Aquinas High School (Wisconsin)

Aquinas High School
Aquinas High School
Address
	315 11th Street South; La Crosse, (La Crosse County), Wisconsin 54601; United States
Coordinates	43°48′29″N 91°14′24″W / 43.80806°N 91.24000°W
Information
Type	Private, Parochial, Coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	Roman Catholic
Established	1928
Principal	Adam Poellinger
Chaplain	Fr. Daniel Sedlacek
Grades	9–12
Enrollment	338 (2013-2014 school year)
Color(s)	Navy blue and old gold
Athletics conference	Mississippi Valley Conference
Team name	Blugolds
Accreditation	North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
Affiliation	Diocese of La Crosse
Athletic Director	Pam Donarski
Website	http://www.AquinasCatholicSchools.org

Aquinas High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school is part of La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools and is operated by the Diocese of La Crosse.

In 2008, Aquinas High School was named a national Blue Ribbon School.^[3]

History

The high school was dedicated on September 2, 1928, in honor of Thomas Aquinas by Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick of the Diocese of La Crosse. The first graduating class of 1929 consisted of four girls. The high school was originally staffed by diocesan clergy and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.

Diocesan Bishop John Joseph Paul, an Aquinas alumnus of the class of 1935, set aside some rooms at Aquinas High School for the Aquinas Middle School in 1992. In 1997, the Bishop Burke Hall addition to Aquinas High School was dedicated in honor of Bishop Raymond Leo Burke, now the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura in the Vatican City and a former religion teacher at Aquinas High School.^[4]

School crest

The Aquinas High School crest, designed in 1942, first appeared in the yearbook, the Trumpet, and on the 1943 class rings. It features the cross in a central and prominent position on the crest, reflecting the importance of the faith and redemption it symbolizes; ΧΡ, the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ, signifying that the life of a Christian should be centered around Christ; the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of sanctity and virtue, symbolizing God, man's final end, and the Blessed Virgin, model of virtue; a lamp of learning and books, as symbols of knowledge and learning; a laurel, symbolizing reward; and lilies of the valley, symbolizing humility.^[4]

Sports

The school competes in the Mississippi Valley Conference and the WIAA with baseball, basketball, cross country, dance, football, golf, gymnastics, skiing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling teams.^[5]^[6]^[7] The school's hockey team is a co-op team composed of students from Aquinas, Holmen High School, Luther High School, and Coulee Christian High School.^[5]

WIAA state champion titles:

Alpine ski: 2000^{[citation needed]}
Boys baseball: 2017, 2021,^[6] 2024^[8]
Boys basketball: 2003,^[9] 2008, 2011, 2013^[10]^[11]^[5]
Boys Track & Field: 2019, 2021^[6]
Boys Cross country: 2007,^[12] 2018, 2019, 2020^[7]
Football: 2007,^[13] 2021,^[7] 2022,^[14] 2023^[15]
Girls basketball: 2018, 2019^[16]^[5]
Girls golf: 2017^[7]
Girls soccer: 2015^[6]

Affiliation

Aquinas Catholic Schools (formerly Coulee Catholic School)
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
Greater La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce
Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC)
Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA)
Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA)
Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference (CWCC)
North Central Accrediting Association^[17]

Principals

Father Hilary Leuther, 1928–1936
Father Joseph Kundinger, 1936–1940, 1946–1951
Father John Prizl, 1940–1946
Father Alfred Hebert, 1951–1952
Father Robert Hansen, 1952–1960
Father Richard Rossiter, 1960–1964
Father James O'Connell, 1964–1972
Father Robert Altmann, 1972–1990
James Vail, 1990–1997
Jeffrey Brengman, 1997–2001
Father John McHugh, 2001–2002
Joan Leonard, 2002–2004
Philip Hahn, 2004–2006
Patrick Burkhart, 2006–2007
Ted Knutson, 2007–2016
Denise Ring, 2016–2022
Andrew Bradley, 2022–present^[18]

Notable faculty

Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, former religion teacher at Aquinas High School
Raymond Leo Burke, teacher of religion at Aquinas High School prior to becoming bishop, archbishop, and cardinal.
George Albert Hammes, teacher at Aquinas High School prior to becoming bishop

Notable alumni

Sylvester G. Clements, 1954, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Charles Dierkop, actor, attended Aquinas High School
Lexi Donarski, basketball player^[19]
Steve Doyle, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Charles E. Knoblauch, former member of the Iowa House of Representatives
Bronson Koenig, basketball player
Robert E. Kreutz, composer, 1940^[20]
Paul Marcotte, 1945, businessman and former member of Kentucky House of Representatives^[21]
John Medinger, former mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin, former member of Wisconsin State Assembly, 1966
John Oestreicher, 1954, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
John Joseph Paul, 1935 graduate of Aquinas High School who served as Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, 1985–1994
John Rusche, 1969, physician and former member of the Idaho House of Representatives^[22]
Ed Servais, head coach of the Creighton Bluejays baseball team
Jim Temp, Green Bay Packers^[23]

References

^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
^ WIAA 2013-2014 School Enrollments wisconsintrackonline.com
^ "Catholic Schools Earn 43 of 50 Private School Blue Ribbon School Honors". National Catholic Educational Association. October 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "The History of Aquinas High School". Aquinas High School. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Athletics: Winter Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Athletics: Spring Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Athletics: Fall Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
^ "Aquinas wins D3 State Baseball title". WXOW. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
^ "2003 Boys' Basketball Results". Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.^{[dead link‍]}
^ http://wiaawi.org/index.php?id=65 ^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "AQUINAS vs RACINE SAINT CATHERINE'S (03/19/11 at Kohl Center – Madison, Wisconsin)". Wiaawi.org. Retrieved October 18, 2011. ^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "2007 Cross Country Results" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.^{[dead link‍]}
^ http://wiaawi.org/index.php?id=92 ^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ WXOW (June 13, 2024). "Two In A Row: Aquinas takes Division 5 Football title". WXOW. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
^ WXOW (June 13, 2024). "Aquinas powers its way to 32-13 win in D5 championship". WXOW. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
^ Summerfeldt, Todd (March 11, 2018). "WIAA Girls State Tournament: La Crosse Aquinas tops Mel-Min, wins D-4 title". La Crosse Tribune.
^ "Aquinas High School Information". Aquinas High School. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007.
^ Swift, Allan (May 23, 2022). "Andrew Bradley named new principal at Aquinas High School and Middle School". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
^ "Lexi Donarski - Women's Basketball".
^ "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
^ "Obituary: Paul Henry Marcotte". La Crosse Tribune. December 8, 2012. pp. C8.
^ "Rep. John Rusche". Idaho State Legislature. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
^ "Jim Temp". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015.

Aquinas High School 2003 Alumni Directory 75th Anniversary 1928–2003

External links

Aquinas High School La Crosse
Diocese of La Crosse
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration La Crosse
Dan Simmons. "The Archivist: Aquinas alum collects 80 years of school's history in one office," La Crosse Tribune, September 21, 2006.

[NCA-Council_on_Accreditation_and_School_Improvement-1] NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2009.

[2] WIAA 2013-2014 School Enrollments wisconsintrackonline.com

[3] "Catholic Schools Earn 43 of 50 Private School Blue Ribbon School Honors". National Catholic Educational Association. October 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2011.

[aquinasschools.org-4] "The History of Aquinas High School". Aquinas High School. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.

[:0-5] "Athletics: Winter Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

[:1-6] "Athletics: Spring Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

[:2-7] "Athletics: Fall Sports". Aquinas Catholic Schools. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

[8] "Aquinas wins D3 State Baseball title". WXOW. June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.

[9] "2003 Boys' Basketball Results". Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.^{[dead link‍]}

[10] ttp://wiaawi.org/index.php?id=65 ^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[11] "AQUINAS vs RACINE SAINT CATHERINE'S (03/19/11 at Kohl Center – Madison, Wisconsin)". Wiaawi.org. Retrieved October 18, 2011. ^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[12] "2007 Cross Country Results" (PDF). Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association.^{[dead link‍]}

[13] ttp://wiaawi.org/index.php?id=92 ^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[14] WXOW (June 13, 2024). "Two In A Row: Aquinas takes Division 5 Football title". WXOW. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

[15] WXOW (June 13, 2024). "Aquinas powers its way to 32-13 win in D5 championship". WXOW. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

[16] Summerfeldt, Todd (March 11, 2018). "WIAA Girls State Tournament: La Crosse Aquinas tops Mel-Min, wins D-4 title". La Crosse Tribune.

[17] "Aquinas High School Information". Aquinas High School. Archived from the original on July 17, 2007.

[18] Swift, Allan (May 23, 2022). "Andrew Bradley named new principal at Aquinas High School and Middle School". La Crosse Tribune. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

[19] "Lexi Donarski - Women's Basketball".

[20] "NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League". NFL.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.

[21] "Obituary: Paul Henry Marcotte". La Crosse Tribune. December 8, 2012. pp. C8.

[22] "Rep. John Rusche". Idaho State Legislature. Retrieved September 4, 2022.

[23] "Jim Temp". Pro Football Archives. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015.

[2]

[1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

v t e Mississippi Valley Conference (Wisconsin)
Current members	Aquinas Holmen Central Logan Onalaska Sparta Tomah
Associated members	West Salem

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse
Bishops	Ordinaries Michael Heiss Kilian Caspar Flasch James Schwebach Alexander Joseph McGavick John Patrick Treacy Frederick William Freking John Joseph Paul Raymond Leo Burke Jerome E. Listecki William P. Callahan Gerard William Battersby Auxiliary William Richard Griffin
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman Parishes Notre Dame Church, Chippewa Falls Sacred Heart of Jesus-St. Patrick's Church, Eau Claire Sacred Heart-Saint Wenceslaus Church, Pine Creek Former Our Lady of Spring Bank Abbey Saint Ann's Church, Greenwood Shrine Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse Chapel Maria Angelorum Chapel, La Crosse
Education	Higher education Viterbo University High schools Aquinas High School, La Crosse Assumption High School, Wisconsin Rapids Columbus Catholic High School, Marshfield McDonell Central Catholic High School, Chippewa Falls Newman Catholic High School, Wausau Pacelli High School, Stevens Point Regis High School, Eau Claire Former Campion High School, Prairie du Chien
Priests	Solanus Casey Robert Herman Flock George Albert Hammes Felix Ley
Other	The Catholic Times (newspaper)
Catholicism portal