History
Campion High School was founded in 1880 as the College of the Sacred Heart. Established on property donated by Prairie du Chien philanthropist John Lawler, the school was originally operated as a college by Jesuits from the Buffalo, New York, mission of the German Province of the Society of Jesus. Its first president was Rev. William Becker, S.J. The school continued as a college until 1888, when it was closed to lay students and became a house of formation for Jesuit priests. Ten years later, in 1898, the school was reopened to the public, as both a high school and college.
In 1907, the Buffalo Mission of the German Province of the Society of Jesus was disbanded, and the College of the Sacred Heart was reorganized into the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus. Shortly afterward, in 1913, the school was renamed the Campion College of the Sacred Heart. As the name change took place, the school underwent an early expansion phase that saw the construction of several buildings for academic and housing purposes. Then, in 1925, the school's college division was phased out and the institution became known simply as Campion Jesuit High School and was operated as a boy's boarding school. The high school quickly gained a reputation in both academics and athletics, and attracted students from across the nation. The school continued its growth until the mid-1960s, when the enrollment peaked at just below 600 students.
On Saturday, December 14, 1968, a large fire destroyed Campion's Kostka Hall, a building which housed the school's administration center as well as a theater, coffee house, dance hall, student radio station and other student recreational spaces. The fire, which began on the fourth floor, spread slowly and allowed for the building to be safely evacuated without any personal injuries. School records and other important documents were also removed before the fire became uncontrollable, and although the building was a complete loss, the school remained open and recovered quickly. Still, the fire was only one of several problems that the school had to face as it moved towards the 1970s. Not only was the school's enrollment declining dramatically, but the number of Jesuit priests available to operate the school was falling. In addition, ideological differences at the school led to conflicts between liberal and conservative staff members about the school's academic direction as well as its disciplinary and enrollment policies. Meanwhile, students began to rebel in various ways and racial tensions between white and African American students flared after the publication of a poem in a 1969 school newspaper that contained remarks many found to be obscene, racist, and offensive. Matters grew worse in 1972, when a Wisconsin law went into effect that allowed anyone above the age of 18 to purchase and consume alcohol, aggravating a drug problem on the campus. Parents upset at the situation at Campion began to consider alternative schools for their children, and discontented staff members began to resign. Financial difficulties only made matters worse, and in 1975 the school announced that it was closing. [1] [2]
Following Campion's closure, the 108-acre (0.44 km2) campus was sold to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod for $2,800,000 and became home to the new Martin Luther Preparatory School, another boarding school for training boys and girls for the Ministry. This institution opened in 1979 and continued until 1995, when it was moved to Watertown, Wisconsin and consolidated with Northwestern Preparatory School to become Luther Preparatory School. [3] In 1995, the Prairie du Chien campus was sold to the state of Wisconsin and transformed into a juvenile prison. Today the prison, called the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution, serves as a medium security adult penitentiary. [4] One building that was formerly part of the Campion High School campus, the sports complex at Hoffman Hall, remains outside of the prison and is operated as a public recreational facility by the city of Prairie du Chien. [5]
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second-oldest city, Prairie du Chien was established as a European settlement by French voyageurs in the late 17th century. Its settlement date of June 17, 1673, makes it the fourth colonial settlement by European settlers in the Midwestern United States, after Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan. The city has many sites showing its rich history in the region.
Walter H. HalloranSJ was a Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus who, at the age of twenty-six, assisted in the exorcism of Roland Doe in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, Missouri. The anonymous Doe, a thirteen-year-old Lutheran boy from Cottage City, Maryland, was allegedly possessed. The case inspired William Peter Blatty to write his novel The Exorcist.
Viterbo University is a private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 academic programs at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.
Martin Luther College (MLC) is a private Lutheran college in New Ulm, Minnesota. It is operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). Martin Luther College was established in 1995, when Northwestern College (NWC) of Watertown, Wisconsin, combined with Dr. Martin Luther College (DMLC) of New Ulm on the latter's campus.
Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School is a Jesuit college-preparatory school on the northwest side of Indianapolis. Founded in 1962, the school is named in honor of Jean de Brébeuf, a French saint from the 17th century. Brebeuf Jesuit is part of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus and is rooted in the Ignatian tradition. The school is geographically located within the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Luther Preparatory School is a residential four-year secondary school located in Watertown, Wisconsin, United States. Established in 1865, it is owned and operated by the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). LPS focuses on preparing students to become WELS pastors and teachers and to continue their education at Martin Luther College (MLC), a WELS college in New Ulm, Minnesota. Curriculum at LPS focuses on the liberal arts and religious studies.
The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse is a public university in La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States. Established in 1909, it is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. With 9,600 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students, UW-La Crosse is composed of four schools and colleges offering 102 undergraduate programs, 31 graduate programs, and 2 doctoral programs. UW-La Crosse has over 95,000 alumni across all 50 U.S. states and 57 countries as of 2021.
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, all-male, preparatory school run by the Antilles Province of the Society of Jesus in Tamiami, unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, operated by the Society of Jesus. It was established in Havana, Cuba by the Jesuits in 1854 but moved to the United States after the communist government of Fidel Castro, himself an alumnus, took power and expelled the Jesuits. It has since made the Cardinal Newman Society's honor roll. The name Belen is Spanish for "Bethlehem."
Western Technical College is a public technical college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. A member of the Wisconsin Technical College System, the Western Technical College District serves 11 counties and enrolls over 5,000 students. The college has six campus locations in western Wisconsin and its main campus is in downtown La Crosse. Western is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
St. Lawrence Seminary High School is a preparatory high school operated by the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. The school is in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It is an all-male boarding school, with approximately 225 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. The school's mission is to prepare its male students for vocations in the Catholic Church.
Wayland Academy is a selective private, coeducational college preparatory boarding high school located in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United States. The student population at the beginning of the 2024–2025 school year was 200. Nearly three-quarters of the students board at the school.
Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS) is a coeducational, private preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12. Located in Saginaw, Michigan, the school encourages students to become pastors and teachers in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, continuing their education at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.
St. Mary's School is a coeducational, independent Roman Catholic college preparatory school in Medford, Oregon within the Archdiocese of Portland. St. Mary’s School was founded in 1865 as a boarding and day school to serve pioneering families throughout southern Oregon and northern California. Today, it provides a college preparatory curriculum for students in grades 5-12. The 24-acre campus is located in east Medford.
Martin Luther Preparatory School (MLPS) was a college-preparatory school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. It was created in 1979 by the merger of Northwestern Lutheran Academy of Mobridge, South Dakota, and Martin Luther Academy of New Ulm, Minnesota. In 1995, MLPS was moved to the campus of Northwestern Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin. The combined school is now known as Luther Preparatory School.
Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC), formerly known as Sacred Heart School for Boys (SHS-B), is a private, Catholic, Chinese-Filipino college-preparatory, K-12 school run by the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus in Mandaue City, Philippines. It was established in 1955 with a curriculum that includes a Chinese language course.
Sacred Heart College, later renamed Campion College, was a Jesuit-operated college in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin founded in 1880. It was established by German Jesuits and trained people to serve in various capacities within the Roman Catholic Church. In 1888, the college closed to lay students. In 1898, it reopened to the laity as both a high school and college. The college was renamed Campion College in 1913. Though the college was shuttered in 1925, the associated high school, Campion High School, remained in operation until 1975. The astronomer priest, Johann Georg Hagen taught in the college before moving to Georgetown University.
William Coleman Nevils was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit educator who became the head of numerous Jesuit institutions throughout the northeastern United States, including Georgetown University and the University of Scranton. Born in Philadelphia, he was educated at Saint Joseph's College, before entering the Society of Jesus. While studying for the priesthood, he taught at Boston College and the Loyola School. After receiving his doctorate from Woodstock College, he held professorships at St. Andrew-on-Hudson and the College of the Holy Cross, before transferring to Georgetown University, where he became the dean of Georgetown College, the academic vice president, and the regent of the School of Foreign Service. He then left Georgetown to become the dean of the Shadowbrook Jesuit House of Studies.
College of the Sacred Heart may refer to:
