I have some vague familiarity with catholic schools in the Wichita and/or Sedgwick county area (with none elsewhere), having observed them periodically compete in a variety of athletic events, over several decades, within the Wichita City League.

As well, I am a product of a catholic education (grade school/ middle school and high school - all boys high school)in the city of Wichita. For reasons unique and personal to my family, my sons did not attend catholic schools.

I have long took note of the fact that our local catholic high schools (i.e. Bishop Carroll and Kapaun/Mt Carmel, in the main, could/would compete favorably with our local public schools - and we've had some steller public high school teams, in every sports endeavor.

For instance, in football, I would ordinarily casually glance at each sideline and utter comments that B.C./Kapaun had virtually no chance, as the sheer size and numbers tended to favor the public schools. As well, often (or occasionally) the public school would have steller, D-1 prospects on their teams.

As often as not, the catholic schools would do remarkedly well.

Invariably, I was impressed with the degree of coaching, the collective intelligence and/or discipline and the obvious toughness of the parochial school teams, and the fact that this intangible called "team chemistry" tended to decidedly favor the parochial school. Now, by "team chemistry", I refer to a perceived attitude of "one for all/all for one"...everyone rooting for each other.

As often than not, I did not ordinarily observe the same attitude in he public school teams; of course when things were going good and they were winning, things were upbeat and positive, but at the first sign of adversity, I sensed a palpable change in the collective attitude of the public school teams - a willingness, if you will, to place blame, point fingers, and criticize. This was often reflected by the "star" athletes distancing themselves from their coaches and teammates, and paying little attention to the game. Reduced to it's essence, the perceived attitude was: "what are you doing - why did you do that; instead of: what do we got to do to get this thing righted.

Although I have no facts to support my contentions, I'd nonetheless hazzard a guess that the parochial school rosters were substantially populated by students who were a product of parochial schools - not illegally recruited athletes. (now, I could be wrong, as I have no personal/inside information - but I am aware that the "studs" on most of these rosters, were largely products of a catholic elementary education!

Now, I don't pretend to have "Pollyanna" tatood on my forehead,and I labor under no delusion that the possibility exists that recruiting (of steller athletes) does, in fact, exist. But, I choose to believe that this has not made a significant difference in the ultimate outcome of these athletic contests throughout the years - at least in the Wichita City League.

In the Wichita area, we now have several other private schools which are competing for athletes (i.e. Wichita Collegiate, Wichita Independence, and Wichita Trinity) (if I've omitted some one, please forgive me)

Of course the overwhelming athletic success of Wichita Collegiate invites alot of suspiscion: How or why did the likes of DeAngelo Evans, Maurce Evans, Chris Harper - for a brief interlude, anyway (each extra-ordinary athletics, and several others) just happen to man (or woman) their athletic rosters?

I happen to think that this is a fair question - one that hints at the very essence of what this thread is about!

There may well be a perfectly satisfactory answer - but I'd hazzard a guess that Colegiate's athletic competitors would be hard-pressed to accept the notion that the admission was a product of any high-minded ideal, to solicit a deserving,minority student to avail himself of the scholastic opportunities and/or rigors associated with their school. I could be wrong. Of course, I've never heard the schools response.

In the final analysis, when an inner city student, a steller athlete, is selected to attend your private school, with no prior history of association with your school, don't act all too surprised when your public school,athletic competitors, feel that you are taking unfair advantage of them, and gaining a very unfair, unethical, athletic leg up... It's how the athletic world turns, in my humble opinion.

Mr. Moeder (whose son attends St. James Academy) comments that his experience with entrance criteria at St. James Academy would refute this notion, and I certainly would not (and emphatically, do not, question his sincerity, nor integrity (I simply take him at his word!); but then we have the comments of other Posters who claim to have been induced to attend private schools for their obvious athletic prowress - where rules were bent.

I find this controversy quite interesting, and have debated it within my circle of friends for decades. I still do not know the answer, nor who is right.