observations

The match between BGA and JPII resulted in a BGA win 4-2. I believe they are starting to flex some muscle in the region. Comments from BGA fans.

Your post contains a lie, on an earlier post (different thread), you thanked me for my post concerning all this hostility as you call it between Ryan and JPII. You must have forgot about that. You are taking everything way too serious. And why do you feel the need to defend your school? Your continued veiled allegations about Ryan's academics is just plain wrong. I'm not going to tell you how many children I have had go through Father Ryan, but its a bunch. They all scored in the low 30's on the ACT tests and are highly successful in their academic lives. They received a fine education and students continue to receive the finest education at Ryan. I could post many allegations about the academics at JPII, but I don't think it would be proper, obviously you are not under the same constraints as others. You state that your criticism of Ryan has merit, but you don't need to explain. You know what, I bet you are not even twenty years old. You don't seem to really have a good historical background to really speak about Ryan or even JPII. Also if you are not less than twenty, you speak like you are. Maybe you would like to be young again. Anyway I know and love many people at JPII, have dealt with them on a most personal basis at some point in their lives. JPII is a fine school, I'm a Catholic and I would defend them against anybody, you don't know me. Oh Yeah, how come JPII charges two thousand dollars less to non-catholics than Father Ryan? Who is making up the difference? And as far as my spelling, I don't care about spelling, but my education would stack up against 99% of the people in this state. Just can't tell you where or by whom I was educated. You would be very surprised if you knew. Nobody has shown more animosity toward another school than you, you just try to disguise it. I wonder if you had a desire to go to Ryan, but was not good enough in sports. Anyway good luck to all the teams and hope for them to be injury free, and remember always be a lady.

No chip at all. Knox Webb is in a rebuilding year and have very few seniors that got serious playing time last year. They are a weak team. Maybe you should move on, I"ll post anywhere I please. As far as having a chip on anyone's shoulder, nobody on this thread should have a chip on their shoulder for any reason especially football.

It was equally hard for JPII to pull out a win against Knox-Webb, who is in a almost complete rebuilding year. I never said that Goodpasture is better than Ryan, we don't play so that question will never be answered. Goodpasture has made an offensive statement so far this season. Now maybe JPII could outscore them like last year, but I don't think so. Goodpasture's defense is much improved, JPII cannot say this. Time will tell, Goodpasture 31--JPII 17.

You know I just don't understand you JPIIfan, all your posts seem to have this hostility toward Ryan or its fans. You only talk to a few folks on these threads. You know Ryan kicked JPII all over the field when it counted and this has renewed your need to include thousands of people in your criticism of Father Ryan while only conversing with a few. You criticism have even alluded to the academic program at Ryan. There is a hidden agenda here. I don't know how many more games Father Ryan will win this season, neither does anyone else, because they haven't played them yet. But I do know this, no matter who they play, they are going to give it everything they got. And I know that there is enough athletic ability on the field with Ryan that some folks are going to be surprised when they play them. And if I were you, I would be biting my nails about the upcoming game against Goodpasture who is probably going to put a whuppin on you in your own stadium. Remember always be a lady.

I have to agree, St Agnes looks to be the class act of Div II. Nobody has come close to beating them. They have three or four shutouts this season already, and have scored four, five, or six goals themselves. Ryan has been beaten so far by St. Agnes, Hutchinson, Baylor, Ryan beat GPS 3-0, I don't know about the Irish at this point. JPII is not nearly as good as last year and thats what it would take to make an impact at state. BA is a good but not great team. BGA is a team that may surprise some people come state tournament time. Good luck to all.

I agree, Ryan by 7 or 10. This will be a hard fought battle on Franklin's field. Franklin has a revenge factor, but Ryan players are extremely motivated, so this evens out. Don't expect a rout by either team. If I'm wrong ant the Irish win by a big margin, I will be very glad. Go Irish

JPII has approximately 650 students. Goodpasture wins by at least two touchdowns. Once again the defensive weaknesses of JPII will surface in this game. Goodpasture's defense and offense is a different animal this season.

Knoxville Webb visits JPII this Friday, they are 2-0 so far this season, I haven't seen any comments about the upcoming game. Any thoughts from anyone.

This is going to be a tough game, Ryan's schedule is brutal. There should be a tremendous crowd at Overton High School. It is going to come down to who controls the line of scrimmage. We should be self confident. Christian Brothers is a tad bigger than JPII. Here hoping for a solid Ryan victory over a tough Christian Brother team.

