Vandebilt Catholic High School

Vandebilt Catholic High School
Location
209 South Hollywood Road Houma , (Terrebonne Parish) , Louisiana 70360 USA
Coordinates	29°36′13″N90°44′55″W / 29.60361°N 90.74861°W / 29.60361; -90.74861
Information
Former names	Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy (1870-79) St. Francis de Sales High School (1879-1965) Houma Central Catholic High School (1965-1966)
School type	Private, Catholic, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic, (Institute of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Established	1870;155 years ago (1870)
Founder	Marianite Sisters of Holy Cross
President	Jeremy Gueldner
Principal	Elise LeBoeuf
Faculty	70
Grades	8–12
Enrollment	940
•  Grade 8	211
•  Grade 9	196
•  Grade 10	181
•  Grade 11	161
•  Grade 12	164
Average class size	25
Color(s)	Royal blue and gold
Mascot	Terrier
Team name	Terriers
Rival	E.D. White Cardinals Terrebonne Tigers South Terrebonne Gators
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools [1]
Athletic Director	Lance Ledet
Assistant Athletic Director	Kayla Vicknair
Website	vandebiltcatholic.org

Vandebilt Catholic High School is a private diocesan co-educational institution for grades 8-12 located in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana and in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. It is located in the unincorporated area of Bayou Cane, near Houma. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Vandebilt was founded by the Marianites of Holy Cross in 1870 as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy (then as St. Francis de Sales Catholic High School from 1879 until 1965, and later Houma Central Catholic High School until 1966) and continued by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.

The school primarily serves Catholic students of Terrebonne Parish. A college preparatory curriculum is offered as the school stresses a religious approach to the education of the whole student through academic, athletic, and co-curricular programs. ^[4]

Vandebilt Catholic was named after Father August Vandebilt (November 10, 1866 - April 7, 1938), who was born in the Netherlands. He was ordained into the priesthood at the American College of Louvain on June 29, 1890. Father Vandebilt died in his position as pastor of the Church of St. Francis de Sales in Houma, Louisiana.

On March 27, 1966, Houma Central Catholic High School was named in honor of Father Vandebilt on the occasion of his birth centenary.

Mascot

The mascot of Vandebilt Catholic High School is the Boston Terrier (by appearance), though known as the "Fightin' Terriers." ^[5]

Athletics

Vandebilt Catholic athletics competes in the LHSAA.

Championships

Football Championships

• (1) State Championship: 1959

Baseball Championships

• (12) State Championships: 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1971, 2022

Girls' Basketball Championships

• (2) State Championships: 2010, 2025 ^[6]

Softball Championships

• (16) State Championships: 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2024, ^[7] 2025 ^[8]

Volleyball Championships

• (1) State Championship: 2017

Girls' Tennis Championships

• (5) State Championships: 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Boys' Tennis Championships

• (8) State Championships: 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016

Boys' Cross Country State Champion

• (1) State Champion: 2022

Girls' Cross Country State Championships

• (5) State Championships: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

Noted alumni

• Tab Benoit (Class of 1985)- recording artist
• Chuck Bush (Class of 1979) - actor, Fandango
• Marty J. Chabert - state senator for Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, 1992–1996
• Karl Morgan (Class of 1979) - American football player, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Houston Oilers, Saskatchewan Roughriders; coach, Alcorn State University (defensive co-ordinator), University of North Alabama (defensive co-ordinator)
• Greg Rodrigue (Class of 2007) - Head Coach of Iowa State University Womens Rugby, Division 1-A Rugby Player, Professional Rugby League Player, Boston Thirteens, Portugal national rugby league team ^[9]
• Theresa Plaisance (Class of 2010) - professional basketball player ^[10]
• Elijah McGuire (Class of 2013), NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Jay Clune (Class of 1982), President, Nicholls State University

References

1. SACS-CASI. "SACS-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
2. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Bayou Cane CDP, LA" (PDF). United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2019.
3. "Home". Vandebilt Catholic High School. Retrieved May 14, 2019. 209 South Hollywood Road / Houma, LA 70360
4. ""Mission statement of Vandebilt Catholic High School."" . Retrieved June 22, 2024.
5. "Vandebilt Catholic Alma Mater". Vandebilt Catholic Highschool. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
6. DiLullo, Mikey (March 29, 2025). "How Vandebilt Catholic girls basketball came back from disqualification to win state title". Houma Today.
7. DiLullo, Mikey (June 8, 2024). "Vandebilt Catholic leads all Houma-Thibodaux high school softball teams in LHSAA playoffs". Houma Today.
8. DiLullo, Mikey (May 9, 2025). "High school softball: How Houma-Thibodaux area teams fared in LHSAA playoffs". Houma Today.
9. "Rugby has become a big part of Houma native's life". The Washington Times. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
10. Plaisance enjoys 1st season in WNBA, ready for Turkey - Houma Times: Sports

External links

• Vandebilt's website