Wahlert Catholic High School is a private

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 in

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

, United States, 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 ...

History

During a meeting on June 17, 1955, Archbishop Leo Binz and the pastors of the Dubuque Catholic parishes came to the conclusion that new high school facilities were needed to replace the existing high schools; Loras and St. Columbkille. These facilities were deteriorating, and also would not meet the demands of the post-World War II baby boom. As a result, it was decided to build a new central high school. In July, another meeting was held to determine a location for the new school. Harry Wahlert, who owned the

Dubuque Packing Company The Dubuque Packing Company was a former meat packing company that operated under a variety of names in Dubuque, Iowa from 1891 until 2001. It was recognized for the quality of its products , and in the 1950s became the second-largest employer in ...

, donated $250,000 towards the construction of the school. Area parishes were also asked to contribute to the funding. The total cost of construction was approximately $3,250,000. A parcel across from the intersection of Kane and Chaney Streets near the west end of Dubuque was selected as the site for the school. When construction was finished, it measured over 222,000 square feet (20,600 m²). In February 1959, the archdiocese announced that the new school would be named in honor of Harry Wahlert. In August the school was officially opened, and the first classes began in September. In 2005, construction commenced on the Mazzuchelli expansion, which utilized the west wing of Wahlert and a new addition next to the school. This facility opened in 2006, and now serves as the central middle school for all Dubuque residents in the Holy Family Catholic Schools.

Campus

Wahlert Catholic High School is located at 2005 Kane Street on the east side of Dubuque, Iowa. The campus is in size, with its main entrance near the corner of Kane Street and Chaney Road. The three-story building and its grounds accommodate a chapel, running track, tennis courts, soccer field, and baseball field. The Wahlert portion of the campus occupies the eastern wings of the main building, while Mazzuchelli Middle School occupies the far western wing. The main gymnasium was renovated in early 2013.

Athletics

Wahlert High School offers opportunities for participation in 19 interscholastic athletic activities. Many of these sports include freshman, sophomore, and junior varsity levels of competition. Sports currently offered to boys include football, cross country, basketball, wrestling, bowling, golf, tennis, track, soccer, baseball, and swimming (co-op with Dubuque Community Schools). Sports offered to girls include cross country, swimming, volleyball, basketball, bowling, golf, tennis, soccer, and softball. Wahlert's varsity athletic teams compete in the Mississippi Valley Conference. *The girls' volleyball team has won 18 state championships (1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2016). *The girls' cross country program won the 3A state title in 1981, 2009, 2010 and 2011 *The boys' cross country team won the 3A state title 2003, 2004 and 2010. *Girls' golf 6-time State Champions (1966, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974) *Girls' soccer has won four state titles (1999, 2000, 2002, 2005) and the boys won in 2008 and 2012. *Girls' track and field teams were state champions in 2011 and 2012. *Boys' tennis teams have won the longest run of titles in state history (6): 2004 through 2009, in addition to wins in 1983, 1989 and 2011. * Girls' tennis were state champions in 1983, 1991, and 2009. *Boys' bowling won 1A state titles in 2010 and 2013. *Girls' bowling were state champions in 2011 and 2013. *Boys' basketball 5-time Class 3A State Champions (1980, 1981, 2008, 2014, 2015)

Performing arts

Wahlert has two competitive

show choirs A show choir (originally known as a "swing choir") is a musical ensemble that combines choral singing with choreographed dance, often with an overarching theme. It is most relevant in the Midwestern United States and was popularized by the America ...

: "Impulse" (varsity) and "Impact" (prep). The school also hosts its own competition, dubbed the "Key City Classic".

Notable alumni

Kayla Banwarth Kayla Banwarth (born January 21, 1989) is an American former volleyball player and coach. She played as a libero for the United States women's national volleyball team. Banwarth won gold with the national team at the 2014 World Championship, an ...

- volleyball player *

Bill Burbach William David Burbach (August 22, 1947 – July 20, 2022) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Yankees from 1969 to 1971. Listed at , , Burbach batted and threw right handed. He was born in Dickeyville, Wisc ...

- professional baseball player *

Kevin Kunnert Kevin Robert Kunnert (born November 11, 1951) is a retired American basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 7'0" and 230 lb center–forward, was drafted out of the University of Iowa by the Chicago Bulls in the ...

- NBA basketball player * Mac May - Volleyball player * Riley McCarron - NFL player *

Michael Joseph Melloy Michael Joseph Melloy (born January 15, 1948) is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Education and military service He was born in Dubuque, Iowa and graduated from Wahlert High Schoo ...

- judge *

Kate Mulgrew Katherine Kiernan Maria Mulgrew (born April 29, 1955) is an American actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and Red on '' Orange Is the New Black''. She first came to attention ...

- actress *

Bill Reiter Bill Reiter is a writer and sports personality for CBS Sports. He is best known for hosting ''Reiter Than You'', CBS Sports' first live primetime digital television show. His early work reporting on LeBron James during Lebron's first season with ...

- CBS Sports radio host * Travis Tranel - legislator

References

External links

Holy Family Catholic Schools Website
{{authority control Education in Dubuque, Iowa Educational institutions established in 1959 Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque Catholic secondary schools in Iowa Public high schools in Iowa Schools in Dubuque County, Iowa 1959 establishments in Iowa