Catholic schools have suffered through significant financial hardship, making necessary cuts and sacrifices to survive.  However, it is time for us to move beyond “surviving” and be bold once again.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan, writes on the subject, “I believe our Catholic schools are a ‘pearl of great price’ worth every drop of sweat and ounce of effort that we are making on their behalf.  At a time when even public schools across the country are struggling, we Catholic educators need to be bold in our thinking and daring in our actions as we look to the future.”  

The Lafayette Catholic School System is responding to this call, and we are being bold.  We are here to support our Church, and serve our community.  Your support has helped us make significant progress on our strategic initiatives as we seek Greatness, but we still have much to do.  We must continue to reach for excellence while ensuring that we are striving to provide a Catholic education to all who desire it.  This means we must all continue to contribute our time, talent and treasure to the effort.

The New Evangelization in this Third Millenium needs the support of all Catholics to embrace the role of our Catholic schools.   We thank you for your continued commitment and support.  

A Time to be Grateful

We remember Thanksgiving season as time for appreciation, reflection, and praise. We have so many blessings in our lives to be thankful for. We owe our thanks to the Lord who makes all things possible. I am thankful for the LCSS students who hear the call to serve and make a difference in the communities and world they live in. I am thankful for our LCSS Staff, who are dedicated, passionate, and provide a rigorous academic curriculum enriched with the Gospel message to our students. I am thankful for our parents who believe in Catholic education and give so much of their time and talent to our schools. I am thankful for our many volunteers who give back to our schools in so many ways. I am thankful for our generous supporters who give of their treasure to ensure our schools are successful and thriving in Lafayette.

I am thankful and excited to see the Lafayette Catholic Community growing and thriving. The list of things to be thankful for is endless. This Thanksgiving season let us reflect, appreciate, and praise God for the countless blessings he has given us. We are reminded in Psalm 100:

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

As we spend time with our families this Thanksgiving season to enjoy the many blessings God has given us, I want to be sure I express my sincere gratitude to our LCSS Community. Thank you for all you do. I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones.