Cedar Rapids Prairie High School
Encyclopedia
Cedar Rapids Prairie High School is a public high school in Cedar Rapids
, Iowa
. The school opened in 1954 after combining many schools in the surrounding area. The College Community School District serves the communities of Walford, Fairfax, Swisher, Shueyville, Ely, Southwest Cedar Rapids, and surrounding areas. The district has seven buildings on a central campus: Prairie High (10-12), Point Middle (7-9), Creek Intermediate (5-6), View Elementary (K-4), Crest Elementary (K-4), Heights Elementary (K-4), and Ridge Elementary (K-4).
Sports
Prairie is known for its high expectations in wrestling, having won 2 traditional state duals and 2 team duals.
Prairie is also known for a rich tradition in the football program that was built throughout the 90's and 00's under Craig Jelinek. In 2011, Coach Mike Morrissey took over the program and is looking to provide the program with a fresh outlook on the game.
Overall, in the last couple years, Prairie has done well in their wrestling, bowling, and cross country programs. The other programs have suffered but are all on the rise.
In athletics (and in many other activities), Prairie has a rivalry with nearby Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. This rivalry has been dubbed the “Kolach Bowl,” as both schools are on Cedar Rapids’ southwest side, were the Czech Village is located.
Student life
Prairie is rich in tradition. Homecoming is celebrated like no other local schools. There is a parade through the Campus during the day, and during the football game there are fireworks shows, including buckets of gunpowder exploding as the team marches on to the field. One of the most popular traditions is the burning of a large ‘P,’ lit by the previous year’s Homecoming Queen while the Prairie Alma Mater is playing.
The school has a popular podcast, called "The Hawks' Nest," which can be downloaded from the school's website. The school's student publication is called "The Hawk Talk".
A popular motto of the football team is,"Football is not a sport, it's a lifestyle"
Alternative program
Prairie has an alternative high school program located on Kirkwood Blvd. less than a mile from the high school campus. The teachers, Marty Van Roekel and Bridgette Anderson, lead the students through a less-structured version of the regular high school. Opportunities are presented to "at-risk students" to make their high school experiences more enjoyable and present ways to graduate on time.
Facilities
Prairie has some of the finest facilities in the state. In December 2008, the districts new Concert Hall opened, a $9 million band and choir performance centre. In 2010, the baseball and softball diamonds will receive a new press box. If funding is available, the districts main stadium, John Wall Field, will receive new Field Turf in 2011.
Along with all of the sports and arts facilities, there has recently been a new 7-9 grade building built named Prairie Point. The construction of Prairie Point was due to the overcrowding of the high school and all of the schools collectively. Prairie Point is praised as one of the most technologically advanced schools in the state in terms of architectural design and technology such as state-of-the-art computer systems.
Notable Alumni
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. The school opened in 1954 after combining many schools in the surrounding area. The College Community School District serves the communities of Walford, Fairfax, Swisher, Shueyville, Ely, Southwest Cedar Rapids, and surrounding areas. The district has seven buildings on a central campus: Prairie High (10-12), Point Middle (7-9), Creek Intermediate (5-6), View Elementary (K-4), Crest Elementary (K-4), Heights Elementary (K-4), and Ridge Elementary (K-4).
History
In 1950, voters in College Township approved construction of a central elementary - prior to that 9 separate elementary schools were operated. That new building was completed in 1952. During the 1952-53 school year, Cedar Rapids indicated that students could no longer attend school in CR on a tuition basis. This led to the 1953 vote to form the district by the College, Fairfax and Putnum Townships. In 1954, the district officially becomes the College Community School District. Later, in January 1959, the high school students move into the current high school. Later that year, in May, the district has its first graduating class.Prairie is known for its high expectations in wrestling, having won 2 traditional state duals and 2 team duals.
Prairie is also known for a rich tradition in the football program that was built throughout the 90's and 00's under Craig Jelinek. In 2011, Coach Mike Morrissey took over the program and is looking to provide the program with a fresh outlook on the game.
Overall, in the last couple years, Prairie has done well in their wrestling, bowling, and cross country programs. The other programs have suffered but are all on the rise.
In athletics (and in many other activities), Prairie has a rivalry with nearby Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids. This rivalry has been dubbed the “Kolach Bowl,” as both schools are on Cedar Rapids’ southwest side, were the Czech Village is located.
State Championships
| Year | Sport | Coach |
| 1979 | Wrestling | Ron James |
| 1981 | Football | John Oertel |
| 1994 | Wrestling | Ron Peterson |
| 1995 | Wrestling | Ron Peterson |
| 1997 | Girls Indoor Track | |
| 1998 | Wrestling | Scott Litterer |
| 1998 | Boys Basketball | Dennis Thiessen |
| 2010 | Boys Cross Country | Bill Schwarz |
Student life
Prairie is rich in tradition. Homecoming is celebrated like no other local schools. There is a parade through the Campus during the day, and during the football game there are fireworks shows, including buckets of gunpowder exploding as the team marches on to the field. One of the most popular traditions is the burning of a large ‘P,’ lit by the previous year’s Homecoming Queen while the Prairie Alma Mater is playing.
The school has a popular podcast, called "The Hawks' Nest," which can be downloaded from the school's website. The school's student publication is called "The Hawk Talk".
A popular motto of the football team is,"Football is not a sport, it's a lifestyle"
Alternative program
Prairie has an alternative high school program located on Kirkwood Blvd. less than a mile from the high school campus. The teachers, Marty Van Roekel and Bridgette Anderson, lead the students through a less-structured version of the regular high school. Opportunities are presented to "at-risk students" to make their high school experiences more enjoyable and present ways to graduate on time.
Facilities
Prairie has some of the finest facilities in the state. In December 2008, the districts new Concert Hall opened, a $9 million band and choir performance centre. In 2010, the baseball and softball diamonds will receive a new press box. If funding is available, the districts main stadium, John Wall Field, will receive new Field Turf in 2011.
Along with all of the sports and arts facilities, there has recently been a new 7-9 grade building built named Prairie Point. The construction of Prairie Point was due to the overcrowding of the high school and all of the schools collectively. Prairie Point is praised as one of the most technologically advanced schools in the state in terms of architectural design and technology such as state-of-the-art computer systems.
Notable Alumni
- Barry DavisBarry Davis (amateur wrestler)Barry Davis is an Olympic silver medalist and World champion medalist in freestyle wrestling. Since 1994, he has served as head wrestling coach at the University of Wisconsin.- Early life :...
(Wrestler) - Jim ZaleskyJim ZaleskyJim Zalesky is the head wrestling coach for the Oregon State Beavers and a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Prior to joining the Beavers, he was the coach of the University of Iowa wrestling team from 1998-2006. At Iowa, he succeeded Dan Gable as head coach, under whom he was a...
(Wrestler) - Lennie Zalesky (Wrestler)
- Zac HeroldZac HeroldZac Herold is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was initially signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and played college football for the University of Nebraska-Omaha.-High school years:Herold earned letters in football and basketball as...
(American Football Player)