The tuition figures come from the private school publication that comes out every year and the info they receive comes directly from the schools. I stand corrected on the tuition fee for Catholic students, it is actually the same or very close to Father Ryan's, its the fee's that appear to be more expensive, $425 dollars for a total of 7,800 and change after fees for JPII. But the non Catholic fees are over 2,000 less for non-catholics than at Father Ryan. Since they charge so much less for the non-catholic student who makes up the difference. It is 8,900 and change for a JPII non-catholic student, at Ryan its 11,700 and change. Its the JPII parents that need to speak with the Bishop, they are the ones getting what appears to be a raw deal here, I am referring to the cost of non-catholic students not necessarily the athletic side of it. Who is bearing the cost of these non-catholic students.

I hope you are correct.

That is an extremely interesting post. From what I can observe, JPII is gaining an unfair advantage at this very moment. JPII charges over 2,000 dollars less a year in tuition to non-catholic students than Father Ryan, and then they charge Catholic students 600 dollars a year more. I wonder why that is? I also wonder if the JPII Catholic parents are not asking the same question. Perhaps the answer is they are doing everything they can to get students, but this should not stay this way, it should be no more expensive or less expensive for the two Catholic schools for Catholic students. Both schools are under the direction of the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, and built from Catholic contributions from thousands of Catholics. You were speaking about full scholarships concerning Ryan, there is no such thing. Ryan gives financial aid based on a student's need. I assume JPII does the exact same thing. If you are talking about something other, please explain as many people would like to know. Financial aid is for all students, athletes or not, that need it. I for one hope that Father Ryan and JPII never lose sight that financial aid is mostly for education, not football or any other sport, nor is it to be denied to anyone just because they play sports. But it should never be abused in the sense of giving financial aid to someone solely because he is a sports star. Also, it won't be too long in the distant future before athletes in Sumner County have another choice about where they attend school. Davidson Academy has already purchased the land and is soon going to be a new school in Sumner County that has a fairly rich football tradition. They may build this school large enough to compete in Div II AA. So at best the future is uncertain, just like it is in most things. Finally, a great football game (Ryan-JPII) in a great atmosphere, JPII had better be ready for Goodpasture or they are going down again soon. One other thing JPII pink panther, quit lumping all Irish fans in one barrel over you and one or two Irish fans getting into a posting war. I certainly would not judge JPII overall on a few folks from there that I disagree with. Both schools are full of good people. Good luck to all.

I hope nobody seriously believes that anyone at JPII did not want this game bad. Anyway, Golden stated in the paper that he likes to fish, he just don't like like using "bait" as in Bateman, also I am a little concerned about the Bishop's Cup, all the dust it will be gathering, I hope Ryan buys some polish, because it ain't goin anywhere in the near future. One other thing, if I were JPII, I would be quite concerned about the upcoming game with Goodpasture, because I"m afraid your going down. You got a one man team, that is pretty obvious from the two games played this season. You have two or three other players that can move the chains, just not change the scoreboard, Golden has scored every one of your touchdowns. And now Ryan has beaten Golden forever in football. Good luck the rest of the season, and as to the rest of the high school sports that will play as the year goes on. (volleyball, softball, cross country, etc Ryan will dominate JPII.

You are exactly right about St. Agnes, they beat Father Ryan 4-0 this past weekend, the irish also lost to Hutchinson in Memphis. In two games they were shut out if my sources are correct. St. Agnes, Baylor, GPS all look to be very strong this season. The irish are hard to predict, they have some very talented players. JPII lost alot last year due to graduation, middle of pack at best, I think.

