Aquinas High School is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

high school located in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

. The school is part of

La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools La Crosse Aquinas Catholic Schools or ACS is a school district in La Crosse, Wisconsin and Onalaska, Wisconsin operated by the Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civiliza ...

and is operated by the

Diocese of La Crosse The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse ( la, Dioecesis Crossensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese (Roman Rite) of the Catholic Church encompassing the city of La Crosse and 19 counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Cl ...

. In 2008, Aquinas High School was named a national

Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

History

The high school was dedicated on September 2, 1928, in honor of

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known wi ...

by Bishop Alexander Joseph McGavick of the

. 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 The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA) is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women whose motherhouse, St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetua ...

. 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 Raymond Leo Burke (born June 30, 1948) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. A bishop, cardinal, and the incumbent patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, he led the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and the Diocese ...

, now the

Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura () is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church (apart from the pope himself, who as supreme ecclesiastical judge is the final point of appeal for any ecclesiastical judgment). In additio ...

in the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

and a former religion teacher at Aquinas High School.

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.

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. The school's hockey team is a co-op team composed of students from Aquinas,

Holmen High School Holmen High School is a high school in Holmen, Wisconsin operated by the Holmen School District. As of 2016, school enrollment was 1,112. The current facility was opened in 1994 and was expanded in 2000. 2020 led to another expansion after the re ...

, Luther High School, and Coulee Christian High School. WIAA state champion titles: * Alpine ski: 2000 * Boys baseball: 2017, 2021 * Boys basketball: 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013 * Boys Track & Field: 2019, 2021 * Boys Cross country: 2007, 2018, 2019, 2020 * Football: 2007, 2021 2022 * Girls basketball: 2018, 2019 * Girls golf: 2017 * Girls soccer: 2015

Affiliation

* Aquinas Catholic Schools (formerly Coulee Catholic School) *

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

(NCEA) * Greater La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce * Mississippi Valley Conference (MVC) *

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the earliest continually existing high school athletic organization in the country. I ...

(WIAA) * Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (WISAA) * Central Wisconsin Catholic Conference (CWCC) * North Central Accrediting Association

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

Notable faculty

* Ann Walsh Bradley,

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

justice, former religion teacher at Aquinas High School *

, teacher of religion at Aquinas High School prior to becoming bishop, archbishop, and cardinal. *

George Albert Hammes George Albert Hammes (September 11, 1911 – April 11, 1993) was an American bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Superior from 1960 to 1985. Biography Born in St. Joseph, Wisconsin, Hammes was ordained to the priesth ...

, teacher at Aquinas High School prior to becoming bishop

Notable alumni

* Sylvester G. Clements, 1954, former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *

Charles Dierkop Charles Richard Dierkop (born September 11, 1936) is an American character actor. He is most recognized for his supporting roles in the films '' Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973) and the television series ''Po ...

, actor, attended Aquinas High School * Steve Doyle, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Charles E. Knoblauch, former member of the Iowa House of Representatives *

Bronson Koenig Bronson Koenig (born November 13, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers. Koenig attended Aquinas High School in La C ...

, basketball player * Robert E. Kreutz, composer, 1940 * Paul Marcotte, 1945, businessman and former member of Kentucky House of Representatives *

John Medinger John Donald Medinger (born April 26, 1948) is an American teacher, businessman, and Democratic politician from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He was the 39th mayor of La Crosse (1997–2005) and represented the area for 16 years in the Wis ...

, 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 *

Ed Servais Edwin Servais (born c. 1958) is an American college baseball coach and small-ball connoisseur, currently the head coach at Creighton University, a member of the Big East Conference in NCAA Division I. He has held the position since July 2003, and ...

, head coach of the Creighton Bluejays baseball team * Jim Temp, Green Bay Packers

References

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

External links

Aquinas High School La CrosseDiocese of La CrosseFranciscan 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. {{authority control Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse Catholic secondary schools in Wisconsin Educational institutions established in 1928 Buildings and structures in La Crosse, Wisconsin Schools in La Crosse County, Wisconsin 1928 establishments in Wisconsin