Mustang

Maybe $30 a pop for tickets had something to do with it.

Photo and story made it to the homepage of Yahoo! https://celebrity.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/he-s-still-got-game--george-clooney-shoots-hoops-with-hometown-teen-233432960.html

Brossart has a large percentage of students on tuition-assistance. The norm is that the families apply, their case is reviewed by a professional agency, and the school offers 65% of what the determined need is. In addition to this there are after-school work and summer work programs available and a myriad of scholarships available that are based on need. There was a move afoot during the Stewart administration that after 10 years named Scholarships, such as the Nathan Seiter Memorial or Mitch Orth Memorial Scholarships would be liquidated and the remaining funds put into the general tuition assistance fund with the objective being to increase the tuition assistance number upward substantially from 65%. Even with 65% tuition assistance offered many families still cannot make ends meet and send their child to Campbell County. Yes, there is a policy that states that any child who wishes to attend Brossart High School can attend Brossart High School. However, families are proud and like to be able to pay their own way. In cases where families cannot satisfy their tuition debt the school either swallows it or they go to the child's home parrish for assistance.

I agree with all of the above posts. I will be the first to admit that our (Brossart) promotional efforts have fallen way short in keeping pace with putting our name out there and having a viable presence in our grade schools. Hopefully, that will change in the near future. I've also cited family ties being a major, understandable factor, and perceptions of one's special interest areas, be it athletics, academics, or social environment being major selling points as well. My point is that the Brossart district feeders seem to be under siege from a lot of outside influences. Not sure where I'm being hypocritical. Every word of my statements is true and an effort to spell out some of the things that I perceive us to be up against. Yes, I do think that signs, advertisments, promotions, and physical presence are outright attempts to lure kids from our district to their out-of-district high schools and are not in keeping with the spirit of districting guidelines. IMO, Just because popular belief is that kids and parents should be permitted to choose where their children go to high school does not give other schools license to attempt to openly sway those decisions.

And they do. Districting is a good business model, so long as the majority of kids from those parishes stay in-district. There are plenty of family ties to out-of-district schools, without undue outside influence being placed on them however.

CovCath is not allowed to promote themselves to any Campbell County Catholic grade school. However, parents put up yard signs, and a near full-page ad ran in the Campbell County Recorder for CovCath's Open House. We cannot stop people from doing things on their private property and accept this, whereas a school paid for full-fledged sign would be contested. We object every year to NCC's putting up school paid-for signs at Pfferman's (sp) Flooring in Cold Spring advertising their Open House. By the time the diocese gets around to doing anything the event is past. We would hope that there would be honor among ourselves that such breaches of trust would not occur, but they continue to happen. NCC advertises their basketball camps, etc., in our parish feeder bulletins and advertise in the programs of our feeder's school tournament programs. Some accept them, others don't. Again it's lose-lose for Brossart. These are direct efforts to lure Brossart district kids to NCC, and in the case of CovCath efforts to lure NCC-Brossart kids to CovCath. We can retaliate and advertise all we want about Brossart in the NCC feeders - everything they do in life is Fort Thomas/Southgate north. They are not coming to Alexandria. In the case of the CovCath ad in the Campbell County Recorder, the explanation was that this was a cost-saving measure. That it was cheaper to run the ad in all Recorder newspapers than just the Kenton County Recorders - what a sweet deal for CovCath. The Brossart feeder kids are under siege. NCC wants what is theirs and what is ours. CovCath, whose numbers and offerings are not that much superior to ours, comes off as being vastly superior to the Campbell County Catholics. My hat's off to them, their marketing department is doing a great job. The mentality of our past administration is that we don't want to ruffle any feathers. I suspect that with Dan Ridder in charge the gloves will come off and we will do a better job of defending our turf, and promoting ourselves within our own district feeders. At least lets hope so.

