Established by Dominican Sisters in 1895, Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is a diocesan, coeducational high school serving the Southeast Texas community. Kelly High School offers cultural diversity, spiritual and personal development, and a strong college preparation in a loving and nurturing environment. Professional, caring, and dedicated faculty and staff prepare students spiritually, academically, and morally for lives of leadership, faith, and service.

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What is the MKCHS Annual Giving Campaign?

As a Catholic School, we rely on generous support from parents, alumni, and friends of MKCHS to offset the difference between tuition revenues and the full cost of providing a superior education to our students. The Annual Giving Campaign supports the school’s mission and provides direct funding for educational initiatives and operational enhancements that tuition alone does not cover. Annual Giving is the school’s most important fundraising effort. Proceeds from annual giving make an immediate impact, enhancing the quality and availability of a Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School education for many families.

Why Does Annual Giving Matter?

This year your participation is more important than ever. MKCHS has incurred many unexpected financial burdens due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have significantly impacted the school’s budget. Our campus has been transformed in order to meet CDC guidelines for health and safety. In addition to facility improvements, technology costs have escalated with the addition of distance learning platforms. Many families have experienced an increased need for financial assistance due to the current economic climate.

2020-2021 Alumni Chair Sister Emily Bordages

Why I Give:

Catholic education has been sacred to my family for over a century. This year as we celebrate our school’s 125th anniversary, I feel honored that my family has been a part of the school’s history from the day it was stablished in 1895. At the age of eight, my father accompanied his aunt and Father McSorley to the train station to welcome the Dominican Sisters sent from Galveston to begin Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the first Catholic school in Beaumont, Texas. Both of my parents attended that school, and later blessed all thirteen of their children with the incredible gift of Catholic education. My thirteen siblings and I attended St. Anthony High School, the successor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which went on to become Central Catholic High School and eventually Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School. I graduated in 1947 and entered the convent, where I have served as a Dominican Sister for seventy-three years.

My first experience teaching was helping my parents teach my two brothers. I went on to teach in Houston, Austin, and California but was grateful to return to teach at Kelly, my home. I taught history, French, and music for over fifty years. It is no secret that I enjoyed cheering for the sports teams and rarely missed a baseball game. I could hardly believe it when they named the field after me!

Catholic education is special because of the environment. I enjoyed teaching my students about the importance of service to the community. It is a fundamental part of our school’s mission: to promote a relationship with God, provide excellence in education, and service to society in the spirit of Christ’s love for all mankind. It brings me joy to give back to Kelly because it helps give our students the opportunities necessary to prepare for their future and to grow in God’s love. Please join me in supporting the mission of Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School.

Wishing you all good health and many blessings,
Sister Emily Bordages, Class of ‘47

2020-2021 Current Parent Chairs Stephanie and Bernie Daleo

Why We Give:

Bernie and I have been on our journey as Kelly Bulldogs for decades. Initial memories take us back to the late 70s and early 80s, sitting in the football stadium with grandmothers and great aunts watching our cousins represent the Bulldogs as football players, dancers, twirlers, and cheerleaders. Our turn came during the years of 1987-1991. It was four years of building relationships, expanding our views of the world, and learning the strategies that would contribute to the success of future endeavors. We have witnessed the success of our classmates, undoubtedly built on the foundation of academic curiosity and Christian service of our alma mater.

In 2013 our role shifted to Bulldog parents as our oldest child followed in the footsteps of three generations before her. Since that day in August we have seen two of our children, Giuliana and Tripp, graduate and excel as college students. Olivia is a junior, and Avery is a “Bulldog on deck”. This year marks 125 years of giving students the gift of confidence to grow and challenge themselves with the reward of an education rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church. 2020 has presented its share of obstacles, but for Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School it has brought an opportunity for continued prosperity. We welcomed a new principal, Dr. Terri Shaffer,
and our diocesan leadership has transitioned with the arrival of Bishop David L. Toups. Each brings innovative energy to build on the legacy created by many before them. We are grateful for our past and inspired by the promise of our future.

Our Annual Giving Campaign is integral to the continued success of our school. Please join us in a push for participation. Our goal is 100%! The depth of parents, grandparents, alumni, and friends created over 125 years will assure success through participation. St. Therese of Lisieux spent her life focusing on the significance of small daily sacrifices. Their impact can be just as abundant as great deeds. Your gift to the Annual Fund, no
matter the size, will bless the lives of many students to come.

Go Dawgs!
Stephanie and Bernie Daleo

2020-2021 Grandparent Chairs Suzanne and Don Maloney

Why We Give:

When asked to be the Current Grandparent Chairs for the Annual Giving Campaign for Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, we understood the importance of the request. MKCHS needs our financial help, and we are asking for your support. Kelly, as we affectionally refer to the school, is celebrating 125 years of educational excellence to the Diocese of Beaumont and the surrounding communities.

We, personally, have experienced the positive impact Kelly has had on our four children – Coleen, ’90, Michael, ’92, Patrick, ’95, and Katherine, ’99. Our oldest grandchild, Sam, is enrolled this year as a freshman, and we look forward to his brother Jackson and sisters Lila and Neal following in his footsteps. Kelly is a symbol of academic excellence and spiritual growth while developing the whole person. As grandparents, we feel confident about our community’s future because of the outstanding education and environment that Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School provides.

The excellent foundation the students receive in academic excellence, spiritual growth, personal development, and lasting friendships are a few of the reasons we believe in Kelly High School. The financial investment you make today is a long-lasting investment in the future of all of our grandchildren.

With Gratitude,
Suzanne and Don Maloney

2020-2021 Past Parent Chair Connie and Milt Prewitt

Why We Give:

Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is like family to us. Our children are long gone from MKCHS, but as past parents, we still enjoy catching a football game in Bulldog Stadium, a baseball game at Sister Emily Bordages Field, and watching a drama production in the Randy Roane Theatre. There is nothing like that Bulldog spirit! The students and staff are energetic, enthusiastic, talented, intelligent, creative, and have a zest for life. It is a special place, where all are welcome.

We are blessed that our children, Douglas, ’09, Lucy, ’11 and Nick, ’13 were beneficiaries of this remarkable place. MKCHS allowed each of them the opportunity to pursue their interests, be involved in campus life, serve the greater community, and grow in their faith while building a foundation for academic success.

MKCHS has been a leader in educating high school students in Southeast Texas since its founding by the Dominican Sisters in 1895. It is our goal to see it continue to be the leader in education for the next 125 years!

We have given a gift in honor of our children and in thanksgiving for the education they received. We hope you will consider contributing to the MKCHS Annual Giving Campaign in honor of your children. With your support, MKCHS will remain the high school of choice in Southeast Texas today and in the future.

Thank you, and God bless you,
Connie and Milt Prewitt

How Do I Give?

Make your donation online by clicking here.

Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible to the fullest extent provided by law.