It seems that all the talk about the different feeder schools is trying to imply that the different students go to John Paul or Father Ryan for a particular reason. But the reality is the great majority of them go to either school due to where they live and the shortest travel distance. The post that was implying that John Paul's academics are somehow superior to Father Ryan's has no basis in reality. I know many students from both schools and alot of John Paul students say that they are smothered with "busy work". Now maybe some people think that this makes them academically superior, I don't think so. I have some children that have graduated from Father Ryan that scored above 30 on their ACT tests, not too shabby. The reality is that most St Henry, St Matthew, St Ann, St Vincent, St. Edward students go to Ryan, and most of the boys from Holy Rosary are at Ryan and the current sophomores athletes, especially girls (at least the ones who shined at Holy Rosary) are at Ryan, their parents know and realize the shorter drive. Most of the children from St Joseph, St John Vianny, Our Lady of the Lake, (no school) and any other fine parish school on the north side of town are going to attend JPII, I don't blame them. Why would anyone drive across town to attend either school? Very few do, so the economics play a big role. And even if they do drive across town and both schools have students that do, that does not mean that either school is superior. If my children had gone to John Paul, I am sure that they would still be on the road to success in their lives like they already are. So most of these posts are just emotions fueled by sporting events. This is sort of silly. Both Ryan and John Paul are fine schools. Both schools enrollments are about where they would like them to be. Ryan has had too many students in the past, so their numbers are not a major concern. John Paul would have liked more students in their school by this year, but its not a major concern either. If we talked all sports by both schools, I think anyone who knows anything will agree that Father Ryan has plenty to be proud of, and so does John Paul. And I am not talking about the past when I speak of Father Ryan, they are constantly adding state championship trophys to the trophy case right up to this starting school year. JPII has a state soccer championship, some track and field and wrestling titles, so they have much to be proud of as well. NOW ON TO FOOTBALL, I think both Ryan and JPII will struggle on defense this season, it may come down to big plays (Ryan-JPII), if that is the case, then JPII probably has the advantage with Golden. I know he is not the only player JPII has, but he is the big play player. Emotions will be running high at the Ryan-JPII game, so who knows, it will be exciting no matter the outcome. If both teams leave the game with no major injuries, then they both win irregardless of the final score. Here to both schools, be proud as you should be and know that we are brothers and sisters in the big picture.

He has a funny way of supporting anyone who attends private schools. But what VG can't understand is that it is a matter of faith that I send my child to Father Ryan. He can't understand that for whatever reason. And when I make that statement, he can't understand that I am not making a statement against anything. Even if the public schools were the best in the world with the highest test scores, highest everything, my children would still attend Father Ryan. That is what he can't understand. There is no need to respond to this post, because I hope that you would not question an individual's faith and conscience now would you. You stated that you have a hard time believing that a person sends their child to private school based on religious reasons, well believe it because it happens all the time. Most everything I do is based on religious reasons, and the things that aren't are my fault. You made the statement that in fact the public schools are just as good as the privates as you refer to them. Your fact is a opinion sir, because the facts don't back you up. A person's opinions and emotions are not facts. As I stated before, any person cannot or will not put all the reasons that they are so strongly opinionated about, me thinks there is more than meets the reader here. On an earlier post on this thread, VG referred to private school kids attending public schools in Rutherford County, exactly what does that mean? How could you be labeled a private school kid if you are attending public school. Is there some identifying mark on their foreheads? That statement does not make me feel confortable for many reasons. I can't think of a bigger insult to me personally than anyone trying to tell me that my conscience and faith is skewed due to where my child attends school. One other thing, Ensworth High School cost in the neighborhood of 45 million dollars maybe more, not sure of the exact figure and capacity is 1000 students, so if it costs more to build a public high school of approximately the same size, then someone is wasting money. I'll bet you can build a public school that holds two thousand for less money. One other thing, if a private school child has the right to psychological testing, what is wrong with that? We pay the same taxes as anybody else, and if all we utilize is an occasional test here and there, the public school system is getting off pretty cheap. God bless all of you and your children.

Where did she play middle school basketball?

BC, I'll go a step further, volunteer general acts as if it is the private school parents and private schools are at fault that the public schools are in the shape they are in. I am a graduate of a public school (1970's) and I quickly saw the difference between my education and the private school girls and boys in college with me. This was in the 1970's, so this difference is long standing, not a recent event. Maybe VG will now say that my parents didn't do their job, well he would be wrong. They were just as supportive as I am with my own children. The fact is the private school kids were just better educated period. It took me two or more years to attempt to catch up. Anyway, you have a great school year and the best of everything for you and your school.

They got rolled over by the Irish Express. Congradulations to Emma, Diane, Merrick, Katy, Meaghan, and Muriel on making all-state. Also congrats to Coach Davidson and Coach Johnson. You girls make Irishland proud. I wonder if a repeat is not possible, only time will tell. Also anyone know where any of the girls are playing college?