The demise of Brossart High School is greatly exaggerated. After three weeks away in Canada, with my phone blowing up on a daily basis with news of change and dismissals I walked into our high school yesterday to find the place bustling with positive vibes, and a renewed "getting back to being Brossart" feeling. Mike Code and his staff were in the gym with 36 aspirant Mustangs at Basketball Open Gym enjoying the new air conditioned comfort. Next week's summer youth boys basketball camp has nearly 80 applicants in hand, which, with a good walk-up will put us at over 100 campers. This on the same week as NCC and Campbell County camp. Josh Feldmann's Girls Summer Youth Basketball Camp was just finishing up for the day where 50 girls were having a good time, while learning the fundamentals of the game. This opposed to 15 girls attending the neighboring high school's camp down the road in Claryville. I learned that Barrett Bradshaw, who steered the Campbell County Girls program last season through tumultuous times as its interim head coach, has now joined the Brossart girls basketball staff. The transition from the old offices to the new offices had taken place and the office staff was busy taking care of business in their new digs. As I walked up to the 'Old Section" (built in 1995), I was met by Brian Goller and Chris Davis who were already energetically busy readying classrooms for the next school year. Brian smiled and joked, saying "Hi, I'm Brian Goller, the new janitor." Seems the two teachers are pitching in to take some of the duties of the former janitor and are picking up a few bucks to help supplement their teaching salaries as well. Mike Schack, a Brossart alum and our Freshmen basketball coach, will assume the majority of our day-to-day janitorial/custodial duties for the new school year. Ron Albrinck was also lending a hand, and my classmate Tom Holtz was helping with the physical furnishing of the new building. Adam Franzen walked in the gym, acting, looking and sounding like a professional athletic director. Workers were laying new flooring which will extend through the new building down the old gym hallway all of the way to the former gym front doors - a long overdue improvement. The chapel is completed with the pews installed, it is awaiting the installation of the side stained glass windows. Sidewalk is being poured and the front turnaround area is being developed. Trees have been cut down, allowing for improved visual exposure to our campus from US27. I had hoped to pop in and congratulate and wish Dan Ridder the best, but he was out of the office. As I walked by the new state of the art theater I could not help but think with a tinge of sadness that this was truly Dick Stewart's baby, and a bit sad that he will not be here to see it reach fruition. It kind of represented Dick's tenure. He was an academian enthralled with the arts and was pushing Brossart hard in that direction, while many of us were of the ilk that we would have liked to have bulldozed the firehouse and built a new gym, converting the old (present) gym to a theater. We have open house here every Saturday morning during the school year when the grade school league teams all come to our gym/campus to play in the 7th/8th Grade basketball league, and with kids largely choosing their high school based on their perception of a school's athletic prowess and facilities, a gym capable of handling the crowds who would truly like to see the Mustangs or Lady Stangs play but don't due to our size, and one capable of allowing us to host major tournaments, might have served us better than a theater. As we continue to get back to being Brossart, the good vibes which have been absent over the past few years will return and with them, the student population. While the football program struggles to find itself and is grabbing the majority of the headlines, the remaining 95% of the school's activities are thriving. Through the efforts of Dick Stewart and his vision of us becoming a first-class college prep high school, that has been accomplished. With Dan Ridder we will get the complete package, and once again Brossart Academics and Athletics will function side by side to form the two halves of a quality education.

That is the policy, which has existed from the first day that Bishop Hughes instituted districting. There was originally a perceived charge for "out-of-district" students, but nary a dime was ever collected. However, the district premise still exists, as far as assigned feeder-schools, recruiting restrictions, and respect of other school's boundaries.

Not true. District boundaries still exist as it comes to which parishes are designated "feeder parishes" and some restrictions do apply as to what is permitted outside of your own district. Some schools have become very adept at spreading their message via outside sources. In our case, it is somewhat easy for other schools to lure a Brossart feeder student to the bright lights of an out-of-district school, whereas there is no advantage for Brossart to promote to kids from an NCC/CovCath district feeder, because we exist outside of their realm of existance. A St. Catherine/St. Therese or a St. Agnes/Blessed Sacrament kid simply isn't coming to Alexandria to go to Brossart. Districting seems only to be important to those of us negatively effected by the "open enrollment" mentality. Those schools who benefit by the "Open Enrollment" mentality embrace it.

If Bishop Hughes had put some teeth into the districting plan that he had devised, we would all be running as successful businesses with kids from their designated district parishes attending their district high schools. However, he backed down and allowed kids to virtually go wherever they wanted to, basically destroying his districting business plan. It has been open season on kids from the Brossart feeders ever since. Perhaps Bishop Foys, who has never taken a strong (or any) stand on this issue needs to re-visit it.

Now, now, Mrs. Webster!

I just returned home from a three week fishing trip in Canada with bad phone service and hit, and more often, miss wireless. I should get a better grip on things now that I am back in "the world." Logan Schoulthies and Craig Pfefferman are extremely dedicated junior football players. I will feel especially bad for them and Jake Martin, Frankie Cetrulo and others if we stand down on football this season. Dan Ridder the new principal is a football guy and I'm sure will make an informed decision as to the future of the program. IF we do not play this year, I would still like to see us ramp up the program for next year when we will be back in Class 1-A with Bracken County, Nicholas County, Paris and Berea. There is potential there for us to be competitive in this district and maybe carve out a niche for ourselves in Class A football. I'm hearing that there are 24 potential footballers in grades 10-12, BUT many don't want to play the 2-A schedule where they would have to play both ways for 48 minutes, and jeopardize their future in their primary sport/sports. Understandable! We have property on Gilbert Ridge Road primarily dedicated to the development of a football complex, albeit something like Pendleton County has at Sharp Middle School. Unfortunately the sod wasn't ready to be played on last year, and the team had to endure deplorable conditions at St. Mary. Again, a Catch 22 - an already financially strapped administration didn't want to sink money into football fearing it would not survive, and one of the factors that may cause it not to survive was failing to develop the Gilbert Ridge property. I think Dan Ridder and AD Adam Franzen will make the right call. If it comes to pass that we do not play this fall it will be because we do not have enough players. I personally will really miss it. I truly enjoyed broadcasting those football games, regardless of how futile some were. I admired our kids for their determination week after week. Seeing how 9 of our 18 players on last year's team were graduating seniors, rather than simply scheduling games for this season without looking into the possibility of not having enough players to field a team back in November, waiting until the eleventh hour and realizing that this might become reality in June is what is giving us a black eye.

