Driscoll Catholic High School was a private college preparatory

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 ...

in the village of

Addison Addison may refer to: Places Canada * Addison, Ontario United States *Addison, Alabama *Addison, Illinois *Addison Street in Chicago, Illinois which runs by Wrigley Field * Addison, Kentucky *Addison, Maine *Addison, Michigan *Addison, New York ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. It had been accredited by the State of Illinois and the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...

. Founded in 1966, Driscoll brought Catholic secondary education to

Addison, Illinois Addison is a village located in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,942 at the 2010 census. History The community itself was originally named Dunkley's Grove after the settler Hezekia ...

. Its primary claim to fame is in the field of athletics. The Driscoll Catholic football team has won 8 state championships, including seven in a row (2001–07) which stands as a high school record in the State of Illinois. Driscoll was a member of the Lasallian Schools Association and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois ( la, Diœcesis Joliettensis in Illinois) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in the state of Illinois in the United States. The Diocese of Joliet in Illinois is a suff ...

. Athletically, Driscoll competed in the

Suburban Catholic Conference The Suburban Christian Conference was a system of Christian schools in Chicago's suburbs organized to compete against each other athletically. History Formerly called the Suburban Catholic Conference, the conference changed its name to the Suburba ...

. Driscoll's football team won seven consecutive state championships from 2001 to 2007 (six being 4A and one as 3A) to establish a state record.

Athletics

Driscoll competed in the

, and as a member of the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

(IHSA), which sponsored State Championship tournaments in many sports (generally in the smaller or middle classes of competition). Driscoll Catholic had one of the best high school football programs in the state of Illinois. The school sponsored interscholastic teams for men and women in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, cross country,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, and

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. Men would usually compete in

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

. Women would usually compete in

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. Driscoll has placed in the top four of the following IHSA State Championship Tournaments: * Baseball: 3rd place (1990–91, 2005–06); 2nd place (1999–2000); State Champions (1991–92, 1993–94, 1996–97) * Basketball (girls): State Champions (2008–09) * Football: State Champions (1991–92, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007-08) Notably, in football, Driscoll's 8 state titles was the fourth most in Illinois high school history. The string of seven consecutive state titles was by far the Illinois high school record, with no other team winning more than five in a row.

Closing

It was announced on April 2, 2009 that Driscoll Catholic would close its doors at the end of the 2009 school year due to low enrollment and a lack of funds. Driscoll students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends worked to raise funds and keep the school open. On April 19, 2009, the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'' reported that even if fund raising efforts are successful, there was a concern that the school could fall short of the minimum enrollment needed to keep the school open.Sakamoto, Bob; ''Driscoll's hope slips away''; 19 April 2009; accessed 20 April 2009
/ref> On April 28, 2009, the ''Chicago Tribune'' reported that the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the Midwest had sent an e-mail to students and families announcing that even if enough money were to be raised to keep the school open, it would be closing at the end of the year.
/ref>

References

External links

Driscoll Catholic High School official website
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Addison, Illinois Former high schools in Illinois Educational institutions established in 1966 Educational institutions disestablished in 2009 Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois Defunct Catholic secondary schools in Illinois Schools in DuPage County, Illinois 1966 establishments in Illinois