‘Real life, real people, real learning’
Tatum Woods
Holy Cross’s motto is “real life, real people, real learning.” They definitely live up to this motto. At Holy Cross, students learn how to be prepared for the real world with these three real words. For this, Holy Cross is unique.
Real-life — Holy Cross is the only co-ed Catholic school in Louisville. The interaction between genders is essential not only for life during high school but also for what comes next. Students learn how to complete tasks with students differing in gender, and for a lot of them, lifelong friendships are formed.
Holy Cross requires two things of you when you graduate: one hundred hours of service, including your action plan, and two years of internship.
Service is essential for real life because it teaches students that the greatest acts of God’s love are done through serving others.
Internship teaches students about real life. They are sent into the community with no prior experience to learn and practice work competencies. The internship locations range from Local 502 to Republic Bank. What is more real life than this?
Real people — Some of the most genuine people you will ever encounter are a part of the Holy Cross community. The staff are truly invested in the students’ success, not from just an educational standpoint but on a personal level, too. People can tell the love and care these teachers and staff members have for the students.
The real people extend past just people who work in the school. The parents, grandparents, alumni, etc., are just as welcoming as the staff. This is why Holy Cross feels like a second family to many people.
Come to any Holy Cross sporting event and nine times out of 10 they will be the biggest, loudest fan section and I think that speaks volumes of the pride people hold for this little family. Students have felt more love and community in this little school than some people do in a lifetime.
Real learning — Holy Cross offers a plethora of learning opportunities besides the internship program. You have your basic-subject classes, such as English and math, but they also offer unique courses, such as modern military history, digital media and dual credit anatomy.
If you ever get the chance to walk down the halls of the school, you’ll notice students’ work hanging down the halls. If you investigate the classroom, you’ll notice students hard at work or in GAB practicing camaraderie.
A life’s worth of experience
Sophia Howard
High school is a scary place, especially when you’re 13 and starting a week late because of Covid-19. Not knowing where your next class will be, what the “new wing” is or how to leave when the bell rings is terrifying.
But slowly, the new wing becomes your favorite way to stretch the four minutes between classes, the teachers become your new best friends and the exit is something you don’t want to walk through just yet.
Holy Cross may not have a special door you can only walk through after graduation or a tower to sign, but it has a way of forming around you and becoming a family.
Freshman year was scary, but Holy Cross teaches you how to take that fear with you and turn it into a willingness to try any new sport or club, adventure past your comfort zone and become someone you could have only ever dreamed of before.
At Holy Cross, you never walk through the door for the last time. After graduation, Holy Cross pulls you back in those front doors to watch the underclassmen who became your favorite people cheer at another game, your favorite teachers coaching on the sidelines or cheering in the stands. The memories you make at Holy Cross are the ones that make you dream of sitting in the Cougar cage or the internship bus one last time.
Holy Cross gives every student a life’s worth of experience during their four years. From Freshman Academy to Senior Internship, every teacher is focused on your success both in and out of the Holy Cross walls.
Internship trains students to speak, act and communicate professionally. It guides you through finding your dream career, networking with professionals and finding a workspace and boss that fit your goals and dreams.
Going to school with boys may lead to immature breaks in class or overhearing strange conversations, but cheering for the player who sits next to you in class every day and getting their point of view when struggling to write a paper is invaluable.
Nothing compares to Holy Cross. Gab parties, field days, pep rallies and even Mass are memories you’ll want to keep forever. Holy Cross’ small population and caring teachers allow you to help design and create your future.
The closeness between classes allows you to become family with the underclassmen you’ve grown to love. The Big-Little program allows you to grow with the light of a senior and shine that light back to another freshman three years later.
Every school has its flaws and Holy Cross isn’t exempt from that, but in the end, no school can grow and care for your creativity, intelligence, empathy and passion the way that Holy Cross High School does.
A great day to be a Cougar
Caleb Phillip
As a small co-ed Catholic high school, Holy Cross has the unique opportunity that allows every student to know their peers, teachers and administration personally.
Everyone is invested in the success of each individual student. Every teacher at Holy Cross truly cares for their students. They guide their students to success, no matter how they may look, from student to student.
At Holy Cross, the students are encouraged to pursue what they are passionate about, no matter what it is — from digital media to engineering design, trade skills to sports management. Holy Cross students can pursue their passions through the Corporate Internship Program. Through the program, juniors and seniors are in the workforce learning about their passions and possible future career paths. This allows them to figure out what they want to pursue in the future and build experience within that path.
Holy Cross has equipped its students with many different tools and qualities: top-of-the-line education, faithfulness, work experience, leadership and integrity are only a few that could be named. As students grow as people, they realize the importance of Holy Cross in their lives and how it has shaped them into the people they are now.
Holy Cross nurtures growth in the students physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and educationally.
The community at Holy Cross is unmatched; there is nothing that compares to the love Holy Cross receives from not only its alumni but also that of Bishop David and Angela Merici high schools.
Many of the faculty here are alumni of Holy Cross. This only goes to show how much of a difference Holy Cross makes in people’s lives. They come back because they believe in the life-altering, formative goal of Holy Cross. Some alumni go as far as to send their children to Holy Cross years and years later because they know and understand the core values of Holy Cross and how it will shape their children’s lives for the better.
Holy Cross and its community are full of people who embody ‘zeal for greatness,’ a phrase that is in the windows of the fieldhouse, visible from the parking lot. Every morning students are reminded to have zeal for greatness when they pull in to start their day. Every student is passionate about their education, clubs, sports, faithfulness, etc.
The students take pride in Holy Cross and its future. Every day, students are given the opportunity to create a better future for themselves. Not only do they seize this opportunity, but they also choose to help build the future of Holy Cross with that. Every day is a great day to be a Cougar.
