Columbus High School (CHS), also known as Columbus Catholic High School, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 67,314, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. The city is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls ...

. Columbus High School is located in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque The Archdiocese of Dubuque ( la, Archidiœcesis Dubuquensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian chu ...

and is part of the Cedar Valley Catholic School system.

History

Columbus High School opened its doors to a class of 406 boys and 431 girls on 31 August 1959, following a three-year fund-raising effort. The school's primary advocate, Father A.A. McAvoy, began directing fundraising efforts in 1956. By 1959, McAvoy's efforts had yielded nearly two million dollars in pledges. In 1958 the cornerstone was blessed by Archbishop

Leo Binz Leo Binz (October 31, 1900 – October 9, 1979) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Dubuque (1954–1961) and as Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis (1962–1975). A native of Illinois, he became a ...

. Father John Paar was named principal later that year and served for 10 years. In 1968, Father Walter Brunkan, the assistant principal, was promoted to principal and remained in that role for over 20 years. In 1991 he was reassigned to St. Mary Catholic Church in

Greene, Iowa Greene is a city in Butler County, Iowa, United States, along the Shell Rock River, and along Butler County's northern border, where Butler and Floyd counties meet. The population was 990 at the time of the 2020 census. History The community o ...

, and Michael Palmer became the first lay principal. Palmer retired in 1999, and assistant principal Todd Dirth became principal, serving from 1999 until December 2003. John Carlucci served as the interim principal the remainder of that school year, and Richard Caye served as the principal for the 2004/2005 school year. The current principal, Tom Ulses, was appointed in 2005. The Columbus High School campus now also includes Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta Catholic Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8. The middle school was established in August 2012, drawing students from Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart and St. Edward elementary schools.

Athletics

The Sailors compete in the North Iowa Cedar League Conference in the following sports: *Bowling *Cross Country (boys and girls) ** Boys' 3-time State Champions (1969, 1971, 1972) *Volleyball *Football ** 3-time State Champions (1976, 1986, 2004) *Basketball (boys and girls) **Girls' 1990 State Champions *Wrestling ** 2004 Class 2A State Champions *Track and Field (boys and girls) *Golf (boys and girls) ** Boys' 8-time State Champions (1969, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2013) ** Coed State Champions - 1969 *Baseball (boys) *Softball (girls) *Soccer (boys and girls) ** Boys' 2012 Class 1A State Champions *Tennis (boys and girls) ** Boys' 2010 Class 1A State Champions ** Girls' 15-time State Champions (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013)

Notable alumni

* Dr. Tim Cordes, a blind

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

physician *

Tracie Spencer Tracie Monique Spencer (born July 12, 1976) is an American singer–songwriter, actress, and model. Spencer first came to attention in 1987, when the then 11-year-old won the junior vocalist competition on the television show ''Star Search''. ...

– 1994, American singer-songwriter, actress and model.People - High School Hit-Maker - May 20, 1991
/ref> *

Chris Klieman Christopher Paul Klieman ( ; born September 27, 1967) is an American football coach and former player, and is currently the head coach for Kansas State University in the Big 12 Conference. He took over from the retiring Bill Snyder after leading ...

- Kansas State football coach. *

Larry Nemmers Larry Nemmers (born July 12, 1943) is a retired educator and better known as a former American football official in the National Football League (NFL). Nemmers made his debut as an NFL official in the 1985 season and continued in this role until ...

– 1960, NFL referee. * Michael Hogan – 1961, Educator and educator administrator. Former president of the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

and the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. *

Raja Chari Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari (born June 24, 1977) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. He is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, and has over 2,000 flyi ...

- NASA Astronaut and Test Pilot

References

External links

Official school web site
{{authority control Catholic secondary schools in Iowa Private high schools in Iowa Educational institutions established in 1959 Buildings and structures in Waterloo, Iowa Schools in Black Hawk County, Iowa 1959 establishments in Iowa

History

Athletics

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links