Carrying the cross is a spiritual (and school) exercise

Catholic keepsakes offer an effective way to hold the past, raise funds By Bill Brewer There is recycling. And then there is a spiritual aspect to recycling, which the Catholic Church encourages in ways such as Pope Francis’ recent encyclical and exhortation on the environment and care for our common …

Coulter Family Playfield ribbon-cutting held at Sacred Heart Cathedral School

Sacred Heart Cathedral School held a ribbon-cutting and blessing for its new Coulter Family Playfield on Dec. 1. Cathedral rector Father David Boettner presided at an all-school Mass before the ceremony outdoors. Above, Grayson Coulter cuts the ribbon surrounded by his family as Mindy Coulter helps with the ceremonial scissors. …

Sacred Heart gym, athletic field have new look

A new floor and scoreboard highlight the gym improvements, and Coulter Field has a new turf surface By Dan McWilliams Sacred Heart Cathedral School students are enjoying the benefits of a newly refurbished gymnasium/performing-arts center and a new turf surface on its athletic field behind the school. The replacement of …

‘A match made in heaven’

Echo graduate students making a local impact in diocesan schools and parishes By Gabrielle Nolan Since 2017, the Echo Graduate Service Program has brought nine graduate students to the Diocese of Knoxville to enrich the parish and school communities here. The program, which is under the McGrath Institute for Church …

Medal of Honor recipients visit Catholic schools

Staff Sgt. Leroy Petry and Sgt. Mike Rose speak at KCHS; parachute jump held at Sacred Heart  By Dan McWilliams Congressional Medal of Honor recipients were in Knoxville for a celebration Sept. 6-10, and two Catholic soldiers who earned the rare award stopped by Knoxville Catholic High School and Sacred …

Schools return this fall with new leadership

New president comes to Notre Dame; NDHS, Sacred Heart, St. Mary-Oak Ridge have new principals By Bill Brewer The search for Notre Dame High School’s new leader led the Diocese of Knoxville all the way to Chicago’s suburbs. But that two-month search proved fruitful as the diocese and Notre Dame …

Keegan Smith adds another national title, gym banners to achievements

Keegan Smith’s success keeps on coming. The Sacred Heart Cathedral School eighth-grader won his 22nd national championship in December and was honored Jan. 21 by having new banners placed in the SHCS gym rafters recognizing his achievements. “Eighth-grader Keegan Smith has attended Sacred Heart Cathedral School since he was 6 …

Keegan Smith defends national 3,000 title

Keegan Smith, a sixth-grader at Sacred Heart Cathedral School, defended his national title in the 3,000-meter run at the 2018 Junior Olympics, held July 28 to Aug. 4 at Drake Stadium on the campus of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Keegan, 11, ran the 3,000 in a time of …

Keegan Smith wins AAU Junior Olympics gold

Ten-year-old Keegan Smith, a fifth-grader at Sacred Heart Cathedral School much honored already in his running career, captured a gold medal July 31 in the 3,000-meter run for 11-year-olds at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Detroit. Keegan ran a sub-10-minute time of 9:59.36 to win by a margin of …

Sacred Heart School honors intern Tony Hutchins

By Dan McWilliams Tony Hutchins never expected to be honored for his work with the Sacred Heart Cathedral School athletic department. Mr. Hutchins, 47, who served as an intern at SHCS under athletics director Scott Barron, was recognized at the school’s athletics banquet May 11. “It was a surprise and …

Runner Keegan Smith wins elementary state, national crowns

By Dan McWilliams Fourth-grade cross country runner Keegan Smith of Sacred Heart Cathedral School repeated as state champion Oct. 22 and captured his second national championship Nov. 19. Keegan, who also won this year’s AAU indoor track-and-field national title in March, placed first in the nation among 10-year-olds with a …

Students share a window to the world of cathedral construction

By Emily Booker When one of the largest church construction projects in the country is happening right outside your classroom, you can’t help but watch and wonder. And talk about a teaching moment. It’s a feild trip right outside the school doors. Sacred Heart Cathedral School students and faculty have …