Stewart is the third strike. Latin, NCC, and now Brossart. Ironically, Dick had commented on that very thing during the renovation project.

$3.99.9 here in Saulte Ste Marie, Michigan and throughout the Upper Penninsula the weekend of June 7-8. Was $139.9 a litre in Canada all three weeks I was there, and $1.55.9 on the water. All I know is that it cost me $67 for 10 gallons at the pump.

These are certainly tumultuous times at Brossart High School. Our football program is indeed in trouble. The move to become independent has been made as a desperate effort to get additional players to come out for the team. We are presently in a Catch 22 in this area - because of low numbers potential players choose not to play football because they know they will have to play two ways for 48 minutes and will be jepordizing their heath and wellbeing which would put their other sports futures at risk. I do hope we survive this season and then build for the future in 1A. As to contractual agreements, penalties, etc.., I'm not in a position to say. I was copied on a letter issued by then principal Dick Stewart, which I copied and pasted and is quoted in a previous post. Dan Ridder has been named the Brossart Principal. Dan is a former head football coach who realizes the value of having competitive athletic programs and I'm sure he will do everything in his power to promote our football program to our student/athletes. Our small freshmen class comes as no surprise and is reflective of the diminished number of students in the upper grades of our feeder schools. The numbers in the lower grades are substantial and our enrollment is projected to rebound over the next few years.

^^^ That's sincerity and speaking from the heart right there.

Why are those of us who know Kevin not the least bit surprised? We all said before the first pitch was thrown that there would be an awakening in Ludlow with Kevin in charge. If the players bought in they would be successful. They obviously bought in, and this was the result. Congrats to Kevin, his staff, and the Panthers!!!

Congratulations to Coach Baioni. He has raised this Highlands baseball program from the ashes. Happy for your success. Best of luck to the Conner Cougars on winning the 9th Region Championship!!!

Fleming and Estill were in the 10th when we joined in 1996. Originally it was only Brossart, Campbell and Silver Grove who joined the 10th. Scott and Calvary Christian came later - I think. When they joined, Fleming and Estill left.

As opposed to the 8th no one left the 10th (maybe Fleming Co) when Brossart, Scott, and Campbell County joined the 10th Region. Adding three quality baseball programs made the cheese more binding with Brossart winning the region in 2012 and Scott winning the 10th Region this year. Not sure if Campbell County has won the region since joining the 10th or not.

Congratulaions to Coach Jeff Trame and to the 37th District Scott Eagles!!!!! Couldn't be happier for you, while I have a soft spot in my heart for Bourbon County who was the best team in the region until the final game. Congrats to the Colonels on an outstanding season. Once the hurt and emptiness subsides, may there be many fond memories of the 2014 season.

Breds had the bases loaded and one out in the top of the first inning and came up empty, which might have been a bad omen. Jim Swinford said they were 11-1 in regional semi-finals played on the hilltop. Congtatulations to Jeff Trame and the Eagles on beating the Breds at home with regional championship implications!!! Good luck against the Colonels on Wednesday.

If I'm not mistaken Dick Maile stepped down for health reasons. He is a fantastic coach, and showed what a difference a knowlegeable coach can make in a program. I will agree that he had some nice young talent to work with, but IMO they would have been nowhere near as successful had Dick not been the coach. I enjoyed watching them, because they did everything right. They understood basic defensive concepts, limited turnovers, valued possession of the ball, and worked for high percentage shots. He maximized their abilities. Too bad that Dick was unable to stick around for a few years. I feel certain that he would have made them a contender at the Class A level, and would have taken their best shot at the Big Dogs.

Tank empty????? It's baseball. Old guys who drink beer and are out of shape can play baseball. Even the worst teams in baseball seem to be able to win baseball games. I will agree that at the high school level, pitching can dominate, but unlike basketball, there are no ra-ra high-pshcye, get up for games in baseball. You go out and play the game. Sometimes you win big, sometimes you lose big. On this day Beechwood lost big. It's baseball. There is nothing to say that if it were a three game series, that Beechood wouldn't have come back to lay a 10-0 on Highlands. It's the nature of the game.

You'll get no argument from me. This Mustangs team has been Jekyll and Hyde all season long. They beat Scott 9-4 in district seeding game behind Nate Verst a couple of weeks back, and then return to that scene with the same hurler and get bombed 13-2. Mr. Hyde better show up Monday or it's curtains for the Mustangs.