You still do no understand what I said. I send my kids to Father Ryan as a matter of faith. Education is not just a matter of perception. And I'm sorry to say, but public schools just don't measure up in all aspects of education as well as the privates. Apparently test scores, percentage that go to college and numerous other categories that you would want your child to excell at is not a part of your reasoning. As to your Father Ryan friends that got drunk, what has that got to do with anything? Nobody said anything about private school students not doing things any other children do. You did not see me cite any things or acts that a puiblic school kid does. That is not what I am talking about. I believe that I am conversing with a person that has a hidden agenda. Your problem with what I said is about my personal statement that it is a matter of faith for me to send my child to Father Ryan as it is many people's convictions that send their children to whatever private school, or you simply can't understand what I am saying. And no the public schools do not have as many requirements to graduate as the privates, that is just a fact of life. Graduates from Father Ryan are in positions of leadership all over the city of Nashville and other places in the United States as well. The reason there are so many private schools in Jackson and every other place in the United States is not that there is just a perception that public schools don't for whatever reason do a good job, the fact is there is proven statistical facts to back it up. Not only that, all you have to do is look around and see that any school that graduates barely 50% of their students (nashville public schools) , something is wrong. As to contributing to public schools, I pay the taxes same as you. You are not going to convince me or anyone else that read these posts that public education is as good as private schools. I'll believe that when I see the evidence. By the way, some of my children have already graduated from college, have fine professions and are very dedicated to their work with every kind of people that is on the face of this earth, they are in the medical profession. There are some good public schools, just not enough. One other thing, Father Ryan does not just kick a kid out of school that misbehaves, they do everything possible to correct the situation and get the student back down the right road. But unlike the public schools, where students cuss teachers, and students are afaid to even go into the bathroom and where students act out many times over and over again, most private schools are not going to let disruptive behavior get in the way of their students getting the quality education they deserve. I know some public schools that I am familiar with that have just as good an education as the privates, they are just rare. But the difference for me is that I send my children to Father Ryan because I want the holistic approach that they utilize to educate. And I know that other parents that send their children to Goodpasture, BGA, CPA, and the list goes on and on are sending them there for many of the same reasons. No need to respond to this, this is absolutely the last time that I waste my time writing on a topic such as this. This is a dead horse for me. I am for all schools doing the very best jobs possible. And I have posted before, that unless the parents get involved in a big way in their children's lives, their education and everything else is going to suffer. And that goes for both public and private. We can no longer afford to trust someone else to take care of our children's problems, we have to be active at all times as well as the schools. One last thing, I haven't spent tens of thousands of dollars to send my kids to Father Ryan, as a matter of fact for services received, it was the best bargain of anything that I have ever spent money on. Have a good day.

The august 5th edition of the Nashville Tennessean reports that Emily Teegarden has committed to play volleyball with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Congradulations to Emily and high hopes for a great career there.

You can think what you want. Don't get the wrong impression, I would do it all over again gladly. I too have raised my kids in a good and solid Christian background, but I choose to send them to a school that builds the total person. You are flat wrong about stating that your kids got a better education, that is just your opinion and not a very good one. My kids also have been to school with kids from every walk of life and have been exposed to all facets of life with both children and adults through the volunteering program at Father Ryan. Don't feel sorry for me, I am way richer for having sent my kids to Ryan and would not hesitate for a second to do it again. There is a third factor that you may not understand, I sent my kids to Ryan because it is a matter of faith to me. For those that have faith, no explanation is necessary, for those who don't no explanation is possible. I believe that you fall into the first category, so what are we talking about. And by the way, I have never looked at my kids as an investment anyway, I just do what I and they believe is best for them. From my observations, I like what I see. I don't know who told you that you can't teach kids at private schools about all walks of life, it simply is not true. Father Ryan has rich, poor, black, white, latinos, european exchange students, and some more that I can't think of at this moment. So what are you talking about? You have been fed some bad infomation. This is my only response about this topic, because it just does not dignify a second response. I'll give you that your children are doing well and have been raised well, but you should do the same for my children and the children of other private schools. My children are extremely successful in all aspects of their lives. I couldn't ask for anything more and Father Ryan gets a big thank you and my prayers forever for their help and support through the years. I also will continue to support them as long as I live financially, I believe in what they do.

Ditto on the statement about recruiting, my child must have missed that train, she plays sports, but we pay for everything. As to all the reasons that people send their children to private schools, there is one compelling reason that has not been addressed. The biggest and most important reason I send my child to Catholic schools is because it is a matter of my ardent desire for my child to learn how to live as a faithful Catholic Christian. I know that the parents are the primary examples of teaching this to their children, but give Father Ryan a big assist. If Father Ryan did not have sports, my child would still attend there. I don't believe that I am unique in this regard, I bet there are alot of other parents that feel the same. The results of attending Father Ryan have been most satisfactory. I am very impressed with how my child handles herself around others, respects others and respects herself, and how she knows her God, not to mention a fine education which has prompted her to continue her education in college. This is the primary reason I send my kids to a particular private school. I suspect there are many others who feel the same way.