St. Thomas Aquinas Academy High School, formerly known as Marinette Catholic Central High School, is a private

Private school

Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...

, Roman Catholic high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in Marinette, Wisconsin

Marinette, Wisconsin

Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,749 at the 2000 census.Marinette is the principal city of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Marinette County, Wisconsin and Menominee...

. It is in the Diocese of Green Bay

Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...

.

History

The school's roots go back to 1876 when St. Mary's Institute was opened with a handful of female pupils, many from local Irish families. During the next 50 years, the school underwent several transformations. By World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 it was a co-ed school. At one time, the school building at 1200 Main Street included a grade school, but by the 1960s, when enrollment swelled, the building was used solely as a high school.

Marinette Catholic Central High School, now part of the St. Thomas Aquinas system of Catholic day schools, was founded in 1958, when the four Marinette parishes of St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, St. Anthony, and Our Lady of Lourdes, assumed joint control of the former Our Lady of Lourdes High School.

Extra-curricular activities

During its high-enrollment period, the school was known for its drama program, Windsor Players, founded by Harold "Mr Z" Zahorik, and its choral music program, under the direction of Robert DeMille.

Athletics

In 1964, the Catholic Central Cavaliers basketball team, under coach Marty Crowe, defeated Appleton Xavier

Xavier High School (Appleton, Wisconsin)

Xavier High School is a private Catholic secondary school in Appleton, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay. It was opened in 1959 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools . The school was named in honor of St...

 to win the Catholic state basketball championship.

In 1986, the Catholic Central Cavaliers Baseball team, under Coach Rob Paris, won the Class B WISAA State Championship. This was the first State Baseball Championship in school history.

Between the years of 1986-1991 the Catholic Central Cavvies took state titles for their volleyball program several times.

In 2003, Catholic Central and nearby Lena High School combined their football teams. This arrangement is allowed under WIAA

Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association is the regulatory body for all high school sports in Wisconsin. Its history dates to 1895, making it the first high school athletic organization in the country...

rules to create opportunities for students who might not be able to participate if schools were unable to operate a program.